I have a question for you, if you've seen this film. Thanks, person who has seen this film.

I have seen this now kypade. What did you want to ask me?

*SPOILERS*

Like its American remake a decade later, Funny Games is a deeply unsettling horror film. Haneke can say all he wants it's not a horror film, but it is. If anything, it's a horror film to the audience, not for the audience. If it didn't break the fourth wall, it would just be a standard home invasion film. But adding that element, Haneke toys with the audience. The first time feels like an odd coincidence. Did he wink at the camera? But once it becomes overt, it becomes that much more disturbing. The best scene of the film, and one of my favorite scenes ever, is when the female protagonist (Anna here, not sure Naomi Watts' character in the remake) grabs the shotgun and kills one of the intruders. It gives you such a visceral reaction on first viewing, exactly as it intends, and takes it all away in seconds.

It's also interesting to me that I haven't seen the remake in seven or eight years, but a lot of the visuals stuck with me. Not even necessarily the worst ones. It's a tremendous feat to make someone feel so strongly about a film, and Funny Games in both its iterations does that. Unfortunately, it sounds like Haneke made the original just to chastise American audiences for their love of violence in media, or something to that effect. When the original didn't make as much of a dent in American viewing, he went so far as to remake the entire thing in 2007. Once was enough, twice is an odd choice. It's like hating sex and its representation in adult film, then going out and making a porno, just to prove how filthy it is. Not sure I quite get his intentions here, but I'm separating the art from the artist. It's not always wise to listen to anyone when they say how they feel about something they've made.

Overall, Funny Games sticks with me. Like its remake in 2007, and a film like Eden Lake, it relies solely on the torment and torture by human beings to be scary, even if it does so while speaking directly to the audience.

Can't remember if I watched the original but I know I HATED the remake.

This has an amazing concept and speaking to audience was a unique and deeply disturbing way to present a horror movie. Having said that it did not land with me on the gore needed for this movie and actual torture. The make-up does lot of heavy lifting here for gore but that's not what I expected this sort of movie. I didn't love the rewind concept as well but its a trick that will lend well with some I am sure.