Necrophilia has been a topic in popular culture.
Necrophilia in fiction
Romantic connections between
love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...
and
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
are a frequent theme in
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
istic expression.
* In the
Greek legend of the
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...
, the Greek hero
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pele ...
slays the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
queen
Penthesilea
Penthesilea ( el, Πενθεσίλεια, Penthesíleia) was an Amazonian queen in Greek mythology, the daughter of Ares and Otrera and the sister of Hippolyta, Antiope and Melanippe. She assisted Troy in the Trojan War, during which she w ...
in a duel. Upon removing her helmet and seeing her face, Achilles falls in love with her and mourns her death. The soldier
Thersites
In Greek mythology, Thersites (; Ancient Greek: Θερσίτης) was a soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War.
Family
The ''Iliad'' does not mention his father's name, which may suggest that he should be viewed as a commoner rathe ...
openly ridicules Achilles and accuses him of necrophilia. Achilles responds by promptly killing Thersites with a single blow. ''(In some traditions, Thersites' accusation is not unfounded — Achilles was so stricken by Penthesilea's beauty that he could not control his lust for her, even after her death.)''
* In
Gabrielle Wittkop's first novel ''Le Necrophile'' (1972), the protagonist is a bisexual antiques shop owner who has sex exclusively with corpses (of all ages and genders), which he digs up from the
Montparnasse Cemetery and then throws into the river.
* In
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr., July 20, 1933) is an American writer who has written twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and three short stories, spanning the Western and post-apocalyptic genres. He is known for his gr ...
's ''
Child of God
''Child of God'' (1973) is the third novel by American author Cormac McCarthy. It depicts the life of a violent young outcast and serial killer in 1960s Appalachian Tennessee.
Though the novel received critical praise, it was not a financial ...
'' (1973),
protagonist Lester Ballard finds a dead couple in a car, and carries the female corpse back to his cabin to have sex with it. After losing the corpse in a fire, he begins murdering women to create dead female sex partners for himself.
* In
Stephen King's novel ''
Under the Dome'', Junior Rennie murders a woman whom he hates and has intercourse with her dead body.
*
Georges Bataille's novella ''
Story of the Eye'' ends with the main characters performing perverse and sacrilegious sexual acts on a passive priest, who is raped and strangled to death as he
climaxes. After murdering him, the characters continue to perform sexual acts with his dismembered eyeball.
*
Algernon Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as '' Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition ...
wrote a frankly necrophilic poem, "The Leper", in which a man keeps the body of his former lover in his house: "Love bites and stings me through, to see/Her keen face made of sunken bones./Her worn-off eyelids madden me,/That were shot through with purple once."
*
Oscar Wilde's play, ''
Salome'', is based on the
Biblical story of a
Judea
Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous sou ...
n princess who performs the
Dance of the Seven Veils for the
Tetrarch
Tetrarch, Tetrarchs, or Tetrarchy may refer to:
* Tetrarchy, the four co-emperors of the Roman Empire instituted by the Emperor Diocletian
* Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs - a sculpture of the four co-emperors of the Roman Empire
* Herodian Tetrarc ...
,
Herod, in exchange for the head of
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
. When Salome finally receives the
Christian prophet's head, she addresses it in an erotic monologue that has highly suggestive necrophiliac overtones. Various artistic depictions of the story, particularly in the work of
Gustave Moreau
Gustave Moreau (; 6 April 1826 – 18 April 1898) was a French artist and an important figure in the Symbolist movement. Jean Cassou called him "the Symbolist painter par excellence".Cassou, Jean. 1979. ''The Concise Encyclopedia of Symbolism.' ...
and
Aubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (21 August 187216 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the ...
, also hint at this subtext.
* In
Christopher Moore's novel, ''
Bloodsucking Fiends
''Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story'' is a novel by American writer Christopher Moore, published in 1995. It combines elements of the supernatural and of the romance novel.
Plot summary
Jody, a young, single, red-headed woman living in San Fran ...
'', when the police find the
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
Jody in Tommy's freezer, they think it's a dead body he's hiding so they send her to the morgue. The man working there is a necrophile and nearly
molests her before she wakes up, giving him a heart attack that leads to his death. (She tucks his
erection away so when he's found no one will suspect his dirty secret.)
* In
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
's poem "
Annabel Lee
"Annabel Lee" is the last complete poem composed by American author Edgar Allan Poe. Like many of Poe's poems, it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman.Meyers, Jeffrey. ''Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy''. New York: Cooper Sq ...
", there is a hint of the narrator's
romantic necrophiliac desires, as suggested by his sleeping in his beloved's tomb all night.
* In
C. M. Eddy, Jr.'s short story "
The Loved Dead The Loved Dead is a story written by C. M. Eddy Jr. in 1919. A controversial tale of necrophilia, it was published in ''Weird Tales'' bumper issue for May/July 1924.
Plot
The plot centres around an unnamed narrator living in the rural village of ...
", the protagonist's actions revolve around his misunderstood feelings towards dead people. It starts with his own grandfather and progresses on toward necrophilia and becoming a
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
to satisfy his desires.
* In
Poppy Z. Brite's novel, ''
Exquisite Corpse
Exquisite corpse (from the original French term ', literally exquisite cadaver), is a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a rule (e.g. ...
'', the protagonist is a necrophile and serial killer. He explains his behavior as a compensation for loneliness.
*
Richard Brautigan's novel ''
Dreaming of Babylon: A Private Eye Novel 1942'' features a coroner who speaks openly of his attraction to female corpses, though he denies having intercourse with them.
* In ''
The Secret Texts'' Trilogy by
Holly Lisle
Holly Lisle (born 1960) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance and romantic suspense novels. She is also known for her work in educating writers, including her e-book ''Mugging the Muse: Writing Fiction for Love An ...
