Sex & Horror: Forever Intertwined but Why?
God bless Spencer Mitchell. Just when my blogging mind is getting weary, he comes to the rescue with another indepth look at our favorite genre. I absolutely love this particular topic. I mean, horror without sex is like Halloween without candy, football without arrest records, politics without worthless bastards. OK, enough of me. Spencer, take it away…
Sex and horror have always had a twisted relationship ever since the iconic shower scene of Hitchcock’s Psycho, but there’s a lot more to it than simply providing titillation for the genre’s target demographic. In fact, just about every horror flick has some sort of sexual insinuation or encounter that leads to the untimely demise of those involved. The Cannes Film Festival hit It Follows, recently released on Blu Ray, involves a sexually transmitted “haunting” that follows its infected victim with the intent of murder. Sitting as a prime example of an examination of the relationship between teenage sexuality, taking that step into adulthood, and typical horror tropes, this film does not condone or condemn the sexual encounter like others typically do.
1980’s Friday the 13th (available on Vudu) practically created the slasher subgenre, and a running theme of that and countless other horror franchises is the villain’s tendency to punish those who engage in drinking, drug use, or premarital sex. This almost always leads to a finale in which a “virtuous virgin” who has abstained from temptation throughout the film is able to defeat the monstrous evil she confronts. This “Final Girl” trope, originally coined by Carol J. Clover in her book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, is typically portrayed as the conservative idea of what a women “should be,” and has pervaded horror cinema for decades, leading to dozens of predictable climaxes.
But as the trend became more obvious, horror filmmakers began to examine and deliberately subvert it, to varying effect: Cherry Falls (hard to find, but you can get a copy here) tells the story of a killer who targets virgins at a high school, and Wes Craven’s Scream (currently on Netflix) gave us characters who were fans of horror films and knew about both the sex and Final Girl rule – rules which the film cheekily broke in its third act. The 2009 film Jennifer’s Body (on Verizon on-demand) gives us a demon who possesses a gorgeous teenager and feeds on her male classmates. When the trope is inverted in this manner, the killing often occurs during intercourse. This is made as explicit as possible in the unsettling French film Trouble Every Day (hiding, but is on Google Play), about a femme fatale who seduces men so she can eat them, and in the 1995 sci-fi thriller Species, in which an alien takes the guise of a beautiful woman for the purpose of mating with a human and creating a new breed to destroy all of humanity.
Regardless of how the trope is utilized, the misogyny behind it remains intact. There often seems to be a notion that women’s sexual behavior is to be scrutinized, revealed, and accounted for, whether she is villain or victim. This idea has close ties to the puritanical culture that demonizes sex in the first place, and reinforces the concepts of “slut-shaming” and male-dominated, patriarchal society. The flip side of the argument is that the Final Girl trope itself originally grew out of feminist ideals; the physically strong male film hero who fights his way through danger had been replaced by a willful young woman who uses guile to escape a grisly fate. Whatever the reasoning, the stubborn trope continues to exist, even in films that set out to deconstruct it.
The use of the monster as an STD metaphor in It Follows further strengthens the link between sex and death in horror, and reinforces the absurd notion that having sex, which creates life, could lead to murder, which ends it. Why is this link so durable in horror cinema? Perhaps it’s the commonly held belief that premarital sex is somehow wrong and deserving of punishment. A more plausible psychological explanation is Freud’s “death drive”, the impulse in us that is drawn to danger and actually thrilled by the prospect of potential harm. Furthermore, Freud presented the overarching idea that this death drive coincides with a drive to seek pleasure, inexplicably linking sex and horror as part of human nature.
Regardless of what drives it, sex and horror will continue to have a long and fruitful relationship. As long as films like It Follows and Cabin in the Woods (see here) continue to find new and intriguing ways to explore the connection, there’s no reason for it to stop anytime soon.
Book Giveaways And Sick Cats
Little Iris Shea is sick for the first time in her 9 years on this blue and green globe. As a lazy house cat, she has it pretty darn good. I’d love to go 9 years without an illness. Hell, some years, I’ll take 9 weeks. Turns out she has an eye infection and a small heart murmur. We knew something was wrong when she woke up looking like Popeye and moved around the house less than usual. She wouldn’t let me take a pic of her bad eye, but this is pretty much her position at my feet for the entire day…
She did tell me she wants me to spread the word about the Rafflecopter giveaway for a signed copy of my apocalypse love song, TORTURES OF THE DAMNED. You have until Sept 24th to enter. Click here to enter the Rafflecopter apocalypse special! Reviews have been excellent and the ending is definitely causing a stir.
