Valentine’s Day is a fraud. There. I said it.
Ok, it’s not a very controversial position. Really, only sorority girls and Hallmark employees like Valentine’s Day. But it is “The Day of Romance” and all, so I decided that I would celebrate that romance.
Here are the five best movies that involve necrophilia.
RE-ANIMATOR (1984)
Directed by Stuart Gordon
Written by Stuart Gordon/William J Norris/Dennis Paoli
Based on a short story by HP Lovecraft
From disgustingly horrific to disgustingly hilarious, Stuart Gordon’s rather loose interpretation of Lovecraft’s Herbert West – Re-Animator is the prime example of that venerable sub-genre, splatter. (Other highly recommended examples are Evil Dead 2 and Street Trash.)
Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs, the poor-man’s Bruce Campbell) is a rather strange, but brilliant med-student at Miskatonic University. He moves in with fellow med-student Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott), who just wants to go to school and have sex with his girlfriend (Barbara Crampton). Unfortunately, West is trying to bring people back to life using his bright, neon green reagent.
Things, of course, go horribly awry. Bodies pile up as body parts flail around on their own. And then there’s Dr. Carl Hill (David Gale), the villain and lead reanimated corpse. He also wants to have sex with Dan’s girlfriend…and he does.
That scene alone would make this movie worth seeing. Luckily, it’s filled with tons of nearly as memorable scenes and two of the greatest characters in 80s horror: West and Hill. For this movie alone, Gordon and Combs will always be heroes to me.
NEKROMANTIK (1987)
Directed by Jorg Buttgereit
Written by Jorg Buttgereit/Franz Rodenkirchen
We’ll start off with the grandaddy of them all. Ok…maybe not. There are older ones on this list. But it’s THE necrophilia movie. It’s about a young man who works at a company that disposes of bodies. He also happens to be a necrophiliac. Eventually, he gets his girlfriend involved in his obsession…and she becomes even more obsessed. The ending is tragic, disgusting and pretty unforgettable.
This is not a movie that you ever would have seen in a mainstream theatre…anywhere. It’s been banned in numerous countries and, while I don’t agree with banning films, I can understand in this case. It’s a seriously disturbed film that’s not for…well…hardly anyone. Much like Cannibal Holocaust, I’ve seen it once and I think I’m probably good with that.
That being said, it is an experience. It’s not like any other movie you’ll ever see. And the corpses are really something special. These aren’t corpses like you would typically think of for this sort of film. No, these are fully and disgustingly decomposing. If you happen to be in for a movie that you will think about for years afterwards (and you have a VERY strong stomach), check it out. If not, avoid at all costs.
In 1991, Buttgereit made a sequel. I haven’t seen it. I’m on the fence.
VISITOR Q (2001)
Directed by Takashi Miike
Written by Itaru Era
This was the first Miike film I ever saw and it started a short obsession with his approximately 49,823 films. (Seriously, for a while, the guy was making about 10 films a year.) It’s also a nearly inexplicable film. The plot barely seems to hang together, moving from one family member to another having surreal adventures for nearly 90 minutes. The Visitor of the title is that particular kind of a visitor who seduces every member of the family and then quietly withdraws again, leaving everyone changed forever. Or at least leaves them in a pool of lactation.
Oh yeah, and there’s necrophilia towards the end. And rigor mortis plays a role.
(Shudder.)
Visitor Q is a strange, strange movie, but it’s weirdly entertaining. No, I wouldn’t suggest it to everyone. I would, however, suggest it to my strange, strange friends or anyone who has liked any Miike film made before 13 Assassins. (That’s a great film, but it’s a much more mature film. One that I actually WOULD suggest to most people.)
HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971)
Directed by Hal Ashby
Written by Colin Higgins
I may actually get in trouble for calling this a movie that involves necrophilia. Not only has it become more than just a cult classic, but it’s often mentioned in conversations about the most romantic films ever made.
Harold (Bud Cort looking much younger than his 22 years) is a young man obsessed with death. Maude (Ruth Gordon) is an old woman obsessed with life. When they meet at a funeral for someone neither of them know, they become fast friends and she teaches him what life can really be.
That sounds like a terrible Hallmark Channel movie, but it’s one of the few “inspirational” films that actually is inspirational. That’s because Higgins and Ashby know that you don’t need to be cloying and stupid to show the love of life. You need to be interesting, funny, moving and, actually, kinda dark. The film starts with Harold faking his own suicide…and he does it many times throughout the film. (Mostly for the benefit of his mother. “Oh no. I wouldn’t say for her ‘benefit’.”) Ruth is a bit of a mystery. The only darkness that we can see in her is her concentration camp tattoo that is never spoken of, only accidentally seen.
Harold And Maude is a great film and just about the only movie on this list that I could seriously tell anyone to watch without thinking about it first. Even the next one I would pause a moment before telling a kid to watch. The only thing about it that some think hasn’t dated so well is Cat Stevens’ soundtrack. Even that, though, has its fans.
And, no. Harold does not have sex with a corpse. But it is an obsession with death that draws him towards this elderly woman, so it counts.
I would also suggest any of Ashby’s 70s films. All of them are amazing in their own way. By the 80s, he was becoming addicted to too many drugs and, eventually, died of pancreatic cancer in 1988. Not many know his name, but you should.
VERTIGO (1958)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Alec Coppel/Samuel A Taylor
The oldest film on the list is also the best film on the list. It’s arguably the best of Hitch’s many masterpieces and it also may be his darkest film.
Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart in his most twisted role) is a genial San Francisco cop who developed the titular condition after nearly falling from a roof while he was chasing a suspect. When he’s hired to follow Madeleine (Kim Novak) by her husband, his life changes forever. He slowly starts to fall in love with the mysterious young woman.
Eventually, Madeleine dies, which sends Scottie into a downward spiral. That’s when he meets Judy (also Novak)…and starts to try to turn her into Madeleine.
Jimmy was never better or scarier when he forced Judy to dye her hair and wear Madeleine’s dress. “It’s just a dress. What does it matter, Judy?” It’s a truly chilling scene and something that no film fan should miss. It’s also probably the most realistic film about necrophilia ever made. Because, while sex with corpses does happen, it happens pretty rarely. It’s much more likely that someone will be obsessed with a person who has died and try to turn their present lover into that person.