, Andrew Sabir of the Hellspawn Trinity often rapes the corpses of the dead before his cousin, Crispin, buries them in his famous garden. Crispin and Anwyn, who are the other members of the Trinity, find this habit of his disgusting, and make that known even in their introduction. Often, Andrew's victims are children, as the energy of children, especially little girls, is considered by those who practice both Wolf and Dragon magic to be the purest.
* In the video game ''
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind'', there is a mission in which the player must anger a creature called a Dremora into attacking. When the creature finally snaps, it threatens to rape the player's remains, mockingly promising that it will "be gentle." In the sequel, ''
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'', there is a Dunmer named Falanu Hlaalu, an alchemist in the city of Skingrad who rather suspiciously asks if you know the fine for necrophilia in Cyrodiil. If you choose to tell her the fine, which is 500 gold, she says enthusiastically: "That's nothing compared to Morrowind. Thanks." Other characters living in the city note that they have seen her in the graveyard with an odd smile on her face.
* In ''
Grand Theft Auto IV
''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the e ...
'' the player meets a character named "Eddie Low" who is a serial killer, cannibal and necrophiliac, twice. The first time, he asks for a ride to the docks, where he disposes of a victim. The second time, the player character insults him, and Eddie attacks with a knife, intending to have sex with the player character's remains. The player is forced to kill Eddie.
* In
Hideo Yamamoto
is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known as the creator of the manga series ''Ichi the Killer'', which was adapted into a live-action film by Takashi Miike in 2001, and ''Homunculus''.
Recurring themes in his manga are crime, sexual dev ...
's original
Manga of ''
Ichi the Killer Ichi the Killer may refer to:
* ''Ichi the Killer'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film based on the manga series of the same name
* ''Ichi the Killer'' (manga), a manga series written and illustrated by Hideo Yamamoto
{{disambig ...
'', the crime scene cleaner Inoue is depicted as a necrophile, and shown in silhouette having sex with the corpse of a 17-year-old girl whilst his coworkers prepare to bury her.
*
Samuel Delany
Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...
's 1969 novel, ''
Hogg'', is replete with detailed descriptions of erotic necrophilia.
*
Patrick Bateman, the protagonist of the novel and film ''
American Psycho'', is depicted as engaging in acts of necrophilia, with bodies and parts of them.
* In
Neil Gaiman's short story "
Snow, Glass, Apples", the prince of ''
Snow White
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection '' Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...
'' is reimagined as having necrophiliac-like sexual tastes, preferring that his partners lie still and virtually unmoving while they have sex, to the extent that he is seduced by the vampire-esque Snow White.
* In
Japanese
manga and
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
, the topic is many times present in the
Ero guro subgenre.
* In the first chapter of
Kaori Yuki
is a Japanese manga artist best known for her gothic manga such as '' Earl Cain'', its sequel ''Godchild'', and ''Angel Sanctuary''. Yuki debuted professionally in 1987 with , which ran in the manga anthology ''Bessatsu Hana to Yume'' published ...
's
manga, ''
Ludwig Revolution
is a Japanese manga series by Kaori Yuki. It debuted in the January 1999 issue of the '' shōjo'' (targeted towards girls) manga magazine '' Melody'', before being transferred to ''Hana to Yume Step'', ''Hana to Yume'', and finally ''Bessats ...
'', Blanche discovers Prince Ludwig is a necrophile when she finds all the corpses in his bedroom.
* In Barbara Gowdy's short story "We Seldom Look on Love", a main character is depicted as a necrophile. Her lover is forced to take his life to be involved with her.
* Under writer
Geoff Johns
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim.
He serv ...
, ''
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'' villain
Black Hand
Black Hand or The Black Hand may refer to:
Extortionists and underground groups
* Black Hand (anarchism) (''La Mano Negra''), a presumed secret, anarchist organization based in the Andalusian region of Spain during the early 1880s
* Black Hand (e ...
was reimagined as a necrophile.
* In
Angela Carter
Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...
's short story "The Snow Child" (published in ''
The Bloody Chamber
''The Bloody Chamber'' (or ''The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories'') is a collection of short fiction by English writer Angela Carter. It was first published in the United Kingdom in 1979 by Gollancz and won the Cheltenham Festival Literary ...
''), the Count rapes the corpse of the girl.
* The 2011 video game
L.A. Noire
''L.A. Noire'' is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. Set in 1947 Los Angeles, the game follows detective Cole Phelps's rise among the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department as he so ...
features a fictional necrophiliac named John Ferdinand Jamison. In the case "The Studio Secretary Murder," Ferdinand confesses to kissing and putting lipstick on the corpse of murder victim Evelyn Summers, much to the disgust of the player, Cole Phelps', partner, Rusty Galloway, who punches Jamison in the face two separate times.
*
Derek Pell
Derek Pell is a visual artist, photographer, writer and satirist. He was the editor in chief of ''Zoom Street Magazine''. He was editor of ''DingBat Magazine'' for 12 years, and a contributing editor to ''PC Laptop. ''Under both his name and his p ...
's ''
Doktor Bey's Book of the Dead'', Chapter 6, includes a listing of the "7 Joys of Necrophilia".
* In
Tamsyn Muir's novel ''
Gideon the Ninth'', the character Harrowhark Nonagesimus is shown to have fallen in love with the corpse of Alecto the First, referred to as "the Body". In the sequel novel, ''
Harrow the Ninth
''Harrow the Ninth'' is a 2020 science fantasy novel by the New Zealand writer Tamsyn Muir. It is the second in Muir's ''Locked Tomb'' series, preceded by '' Gideon the Ninth'' (2019) and followed by '' Nona the Ninth'' (2022) and forthcoming ' ...
'', the Lyctor Gideon the First (potentially possessed by the spirit of his cavalier, Pyrrha Dve) is shown kissing the corpse of fellow Lyctor Cytherea the First; another character suggests that he may have also engaged in necrophilia with the corpse.
* In
Supervert's collection, ''Necrophilia Variations,'' the stories "appear to be drawn straight from
Aggrawal's ten-tier classification of necrophilia, but reimagined by Bataille or the
Marquis de Sade."
