Gross-out is described as amovement in art (often with comical connotations), which is intended to shock the viewer(s)[1] and disgust the wideraudience by presenting them with controversial material (such astoilet humor andfetishes) that might be ill received by a mainstream audience.
Gross-out is asubgenre of comedy movies in which the makers employ humor that is willfully "tasteless"[2] or even downright disgusting. It usually involves gratuitous nudity,[3] unrealistic aggressiveness towards property orSchadenfreude. The movies are generally aimed at a younger audience aged between 18 and 24.[4] One boon of this genre is that it provides an inexpensive way to make a movie "edgy" and to generate media attention for it.
In the United States, following the abolition of the film industry's censoriousProduction Code and its replacement with theMPAA film rating system in the late 1960s, some filmmakers began to experiment with subversive[5] film comedies, which explicitly dealt with taboo subjects such as sex and other bodily functions. Noteworthy examples include 1972'sPink Flamingos (in which the central character eats dog excrement) and other films byJohn Waters, and 1974's sketch comedy filmThe Groove Tube. As these films emerged from thecounterculture movement and gained a measure of audience success,[5] they inspired more mainstream films to follow their example. However, long before the Production Code, early silent comedy film makers produced and attempted several 'gross-out' pictures to the disdain of early film reviewers. One such example is thelostNell's Eugenic Wedding starringFay Tincher andTod Browning.
The label "gross-out movie" was first applied by the mainstream media to1978'sNational Lampoon'sAnimal House,[6] a comedy about thefraternity experience atUS colleges.[5] Its humor included explicit use of bodily functions (like projectile vomiting). It was a greatbox office success despite its limited production costs and thus started an industry trend.[5] Since then, gross-out films increased in number, and became almost the norm for American comedy films. Some films of this genre could be aimed at teen audiences (such asPorky's,Billy Madison,American Pie andVan Wilder), while others are targeted at mature audiences (such asCaddyshack,The Nutty Professor,There's Something About Mary andMovie 43).
Gross-outtheatre is practiced on stage, particularly in theEdinburgh Festival. However, it is also displayed inBritish theatres.
The prime examples of the above are the stage version of the contemporary dramaTrainspotting by bestselling playwright and authorIrvine Welsh; the controversial New York musicalUrinetown by Kotis and Hollmann; the outrageousanarchistic schlockomedy (shock horror comedy) musical about a Manchester jobcentreRestart by Komedy Kollective;[7] and performances by another United Kingdom-based act, Forced Entertainment, who devised theiconic theatricalgorefestBloody Mess.
American cartoonistBasil Wolverton invented his trademark "spaghetti andmeatballs" style of artwork.
Various artists helped create a flourishing gross-out art scene, which began mainly in the 1990s, the most famous of which wereDamien Hirst, known for encasing mutilated, rottingcattle informaldehyde, and making art ofendangeredmarinespecies such assharks in formaldehyde tanks, andTracey Emin, whoseexhibit of an unmadebed featured usedtampons,condoms and blood-stainedunderwear.
Gross out themes are common in popular music genres, such aship hop andhard rock, where shock value helps create notoriety. Bands includeGwar,Cannibal Corpse andAgoraphobic Nosebleed.
GG Allin was infamous for his transgressive music act, which included eating excrement, mutilating himself and attacking audience members.
Similar themes are also sometimes conveyed in music videos, such as Gross Out, asingle fromindie/garage rock band,The Vines.
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The dictionary definition ofgross out at Wiktionary