Erotic Horror: Horribly erotic or erotically horrible?

[slyc_willie]

Willie, thank you. You helped a lot. Perhaps I need to embrace this idea of horrific sex without the intent to get the reader off. Maybe that is my sticking point.

I agree with you on gore, Ms. T. Most modern horror movies are an assortment of camera tricks, food coloring, and corn syrup.

I favor psychological creepiness over scare tactics. I love the things in horror stories that are most human; they are the most frightening to me.

I think a lot of writers who post in EH the first time struggle a bit with just how they should write the story, since the perception is that Lit is just an erotic story writing site. But over the last fourteen years, Lit has become more than just a place to post erotic stories. There are a lot of serious writers here, and a good percentage of the readers like to look for something more than "I kiked in the door and camed in her face."

I love horror, I think it can be harmless recreation or even a social positive, but sometimes it drifts into encouraging viewers to identify with the torturer and get off on the victims' suffering (think 'Saw'/'Wolf Creek'/'Hostel' etc), and that's not something I want to be a part of. So there are stories in my head that I won't write down, because I don't want to give people those ideas.

When I think of writing a story for EH I also like to go with the psychological aspect, but I also like leaving room for supernatural elements that are just beyond the edge of plausibility. My taste in horror embraces the likes of Paranormal Activity, Sinister, Insidious and so on. There's an appreciation for films like the Saw series (I like the intricacies of the traps and the psychological warfare aspects), despite the extreme use of gore, but I find little interesting in things like Hostel, Wrong Turn, and The Hills Have Eyes. Those are just shock value; take away the gore and there's not much of a story left.

 

[Hypoxia]

Like a marriage?

/me recalls first spouse
/me shudders
/me wishes to turn back hands of time
/me remains a fool
/me is doing much better now
/me digresses

I am off-and-on rereading S.King's DANSE MACABRE, his profile of post-WWII horror films. He notes that three 19th century tales most inform the field: FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA and JECKYL & HYDE are the fonts from which all else flows. He notes that horror tales can have various levels of effect, from uneasiness to fright to terror to revulsion.

IMHO too much 'modern' horror relies on revulsion, with steaming heaps of guts'n'gore. How much is too much? If viewers or readers vomit, then the creator has probably gone too far -- unless that's the result they desired. Ah, but suppose the author wishes their audience to laugh so hard they foul themselves. Is that bad?

 

[AMoveableBeast]

. He notes that three 19th century tales most inform the field: FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA and JECKYL & HYDE are the fonts from which all else flows.

Now listen right ch'ere. Don't mean to give offense to the Master of Horror(tm) and all, but you go on now and tell him to add Mr. Poe, or we's gonna have ourselves a feud. Di-rect him towards givin' a nod to good ole' Edgar and we can all sit down 'round the table and talk about disembowelment, real peaceable like. Reckon, I might even forget 'bout that whole "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" bullshit.

 

[sr71plt]

I have written very little horror erotica, but the ones of mine that spring to mind (all noted ones are straight) focused on the situation still evoking an erotic response by a main character in spite of being in a horror situation—and, with the exception of the “Too Smart” story, knowing that she was. Part of the horror is that it’s still an erotic situation and in spite of everything, she's going to get an ultimate orgasm out of it.

http://www.literotica.com/s/snaked
http://www.literotica.com/s/alienated
http://www.literotica.com/s/too-smart
http://www.literotica.com/s/ungeheurer

 

[Hypoxia]

..you go on now and tell him to add Mr. Poe, or we's gonna have ourselves a feud. Di-rect him towards givin' a nod to good ole' Edgar and we can all sit down 'round the table and talk about disembowelment, real peaceable like.

Calm down. Don't have a cow. The oeuvres of Poe, Lovecraft, Munro, and others are indeed impressive, even overwhelming. But those three named stories have arguably had the greatest impact and influence. What single Poe story comes near?