OK, that’s all for now. I have to go light up the BBQ and roast some weenies. I’ll be using my father’s tried and true method for grilling – each meat requires a certain number of beers to be imbibed before it’s good to go.
To get all the latest news and giveaways before the rest of the world, sign up for my Dark Hunter Newsletter today!
THE DOVER DEMON Raises His Round, Little Head – Cryptid Novel Release Day!
Oh yes, the day is finally here. My latest foray into the world of cryptozoology horror – THE DOVER DEMON – takes one of the lesser known but strangest of all cryptids on a wild adventure that has thoroughly creeped out advance readers and reviewers. Having faced Bigfoot in SWAMP MONSTER MASSACRE and delved into the mystery of THE MONTAUK MONSTER, I wanted to tackle a cryptid that hasn’t had as much public recognition. A trip to the International Cryptozoology Museum 2 years ago sparked the idea for THE DOVER DEMON.
While I was there, I was lucky enough to meet famed cryptozoologist, Loren Coleman. We got to talking about creatures he’s personally investigated. Turns out, he was the man on the scene in Dover, MA in the late 70s when the uber strange biped was spotted by several people over the course of two nights in April. He also gave it its name, the Dover Demon. As a lover of monsters and aliens, I couldn’t resist. I mean, look at that mug!
Believe it or not, to this day, people still aren’t sure what they saw. Yes, today most people would see the image and think it’s an alien from a visiting UFO. But here’s where it gets interesting. The witness who drew the first image did it before the ‘gray alien’ became an internationally recognized icon! This was before the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind and years prior to Whitley Strieber’s Communion.
I was so fortunate to have an early release event at the I.C.M. in August. I got to spend some quality time with Loren Coleman and meet people just like myself who are fascinated by the wondrous creatures that have been spotted around the world. Cryptid fans from out of state made the drive to get some Dover Demon love!
At the time it was spotted, it was treated as a terrestrial creature, though the high strangeness of the event brought MUFON to the town as well. No one could figure out what came to visit Dover, and the story hasn’t been recanted by the witnesses even 30+ years later. So, the mystery continues.
My novel takes on several questions:
- What if other people saw the creature that night but never reported it because their run in with the creature was as terrifying as it was strange?
- What if the Dover Demon makes a return in 2015? What would it, or they, want?
- What if it isn’t anything that people have theorized it to be?
Here’s the official blurb for the book –
In 1977, Sam Brogna and his friends came upon a terrifying, alien creature on a deserted country road. What they witnessed was so bizarre, so chilling, they swore their silence. But their lives were changed forever.
Decades later, the town of Dover has been hit by a massive blizzard. Sam’s son, Nicky, is drawn to search for the infamous cryptid, only to disappear into the bowels of a secret underground lair. The Dover Demon is far deadlier than anyone could have believed. And there are many of them. Can Sam and his reunited friends rescue Nicky and battle a race of creatures so powerful, so sinister, that history itself has been shaped by their secretive presence?
I lovingly wrote this for all the monster/cryptid/horror lovers out there. So take my hand and let’s walk the moonlit paths of Dover. You never know what you’re going to find.
You can get THE DOVER DEMON in trade paperback and ebook. Click here to access my bookstore page!
And if you’re in the Portland, Maine area, check out the International Cryptozoology Museum, or visit the website and support Loren’s little gem, the only museum dedicated to cryptids in the world.
Scares That Care – The Last Roundup
It’s been almost a month since I was at the second annual Scares That Care con and I’m just getting around to sharing the fun. Yeah, it’s been a bit hectic. Better late than never!
As with any con, I always let the pictures do the talking. This year, the pictures are better than ever thanks to awesome photog Tom Wolstencroft, who also happens to be my brother-in-law and world class book salesman. I loved his hook this year when people came by my table – “Do you like to read?” Sounds crazy, but it worked!
Before I share all the fun pics, I do want to say thank you to everyone who stopped by my table, bought a book, drank a beer, laughed at our shenanigans. I loved getting to hang out with my writing brothers (and sister!), especially the motley crew of Jonathan Janz, Ron Malfi, Kristopher Rufty, Russell James, David Bernstein, Tim Waggoner, Adam Cesare, Brian Keene. Kelli Owen, Armand Rosamilia, Bob Ford and so many others.
