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Homicidal Fictional Reality Game Shows As A Movie / TV Genre

It certainly wasn't what I expected either!
The blackest of black comedies and savagely satirical.
Also the most intense bitch fight since Kill Bill.
The SJWs sure picked the wrong victim in kick-arse heroine Crystal (Betty Gilpin)!

Didn't have the usual disclaimer about no animals being harmed at the end titles, so hope "Orwell" didn't end up as pork chops!

The thing was, Crystal could have been a "SJW", as you put it, herself, and merely wrongly accused, we never find out what her affiliation is, she's just not tolerating being lumped in with any one social group. It was really smart, and I suspect would appeal to more people than the publicity campaign would have indicated, if they'd got it in any way right.
 
I am not a Netflixer so am not following the South Korean show The Squid Game, which very much belongs here. Is anyone else?

I keep reading that it's the most popular streamed show of all time, or something.

And apparently some schools in mainland Europe and Britain are writing to parents are writing to parents imploring them not to allow their kids to watch the show - for fear of copycat incidents.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/schools-tell-parents-stop-kids-25172389
 
I am not a Netflixer so am not following the South Korean show The Squid Game, which very much belongs here. Is anyone else?

I keep reading that it's the most popular streamed show of all time, or something.

And apparently some schools in mainland Europe and Britain are writing to parents are writing to parents imploring them not to allow their kids to watch the show - for fear of copycat incidents.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/schools-tell-parents-stop-kids-25172389

Savage stuff, mass murder. Great!
 
And now it's time for the Moral Panic to spread it's tentacles far and wide.

Pupils as young as six have been acting out games from violent Netflix thriller Squid Game, teachers have warned.

Schools around England have warned parents to check their device settings amid multiple reports of children viewing the smash-hit show. The South Korean series features characters competing in a series of games where failure results in death.

One head teacher said the 15-rated programme was "totally unsuitable" for primary age children.

Gareth Nichols, from Sir Francis Hill primary in Lincoln, said "a small group of pupils within school, aged around six" were discussing the show and "re-enacting some scenes".

Mr Nichols said the class teacher "immediately contacted parents to make them aware".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-58915851
 
And now it's time for the Moral Panic to spread it's tentacles far and wide.

Pupils as young as six have been acting out games from violent Netflix thriller Squid Game, teachers have warned.

Schools around England have warned parents to check their device settings amid multiple reports of children viewing the smash-hit show. The South Korean series features characters competing in a series of games where failure results in death.

One head teacher said the 15-rated programme was "totally unsuitable" for primary age children.

Gareth Nichols, from Sir Francis Hill primary in Lincoln, said "a small group of pupils within school, aged around six" were discussing the show and "re-enacting some scenes".

Mr Nichols said the class teacher "immediately contacted parents to make them aware".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-58915851
Arent the games played in the show, children's play ground games anyway?
 
Insomnia (Byespoikonitsa) is a Russian TV attempt to rival Squid Game.

In this thriller, various miscreants and people desperate for money are rounded up and forced to partake in a secret gladiatorial game called `Insomnia`. There are ten contestants. They are injected with a drug which causes them to die should they fall asleep. They are given a car, some money and a gun. The winner of the game is the one still alive after a period of 72 hours. They are allowed, during set times, to bump off their opponents to improve their chances. They must never harm ordinary civilians - or reveal the game to them.

The spectators are the super-rich elite, who place bets on their hoped for winner - in the manner of a horse race.

The show is slickly presented, briskly paced and contains a degree sociopolitical commentary.

The focus is more on the human interest angle - the backstories of the various contestants and how they play out - rather than on the action.

Here's the opening episode with subtitles:


(Edit to add: if this is unavailable for you - try going onto Star Media-English on Youtube - then click on Playlists. It will all be there somewhere).
 
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A classic version, and a fairly daft game: I guerrieri dell'anno 2072 aka The New Gladiators:
IMDB describes it thusly:
In the future, two television networks compete for ratings by producing violent game shows. One network produces a modern day version of the Roman gladiators, only on motorcycles instead of chariots, and uses convicted murderers as the participants, The network decides it needs a champion for this sport, so they frame a constant winner from another game for murder, and place him on the show.
 
The real horror of this idea is that you would have no end of volunteers and the public would lap it up.
 
1975 Rollerball: the action gets bloodier and more thrilling with each round, to ensure the highest viewer ratings (avoid the dreadful remake though).

1987: The Running Man (based on the 1982 Stephen King novel). The movie is probably more famous than the novel and features Arnie at his brutal and wise-cracking best. Bunkum, but hugely entertaining.
I've seen both of these. I must look into the others. I liked Stephen King's "The Running Man" and the movie adaptation is fun.
 
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