And note that DANSE MACABRE dates from 1981, before SK's brain softened and slurried.

 

[SecondCircle]

Well how could I resist a thread like this....

I've written a few EH tales here, and read a ton. And there is a crapload of mini scenes and half finished drafts in storage on my PC, and twice as many concept art sketches and obscure doodles that each have their own story waiting to be told.

I ask myself the same thing that Beast asked here pretty much everytime I start a EH story. Well close to the same question. "How do I make this hot and erotic, but disturbing and horrifying at the same time?"

Sometimes the answer is obvious, but usually not. The two seem like polar opposites. How can we be turned on when we are horrified or disgusted? Does erotic horror instantly mean "horrifying sex"? Torture or snuff? Gore on naked flesh? To me, gore and revulsion are not horror. They can be tools to aid in setting the atmosphere. But I agree with Tarot. Horror means "you're scared A LOT". Horror should be something that makes you uncomfortable in the dark. So to me, I should get chills when reading a horror story in a dark room at night.

"Horror" doesn't have to mean "blood, gore, killing, vampires." The EH story I like to read and write has hot vivid sex ( like any other) but takes you to a place of fear. Imagine a woman lying on her back in ecstasy as her boyfriend is going down on her. You're building this intensely hot sex scene. As her head is rolling around and she's moaning, she hears something hissing, or frantic whispers from somewhere in the room. Peering into the dark, she can barely see a silhouette of something in the corner, and the glossy flash of eyes....

I wanna read that shit. Hot, heavy, exciting, then suddenly your mind is racing and you're wondering what the hell is in the room with them. Like a roller coaster ride. Going from being so aroused and your heart throbbing to your heart fluttering and your eyes scanning the dark beyond the light of the computer screen.

I gave this a shot a while back. Can something be hot and erotic and horrifying all in the same story? Yes. And the result is thrilling. In many ways.

 

[SecondCircle]

On another note, how modern are we talking when we say "modern horror"? Most of the recent horror flicks I have seen (like the ones Slyc mentioned, Insidious, The Conjuring, Paranormal etc.) have kinda been using psychological horror and intense terror as opposed to gore and hack/slash stuff.

Gore and the like has it's place, but like anything it has to fit the tale being told. A story (movie, what have you) is like a recipe. Too much of a single ingredient and thats all you wind up tasting.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

Calm down. Don't have a cow. The oeuvres of Poe, Lovecraft, Munro, and others are indeed impressive, even overwhelming. But those three named stories have arguably had the greatest impact and influence. What single Poe story comes near?

And note that DANSE MACABRE dates from 1981, before SK's brain softened and slurried.

And just think, if you gave the Incredible Hulk fangs and a penchant for melancholy, you'd have all those stories in one character.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

SC, you sound like a bit of an adrenaline junkie.

Does the fear heighten the arousal for you?

I get like that sometimes; my wires get crossed and any intense emotion excites, whether it's positive or not.

I've never read one of your stories. I will check you out.

 

[SecondCircle]

SC, you sound like a bit of an adrenaline junkie.

Does the fear heighten the arousal for you?

I get like that sometimes; my wires get crossed and any intense emotion excites, whether it's positive or not.

I've never read one of your stories. I will check you out.

No, no, just a fan of horror. The horror doesn't necessarily need to be there to add to the arousal. Horror just has to do its job, to instill fear. And from my experience here, the erotic and the horrifying can exist in the same story. They don't have to be one in the same thing, (non con, murder, etc) though some do it that way.

 

[LaRascasse]

Like all erotica, there will be an audience for your work. So don't hold back and run with your idea.

 

[MSTarot]

These are the stories that I have done that I would qualify as horror. Some are probably just twisted.


http://www.literotica.com/s/a-grimm-tribute

http://www.literotica.com/s/lord-of-devils-night

http://www.literotica.com/s/the-bag-snatchers

http://www.literotica.com/s/the-perfect-perfume

Enjoy.

MST