I’m already making plans for next year. By the way, the nicest people in the world attend horror cons. Some may look scary, but they’re all pussycats.
This really happened! Thanks to Ron Malfi for seeing it in the machine.
We never did find a Frankenstein for her.
My favorite undead pirate. I kept thinking of THE FOG.
The Lords of Salem were in town!
You don’t wanna breastfeed that baby!
My neighbor was a human jukebox.
I believe she won the kids costume contest. Creepy as hell.
A new fan who came all the way from the Big Easy.
Yeah baby!
My kind of peeps.
Not sure who she was supposed to be, but the guys were all glad she was there.
Riding Out The End Of The World – Tortures of the Damned Blog Tour Begins!
My happy trip through Armageddon, subtly titled TORTURES OF THE DAMNED, has a blog tour, and like the end of the world, it has begun! It goes until the end of September, though the way dates are adding, it will probably extend into my favorite month, October. Stop by for some rations, interviews, articles, reviews and giveaways. Anyone can hunker down in my bunker.
You can follow the tour by visiting the Hook of a Book blog tour page. It kicks off with a great review (4.5 stars out of 5) at Bookie Monster. Special thanks to Erin at Hook of a Book Media, who I’m sure sleeps 30 minutes a night. 🙂
And one chilling word for those who want to join the damned – the scenario I created is very possible. There’s nothing in there that doesn’t exist and can’t happen. Pray it never happens.
The Dover Demon Invades The International Cryptozoology Museum!
Talk about dreams coming true. I’m having an early release party for my next book. THE DOVER DEMON, hosted by legendary cryptozoologist Loren Coleman at the International Cryptozoology Mueseum on Saturday, August 22nd from noon to 2pm.
A face only a momma can love.
The museum is in Portland, Maine. It’s a treasure trove of monster lore, with Bigfoot casts galore. Walk inside and you’ll be surrounded by The Jersey Devil, Chupacabra, Fiji Mermaid, Montauk Monster (my book is in the display!), sea monsters and more. It’s wicked cool, as they say in nearby Boston. So come on down, check out the museum, pick up a book and ask Loren to take a picture with him and his Sasquatch.
Guest Author Catherine Cavendish Dishes On Revenge And Her Latest Book – Dark Avenging Angel
It’s an honor to host one of my favorite Samhain authors, Catherine Cavendish. Her previous book, The Pendle Curse, blew me away. I can’t wait to dive into her latest, Dark Avenging Angel. It’s so special that I’m saving it for my annual #Horrortober reading list, where I settle in with the best the genre has to offer for the month of October. Patience, my boy, patience!
So please sit back, dim the lights and let Catherine do her best to shiver your timbers…
The Avenging Goddesses
My latest novella – Dark Avenging Angel – is, as its title suggests, concerned with revenge. In this case, revenge of the most demonic kind. We’ve all heard the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for…” Jane learns the truth of this in graphic ways.
Avenging angels and demons abound in the traditions and folklore of people all over the world. From ancient Greek and Roman legend, we have the three sisters of vengeance known variously as The Furies or The Erinyes.
Though they are known by different names, their characteristics are essentially the same. The Erinyes avenged crimes against the natural order of things, so were particularly keen to avenge murder – especially where that murder occurred within a family. Anyone committing the sin of patricide or matricide could expect to find the curse of the Erinyes visited upon them in the form of a tormenting madness, illness and/or disease, and any nation providing shelter to such a criminal could find the wrath of the Erinyes visited on them too. Pestilence, hunger and disease would all follow.
The sisters’ vengeance did not stop at killing their victim. They would continue their torment long after death, until finally the sinner would show remorse for his crime.
Their particular desire to see murder within families avenged probably stemmed from their own origins. The Erinyes were created when the Titan – Cronos – tore off the genitalia of his father, Uranus, and flung it into the sea. From the blood, the three sisters were formed.
The avenging goddesses were also servants of Hades and Persephone in the underworld, where they oversaw the torture of those criminals doomed forever to dwell in the Dungeons of the Damned.
In appearance, the Erinyes were appalling to look at. They had burning breath and poisonous blood dripped from their eyes. Instead of hair, their heads were wreathed with serpents, rather like Medusa. Serpents also entwined around their arms and waists. They are often depicted as winged and clothed in either long black mourning robes or the short skirts and boots of huntresses. They wielded whips.
Anyone unfortunate enough to incur the wrath of the Erinyes would have a near-impossible task of fending them off. The only way would be to perform rites of ritual purification and some task assigned to them for the purposes of atonement.