Necrophilia in film and television
* ''
The Strange World of Coffin Joe
''The Strange World of Coffin Joe '' ( pt, O Estranho Mundo de Zé do Caixão) is a 1968 Brazilian anthology horror film directed by José Mojica Marins, who also plays his alter ego Zé do Caixão (in English, Coffin Joe). The film is a co ...
'' (1968), a short story titled Tara, revolves around a lead character who breaks into the mausoleum containing the coffin of a beautiful woman, who he saw passing daily. He removes her burial wedding dress, has sex with the body and performs foot fetishism.
* The
B movie ''
Sweet Kill
''Sweet Kill'' (also known as ''A Kiss from Eddie'' and ''The Arousers'') is a 1973 B-movie written and directed by future Academy Award winner Curtis Hanson. The film was Hanson's directorial debut and was executive-produced by Roger Corman. It s ...
'' (1973) revolves around a lead character who becomes aroused only by dead bodies.
* The 1976 film ''
In the Realm of the Senses
''In the Realm of the Senses'' (french: link=no, L'Empire des sens, Japanese: , ''Ai no Korīda'', "Bullfight of Love") is a 1976 erotic art film written and directed by Nagisa Ōshima. It is a fictionalised and sexually explicit treatment of a ...
'' fictionalizes the case of
Sada Abe
was a Japanese geisha and prostitute who murdered her lover, , via strangulation on May 18, 1936, before cutting off his penis and testicles and carrying them around with her in her kimono. The story became a national sensation in Japan, acqu ...
. Sada, a former prostitute who now works as a maid in a hotel begins an intense affair with its owner, Kichizo Ishida, that consists of sexual experiments and various self-indulgences. Ishida leaves his wife to pursue his affair with Sada. Sada becomes increasingly possessive and jealous of him, and he more eager to please her. Their mutual obsession escalates to the point where Ishida finds she is most excited by
strangling him during lovemaking, and he is killed in this fashion. Sada then
severs his penis and writes, "Sada Kichi the two of us forever," in blood on his chest.
* The 1977
John Waters
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...
film ''
Desperate Living
''Desperate Living'' is a 1977 American comedy film directed, produced, and written by John Waters. The film stars Liz Renay, Mink Stole, Edith Massey, Susan Lowe, Mary Vivian Pearce, and Jean Hill.
It is the third installment of what Water ...
'' contains a scene where Princess Coo-Coo (
Mary Vivian Pearce
Mary Vivian Pearce (born November 9, 1947) is an American actress. She has worked primarily in the films of John Waters.
Life and career
Pearce is a childhood best friend of Waters and has appeared as an actress in all of his films. Because o ...
) is seen in bed with her recently deceased boyfriend.
* In 1980, artist
John Duncan John Duncan may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* John Duncan (painter) (1866–1945), Scottish painter
* John Duncan (artist) (born 1953), American artist and musician
* Big John Duncan (born 1958), Scottish punk musician
* John Duncan (harpist) ...
produced ''Blind Date'', a film in which he reportedly had sex with a human cadaver.
* The 1985 film
The Afterman
* The protagonist in
Dominique Deruddere
Dominique Deruddere (born 15 June 1957) is a Belgium, Belgian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer.
Career
Dominique Deruddere was an actor before he became a director.
Filmography
* ''Crazy Love (1987 film), Crazy Love'' (1987)
* ...
's 1987 film ''Crazy Love'', based on various writings by author and poet
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...
, has sex with a dead woman in the third and final act.
* The 1987 and 1991 controversial German underground films ''
Nekromantik
''Nekromantik'' (stylized as ''NEKRomantik'') is a 1988 West German horror exploitation film co-written and directed by Jörg Buttgereit. It is known to be frequently controversial, banned in a number of countries, and has become a cult film ov ...
'' and
its sequel (both directed by
Jörg Buttgereit) offer a graphic portrayal of
sexual
Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female.
Sex or SEX may also refer to:
Biology and behaviour
*Animal sexual behaviour
**Copulation (zoology)
**Human sexual activity
**Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse
** ...
necrophilia.
* In a scene in the film ''
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III'', the character Alfredo Sawyer is depicted as passionately kissing a severed and heavily decayed head as he disposes of body parts in a swamp.
* In the 1990 film ''
Singapore Sling'', a daughter is shown having sex with her late father who is now a mummified corpse.
* A 1991 ''
Taggart
''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 Septembe ...
'' episode, "Nest of Vipers", featured a plotline where a necrophiliac used venomous animals to commit murders.
* The 1994 film ''
Aftermath
Aftermath may refer to:
Companies
* Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing
* Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre
* Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company
* Aftermath Services, an America ...
'' directed by
Nacho Cerdà deals with necrophilia in a morgue.
* The 1996 Canadian film ''
Kissed
''Kissed'' is a 1996 Canadian romantic/erotic drama film directed and co-written by Lynne Stopkewich, based on Barbara Gowdy's short story "We So Seldom Look on Love". It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 1996. ...
'', starring
Molly Parker
Molly Parker (born 30 June 1972) is a Canadian actress, writer, and director. She has had roles in independent films as well as television. Her accolades include two Genie Awards, one Canadian Screen Award, one Independent Spirit Awards nomina ...
, centers around a young woman's increasingly romantic fascination with corpses.
* In the ''
Family Guy'' episode, "
Death is a Bitch", Death (represented by the Grim Reaper), continues to have intercourse with a woman after he kills her with his touch. In the later episode "
I Take Thee Quagmire
"I Take Thee Quagmire" is the 21st episode of season four of '' Family Guy'', originally broadcast March 12, 2006 on Fox. Peter wins free maid service for a week; he intentionally creates extra work for the maid, Joan. Quagmire meets her and inst ...
