Eroticism, Pornography and... Zombies? (Part 1)

The word erotic has come to be known for the evocation of sexual love, lust, or desire. The use of erotic in this way (such as erotic literature) has caused it to become closely linked with the pornographic. However, in her essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” Audre Lorde sets up the pornographic and eroticism as opposites. The concept of a commonality between the two is due to the fact that our society is “taught to separate the erotic demand from most vital areas of our lives other than sex” according to Lorde (p. 54). So how can we easily separate the concepts of eroticism and pornography that are so closely connected in our minds? Easy, add Zombies.

Back in 1943 a movie was released under the name I Walked with a Zombie. The film provides some classic horror with zombies and Voodoo magic while boasting an impressive 7.3/10 on IMDB for a movie I had never heard of. While the film is tame compared to our modern taste in horror... and sex appeal, it can be used as an analogy for the dichotomy of the erotic and the pornographic as presented by Lorde.

Lorde speaks of the erotic as “an assertion of the lifeforce of women; of that creative energy empowered, the knowledge and history, our dancing, our loving, our work, our lives” (p. 55). Now, picture that creative life force manifesting itself as dancing at night. Add a few ritual drums and flames and you have the Voodoo practices seen in I walked with a Zombie. The concepts of Voodooism and eroticism are also similar in that they are misunderstood and therefore made taboo in the realm which they exist. So if practicing Voodoo is similar to excepting the erotic, what does the pornographic look like in the film? For the answer, be sure to catch Part 2! (da dum daaaaaa)

To Be Continued....