Quentin Tarantino: 'It's Disrespectful' to Victims of Sandy Hook School Shooting to Blame Hollywood for Violence

Director Quentin Tarantino has never been one to shy away from violence. You could practically label gore an un-credited character in every film he's made, a quality that's made him an easy target for the classic "violent movies cause violence" debate. It's unsurprising then that the filmmaker famous for his graphic depictions of brutality became noticeably miffed in a recent interview when asked if he thought "movie violence" had become less "fun" since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in December.

During a recent talk with NPR to promote "Django Unchained," host Terry Gross' line of questioning, asking if the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. had diminished the pleasure Tarantino got from violent movies, increasingly frustrated the director throughout the interview.

"Not for me," Tarantino replied.

As Gross continued to push the issue even harder, saying the characters in his film "Django Unchained" were "sadistic," Tarantino exploded.

"When you say, 'After the tragedy,' what do you mean by that exactly? Do you mean, 'On that day, would I watch 'The Wild Bunch'?' Maybe not on that day," Tarantino said. "Would I watch a kung fu movie three days after the Sandy Hook massacre? Maybe, because they have nothing to do with each other."

Gross continued by asking if Tarantino was irritated with his questions regarding the subject.

"Yeah, I am. I'm really annoyed," Tarantino said. "I think it's disrespectful to their memory, actually ... to talk about movies," he said. "I think it's totally disrespectful to their memory. Obviously, the issue is gun control and mental health."

"I've been asked this question for 20 years -- about the effects of violence in movies related to violence in real life. My answer is the same 20 years ago: It hasn't changed one iota. Obviously, I don't think one has to do with the other," Tarantino added.

Tarantino's been fielding such questions about the explicit violence in "Django Unchained" since even before the film hit theaters.

"We all intellectually 'know' the brutality and inhumanity of slavery," Tarantino reportedly said after a screening on Dec. 7, 2012, "but after you do the research it's no longer intellectual any more, no longer just historical record - you feel it in your bones. It makes you angry, and want to do something. I'm here to tell you, that however bad things get in the movie, a lot worse s*** actually happened."

If the American public thinks movie violence is any less fun following the massacre at Sandy Hook, it sure isn't acting like it. Through Jan. 2 "Django Unchained" had grossed $82 million in North America alone, and is one pace to be Tarantino's most successful movie ever at the box-office.