",
Glen Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to by just his surname, is a fictional character from the American adult animated series '' Family Guy''. He is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family and is best known for his hypersexuality and his catchphr ...
asks Death if he can have the corpse of his deceased ex-wife "for a few minutes", implying that, among other things, Quagmire could be a necrophile. This was proved in the episode "
And Then There Were Fewer
"And Then There Were Fewer" is the hour-long premiere of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''Family Guy''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 26, 2010. The episode follows the citizens of Quah ...
" when Quagmire leaves with Stephanie's dead body.
* The 2000 film ''
Quills'' depicts a dream where the Abbé in charge of the
Marquis de Sade's asylum fondles and fornicates with a dead laundress. In it, she comes back to life during sex, then returns to a corpse once he realizes his actions.
*
Takashi Miike
is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...
's 2001 film ''
Visitor Q
is a 2001 Japanese erotic black comedy- horror film directed by Takashi Miike. It was filmed as the sixth and final part of the Love Cinema series consisting of six straight-to-video releases by independent filmmakers via a brief but exclusi ...
'' contains a scene where a man rapes and accidentally kills a woman, and then decides to have sex with her before chopping her body into pieces. While having sex, the body goes into
rigor mortis
Rigor mortis (Latin: ''rigor'' "stiffness", and ''mortis'' "of death"), or postmortem rigidity, is the third stage of death. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemic ...
and his penis gets stuck.
* In the 2001 film
Mortel Transfert
''Mortel Transfert'' is a Franco-German thriller, directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix, adapted from the novel of the same name by Jean-Pierre Gattégno. The music was provided by the composer of ''Roselyne et les lions'', Reinhardt Wagner.Phil Powr ...
, a psychoanalyst thwarts an attempt by the ground keeper to engage sexual activity with the body of his recently deceased client he was attempting to dispose of.
* In the 2002 independent horror film ''
I'll Bury You Tomorrow'', the protagonist, a necrophiliac, pursues employment at a mortuary for access to cadavers.
* In the television series Sons of Anarchy, a club member Tig Trager admits to the club president that he engages in sexual activities with corpses
* In ''
Haute Tension
''High Tension'' (French: ''Haute Tension'', ; released in the United Kingdom as ''Switchblade Romance'') is a 2003 French slasher film directed by Alexandre Aja, co-written with Grégory Levasseur, and starring Cécile de France and Maïwenn, ...
'', the antagonist performs
fellatio
Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotu ...
on himself with a severed head.
* The 2004 film ''
Murder-Set-Pieces'' features the main character (Sven Garrett) performing fellatio on himself with what is later revealed to be a severed head.
* The Season 2 episode of ''
Puppets Who Kill
''Puppets Who Kill'' is a Canadian television comedy programme produced by PWK Productions and originally broadcast on The Comedy Network. It premiered in Canada in 2002, and in Australia on The Comedy Channel in 2004. It has also been broadcast ...
'', "Dan and the Necrophiliac", features a female necrophiliac who is caught having sex with her dead uncle at his funeral. Later in the episode the character of Dan Barlow (
Dan Redican
Dan Redican (born 1956 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian comedy writer and performer and puppeteer, best known for his work with the comedy troupe, '' The Frantics.'' As a founding member of the troupe he has worked since 1979 on numerous stage ...
), who is attracted to her, fakes his own death so that she will violate his corpse.
* In
Rob Zombie's ''
House of 1000 Corpses
''House of 1000 Corpses'' is a 2003 American black comedy horror film written, co-scored, and directed by Rob Zombie in his directorial debut, and the first film in the ''Firefly'' film series. It stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon, K ...
'' and ''
The Devil's Rejects
''The Devil's Rejects'' is a 2005 black comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie, and is the second film in the ''Firefly'' film series, serving as a sequel to his 2003 film ''House of 1000 Corpses''. The film is centere ...
'',
Otis B. Driftwood is a rapist and a necrophiliac. He is seen in one scene sleeping with a dead body of a woman he presumably killed, and when shown a picture of a dead cheerleader and told that "she isn't so fuckable now", Otis responds that she is.
* The film ''
Freddy vs. Jason
''Freddy vs. Jason'' is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a crossover between the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' and ''Friday the 13th'' series, being the eighth installment i ...
'' depicts a scene where
Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit ...
has sex with the body of a dead girl; also, in
Wildstorm
Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wild ...
's
''Nightmare on Elm Street'' comics, Freddy is implicated as having molested the dead bodies of children.
* The Season 3 episode of ''
Nip/Tuck
''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...
'' titled "Frankenlaura" features a necrophiliac mortician who preserves the body of his dead sister in order to make love to it.
* In the animated TV series ''
Drawn Together
''Drawn Together'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and premiered on Comedy Central on October 27, 2004. The series is a parody of '' The Surreal Life'' and follows the misadventures of the housemat ...
'',
Captain Hero
This is a list of characters appearing in the animated television series ''Drawn Together''.
Main characters
Princess Clara
;Voiced by Tara Strong
Princess Clara is a parody of Disney princesses (mostly Ariel from ''The Little Mermaid'' ...
has had multiple occasions where he's had an attraction to corpses, such as having a tantrum because he couldn't find a dead body he was told about.
* The ''
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...
'' episode "Cold Comfort" features a necrophiliac serial killer who kills women so he can have sex with the bodies, believing them to be his dead au pair Abbey. Also, in the episode "Sex, Birth, Death", Dr. Reid is sought out by Nathan Harris (
Anton Yelchin), a teenage boy who is having necrophiliac urges, much to his disturbance. Nathan is then psychoanalyzed, where he admits that the sight of the cadavers that his mother works with (she's a college professor) sexually arouse him.
* The character
Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell
Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell is a fictional character from the American television series '' Prison Break''. Played by Robert Knepper, he is part of the main group of characters in the series and is part of the Fox River Eight. After guest-starring ...
in ''
Prison Break'' "raped and killed children, and not always in that order".
* The film ''
Idlewild'' (2006) depicted a scene in which musician-mortician Percival, played by
Andre 3000, sings a romantic song to his dead girlfriend as he gazes longingly at her half-dressed corpse, which he embalms, applies makeup to and dresses up.
