There are several types of adult movie genres. Styles and types for all tastes and preferences. The adult horror movie and the horror porn genre is a category that has been around for decades, and despite how it might sound– it’s not actually as weird as you may think.
It’s a dark and stormy night. A woman, barely dressed in what could loosely be thought of as a robe, stands, silhouetted, preparing her nighttime regimen. In the corner, something lurks. Watching silently as the lithe shadow undresses.
While this scene could easily come from a traditional horror movie, fraught with monsters, serial killers, kidnappers, or some other “evil takes form” personification. It could also be a scene from an ultra-popular genre of porn. “Horror porn, or strictly adult horror movies, have been around for ages.” Say the curators at PornDoe, a site dedicated to providing any number of porn niches and streams. “While it’s seeing a bump in popularity recently, it’s always been available, and will always be available.
Unfortunately, the genre often befalls the same confusion and derision that many other fetish categories get stuck with. Which is just not really representative of the genre itself or of it’s fans.”
One of the things we fear most, one of the things that is certainly capitalized by the horror genre, is the fear of the unknown. So let’s unravel some mystery, and hopefully dispel some unhealthy stereotypes in the process. Because horror porn is here to stay, and we should all be okay with that.
What the Hell is Horror Porn?
While horror porn in and of itself is an actual genre of porn– not much different than ‘bisexual’ or ‘big boobs’ are also genres in their own respects– there’s something a bit special about the horror porn genre. Not just because it screens scintillating and often, confusing, visions of both your classic slasher flick and hardcore pornography; but also because the genre itself appeals to an incredibly wide audience.
Unlike snuff films, or rape fantasy porn, horror porn isn’t necessarily about the blood, guts, and sex, but instead about appealing to a deeper psychological thread that some people respond to very favorably. And not just people like John Wayne Gacy – but average, everyday people of the non-serial-killer-clown variety.
Horror porn, while you might not be immediately familiar with the genre, has been around nearly as long as cinema itself. With some of the earliest “horror” movies also being incredibly sexually suggestive.
This is largely because horror and porn have long been two peas in the same pod. Not only because the horror genre has always been near overloaded with naked ladies and randy teens, but also because eroticism itself relies heavily on anticipation, anxiety, and an intensity that’s just not seen in other genres of film.
Consider your favorite skin flick– a movie that inspires some pretty corporeal responses. Something that is heavily laden with subsequent buildup and release. Horror films aren’t really all that different.
With the same lingering sense of apprehension at what may come next, only to explode in a crescendo of action and extreme feeling of liberation once the monster has been unmasked, or the victim has met their untimely end.
It’s Popular, and Completely Normal
For most people who like horror movies themselves, it’s that build up and release that makes these types of films so satisfying to watch. Which, consequently is probably the exact same reason why the adult horror film, or horror porn, genre has steadily skyrocketed in popularity and held on tight to its loyal audiences.
The genre was successfully popularized in the late 2000’s, but has arguably been around for much longer. With some of the first salacious horror flicks debuting as early as the 1910’s.
What is it about the genre that keeps people coming back for more? What is it that has not only gained the category fame, but also an associated fortune? In one psychology journal article, authors postulate that the reason behind horror flicks garnering the derisive reviews that they do may have less to do with the content of them, but instead with the budgets and quality of the filmmaking itself.
Which could also help explain why the more pornography focused horror titles seem to enjoy no corner of solace– in either pornographic film communities or horror communities. Yet, still seem to rake in nice returns and host large viewing audiences.
Which establishes, by itself, that the category has worth. That there are indeed people– many people, at that– that are happy to both pay for and interact with the genre. And time and time again for that matter. As horror porn hasn’t just become a popular search term in the adult film industry, but it also is something that niche erotica streaming services can offer with pride and payoff.
The Science of Loving Adult Horror Films
The same article mentioned above, also goes further– discussing the possible psychological implications behind why anyone (let alone literal millions of people) would want to gravitate toward such a detestable and uncomfortable genre. Like almost all studies of a psychological nature, only strong correlations were found, and they really don’t have a grounding answer for the question “Why does anyone actually enjoy this?”
Instead, what they have found, and reportedly researched the most, is that many viewers of horror genres are “sensation seekers”. Sensation seeking is described as “seeking of varied, novel, complex and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal and financial risks for the sake of such experiences”– which, if that doesn’t perfectly identify most sexual fetishes, then we’re not interested in the sex you’re having.
Sensation seeking is a normal behavior for most individuals, in fact, the paper does admit to the fact that most individuals experience this drive throughout their teenage years, even if the need for novel tapers off as we age.
For people that keep the drive to experience new and thrilling things throughout their life, you may not be incredibly surprised to find that these are the individuals who look towards things like horror porn to get their kicks as they age.
Often as horror genres allow a fairly risk-free outlet for individuals to experience intense and gripping arousal through a relatively benign stimulus. Allowing fans to enjoy all the thrills and spills, as well as get their rocks off at the same time. Which is something that we can’t knock– and you shouldn’t either.