We Know Why Horror Films Make You Horny
Playboy Africa|September 2021
Feeling scared and sexually aroused aren’t mutually exclusive—they actually go hand-in-hand during Halloween time
Tori Lynn Adams
We Know Why Horror Films Make You Horny

His eyes were locked on me. I didn’t dare move a muscle.

Once he turned his attention away, I moved with urgency toward the nearest receptacle I could find. I swiftly trapped the spider underneath it. Things were under my control, and yet I still felt terrified of the unknown—what was the spider doing in there? Plotting his revenge? All-day I felt a nervous itch to lift the canister and face my fear. I avoided it for hours until I finally lifted it and smooshed the eight-legged beast.

As petrified as I was to find a sizable black widow spider in my apartment, there was something thrilling about the whole escapade—especially considering how mundane life has been during the pandemic. There is a unique pleasure we derive from the sensation of being afraid. It’s part of the reason horror films are so visceral and emotionally effective.

I became all too aware of this when I began taking courses on horror films my senior year of college. My homework usually consisted of some insightful readings and a handful of horror films. I quickly found that as spine-chilling as the films were, they were also quite cathartic. The anticipation I experienced while watching the films was almost more unbearable than anything that could actually happen on screen. I also found that some of the most terrifying scenes were actually the most pleasurable to watch. When Marion gets stabbed to death in the 1960 classic Psycho, the camera eroticized the shots of her bare skin as she moans orgasmically and collapses to the ground. We are called upon to be frightened and sexually stimulated at the same time.

This story is from the September 2021 edition of Playboy Africa.

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This story is from the September 2021 edition of Playboy Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.