* In the 2009 film ''
Necromentia'', the character Hagen is accused of having engaged in necrophilia on multiple occasions with his dead lover.
* In Season 2 of the TV series ''
The Following
''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
The first season follows former FBI agent Ryan Hardy ( Kevin Bacon) ...
'', identical twin Luke Gray appears to have an interest in necrophilia.
* In the 2012 film ''
3AM'', segment ''A Funeral Home'', the story centers on junior mortician Tod, who develops an intimate relationship with Cherry's corpse.
* In the 2012 Japanese animated series ''
Psycho-Pass
''Psycho-Pass'' (stylized as ''PSYCHO-PASS'') is a Japanese cyberpunk psychological thriller anime television series produced by Production I.G. It was co-directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani and Katsuyuki Motohiro and written by Gen Urobuchi ...
'', one of the sub-antagonists Rikako Ouryou is involved in acts of necrophilia before performing ''
plastination'' on them.
* In the 2014 film ''
The Midnight After (Web-novel transition to film)'', a segment depicts a certain character occupied with necrophiliac activity on another previous passenger briefly.
* In the 2015 film
The Corpse of Anna Fritz, an
orderly
In healthcare, an orderly (also known as a ward assistant, nurse assistant or healthcare assistant) is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and nursing staff with various nursing and medical interventions. The highest ro ...
at a hospital and his friend have sex with Anna's corpse and begins raping it
* In the 2016 film ''
The Neon Demon
''The Neon Demon'' is a 2016 psychological horror film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, co-written by Mary Laws, Polly Stenham, and Refn, and starring Elle Fanning. The plot follows an aspiring model in Los Angeles whose beauty and youth gener ...
'', a female character has sex with the deceased body of another woman in a morgue, leading the media to call it 'lesbian necrophilia'.
[{{cite web , url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/17/jena-malone-on-neon-demon-and-the-necrophilia-that-stunned-cannes-i-was-almost-sobbing.html , title=Jena Malone on 'Neon Demon' and the Necrophilia That Stunned Cannes: 'I Was Almost Sobbing' , last1=Yamato , first1=Jen , date=17 June 2016 , website=]The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
, access-date=30 July 2016
* In the 2020 flim ''
Her Name Was Christa
''Her Name Was Christa'' is an American horror film written by, directed by, and starring James L. Edwards. The plot of the film follows a lonely middle aged man who falls in love with a prostitute and is faced with a horrific choice after their ...
'' the main character has sex with his dead girlfriend after she overdoses on drugs.
* In the ''
Solar Opposites
''Solar Opposites'' is an American science-fiction animated sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan for Hulu. Originally created for the Fox Broadcasting Company, the project was shelved before being bought by Hulu and given a two-se ...
'' episode "The Unstable Grey Hole", Korvo mentions that he often digs up human corpses from a cemetery and has sex with them.
Necrophilia in music
* In the musicvideo for the song
Velvet (Savoy song)
"Velvet" is a song by Savoy, a band fronted by A-ha's guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, from their debut studio album, ''Mary Is Coming'' (1996). Savoy's version was released as a single in the United States, but received minimal airplay.
A-ha ver ...
, Norwegian band
A-ha portrays the band as murder victims, opening with
Morten Harket
Morten Harket () (born September 14, 1959) is a Norwegian vocalist and songwriter, who is the lead singer of the synthpop/rock band A-ha.
A-ha has released 10 studio albums to date, and topped the charts internationally after their breakthrough ...
as a dead man in a bathtub: a girl killed him by electrocution, dropping a plugged hairdryer in the tub. Throughout the video he is taken to the morgue, tagged, etc., all the while singing the lyrics.
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (born Pål Gamst, 6 September 1961) is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. Waaktaar-Savoy is best known for his work as the main songwriter and guitarist in the Norwegian pop band A-ha, which has sold more than 50 million al ...
plays his guitar while apparently dead from a gunshot to the head (shot by a girl who looks very similar to the girl who killed Morten), and
Magne Furuholmen
Magne Furuholmen (born 1 November 1962) is a Norwegian musician and visual artist. He was named Knight First Class of the Order of St. Olav by King Harald for his services to Norwegian music and his international success. Furuholmen, better know ...
's body is found in a freezer. All three continue singing and playing while being brought to the morgue, and within it. Some scenes in the morgue controversially suggest necrophilia. The director of this video was
Harald Zwart
Harald Zwart (born 1 July 1965) is a Dutch- Norwegian film director.
Life and career
Although born in the Netherlands, Zwart was raised in Fredrikstad, Norway. By age eight, he had started making short films. He attended the Dutch Film Academy ...
, who also directs Hollywood movies. Zwart, a fellow Norwegian, chose this song to be a part of his new film at the time,
One Night at McCool's. The so-called "licking version" of this video appears on the international DVD release of One Night at McCool's, as well as on the DVD enclosed with the deluxe edition of 25, where it is labeled as "European Cut". The "licking version" got its name because it features the older nurse seen near the end of the video licking Morten's lips instead of kissing him. A-ha was, by some criticized for playing with necrophilia in this musicvideo, even though that was not the bands intent and they felt it was more of a fun piece.
* In the videoclip "Meaningless" by
Pain of Salvation
Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive metal band led by Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the band's main songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and vocalist. Pain of Salvation's sound is characterised by riff-oriented guitar work, a broad vocal range, o ...
a girl has a sexual intercourse with
Daniel Gildenlow's corpse.
* English punk rock group, Charged G.B.H recorded a song titled "Necrophilia".
* Satirical songwriter
Tom Lehrer
Thomas Andrew Lehrer (; born April 9, 1928) is an American former musician, singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician, having lectured on mathematics and musical theater. He is best known for the pithy and humorous songs that he recorded in ...