Now, to give you a taste of Dark Avenging Angel, here’s the blurb:
Don’t hurt Jane. You may live to regret it.
Bullied by her abusive father, Jane always felt different. Then the lonely child found a friend in a mysterious dark lady who offers her protection—a lady she calls her “angel”. But that protection carries a terrible price, one to be paid with the souls of those Jane chooses to suffer a hideous and eternal fate.
When Jane refuses to name another victim, the angel reveals her most terrifying side. Payment must be made in full—one way or the other.
And here’s a brief extract:
Something had woken me from a deep sleep troubled by my recurring nightmare in which I was in a wood, being chased by some unimaginable horror. I never saw its face, assuming it even had one. But I knew if I didn’t find sanctuary, it would kill me. I had just made it into the strange little house that always appeared in the clearing, when my eyes opened and I gasped at the white, smiling face looking down at me.
That night, my angel seemed different somehow.
Oh, she looked the same. Same black cloak, but this time it shimmered and I wanted to touch it. I was sure it would feel soft as velvet under my fingers.
She put her finger to her lips and stroked my hair. Her touch was like a gentle breeze in summertime. My eyes wanted to close, but I forced them to stay open.
I knew I mustn’t speak out loud, but I could still whisper. “I wish I knew your name. Who are you? Please will you tell me?”
She continued to smile. Her lips moved, but the answering voice I heard was again in my head.
Do not be afraid, child. It is not yet time, but soon you will have the power to avenge yourself on those who have done you harm. Look for me in the shadows and I will be there, taking account.
I understood nothing of what she said. But, from somewhere, a calm I had never felt before emerged and wrapped itself around me.
I blinked in the darkness as she faded from sight.
Then I closed my eyes and slept. I never had that nightmare again after that night. But what if I’d known what was ahead for me?
Some things are better off left in the dark.
You can find Dark Avenging Angel here:
About the author:
Following a varied career in sales, advertising and career guidance, Cat is now the full time author of a number of paranormal, ghostly and Gothic horror novels, novellas and short stories. She was the 2013 joint winner of the Samhain Gothic Horror Anthology Competition, with Linden Manor, which features in the anthology What Waits in the Shadows. Her novels, The Pendle Curse and Saving Grace Devine are also published by Samhain. Her latest novella – Dark Avenging Angel – will be followed by her next novel – The Devil’s Serenade – in April 2016
You can connect with Cat here:
Monster Men Two-In-One – #Science Gone Wrong & The Horror Mt. Rushmore
How special is this? We have two episodes of the Monster Men for the price of…well, zippo, actually. The things we do for love.
Since the first appearance of Frankenstein in print, the horror genre has been rife with tales of terror based on the concept of science gone wrong. When man meddles with Nature or oversteps his bounds, the repercussions are very, very nasty. That goes for science fiction, too, perhaps even more so. I love mad scientists. Their creativity and singleminded obsessions are enviable, and it’s always fun to see them get their comeuppance in the end.
On the latest episode of Monster Men, we tap into this genre defining vein (after tapping into a beer or two) by repeating #ScienceGoneWrong like chattering babboons. I promise you’ll get a kick out of this one. What are some of your favorite science gone wrong books and movies?
What legendary horror actors and characters would make your Mount Rushmore of horror? Jack and I went into this thinking it would be easy (especially with a few cocktails under our belts). Man, were we wrong. Trying to whittle 100 years of horror down to 4 ain’t easy. Here’s our attempt at tackling the impossible.
Who would make your Mount Rushmore?
Making Monsters With Author Brian Kirk
The sordid rabble at Samhain are damned happy to call Brian Kirk our newest brother. His debut novel, WE ARE MONSTERS, has been the talk of the town. I’m saving it to read on my upcoming vacation so I can thoroughly lose myself within its pages. Brian and I are both monster lovers, but the monsters in his story are far more frightening than a pissed off Bigfoot or Chupacabra.
So let’s train that spotlight on Brian Kirk. The haunted stage is yours…
Hey, Hunter, thanks for having me on your site. I like the dark shadows and fresh scent of coagulated blood.
While your horror spans a wide spectrum, I know you have a special affinity for monsters, both real and supernatural. So that’s what I wanted to discuss here today if that’s okay with you.
Specifically, I wanted to talk about monsters of the human variety. I want to talk about us, and the worst of our kind.
