By M.K. Bowes
Copyright (c) 2003
Sex and Death
Upon being asked to write a quarterly column on erotic horror, my first thoughts were 'What do I write about?' What can I say about this subject? After some initial net-research on the topic, I've discovered there isn't that much information out there. Further investigation has led me to several interesting parallels between sex and death, as possible reasons for the existence, and continued indulgence in the world of erotic horror.
"La petite mort," a French expression that means, "The Little Death," it refers to the imitation of death when one achieves orgasm. When this happens the mind goes into an uncontrolled state of temporary brain excitement, which continues to a state of sudden temporary nervous collapse, followed by transient brain inhibition. It is no wonder this state was often observed to be an indicator of demonic possession in the past, and is a state where man believes himself able to rise to a supernatural level.
Sex and death have been joined together since early recorded history; one can trace its roots back through many different cultures and their views on religion, as they tried to make sense out of the unknown. Aside from sex being a form of procreation and excitement, it is also, to some, the solvent of isolation, the experience through which a solitary human being comes closest to uniting with another. Contrariwise, death is the end of life, as far as we know, as no one who has died has been able to come back and tell other people about it (not scientifically verifiably, at any rate), so many have created stories regarding it. Sex is a process which (without mediation) results in birth, the start of life, and Death is the end of it.
Linked with this are horrific tales of what happens to those who violate cultural/religious taboos: behavior contrary to religious teachings marks one as sinful, evil, destined for a punitive afterlife, or some monster will come and take you away, torment you, etcetera. Fantasies? Perhaps, but at one time believed (take a look at any branch of mythology or religious beliefs, such as that of the Judeo-Christian beliefs, the Eumenides, or the Three Furies of Ancient Grecian mythology, who would seek out and torment those who violated taboo). Later cultures have subsequently given us demons walking the Earth exclaiming the divine pleasure of sex and pain, flying witches, werewolves, as well as Incubi and Succubi, both incarnations of the repressed-Medieval European dreamer's sexual desires.
Both sex and death are still considered taboo in most cultures, discussed only behind closed doors, whispered about in hushed tones, lest the children hear. No wonder so much speculation and mythologies have been born out of trying to make sense from something we don't understand (and what we do understand, we often fear).
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown," according to H.P. Lovecraft.
Thus it would only make sense that the two go hand-in-hand when it comes to entertainment: People are always looking for outlets to escape everyday realities. They want to be titillated by sexual things, and they want to be made to feel terrified by horrific things; they want to forget about the daily boredoms and horrors of their own lives.
So from religion, sex and death migrated to our modern-day stories such as "The Vampyre," by J. Polidori, "Frankenstein," by Mary Shelley, "Carmilla," by J. Sheridan LeFanu, the many short stories & novels of H.P. Lovecraft, and the now-common image of the Vampire, popularized by Abraham Stoker with his popular book "Dracula."
Curiously enough, a subgenre of Japanese Manga/Anime (generally known as 'hentai'), features 'tentacle sex', women being raped by demons, and other horrific images in what might, by other cultures be considered purely pornogaphic, yet it is precisely because of this mixture that it is popular, and even acceptable there.
Yet, erotic horror is barely considered a proper subgenre, and one which generally achieves negative crossover; it doesn't fit into 'regular erotica' because of the presence of death or fear (or both), and it doesn't fit into horror because, there's too much sex. It still amazes me that when I began writing erotic horror, I was often informed by editors and publishers that it was 'too graphic' for their normal viewing age group - that is, under 18 - which brings into question precisely why it is in most Western cultures that violence, murder, and death are acceptable for young people, while sex is not?
Sex is "built in to the machine," yet our cultures have evolved taboos, and even now repression still exists. There is a reason why in 'Slasher' horror movies those characters who have sex (even when shown in a "PG-13" format) are generally the first to die...Possibly as a punishment for their sins...?
Mankind has spent the greater part of history visiting evils upon himself; the topic of "Man's Inhumanity to Man" remains a mainstay of early school English courses for reasons too obvious to state.
Violence and anger are hardwired into us as well; upon looking back at our own known history, one can hardly argue this point. Being based in the most reptilian part of our brains, these demons reside in all of us, to greater or lesser degrees; unlike the humble crocodile, we are - as the Ancient Greeks believed - able to undergo 'katharsis,' temporarily and periodically purging ourselves of these urges, in a socially acceptable fashion.
The ability to abstract our desires, whether native to us as a species, or hardwired in us from earlier evolution, separates us from the rest of nature. We are able to express such desires, whether they are good or bad, through reading, viewing, and creating horrors socially acceptable, and in a non-harmful fashion. The best way to evoke the strong emotional response we term 'horror' is to play on our basic fears and vulnerabilities. Fear elicits a physical and an emotional response from us - a response similar to sexual arousal.
By creating healthy outlets, we can open doors to the forbidden, find fresh perspectives to eradicate our demons, touch upon the complex issues of sexuality, and use depictions of sex and death as a mirror by which we can discover things about ourselves and our society, and we can banish our internal horrors. There is a fundemental reason for erotic horror, and why it will always hold us enthralled, as it has in the past, it will continue to do so in the future.
[About the image. Niklaus Manuel Deutsch completed this work in 1517. It demonstrates the transition between the Dance of Death and the theme of Death and the Maiden. Here Death, as a rotting corpse, caresses his young lover, takes her by the hand, grasps her by the neck, kisses her as she guides his hand under her dress. As his young lover she welcomes deaths touch and attention.]
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