Binary gender roles, and their perceived differences, are very prevalent in most cinema, but perhaps none are so stark and telling as those in torture porn. In his article, “The Problem of Saw: ‘Torture Porn’ and the Conservatism of Contemporary Horror Films”, Christopher Sharrett describes the role of the predatory captor as it relates to gender.1 Males almost always occupy the role, playing the part of vigilante as a “cruel but necessary father” who believes it is his duty to teach his moralities to his victims (34). Lockwood also points out voyeurism as a key characteristic of male captors, drawing attention to the focus the films give to the captor spying on the intended victim before their capture in some torture porn films (43).2 When
