Erotic Horror
Explore books, themes, and recommendations in Erotic Horror.
What is the Erotic Horror Subgenre?
Erotic horror is the blending of two endlessly fascinating subjects: sex and scares. Each of these entices the reader to look closer, while also offering the thrill of the taboo and forbidden. Erotic horror was incredibly popular in the 1980's and 1990's. A good erotic horror tale could both turn the reader on as well as creep the reader out. Sex, in erotic horror, is always an integral part of the story, and as such, the sex is graphic and explicit to the point of being pornographic at times. Since erotic horror's heyday in the 1990's, editors and writers have opted for a more inclusive name for this subgenre, sexual horror. This is because the sex in erotic horror is often violent and also often far from pleasurable.
Although the term was abandoned in the 1990's for sexual horror, erotic horror is a term that has recently been used to describe a new type of erotic, known as monster erotica. This subgenre features sexual scenes with monsters such as Bigfoot, Frankenstein, and werewolves. This subgenre can also feature fantasy creatures such as minotaurs, leprechauns, or sometimes even dinosaurs. A related subgenre to this is vampire erotica,which features sexual encounters with vampires. This version of the erotic horror subgenre began gaining popularity in the 2010's and is largely self-published. This version of erotic horror is less violent that its earlier predecessor and could be compared to dark fantasy with sexual elements that are central to the plot.
Erotic Horror Characteristics
Level of Characterization: The level of characterization is low to moderate in erotic horror as many examples of this genre are short stories. Longer works have more room for character development, but characterization is not the main focus of this subgenre.
Level of Plot: Similarly, plot levels in this subgenre are going to be low to moderate. Again, part of the reason for this is due to the length of many of the works in erotic horror.
Level of Supernatural: There is a moderate to high level of supernatural in erotic horror, particularly in the revival of the subgenre, which is also known as monster erotica.
Level of Scary: The level of scary in erotic horror is moderate to high. Sometimes the scary elements even overrun the arousing elements.
Level of Violence: The level of violence in erotic horror is high. Often, violence is as central to a story in this subgenre as the sexual elements.
Typical Setting: The typical setting of erotic horror is modern and urban with a dark and sexual underside.
Related Horror Subgenres
Extreme, graphic, and visceral horror are all related genres to erotic horror due to the explicit nature of all of these subgenres. Sexy horror is also a related subgenre to erotic horror, though it is less graphic in detail. Additionally, cross-genre horror, particularly paranormal romance, is also related, though the focus tends to be more on the relationship between the paranormal entity and the human protagonist than on graphic depictions of sexual encounters in paranormal romance. Finally, dark fantasy could be related to erotic horror, particularly to monster erotica, since essentially, monster erotica is dark fantasy with strong sexual elements.