, whose 1950s recordings mentioned many topics not normally openly discussed in those days, referenced a friend of his who "wrote a heartwarming story about a young necrophiliac who finally achieved his lifelong ambition by becoming Coroner!" Lehrer gave the audience a few seconds to murmur in bewilderment, and then said, "The rest of you can look it up when you get home!"
*
Jimmy Cross
Jimmy Cross (November 17, 1938 – October 8, 1978), also known as Jimmie Cross, was an American radio producer and singer who attained a minor ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit with the novelty song "I Want My Baby Back" in 1965.
Life and career
H ...
's song "I Want My Baby Back" is a parody of the morbid teenage tragedy song genre that was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
* The
Geto Boys' song "Mind of a Lunatic" (from the 1989 album ''
Grip It! On That Other Level
''Grip It! On That Other Level'' is the second studio album by the Houston, Texas based hip-hop group, the Ghetto Boys (later spelled Geto Boys), released on March 12, 1989, on Rap-A-Lot Records. Following the disappointing results of the group' ...
'' and the 1990 ''
Def American
American Recordings (formerly Def American Recordings) is an American record label headed by producer Rick Rubin. The label has featured artists such as Slayer, the Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Danzig, Trouble, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, The Mother H ...
'' release) has a lyric where
Bushwick Bill
Richard William Stephen Shaw (December 8, 1966 – June 9, 2019), better known by his stage name Bushwick Bill, was a Jamaican-American rapper. He was a member of the Texas hip hop group Geto Boys, a group he originally joined as a breakdancer ...
as a serial rapist kills a woman and has sex with a corpse; the remake of the song "Skitso" (1992) on his album ''Little Big Man'' has this reference.
* Notorious transgressive punk rocker
GG Allin
Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin; August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993) was an American punk rock musician who performed and recorded with many groups during his career. Allin was best known for his controversial live performances ...
performed two songs dealing with necrophilia. The first, entitled "Fuck the Dead", appears on (among others) the album ''
Dirty Love Songs''. The second, entitled "Anal Cunt" and appearing on the album ''
Brutality and Bloodshed for All'', is specifically about
anal sex with a corpse and contains such lyrics as "You're my beast, your soul has gone away/But your dead anal cunt will be my fuck of fucks today."
* One of the main themes in The
Doug Anthony All Stars
The Doug Anthony All Stars (or Doug Anthony Allstars, DAAS, D.A.A.S. or stylised as D⋆A†A☭S) were an Australian musical comedy, alternative rock and vocal group who initially performed together between 1984 and 1994. The group were an aco ...
CD/video release
Dead & Alive is necrophilia. "Necrophilia comes from the Latin 'necros' meaning 'dead' and 'philia,' the verb, 'to fill.' And I notice when I say that word 'necrophilia,' a lot of the younger people up the front visibly stiffen. The older mob up the back begin to look a bit scared. And quite rightly so."
*
of Montreal's song "Chrissy Kiss The Corpse" features a titular woman whose "vile hobby" is "fondling the dead".
* The song "Corpse in my Bed" by
Creature Feature
A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall under ...
concerns a protagonist whom keeps the corpse of a woman within his home after unearthing her. The singer "could never think of leaving her side, even though it's been years since she died."
*
Progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...
outfit
Savatage
Savatage () was an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album '' Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...
wrote a song titled "Necrophilia" which was released on the album ''
Power of the Night
''Power of the Night'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage and was released in 1985. This record was produced by Max Norman, who later went on to produce Megadeth's 1992 hit album '' Countdown to Extinction''. ...
''.
*
A Midnite Choir's "Amelia" is a love song by an admirer of the titular person, who is a necrophile
* In the 1970s,
shock rocker
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
recorded four songs about necrophilia: "I Love the Dead", "Blue Turk," "Refrigerator Heaven", and "Cold Ethyl".
*
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...
wrote a song called "
Heirate mich" (Marry me) in which a man digs up his dead girlfriend and "takes what's still there".
*
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered b ...
band
Murderdolls
Murderdolls was an American rock band founded during 2002 in Hollywood, California. The band line-up consisted of the late Joey Jordison, Wednesday 13 , Acey Slade, Eric Griffin, Tripp Eisen and the late Ben Graves.
The band released two al ...
, led by
Wednesday 13
Joseph Michael Poole (born August 12, 1976), better known by his stage name Wednesday 13, is an American singer and musician. Apart from his solo career, he was the frontman of the horror punk/ heavy metal band Murderdolls and has also played i ...
, has created a life style out of singing about necrophilia and sexual acts with the dead.
*
Punk rock band
T.S.O.L. had a minor hit with "Code Blue", a song that justifies necrophilia by claiming (among other things) that the singer can, "Do what I want and
hewon't complain."
* The song "Nekrofelia" by Danish psychobilly band
Nekromantix
The Nekromantix is a Danish-American psychobilly band founded in Copenhagen in 1989. Their lyrics are generally structured around monster and horror themes. A central icon of the band's image is founder and frontman Kim Nekroman's "coffinbass" ...
is about necrophilia
* American deathcore band
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...
's album ''
The Somatic Defilement'' includes a great deal of nercrophilic themes throughout
* In 1993, a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...
's hit song "
Mary Jane's Last Dance
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was recorded while Petty was recording his '' Wildflowers'' album and was produced by Rick Rubin, guitarist Mike Camp ...
" featured the singer simulating various romantic poses with a dead woman (
Kim Basinger
Kimila Ann Basinger ( ; born December 8, 1953) is an American actress and former fashion model. She has garnered acclaim for her work in film and television, for which she has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Glo ...
).
* In 2000, comedian
Stephen Lynch released a song called "A Month Dead" about a necrophile whose lover is beginning to smell on his album ''
A Little Bit Special.''
* British metal band
Cradle of Filth released a poster with vocalist
Dani Filth
Daniel Lloyd Davey (born 25 July 1973), known professionally as Dani Filth, is a British singer who is the vocalist, lyricist and founding member of the extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. He has a five-octave vocal range.
