“This fair-minded glimpse into the pain-glorious performances and behind-the-scenes procedures of the now defunct hardest of the hardcore bondage Web sites is simultaneously titillating and reflective, admiring and critical”. – Kevin Langton, San Francisco Bay Guardian

The extreme fetish website insex.com once attracted a paying membership of 35,000 — until its shocking content got it in trouble with the Department of Homeland Security, who ultimately shut the operation down.

Every now and again, a title emerges which is both eye catching and true to its subject — Graphic Sexual Horror is one such title. This documentary sheds light on Brent “PD” Scott, a former professor at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University (alma mater of George A. Romero), who switched careers and became a purveyor of extremely rough S&M pornography. PD achieved lasting infamy with his website insex.com, which provided interactive fetish, bondage and sadomasochistic streaming videos to an eager subsection of the public.

The amazing thing about the documentary is its nonjudgmental tone. While many filmmakers would have used this as an opportunity to denounce its subject, directors Barbara Bell and Anna Lorentzon have no such agenda on their plate. Rather, it goes into its subject with palpable enthusiasm — showing both its positive and negative elements, and allowing the audience to make up their own mind based on their own standards and social mores. Make no mistake, there’s some very graphic and disturbing imagery on display… but as PD would be the first to admit, that’s the whole point.

One is left with an impression of the S&M aesthetic as an extension of the old-school Grand Guignol theatrical scene. By plunging into the depths of some of the most off-the-wall sexual fantasies, PD and his actresses provided an outlet for eager viewers, one which enabled them to feel as if they weren’t alone after all.

Bell and Lorentzon keep things flowing at a good pace, and the end result is undeniably effective, even if the material itself is destined to be off-putting for many viewers. PD and his stable of fetish actresses tend to come off as surprisingly intelligent, with an intellectual approach to their art. The flipside is represented, however, by the sad, burnt-out visage of one of PD’s former flings — a fetish actress known as “101″ whose porn career supported a drug habit; addiction has since gotten the better of her, and one can’t help but feel pity watching her as she rambles through mostly incoherent monologues about her past experiences.

However, lest the tone come off as preachy or condescending, there’s more than ample face time given to such proud, intelligent and photogenic fetish actresses as Lorelei Lee, “912,” and Nina — all of whom provide fascinating insight into the thought process behind their work. As for PD, he runs the gamut from likable to repulsive — memorably pushing an Asian actress too far in one scene, while showing an almost paternal concern for his actresses at other points. One is left in little doubt that, for better or worse, he is a serious artist. Whether one sympathizes with what he does is almost irrelevant, as the point of the film isn’t so much to validate his art so much as it is to draw attention to it.

Ultimately, the film achieves its goal artfully, without any editorializing or sermonizing from the filmmakers. Bell and Lorentzon allow their subjects to speak for themselves, and there is no voice-over narration to fill in the gaps or get in the way. The subject matter is undeniably disturbing at times, but one can also appreciate the passion and intensity of the people involved; one doesn’t need to agree with them in order to admire them for being honest about pursuing their dreams. The end result is in many respects far more engrossing than one might anticipate; it’s certainly worth a viewing.

Review by Troy Howarth

SPECIAL FEATURES:

- Deleted Scenes
- “More From the Models” – Unused Interview Segments
- Interview with co-director Barbara Bell
- Theatrical Trailer
- Anamorphic widescreen transfer (1.85:1)
- Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo