It’s the latest furor in the world of horror. Eli Roth, the director people love to hate, admitted to using AI in aspects of his new movie, Ice Cream Man.
I wasn’t surprised, though I felt sick when I heard it. I felt sick when I heard A24 was in collaboration with Google to invest in the use of AI in their productions. I felt sick when I heard Netflix say they used AI in 300 of their recent movies and shows.
I have a personal stake in this. I invested a small amount in Roth’s The Horror Section company. This news is certainly not going to help Ice Cream Man’s chances of success. I had no illusions of getting rich from the endeavor, but a tidy profit would be nice.
It could still happen. All we see is a small percentage of potential viewers on social media. A small, often toxic representation of horror fandom.
Even some of those who defend Roth are awful: “Keep your stupid A24 horror!” It’s reverse snobbism at its worst.
I wrote a while back about the inevitability of AI in movie production. The genie is out of the bottle, the rabbit out of the hat. I don’t like it, but there’s no closing the door.
I always hated CGI, so you know I can’t stand AI.
A few defenders said the same things: AI is here to stay whether we like it or not. The Pavlovian response was immediate: “Well, with that attitude it is! We can stop it!”
No, we can’t. I don’t think we can, anyway. Gradually people will stop crying about it and AI will be accepted.
It’s not like people are screaming that hard about Netflix. I heard some flack about A24, but not like the apoplectic rage against Eli Roth.
People always hated him. I wonder why? Hostel was part of it, to be sure.
Hostel was the prime suspect in the whole Torture Porn controversy. But mostly, people were angry that the movie appeared to be homophobic. Roth’s characters casually drop slurs and engage in assholish behavior in the movie. So, obviously, Eli Roth is a homophobe.
I see it differently. The European travelers in Hostel are classic examples of what was once known as Ugly Americans. The Ugly American was a 1958 novel about brash, rude, abrasive American tourists.
To me, at least, the guys in Hostel are supremely unlikable. I certainly wouldn’t hang out with them. I think that’s part of the point in Hostel. Foreigners hate Americans and sometimes they do so for good reasons.
“But the main character becomes the hero by the end!”
Yes. Of course he does. He was a dick, but he didn’t deserve to be tortured and killed for his behavior. Just like people who talk a bunch of dumb crap do not deserve to lose their livelihoods here in the States. It doesn’t matter if they are left or right wing. Too many people have vicious attitudes and not nearly enough compassion.
Getting back to Ice Cream Man, we’ll see what happens. I think this is a decisive moment for horror. Regardless of whether the movie succeeds, I still say AI isn’t going anywhere.
Think about this: How many filmmakers are using AI and won’t admit it? At least Eli Roth had the stones to tell the truth. Not that many are thanking him for it.
You can’t stop the future, though I often wish I could.
I rejected modern filmmaking for a long time, but now I am on board and watching new movies again. I’m mostly having a good time with it. I think I’ll stick around and see where all this goes, and I will pay my money and sit in the dark to see if the results are worthwhile. You never know. I may be surprised. Maybe we all will.
Written by Mark Sieber
I wasn’t surprised, though I felt sick when I heard it. I felt sick when I heard A24 was in collaboration with Google to invest in the use of AI in their productions. I felt sick when I heard Netflix say they used AI in 300 of their recent movies and shows.
I have a personal stake in this. I invested a small amount in Roth’s The Horror Section company. This news is certainly not going to help Ice Cream Man’s chances of success. I had no illusions of getting rich from the endeavor, but a tidy profit would be nice.
It could still happen. All we see is a small percentage of potential viewers on social media. A small, often toxic representation of horror fandom.
Even some of those who defend Roth are awful: “Keep your stupid A24 horror!” It’s reverse snobbism at its worst.
I wrote a while back about the inevitability of AI in movie production. The genie is out of the bottle, the rabbit out of the hat. I don’t like it, but there’s no closing the door.
I always hated CGI, so you know I can’t stand AI.
A few defenders said the same things: AI is here to stay whether we like it or not. The Pavlovian response was immediate: “Well, with that attitude it is! We can stop it!”
No, we can’t. I don’t think we can, anyway. Gradually people will stop crying about it and AI will be accepted.
It’s not like people are screaming that hard about Netflix. I heard some flack about A24, but not like the apoplectic rage against Eli Roth.
People always hated him. I wonder why? Hostel was part of it, to be sure.
Hostel was the prime suspect in the whole Torture Porn controversy. But mostly, people were angry that the movie appeared to be homophobic. Roth’s characters casually drop slurs and engage in assholish behavior in the movie. So, obviously, Eli Roth is a homophobe.
I see it differently. The European travelers in Hostel are classic examples of what was once known as Ugly Americans. The Ugly American was a 1958 novel about brash, rude, abrasive American tourists.
To me, at least, the guys in Hostel are supremely unlikable. I certainly wouldn’t hang out with them. I think that’s part of the point in Hostel. Foreigners hate Americans and sometimes they do so for good reasons.
“But the main character becomes the hero by the end!”
Yes. Of course he does. He was a dick, but he didn’t deserve to be tortured and killed for his behavior. Just like people who talk a bunch of dumb crap do not deserve to lose their livelihoods here in the States. It doesn’t matter if they are left or right wing. Too many people have vicious attitudes and not nearly enough compassion.
Getting back to Ice Cream Man, we’ll see what happens. I think this is a decisive moment for horror. Regardless of whether the movie succeeds, I still say AI isn’t going anywhere.
Think about this: How many filmmakers are using AI and won’t admit it? At least Eli Roth had the stones to tell the truth. Not that many are thanking him for it.
You can’t stop the future, though I often wish I could.
I rejected modern filmmaking for a long time, but now I am on board and watching new movies again. I’m mostly having a good time with it. I think I’ll stick around and see where all this goes, and I will pay my money and sit in the dark to see if the results are worthwhile. You never know. I may be surprised. Maybe we all will.
Written by Mark Sieber
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