Personal life
Danie ...
standing in a cemetery, with the words "Dead Girls Don't Say 'No'"
* British
grindcore band
Raging Speedhorn
Raging Speedhorn are a British Heavy metal music, heavy metal band, founded in Corby, Northamptonshire.
Career
Raging Speedhorn were formed in 1998 from the merging of the bands Soulcellar and Box. The band quickly established itself as a ...
wrote a song called "Necrophiliac Glue-Sniffer".
*
Thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band
Slayer have many songs concerning necrophilia. They released "Necrophiliac" on ''
Hell Awaits
''Hell Awaits'' is the second studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released in March 1985 by Metal Blade Records. The band's 1983 debut ''Show No Mercy'' became Metal Blade Records' highest-selling release, and as a result, producer ...
'', "
Dead Skin Mask
''Seasons in the Abyss'' is the fifth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on October 9, 1990, through Def American Records. Recording sessions began in March 1990 at Hit City West and Hollywood Sound, and ended in June 1 ...
" (about
Ed Gein
Edward Theodore Gein (; August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984), also known as the Butcher of Plainfield or the Plainfield Ghoul, was an American murderer and body snatcher. Gein's crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, ga ...
) on ''
Seasons in the Abyss
''Seasons in the Abyss'' is the fifth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on October 9, 1990, through Def American Records. Recording sessions began in March 1990 at Hit City West and Hollywood Sound, and ended in June 1 ...
'' and yet another track on ''
Divine Intervention
Divine intervention is an event that occurs when a deity (i.e. God or a god) becomes actively involved in changing some situation in human affairs. In contrast to other kinds of divine action, the expression "divine ''intervention''" implies that ...
'' about
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (; May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994), also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender who killed and dismemberment, dismembered seventeen men and boys ...
called "213".
*
Brotha Lynch Hung
Kevin Danell Mann (born January 10, 1970), better known by his stage name Brotha Lynch Hung, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Sacramento, California who has been described as "the creator of horrorcore rap." He is al ...
, a
hardcore rap
Hardcore hip hop (also hardcore rap) is a genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is generally char ...
per from
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
is one of the most gruesome and explicitally violent lyricists with songs graphically chronicling a life filled by drug use and sale, promiscuity, ultra-violence,
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
,
infanticide, necrophilia, and
cannibalism.
*
Horrorcore
Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, or death rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip h ...
rap group
Wolfpac
Wolfpac (stylized as WOLFPAC) is an American rap rock group formed in 1997 by former Bloodhound Gang member and co-founder Daddy Long Legs. The group's musical style fuses hip hop beats and metal samples. Its lyrical style draws from horrorco ...
released a song called "Death Becomes Her", about having sex with a dead girl and eventually having to hide the body from the police.
*
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...
band
Mayhem released a song "Necrolust" on their 1987
''Deathcrush'' EP.
* Swedish
Death metal band
Tribulation
In Christian eschatology, the Great Tribulation ( grc, θλῖψις μεγάλη, thlîpsis megálē) is a period mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse as a sign that would occur in the Eschatology, time of the end.
At Book of Revelation, ...
released a song "Crypt of Thanatophilia" on their 2009 debut 'The Horror'.
*
Killing Miranda released a song "Burn Sinister". Choice lyrics snippets: "away from prying eyes", "my cold dead flesh", "romance this rotting meat", "the smell of formaldehyde and perfume"....
*
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...
wrote a song on his album ''
Almost Human'' called "Dead Girls", about a man being convicted for fornicating with the deceased in a
morgue
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...
. Another song, on the album ''
Ooky Spooky'', is titled "Zombie Prostitute".
*
Cannibal Corpse has many songs about necrophilia and corpse defiling, such as "I Cum Blood", "Necropedophile", "Dismembered and Molested" and "Gallery of Suicide". Ironically they also have songs about the dead coming back to life and raping the living, like "Necrosadistic Warning" and "Post Mortem Ejaculation" and even songs about
zombie
A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in w ...
s having sex, like "Unite the Dead." Vocalist
George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher
George Fisher (born July 8, 1970), better known by his stage name Corpsegrinder, is an American death metal vocalist who is the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse, Paths of Possession and the supergroup Serpentine Dominion. He recorded two al ...
says that "the songs are all in good faith, and are not meant to offend real necrophiles, despite offending everyone else."
*
Cradle of Filth's song "Lord Abortion" is thought to be about necrophilia, based on lyrics and a female voice at the introduction that says "Care for a little necrophilia, hm?". This line was borrowed from a line spoken by
Kim Greist
Kimberley Bret Greist (born May 12, 1958) is a retired American actress and model, best known for her roles in films throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Biography
Greist was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the daughter of Norma M. (née Abtey) and E ...
in the film ''
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
''.
*
Noise musician
Atrax Morgue
Marco Corbelli (3 April 1970 – 6 May 2007), better known professionally as Atrax Morgue, was an Italian noise musician. Many of Atrax Morgue's early material was released on cassette, as part of the industrial/noise 'cassette underground' of t ...
's work revolves heavily around necrophilia; track titles include "Necrosadism", "Esthetik of a Corpse", "Cold Pleasure", "Necrophile Lust", and the "Necrophiliac Experience" series.
* The song "A Little Piece of Heaven" on
the self-titled album
''The Self-Titled Album'' is an album by Appleton, Wisconsin-based rock group Tenement. It was co-released in July 2016 by Forward Records and Deranged Records, following the release of a cassette version that the band wrote and recorded in the s ...
by
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance ...
describes his necrophilic act. "Cause I really always knew that my little crime would be cold/that's why I got a heater for your thighs" "She was never this good in bed even when she was sleeping/now she's just so perfect I've never been so fucking deep in." In the song, it is about a man who kills his girlfriend when she laughs at him, when he proposes. She comes back to life and kills him, then they both come back from the grave, get married and go on a murder spree. In the video, this is all shown as a cartoon and the man has sex with the corpse of his girlfriend after he kills her.
