NSFW – 10 Films that Put the Scares in Sex
Sex is no stranger to the horror genre. Whether it be horny teenagers sealing their own doom in myriad slasher flicks by shedding their clothes and getting nasty or sultry vampires using their mesmerizing charms to entice unwitting victims into their deadly embraces, sex and death often go hand-in-hand over on the dark side of cinema.
With the acclaimed It Follows landing in UK cinemas on February 27, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the more twisted approaches to sex in the genre. Rather than thematic eroticism or constructed sensuality, this particular list picks a choice selection of films that make the Beast With Two Backs their pivotal antagonist or launch pad for the terror within.
That means no sexy vampires (so we don’t just construct a massive Hammer and Jean Rollin selection, and I don’t go off the rails(back) rambling about the magnificence that is Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce), but a group of films that manage to twist the norms of sexuality in ways that could very well give you second thoughts the next time you wanna get jiggy.
So don your protection, and let’s get busy…
Shivers
The residents of the Starliner apartment complex find themselves in for a whale of a time when an insidious parasite gets loose in the building. Breeding rapidly and spreading from person to person, the parasite serves to relinquish the host of all inhibitions, pulling forth a wave of murder, rape and hedonism as the organisms are passed from host to victim by sexual contact and forced ingestion.
One of David Cronenberg’s earliest features, Shivers is still as disturbing and uncomfortable a watch as it was many moons ago.
Possession
Andrzej Zulawski’s art house shocker caused quite a stir upon its release and quickly found itself lumped amongst the UK’s controversial ‘video nasties’. Nowadays, it enjoys a healthy cult following and greater recognition amongst mainstream critics for its uncompromising look at the breakdown of human relationships by way of some horribly slimy, tentacled coitus.
Carlo Rambaldi’s effects work remains as stomach-churning and effective as ever, and the dream-like presentation married with unbridled, often histrionic performances from leads Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill make Possession a genuinely unsettling, and unforgettable, cinematic oddity.