Who are the most dangerous among us? The ones who commit the vilest and most barbaric acts?
Politicians, you say? Oh, you’re killing me!
Seriously, though. If I were to create a list (so saying as I proceed to create a list) of the most heinous of our kind, I’d include the following, in no particular order: pedophiles, serial killers, rapists, and cannibals.
These are the people you definitely don’t want living next door. But who are these people? How did they get this way? What turns an innocent toddler into a monster that feasts on human flesh?
It’s difficult to say. Some of it’s nature, some of it nurture. Some people are born with abnormal brains, while others have their minds altered through prolonged exposure to trauma or violent environments. One thing that may be safe to say is that no one grows up wanting to become one of these perverted, and violent predators. I don’t think anyone with a normal, healthy brain and upbringing consciously decides to begin engaging in these acts rather than, say… go to dental school.
It’s an innate calling, an urge. An irresistible compulsion that defiles our dream that we’re all basically good. That evil does not exist in this world. That we’re more than hairless monkeys born of violence and blood-thirst.
What do we think when we see violent and heinous acts? When deranged killers walk into elementary schools and gun down innocent children? Evil is what comes to mind, isn’t it? Insane.
But not insane like an illness. Insane like a demonic possession.
I wonder about that. Is insanity more like an evil possession, or more like a disease?
Some may say, “Who cares. What’s the difference? The acts are evil and should be punished.”
While I absolutely agree that people with irresistible pedophiliac urges cannot be allowed to roam freely in society, I wonder what should be done with them. What if, instead of being deviant predators, these people were otherwise normal human beings afflicted with a disease or deformity that could be corrected or cured? What if it was your brother who inexplicably had these urges, or your son?
Let’s say we could identify and diagnose the people with this disease before they ever acted upon its urge. Would we send them to prison? Would we kill them? Or would we quarantine them while we worked to develop a cure? The same way we would treat someone who inadvertently contracted small pox and was now a health hazard to the rest of humanity.
Heck if I know. I’m just intrigued by the question. I’ll tell you this, though. If the urge to harm others is, at times, caused by a “disease” or deformity of the brain, much like how the mutation of a cell can lead to cancer, it is by far one of the worst diseases that can afflict an individual. And its contagion is among the most damaging to society as a whole.
These are difficult questions involving an uncomfortable subject. They are questions that inspired the nature of my debut novel, We Are Monsters.
In We Are Monsters, a troubled, yet brilliant psychiatrist is working to develop a cure for schizophrenia. At first, the drug he creates shows great promise in alleviating his patient’s symptoms. It appears to return schizophrenics to their former selves. But (as you may imagine) something goes wrong. Unforeseen side effects begin to emerge, forcing prior traumas to the surface, setting inner demons free. His medicine may help heal the schizophrenic mind, but it also expands it, and the monsters it releases could be more dangerous than the disease.
This novel asks challenging questions. As the venerable review site, Ginger Nuts of Horror said, “Parts of the story are heartbreaking, parts will make you angry, and the whole story will have you examining the human race as never before.”
But I believe they are questions worth asking. I hope you’ll check it out.
Thanks for having me, Hunter! Here’s my contact info in case anyone is interested in forming a virtual friendship.
Website: briankirkblog.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brian_Kirk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.kirk13
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5142176.Brian_Kirk
An Interview With Ron Malfi About His Latest Horror Masterpiece, LITTLE GIRLS
I know it’s only August, but I’m locking in my vote for best horror novel of the year – Ron Malfi‘s haunting tale, LITTLE GIRLS. I’ve been telling anyone who will listen (that number increases when I’m not frothing at the mouth) that if they read one scary book in 2015, this is the one.
The fact that Ron and I are authorly blood brothers, sharing two publishers, should actually work against this. I know the dude. He’s a Tasmanian Devil of nuttiness and talent. Sometimes, the more you know someone, the harder it is to be sucked into their story, separating the man or woman from the tale of terror. Not so with Little Girls. From the first chapter, I knew I was walking wondrous paths carved out by writers like Peter Straub and Stephen King. It’s that good.
You can follow his blog tour by visiting Hook of a Book publicity. Erin has put together a hell of a tour.
So, as a special treat for me and you, I wrestled Ron to the ground long enough to ask him a few questions about his book, process and future plans. Pick up Little Girls right after reading the interview and you can thank me later. And if you see Ron at a con, don’t be alarmed when he shouts at you to buy a book or move on. 🙂
Hunter Shea 