Necrophilia in Movies Article by: Greg Roberts Support KR and share this article with your friends! Share Discuss this article! Ain’t nothin’ like a good stiff one! In film, there is no such thing as an ‘untouchable’ topic. At least not anymore. Topics such as snuff films (8mm), male prostitution (Midnight Cowboy), rape (The Accused), child killers (The Lovely Bones) and pedophiles (Little Children) can not only touch on subjects once considered taboo, but they can also be incredible successful. New boundary pushing projects such as The Human Centipede, A Serbian Film and Grotesque have even further broken down barriers that were considered un-filmable only a few years ago. In this new climate of ‘moviedom shock and awe’, one topic has yet to puncture its way into more mainstream films – the act of necrophilia. Necrophilia is described by Webster’s On-Line Dictionary as, “sexual attraction for or sexual intercourse with dead bodies”. It is not a topic that you see routinely joked about on situational comedies on television nor are movies regarding the subject easily marketed and accepted by bountiful box office tallies. That is not to say that there haven’t been attempts. The subject may be taboo, but what better way for an aspiring filmmaker or television director to draw some attention by making us feel awkward about a topic that sends shivers down our collective spines. Killer Reviews spent some time researching necrophilia (we have the best jobs – EVER!) on television and in movies and, believe it or not, we have come up with our list of the Best of Necrophilia in Television and Film. Don’t judge us, as our list starts here: Dead Girl (2008) Two outcast teenage boys find a naked, chained up girl in an abandoned mental institution and begin to use the body as their own little sexual prisoner. But the girl is not ‘exactly’ dead – in fact, she can’t be killed – and by film’s end she gets revenge on those that have abused her. Dead Girl was an above average Canadian film from the producers of Hellraiser and Heathers and the film falls right in-between the two in terms of moments of intense horror and black comedy that fuel the twisted plot. Visitor Q (2001) Was there any doubt that an article about anything taboo on film would not have a title from director Takashi Miike? In Visitor Q, the central character kills a woman only to continue to rape her before deciding to chop up her body. The result, is one of the most guilty laughs I have had with any scene before or since as the body goes into rigor mortis and the man’s penis gets stuck inside the corpse and he requires help from his wife to get released. Visitor Q is filled with scenes that are hard to watch. The wife milking herself in the kitchen to comedic effect, various bullying scenes etc. But Visitor Q is also one of the better Miike films and is definitely worth a look see. Clerks (1994) In Kevin Smith’s first directorial effort, central character Dante Hicks’ girlfriend Catlin Bree accidentally has sex with a corpse that she believes to be Dante. In no way graphic (it occurs in a convenience store bathroom), the scene was played for laughs and showed Smith’s ability to take his comedy to dark places – places that would include a donkey in Clerks 2. Nekromantik (1987) The black and white German film Nekromantik stretched the idea of a person having sex with a corpse into a full length film. In the film, an individual who works on cleaning up after bad car accidents fuels his own sexual desires with body parts and eventually an entire corpse that erotically stimulates him. Nekromantik gets pretty graphic, even if it is in black and white. The ending scene of the main character ejaculating on his bed is presented in slow motion, and much like Miike’s Visitor Q, we giggled to ourselves during the closing moments while fighting off feelings of repulsiveness. The film was followed (somehow) by a sequel a few years later. Family Guy episode “Death is a Bitch” (2000) The Grim Reaper appears in this Family Guy episode which appeared on the Fox Network in March of 2000. In the episode, Death (voiced by Norm MacDonald) comes to visit Peter Griffin with hilarity ensuing after her slips and sprains his ankle. House of 1000 Corpses (2003) The Devil’s Rejects (2005) A recurring character in both films, Otis B. Driftwood (Bill Moseley) is played as a necrophilia fanatic and can be seen having sex with a dead woman he has recently killed. In another scene, Otis is shown a picture of a dead girl and told “She’s not so fuckable now”, only to have Otis refute the claim. Rob Zombie does his best to make audiences squirm and his Otis character is one of the creepiest he has put to film. Moseley excels at the role which is either a testament to Bill or it’s a statement that will be used in court against him someday. Later, the Reaper touches a woman killing her instantly but continues to have sex with her. Hilarious! High Tension (2003) In this French horror film from Alexandre Aja, the killer in the film has a scene where he performs oral sex on himself with the head of a decapitated victim. Not much to add here. The scene happens early and grabs your attention. But it is likely not the scene that you will end up discussing by film’s end. Kissed (1996) Molly Parker plays the lead role in this Canadian film about a mortician who grows affectionate towards her work and it eventually blossoms into necrophilia. Subtle, yet provocative, Kissed takes a series dramatic look at necrophilia and grounds it in a troubling and challenging story. Parker is perfectly cast as the embalming ‘life’ of the one sided relationships and makes the whole idea of necrophilia seem almost romantic. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989) Who would have thought that there would ever be a list that would contain both a Rob Zombie film and a comedy starring Andrew McCarthy. Weekend at Bernie’s is one of those guilty pleasure type films where to friends attempt to keep appearances that their dead boss is actually alive. In one particularly moving scene, the bosses mistress shows up at the resort and has sex with Bernie unaware that he has ‘passed on’.