• Shot for shot remake of Michael Haneke German original made 10 years previously - Appealing to a new/wider audience?

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2. • Questions horror genre and breaks conventions- ‘You shouldn’t forget the importance of entertainment’- ‘Plausible plot development’- Mock elaborate/twisted past as a reason to commit the crimes- Violent but no gore- Very slow pace

POSTMODERN ELEMENTS

• Continually breaking the four wall- Smile directly at the camera- ‘I mean what do you think? You think they stand a chance? But your on their side aren't you? Who are you betting on, hmm?’- ‘I mean you want a real ending right, with plausible plot development, don’t you?’- The Remote Control scene

• Referencing other media- Tom and Jerry – cat and mouse chase, games- Beavus and Butthead – cartoon, immature- Screamo music

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THEORYThe breaking of the fourth wall

This continual direct interaction with the audience reminds us that we are watching a film; that what we are viewing isn’t real but has been creating to entertain. This ‘entertain’ is continually questioned in Funny Games.

Baudrillard’s HyperrealityThe lifestyle we see in Funny Games is a representation of this. The family represent the ‘perfect’ American middle class suburban family, but this lifestyle is a lie. We all know it can’t exist and the media that presents this illusion knows it too e.g. The Stepford Wives and Desperate Housewives. - this theory also brings the theory of Binary Opposites : good vs. evil (Peter and Paul represent this on their own), peace vs. chaos (The opening and the rest of the film, Classic and Screamo music)