Erotic horror, alternately called horror erotica or dark erotica, is a genre of fiction in which sensual or sexual imagery are blended with horrific overtones or story elements for the purpose of sexual titillation. [3] Horror fiction of this type is most common in literature and film.
Ero guro (エログロ), also known as just guro, is a Japanese genre of erotic art that focuses on a mix of eroticism with grotesque and horror elements. Originating from the ero guro nansensu subculture of the Shōwa era, [4] it first gained prominence in the popular literature of Japan in the 1920s and 1930s, [5] and regularly features violent scenes such as dismemberment, disembowelment, eyeball gore, and exploding wombs. [6] Following the Sada Abe Incident of 1936, in which a woman strangled and castrated her lover for sexual pleasure, ero guro media faced censorship. [5] [7] Such erotica made a reemergence in the postwar period, especially in manga. [8] Later subgenres of hentai would be influenced by ero guro, including tentacle hentai. [9] In the 21st century, guro hentai has gained popularity in the United States. [6]
Feminists have been hesitant to accept erotic horror, as both the erotic and horror have been primarily locations for the male gaze. [12] Pornography and the erotic, through a non-feminist gaze, are often about the coercion of women to performing sexual acts that they do not consent to. [12] Furthermore, erotic horror media written with rape, monstrous sex scenes, or the exchange of heterosexual power dynamics are not condoned by feminist scholars and activists; these forms of erotic horror are not deemed transgressive, empowering or feminist. [12] Contemporary women's horror, however, celebrates the erotic and encourages combining horror with eroticism in order to express what terrifies and titillates women without penalty, while still centering self-determination and sexual choice. [12]
Writers and readers of feminist erotic horror works use them to express themselves as both a subject and object within a fantasy context. [12] Many feminist erotic horror pieces involve romantic relationships with a monster, such as vampires or werewolves, and/or the reworking of existing fairytales in order for female protagonists to take control of their own sexual fate. [12] These romantic relationships act as a lens for a transgression of these different monsters and a celebration of rich difference. [12]
Although the vampire is traditionally understood as a masculine devourer of women, [13] : 158 modern erotic stories featuring women vampires are often transgressive in nature – women in these stories do not conform to expectations about marriage, sexual freedom, or heterosexual desire – and may be understood as altogether feminist. [14] Several of these stories feature the lesbian vampire, a trope in which vampirism and lesbian identity are connected. [14] In the 1970s, erotic vampire lesbian films (like Twins of Evil by John Hough, 1971) projected lesbian identity and vampirism as intertwined, and audiences viewed both as horrifying elements. [14] Erotic vampire lesbian horror is a diverse genre, and lesbian identities are constructed in several different ways: As members of a shared sisterhood, sexually violent, sadomasochistic, or supporting butch and femme distinctions. [14] More generally, although early works were limiting, modern lesbian erotic horror transgresses popular conceptions of what appropriate sexual desire can look like and celebrates difference. [14]
Monster erotica, also known as monster porn, [15] is a genre of erotic art or pornography that features sexual encounters between humans and monsters. Typical monsters in the genre include dinosaurs [16] and zombies, [17] as well as folkloric or mythical creatures such as cryptids, [15] vampires, or werewolves. [12]
Monster erotica is generally depicted as different than bestiality, as the monsters present are often intelligent and sapient; that being said, rape often takes place against humans in the genre. [15] Following media reports in 2013 that such books often contained scenes of rape, incest, and bestiality, various online retailers removed hundreds of self-published monster erotica books from their websites. [15] Monster erotica also appears in Japanese media, with examples such as tentacle hentai being popular. [9] Monster erotica sometimes features comedic or ironic themes, such as in the works of Chuck Tingle. [18]
Vampires have been known to be icons of erotic horror since conception, especially Bram Stoker’s Dracula which includes overt female sexuality and voyeurism. [2] In different iterations of vampire stories, the vampire is constantly described as attractive and sexually alluring to humans. [19] Vampire bites and feeding are often described as pleasurable and sexual, as Violet Fenn notes in her analysis of vampire feeding within Dracula: “blood and lust are as one.” [19] Killing a vampire has also been analyzed as being sexually charged as it requires impalement or penetration by a stake to the heart. [2] Andrew Green notes in his analysis that the language used by Stoker for the death of the vampire Lucy Westenra is reminiscent of the language used to describe orgasms. [2]
Erotic horror has had influences on Spanish, [20] French, [21] and American horror films. The works of Jean Rollin, such as Le Viol du Vampire and Fascination , are considered quintessential erotic horror films, blending deeply sexual imagery with gore. [21] American cinema has also featured notable erotic horror film franchises, such as Candyman. [22] An example of a British erotic horror film series is Hellraiser . [23] Alien features heavy erotic imagery, with the design of the Xenomorph by H. R. Giger featuring both phallic and vaginal imagery, intended to symbolize patriarchal guilt [24] as well as sex, rape, and pregnancy. [25]
Body horror films, such as Crimes of the Future [26] and Titane , [27] have been likened to erotic horror. [28]
Dracula is a 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. An epistolary novel and a classic of English literature, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a business trip to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula. Harker escapes the castle after discovering that Dracula is a vampire, and the Count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, investigate, hunt, and kill Dracula.
Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use any artistic form to depict erotic content, including painting, sculpture, drama, film or music. Erotic literature and erotic photography have become genres in their own right. Erotica also exists in a number of subgenres including gay, lesbian, women's, monster, tentacle erotica and bondage erotica.
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Hentai is a style of Japanese pornographic anime and manga. In addition to anime and manga, hentai works exist in a variety of media, including artwork and video games.
Eroticism is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculpture, photography, drama, film, music, or literature. It may also be found in advertising. The term may also refer to a state of sexual arousal or anticipation of such – an insistent sexual impulse, desire, or pattern of thoughts.
Ecchi is a slang term in the Japanese language for playfully sexual actions. As an adjective, it is used with the meaning of "sexy", "dirty" or "naughty"; as a verb, ecchi suru means "to have sex", and as a noun, it is used to describe someone of lascivious behavior. It is softer than the Japanese word ero, and does not imply perversion in the way hentai does.
In Japan, pornography has unique characteristics that readily distinguish it from western pornography. Pornographic films are known as "adult videos" (AV) in Japan, so Japanese adult videos (JAV) refers to the Japanese Adult Video industry. Animated films are referred to as hentai in English, but in Japan the terms "adult anime" and "erotic animation" are used. In addition to pornographic videos and magazines featuring live actors, there are now categories of pornographic manga and anime, and pornographic computer games.
Tentacle erotica is a type of pornography most commonly found in Japan that integrates traditional pornography with elements of bestiality, fantasy, horror, and science fiction. It is found in some horror or hentai titles, with tentacled creatures having sexual intercourse, predominantly with females or, to a lesser extent, males. Tentacle erotica can be consensual but mostly contains elements of rape.
Shunga (春画) is a type of Japanese erotic art typically executed as a kind of ukiyo-e, often in woodblock print format. While rare, there are also extant erotic painted handscrolls which predate ukiyo-e. Translated literally, the Japanese word shunga means picture of spring; "spring" is a common euphemism for sex.
Lesbian erotica deals with depictions in the visual arts of lesbianism, which is the expression of female-on-female sexuality. Lesbianism has been a theme in erotic art since at least the time of ancient Rome, and many regard depictions of lesbianism to be erotic.
Dracula's Daughter is a 1936 American vampire horror film produced by Universal Pictures as a sequel to the 1931 film Dracula. Directed by Lambert Hillyer from a screenplay by Garrett Fort, the film stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden in the title role, and Marguerite Churchill, and features, as the only cast member to return from the original, Edward Van Sloan – although his character's name was altered from "Van Helsing" to "Von Helsing".
Vampire films have been a staple in world cinema since the era of silent films, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptation of vampire fiction has been from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, with over 170 versions to date. Running a distant second are adaptations of the 1872 novel Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. By 2005, the Dracula character had been the subject of more films than any other fictional character except Sherlock Holmes.
Ero guro is an artistic genre that puts its focus on eroticism, sexual corruption, and decadence. As a term, it is used to denote something that is both erotic and grotesque.
Lesbian vampirism is a trope in early gothic horror and 20th century exploitation film. The archetype of a lesbian vampire used the fantasy genre to circumvent the heavy censorship of lesbian characters in the realm of social realism.
LGBTQ themes in horror fiction refers to sexuality in horror fiction that can often focus on LGBTQ+ characters and themes within various forms of media. It may deal with characters who are coded as or who are openly LGBTQ+, or it may deal with themes or plots that are specific to gender and sexual minorities.
Women's erotica is any erotic material that caters specifically to women target-demographic of various sexual preferences. When erotica is specifically directed at lesbians, it is referred to as lesbian erotica. Women's erotica is available from a variety of media including video games, websites, books, comics, short stories, films, photography, magazines, hentai and audio. The content may cover many aspects of sexuality, from relationships to fetishes; the main idea being to convey sex-positivism from a woman's perspective, or to feature female empowerment and sexual fantasies.
Barbara Creed is a professor of cinema studies in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne. She is the author of six books on gender, feminist film theory, and the horror genre. Creed is a graduate of Monash and La Trobe universities where she completed doctoral research using the framework of psychoanalysis and feminist theory to examine horror films. She is known for her cultural criticism.
Sexuality in Japan developed separately from that of mainland Asia, as Japan did not adopt the Confucian view of marriage, in which chastity is highly valued. Monogamy in marriage is often thought to be less important in Japan, and sometimes married men may seek pleasure from courtesans. Prostitution in Japan has a long history, and became especially popular during the Japanese economic miracle, as evening entertainments were tax-deductible. Decreased sex drive in the 21st century has been blamed for the low Japanese birth rate and declining growth of the Japanese population.
Monster erotica, also referred to as monster porn or cryptozoological erotica is a subgenre of erotic horror that involves sexual encounters between humans and monsters.
The word ryona is a type of sexual fetish in hentai wherein a protagonist is subject to sexual, physical or psychological abuse from an offender. The term is mostly used in connection to Japanese culture, although the themes of misogyny, misandry, sadomasochism, schadenfreude, compassion, exoticism and extreme erotica is seen in many other cultures.
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