Taboos, depictions of extreme sensations, themes of losing
control, hidden urges and desires unleashed, body parts exposed, gasps and
screams…
Am I writing about sex? Not exactly. I am writing about the
blend of fear and horror with sexuality and why we might like it – or at least
fantastical performances of it. One of the famous places that this dynamic was
played out for eager crowds was the Grand Guignal Theatre in Paris. Known for
its naturalistic horror plays, the theatre ran from 1897 to 1962. Similar to
our more current slasher films, the Grand Guignal blended sexual titillation
with terror, and like our drive-ins, it had private booths for audience members
who might be overcome with excitement.
So why do sex and fear get mixed together for entertainment
throughout human history? All the way back to Oedipus we have enjoyed horrific
tales of passion and punishment. Let’s be clear, real situations of human
cruelty or violence are not entertaining to most of us who have empathy (however
much the news media currently packages it as entertainment). But the
fantastical and extreme offers something to our psyches that we humans seem to
yearn for – a way to face and engage with the Shadow safely.
Sexual impulses and violent impulses have both been seen as
outside our rational mind and been repressed by society, left to be explored in
the dark without much guidance. And yet they both continue to feature
prominently in human history. Both involve the body and witnessing the body in
ways that are outside of the normal day to day experience. Sensations and
reactions to pain and pleasure can be surprisingly close, both can sweep us
away, take us over. Excitement and mild fear can feel very similar in the body
too and make us feel deeply alive.
We are drawn to the Shadow, the risky edges of human
existence. We have things to learn there and by engaging safely with the
extremes of human experience we can bit more aware. Maybe for audience members,
at Oedipus or the Grand Guignal, it was simply a matter of breaking one taboo,
so we may as well break another. But maybe we all get something more out of
visiting our edges. At least we keep doing it…Time to see what horror movie is
on tonight.