It’s spooky season, which means it’s the time of year when I get to go all out on my very favorite genre: horror porn. While horror porn may seem incredibly “niche,” horror happens to be one of the most popular genres of film in general, getting butts in seats all year round — sometimes no matter how bad the actual movie looks.

Why is horror so popular in regular media but not in porn? Well, it’s probably because it’s not very easy to mix the two together. That’s where I come in to help! I am a lifelong horror lover, an avid horror movie watcher and a published horror writer in my own right. Horror is one of my biggest passions in the world, and in the sex industry, marketing your passions is the closest thing there is to a sure-fire approach.

A common response I get to my horror content is: ‘Is this supposed to scare me, or turn me on?’ The answer, of course, is ‘Yes!’ However, a fine line must be walked.

Whether you’re like me and love horror, but don’t know how to integrate it into your content, or you’re just interested in doing it for Halloween or a random Saturday, I’m here to help.

What Is Horror Porn?

Let’s start with the basics: Horror porn is a genre of pornography that creates the very special “fear boner.” A common response I get to my horror content is: “Is this supposed to scare me, or turn me on?” The answer, of course, is “Yes!” However, a fine line must be walked. You don’t want your content to be so lacking in actual horror that it just comes off as cheesy, but you also don’t want it to be so terrifying that it fails in its main purpose: to turn the viewer on.

There are multiple ways to achieve this, but my personal favorite is the power of a mask. I have all kinds of spine-chilling masks, from “Silent Hill” monsters to haunted dolls to Leatherface-esque “skin” masks. The reason these work so well for horror porn is they provide something that is uncanny and terrifying, which you can wear while being totally naked. It’s the perfect balance: the viewer is scared by the fact that you’re a monster yet aroused by your body. This is what makes horror porn “horror” and not just simply Halloween/costume porn.

Turning Horror Ideas Into Porn Ideas

Okay, so how do you create a concept that is both sexy and scary? This is where I turn to classic horror movie concepts and flip them on their head to make them sexy. I usually start by ruminating on my favorite horror films and what makes them great. For example, one of my favorites is “The Blair Witch Project,” so I went out to the middle of the woods and shot “found footage” of the witch herself jerking off for the camera.

The witch is never actually shown in the original film, so I was able to get creative with a character concept and come up with a look for the witch, and I even made the stick figures from the movie and used them as props. It was the perfect blend of horror and hot: a terrifying found-footage video of a witch — and then oops, she’s jerking off for you and may or may not be after you at this very moment.

Of course, you don’t have to do takeoffs on specific movies. Maybe you just like a particular concept or horror subgenre. Last year, analog horror became huge and was all over YouTube. Analog horror is a genre characterized by dated aesthetics, often in the form of a fake VHS recording that tells a story through what look like old PSAs or home videos you might find at an estate sale. I made one about a virus that drives you to masturbate until you die — though fortunately I was cured in the video. Using the PSA format, I created something that was not only spooky, with tons of special effects and weird art, but also hot and jerk-off-worthy. Think about what you like best in horror and you’ll be able to turn it into a porn concept in no time.

Shooting the Perfect Horror Porn Without Blood

When making horror porn, you will also encounter a number of restrictions that wouldn’t apply if you were just shooting a regular horror movie. The biggest obstacle? Fake blood. Because of credit card companies’ restrictions, fake blood is generally not allowed in adult content. This can pose quite the obstacle when you’re shooting horror porn! How do you get around this? I have several creative suggestions.

Simply placing a red filter over the photo or video can get your point across without having to show actual “blood.” Another method is using the power of the jump cut: Just as something scary is happening, like a monster coming at the camera, cut away to the next scene. This conveys the idea that something horrible happened, without having to actually show anything graphic.

Even vampire porn — my personal favorite! — can be created without fake blood. Instead, use techniques such as drinking red wine out of a dark glass or shooting a “bite” scene in POV since the viewer can’t see their own neck. I’ve even done a scene where I was a “sex vampire” who drained her victims’ life force via sex rather than drinking blood. What seems like a limitation can actually be a huge opportunity to get creative and make something unique with never-before-done ideas.

Marketing Horror Porn to a Rabid Niche Fanbase

After everything is shot, edited and ready to go, you have one last hurdle: selling this niche interest. As I pointed out earlier, this is a very uncommon genre of porn. However, the horror genre itself is massive, and you can fully take advantage of that. I like to take plenty of photos during my shoots to help me draw the viewer in. Show them a picture that gives them that fear boner, make them realize something about it turns them on, and then direct them to the content.

Using keywords like “in the vein of ‘Paranormal Activity’” or “analog horror” is another great way to reach new viewers. Someone who isn’t necessarily looking for porn might search “Longlegs” and stumble upon your ad for “Longlegs”-style porn. Take advantage of the world’s love for horror and turn horror fans on to something they had no idea they wanted. I get so many comments in the vein of “I didn’t even know I was into this!” Similar interests plus curiosity equals sales.

Horror porn can be one of the most creative ways to express yourself as an adult creator — and it’s my personal favorite to purchase as a customer, so keep this handy guide in mind and let’s get that spooky porn going this Halloween season!

Espi Kvlt is a content creator who can be followed at apclips.com/espikvlt as well as @EspiKvlt on X.com and Instagram.