* The song "Last Kiss Goodbye" by
Lordi
Lordi () is a Finnish hard rock/ heavy metal band, formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume maker, Mr Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster ma ...
talks about hiding a girl's body, and being in love with her.
* Norwegian Black Metal band
Ancient
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...
's song "Willothewisp" is about a man's love story with his dead lover, which is depicted in the video clip.
*
The Black Dahlia Murder released the song "A Vulgar Picture". It tells the story of a man going into a grave to dig up his dead wife. They also released a song titled "Deatmask Divine" featuring the lyrics "I could never let you go my darling cold and blue / I wonder are you dreaming still spread eagle blood removed / I weave the sucking trocar beneath your bruising skin / tonight I'll lay beside you darling in necromantic sin"
* The
Rob Zombie song "Demonoid Phenomenon" features samples from the 1971 film ''
Daughters of Darkness
''Daughters of Darkness'' is a 1971 erotic horror film directed by Harry Kümel and starring Delphine Seyrig, Danielle Ouimet, John Karlen and Andrea Rau.
Plot
Stefan Chilton, the son of an aristocratic British family who was raised in the Uni ...
'' (Les Lèvres Rouges), one of which is "You actually enjoyed seeing that dead girl's body".
*
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership for ...
released a song in 2009 called "Halo of Nembutals" containing the lyrics "They send in the necrophiliacs".
* The song ''Cemetery'' by the Canadian rock band
Headstones
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's nam ...
is about a girlfriend "from the wrong side of town", featuring the lyrics "Went down to the cemetery looking for love / Got there and my baby was buried - I had to dig her up".
* Rapper
DMX referred to being a necrophiliac in the song "Bring Your Whole Crew" on his 1998 album ''
Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
''Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood'' is the second album by Americans, American rapper DMX. The album was released on December 22, 1998, by Def Jam Recordings, Def Jam Recordings Music Group Inc. and Ruff Ryders, a little more than seven m ...
'' when he rapped "...got blood on my dick 'cause I fucked a corpse".
* The
aggrotech artist
Suicide Commando released a song called "Necrophilia" on his debut album
Critical Stage released in 1994.
* The
horrorcore
Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, or death rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip h ...
rapper
King Gordy
Waverly Walter Alford III (born August 18, 1977), known professionally by his stage name King Gordy, is an American horrorcore singer/rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is one-fourth of underground hip hop group the Fat Killahz (with Fatt Fathe ...
talks about raping and licking a young girl who has been dead for weeks on the song "Mr 187" in 2009.
* Shock rock band The Murder Groupies occasionally performed a song live titled N.D.Q (Necrophiliac Drag Queens)
* OFWGKTA member and rapper
Tyler, The Creator
Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future.
Okonma self-released his debut mixtape ' ...
talks about having sex with the corpse of a girl who wouldn't go to prom with him in the song "Sarah" from his first album ''Bastard''. He also raps about having sex with the corpse of a girl who rejected him in a forest in the song "She" with Frank Ocean from his second album ''Goblin''.
*
Half Man Half Biscuit's song "Excavating Rita" from their album
90 Bisodol (Crimond)
''90 Bisodol (Crimond)'' is the twelfth studio album by UK rock band Half Man Half Biscuit. It was released on 26 September 2011 by Probe Plus.
The inner sleeve includes a modified version of the painting ''Christ's Entry into Jerusalem'' by ...
concerns a bereaved Betterware salesman who engages in necrophilia and is sectioned as a result.
* In Canadian comedian
Jon Lajoie
Jonathan Lajoie ( ; born August 21, 1980) is a Canadian comedian, actor, rapper, singer, songwriter, director, record producer, musician and Internet celebrity from Montreal, Quebec. He gained fame mostly from his eponymous YouTube channel, pos ...
's "WTF Collective 3", one of the MC's name is "MC Necrophiliac".
* Gothic metalcore band
Motionless in White
Motionless in White is an American metalcore band from Scranton, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2004, the band consists of lead vocalist Chris "Motionless" Cerulli, guitarists Ryan Sitkowski and Ricky "Horror" Olson, drummer Vinny Mauro and bassist Ju ...
released a song named "Whatever You Do...Don't Push the Red Button" on their 2009 EP, ''
When Love Met Destruction''. The song tells a story of a man who unburies his deceased lover and has sex with her body and is most notorious for its ending breakdown where Chris Cerulli screams "I bet that I fucked more dead girls than you."
* Rapper
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
includes the lyric "Have you ever had sex with a pharaoh? Uh, put the pussy in a sarcophagus" on his song "
Monster".
* Drag Queen
Sharon Needles
Sharon Needles (born November 28, 1981) is the stage name of Aaron R. Coady, an American drag performer and recording artist. A self-described "stupid genius, reviled sweetheart, and PBR princess", Needles rose to international attention on the ...
recorded the song "Dead Girls Never Say No" for her debut album ''
PG-13
The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures ...
'', inspired by the relationship between Carl Tanzler and the corpse of Elena Milagro "Helen" de Hoyos.
* Horror folk band Harley Poe includes themes of necrophilia in their music, especially the song "Corpse Grindin' Man."
* Finnish singer-songwriter
Mirel Wagner
Mirel Wagner (born 3 December 1987), is a Finnish singer-songwriter. She was born in Ethiopia and raised in Espoo, Finland.
Career
Wagner has been writing songs since the age of 16. Her self-titled debut album was released in February 2011 by th ...
included the song "No Death" on her self-titled 2011 debut album. The song was released as a single in August, 2011. In the song the narrator describes the appearance of their deceased and rotting lover and the acts they perform on them before the corpse eventually disintegrates.
*Cee-Lo Green Necromancer off of the Gnarls Barkley album "
St. Elsewhere (album)."
References
Popular culture
Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
Sexuality in popular culture
Topics in popular culture