***spoilers*** [kind of]
I found this film fairly sadistic - a sadism direrected at both the characters and at the audience - but thought it pretty amazing in spite of or because of this. I liked the way it moved towards a cliched kind of psychological explanation and resolution near the end, and then used this to give the final revelations more impact.
What does post-jacobean mean?
Animal cruelty in films is pretty off though - the scenes in Cannibal Holocaust where animals are murdered are pretty awful, although I found they were incredibly effective in confusing the borders between reality and documentary and drama.
I was surpised to see that the scene at the very end was filmed in New Zealand.