I've been thinking about this for a few days now and its compelled me to write a post as i am genuinely curious about other peoples opinions.

Is it possible to appreciate art, knowing there is a sinister reality attached?

Let me explain.

I love horror movies. I don't know that i would go as far as to say i have an addiction but i do enjoy them more than most people i know. Now, Horror movies are prime real estate for taking reality (however gory) and turning it into a film, or technically art. Many films are "based on" which i think gives them a bit of leeway as to how 'creative' they can get with the story line but the bottom line is that many are taken from real life events. Although you can really call into question how real the events were, as most involve possession which if Hollywood is to be believed is somewhat of an epidemic, taking from real life seems to be an accepted form of art. Biopics of wars or other massacres in history seem to bring in the big box office bucks and lets be honest, we all love to see our favourite Hollywood actors reenact these events (fact or fiction on the big screen).

Leonardo DiCaprio and  ‎Kate Winslet in a fictionalized account of a real event - The sinking of the Titanic

But what if bad things are happening off camera. Is it possible to look past these events for the enjoyment of a film? Even if what your watching is completely unrelated. Can you separate the reality from the art.

Roman Polanski in 1972

One big infamous example of this is Roman Polanski. In 1977 Polanski raped a 13 year old girl in Los Angeles. He spent 42 days in jail after pleading guilty to this horrible crime but later fled the US scared that he would get a longer prison sentence. He has since been living between Poland and Switzerland who, although being issued with warrants for his arrest, have decided not to extradite him back to the states where he will serve time.

The victim in this case has since came out in the media, saying she forgives Polanski and wants this case to be closed as it is taking over her life. She wants to close this chapter and move on. Honestly i say fair play to her and that if she can forgive him after that horrendous attack then more power to her. To me, he will always in my mind be a child rapist and i just cant get that out of my head.

I enjoyed watching Rosemary's baby - A film he directed in 1968, before then rape occurred - and although Mia Farrow was amazing in that movie and the story itself was brilliant; i always have in the back of my mind the knowledge that the monster on screen (in this case the devil) wasn't the only monster involved in creating this film. For me it kind of taints it.

The reason all of this is going across my mind is the impending release of Jeepers Creepers 3.

The Creeper - Played by Jonathan Breck in the Jeepers Creepers franchise.

I have been waiting with bated breath since 2003 for the 3rd film that has been dangled in front of us like a dog with a chew toy. The film franchise isn't everyone's cup of tea but i had thoroughly enjoyed the horror series and was excited about the rumours of a 3rd in the works. I had all but given up on it thinking that it was never going to happen only for it to be made and ready t release this month. To say i was ecstatic was an understatement ... until i found out that the director Victor Salva was arrested in 1988 for the rape of a 12 year old girl. As well as filming the act he was also found in possession of child pornography. Honestly i could vomit just thinking about it.

Rightly or wrongly it has totally killed the franchise for me. I have tried to go back to watch the first 2 films since finding this out and i don't get very far before that little voice in my head reminds me of what happened off camera and my skin starts to crawl. I know that there are many other people involved in the making of a film and that the director is one small part of the well oiled machine that is showbiz but its hard for me to sometimes separate the art from the reality.

Johnny Depp as Sweeny Todd

As many of you know, i was in a difficult relationship in the past. There was abuse and every day i am grateful that me and Agent M are away from that and are safe. I know what its like living in fear, not knowing if that was the day it all went to far. So when the allegations against Johnny Depp were made, i instantly put my barriers up. Although he was never found guilty or done time, I still feel a little uncomfortable watching him in movies - Which really sucks as I'm a huge Tim Burton fan and hes in so many films of his.

Is it possible to be able to separate the reality from the art when the reality is so grim? Can you put your views about one person to the side to enjoy the big picture when the views make your skin crawl just to think about it? Obviously having committed these crimes doesn't really bother Hollywood as actors will still work with them and studios still back their movies so should we all just go with the flow or is that like a kick in the face to these victims who have to see their abusers in magazines and on the big screen, living their lives and getting paid seriously big bucks, knowing they are forever changed by what happened to them?

Is our entertainment for an hour or two really worth risking our morals? Is it really possible to separate the Art from the Reality?