Bloody Smut.

This above panel is tiny on the final page, but for some reason, blogger always blows up small frames when I post them. I’m a little nervous to see how this one is going to look on screen. Hopefully it will still hold up.

Just finished reading a copy of Scared Stiff: Tales Of Sex And Death this week. It’s the hardest line to walk, but I’m a big fan of anyone who can do good horror\erotica stories. The problem from the start is you’re mixing two dangerous genres to make one super dangerous genre. If you get it wrong, the resulting piece of artwork would be sooooooo toxic. Sexy storytelling is meant to leave you feeling a tad randy, while a good horror story should leave you slightly unsettled. These are two emotions that most people would not want to mix. Reading or watching something that both freaked you out, and left you a little aroused. I’d even go so far as to say they’re probably the hardest two genres to cross and I have big respect for anyone who truly does it well. I also give extra marks just for being brave enough to try. Many people think horror is only one up from porn anyway, so you’ve already shot yourself in the foot by combining the two. Actually… it’s more like shooting yourself in your left and right foot before setting off on your little spooky\smutty adventure. However I would strongly argue it can be done. Maybe early David Cronenberg movies are the best example I can think of, off the top of my head. Arousal and fear produce very similar sensations in the human body, and if you can milk that special little sweet-spot where the two meet with your art\stories, I take my hat off to you (if I currently happened to own a hat… which I don’t.) Most people spend their life trying to avoid acknowledging this little patch of the brain even exist, let alone mining it for hidden creepy\carnal treasure.