Stop The Animal Cruelty In Movies

A long time ago, a magazine asked a number of movie critics what they’d like to see LESS of in future movies. Many of them said nudity, which I couldn’t disagree with more. Gene Siskel very cleverly replied, “Roman numerals”.

I’d like to see fewer animal deaths.

In the real world, I’m a supporter of many animal rights organizations. PETA, Animal Legal Defense Fund, ASPCA, the Humane Society, etc.

Real life stories of animal cruelty tear me apart. I believe such crimes should be prosecuted to much, much fuller extents of the law. Statistics have shown time and time again that serial killers get their start as children, abusing animals. Bundy did it. So did Dahmer, Gacy, and the list goes on and on.

If we want to stop violent criminals BEFORE they kill people, we should nail them with the animal cruelty.

As for movies, Jeff is right. If an animal is killed in a movie, 99% of the time I will eject the DVD and throw it across the room. I could write a manifesto on this, but the bottom line is I don’t like to see it. I don’t care how many humans are killed in a movie. I believe that animals are innocent and pure and the people probably had it coming due to bad choices they made earlier in the movie or in their character’s background. (With the exception of historical drama, like “Schindler’s List”)

Look at the horror/thriller genre for the worst examples. If the family has a pet, the killer is going to kill the pet. This presupposes that we, as an audience, won’t really understand that the bad guy is really, really bad until he kills Fido.

It’s a cheap ploy that tugs at the heart strings. Cute little kitty? What if the killer slits his throat and hangs him from the ceiling fan? (“Poodle Springs”) Do you believe the killer is evil now?

It boils down to poor writing. If you – the writer – can’t convince me that the killer is scary without him stomping a dog to death (“American Psycho”), or shooting AND beheading the family dog (“Fear”), you haven’t done your job. Go back and revise.

What’s even cheaper is when a kitten or puppy is introduced into the plot solely to be killed later. In “Single White Female”, Jennifer Jason Leigh brings home an adorable puppy that she later hurls off the balcony. We get to see its lifeless body in the alley below. Ooh, now we know she’s REALLY scary!

Sometimes it serves no purpose at all. In “The Ring”, a horse on a ferry freaks out, jumps overboard, and is pulled by the current into the propeller. This had nothing to do with the plot.

Sometimes it’s supposed to be funny. Think “There’s Something About Mary” or “Animal House” or “Wonder Boys” or “Me, Myself, and Irene” or “A Fish Called Wanda” or “Starsky and Hutch”. There’s a fine line here.

If it’s done in a funny way where it’s humorously obvious that the animal is fake, that’s one end of the scale. The opposite end of the scale is no different (to me) than the horror examples.

Don’t misunderstand me – I NEVER want to see it. The scale only determines whether I’ll throw the movie across the room or get past it.

It’s worse when I’m at the theater and I’m with somebody so I can’t leave. “I Am Legend” is a great example of that. Will Smith’s dog turns into a… whatever and he chokes the dog to death just off screen. It was horrible to watch, incredibly pointless (why would the “last man on earth” have a dog?), and cheap all around.

The Worst Example Ever: “Apocalypse Now”. At the end of the movie, there are quick cuts to some kind of ritualistic jungle ceremony where a bull or water buffalo or something is hacked to death with a machete.

Regardless what it may or may not have meant to the plot, THAT WAS REAL. That was before the ASPCA. They slaughtered a live animal for the purposes of a movie.

I’m sick of it. These scenes never advance the plot. They serve no purpose. They titillate people who think animal life is worthless. It’s disgusting, it’s bad writing, and I won’t support it.

I found a website recently that catalogs upcoming movies and lists any scene where an animal is involved. (I think it’s the ASPCA’s site.) Then it lists whether there was ASPCA supervision on set, whether the animal is interacting with an off-screen trainer, and what the dead animal on screen actually is, like foam rubber latex with fake fur, or whatever.

Unfortunately, the site is seldom updated. I’d like to know ahead of time what to expect.

Okay, now you can give me individual examples and ask me whether I threw the movie, ask whether I’m a vegan, etc. I’ll open it up for questions.

One love,

TMV