Strange Bedfellows: Horror and the Erotic Though the Ages by Antonia Rachel Ward
Some genres are made to be uncomfortable reading. In the horror community, we’re used to that. We open a horror book expecting to be frightened, challenged, confronted with dark themes and difficult emotions. Horror readers venture into the darkness on a regular basis. But there’s a special kind of discomfort about erotic horror that makes it oft-maligned and misunderstood, even among some hardened horror fans. I’m here to argue that this subgenre is so much more than just cheap titillation (not that there’s anything wrong with a bit of that!), but is actually a deeply worthwhile genre with a rich history and many opportunities for psycho-social exploration.
Horror and the erotic have been natural bedfellows for centuries. They are an exquisite combination: peaks of pleasure followed by stomach-lurching pain. The allure of darkness; the beautiful-yet-deadly. As humans, we are often tempted by forbidden fruit, and all-too-forgetful of the consequences of pursuing it. No wonder these ideas repeat in stories again and again, from ancient mythology right through fairy tales, classic Gothic literature, and even mid-twentieth century slashers, all the way to the current resurgence of interest in erotic horror, dark romance, and ‘horrormance’.
Consider the sirens, luring Ancient Greek sailors to their doom with their deceptive charms. Or the erotic subtext of fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty or Little Red Riding Hood. There’s a reason why authors return to these stories again and again, drawing out the dangerous heat that simmers just beneath the surface, and why Evelyn Freeling and I chose fairy tales and mythology as the basis for our forthcoming erotic horror anthology, Les Petites Morts. We felt the theme was likely to be a popular one with authors and readers alike, offering plenty of scope for interpretation. And as much as we love the classic Western fairy tales, we’re also especially keen to hear from authors from a range of cultural backgrounds and to feature stories from all around the world. We’re also excited to see the genre explored through a queer lens—something which has already been done to great effect by some of our invited authors.
For my own part, I took inspiration from folklore and particularly ballet stories to help me write my erotic horror novella, Marionette (forthcoming from Brigid’s Gate in late summer 2022). Marionette is set in the late nineteenth century, when interest in the Gothic and supernatural was well established. As many readers are well aware, there’s a strong vein of eroticism running through classics like Dracula, where supernatural creatures like vampires are represented as threateningly alluring. This is also true of the ballet stories of that era, Swan Lake and Giselle among them. Swan Lake shows the dichotomy between the innocent White Swan and the sexually aggressive black swan who eventually leads the hero to his doom. Giselle tells the tale of the Willis, the ghosts of spurned young women who force unsuspecting men to dance to their deaths. In writing Marionette, I wanted to dig deeper into the attitudes on display in these stories, using the erotic horror subgenre to explore and critique the sexual mores of nineteenth century European society—and, to some extent, modern society too.
As well as being great fun to read and write, I believe that in the twenty-first century, erotic horror lends us the opportunity to rewrite these classic narratives of temptation and desire. In Marionette I wanted to put a newer, more progressive spin on the Madonna/whore dichotomy, where female sexuality becomes not threatening but liberating, and female pleasure becomes an instrument of salvation. And for Les Petites Morts, we have already assembled an invited list of diverse and talented authors including Hailey Piper, Joe Koch, and Sara Tantlinger, and we hope to find many more during our open submission period, which runs from the beginning of July to the end of August. We’re looking for powerful, passionate stories from all cultures and walks of life, from writers who are not afraid to turn the traditional status quo on its head. Stories that revel in the dark decadence of the erotic horror tradition, but with a revolutionary energy. We’re currently running a Kickstarter campaign to help us fund this pro-paying anthology, so if you’re interested in supporting our project, we’d love for you to check it out.
I really believe that erotic horror can not only be entertaining and thrilling, but also meaningful, rebellious, and insightful. At its core it’s about the relationship between desire and control—or the loss of it—and so there are many avenues ripe for exploration. Why are we drawn to darkness and danger? What are we willing to risk to get what we want? What happens when we go too far? Erotic horror allows us to dig deep into some of the most basic human drives—desire and fear—and to lead our readers on an emotional rollercoaster. One thing it certainly isn’t, is comfortable—and that’s a good thing.
Links:
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ghostorchidpress/les-petites-morts
Submission call details: https://ghostorchidpress.com/submission-calls/
Twitter @pressorchid
Instagram @ghostorchidpress