The horror genre has been saturated with female nudity starting in the 1970s. Being a male dominated field, as well as audience, there has been little pushback. However, over the years the horror community has grown, and females have continued to join the ranks… yet male nudity seems to evade the screen.
Unfortunately, the supply of eye candy for the ladies has been far from satisfying. In a genre that exploits the female figure gratuitously, male nudity that gets screen time is usually very disappointing. Floppy cocks, bifurcated dongs, and amputated penises tend to be the majority of what makes the occasional cameo. Talk about double standards.
The acceptance of male genitalia among audience members and the critics appears to be situational. During the last year we have had three very different situations, all circulating around a horror character’s schlong. However, despite its rare appearance, acceptance is still a heavy debate among the viewers.
Count Orl-cock, 2024’s Nosferatu
Seeing Count Orlok in Nosferatu on Christmas day in all his naked state of decomposition was the gift we didn’t ask Santa for. Nor was it the Bill Skarsgard full frontal nudity scene many of us had been praying for.
In 2024’s Nosferatu, Skarsgard’s creature of the night had a very sexually charged connection to Ellen Hutter, portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp. Ellen was the target of Orlock’s desires. In fact, she uses his obsession with her to eventually defeat the monster as she lures him into her bed.
When he enters her bedroom, Ellen is dressed in a wedding gown. She disrobes, giving the impression they will consummate their union. The two then made their way to the bed.
However, despite it being arguably appropriate at this time in the movie, this is not the scene in which we are exposed to the vampire’s appendage. We see the prosthetic penis in the third act, when Count Orlok rises from his coffin to attack Thomas Hutter, portrayed by Nicholas Hoult.
Fans were left with the question; why were we exposed to Count Orlocks penis at all? The justification for Orlock’s on screen nudity is debatable. The vampire has always been a sensual creature who has married feeding with arousal and sex. However, this was not the context where we were exposed to Orlok’s penis. The only explanation we can assume is that the Count enjoys sleeping in the buff.
The Toxic Avenger, Uncut?
Currently many theaters have been opting out of screening 2023’s The Toxic Avenger Unrated, featuring Toxie’s full frontal nudity.
Despite the movie’s release still being a month away, pictures of the mutant janitor’s green and purple dong can easily be found online. No doubt, the fan created porno will be soon to follow.
The majority of the audience knows what they are walking into when attending a Toxic Avenger movie. The trailer alone prepares viewers for the absurdity, so it is difficult to support the theater’s prude decision to go with the alternative R rated version of Macon Blair’s re-imagining.
While the reason behind the hero whipping it out is indeed a bit cringe, it is not sexual in any nature. In fact, the off the wall context is quite appropriate for the black comedy. The Toxic Avenger world is known to be filled with grotesquely extreme situations, gore, and ultra violence. Given the series was originally directed by the twisted and sometimes vulgar Lloyd Kaufman, Winston Gooze exposing himself isn’t that bizzare.
Unfortunately, it is another example of an unflattering example of cock in a horror movie.
28 Inches Later, Well Endowed Zombies
28 Years Later directed by Danny Boyle featured an army of dongs! Yep, more floppy cocks bouncing around the screen.
In the recent installment of the zombie trilogy, Alpha zombies have been added to the storyline. These zombies are bigger, stronger, smarter, and apparently have bigger schlongs than your average zombie.
And yes, these images are out there if you have not yet seen the movie.
The lead Alpha zombie is Samson, portrayed by MMA fighter Chi Lewis-Parry. His presence, and dong, dominate the screen. This is the closest we are going to get to eye candy.
The swinging cock is a little shocking, both in its intimidating size and the fact it is on screen to begin with. However, the fact zombies have been wandering the land for 28 years explains their lack of clothing. Cloth deteriorates over time, zombies aren’t concerned with fashion, and they certainly aren’t modest. Do these reasons make the on screen male nudity more acceptable to viewers?
Once again, as in Nosferatu, a prosthetic penis was used in the filming of 28 Years Later. Despite being 6’8, Chi Lewis-Parry claimed the prosthetic was three times larger than his own. He reported the choice to go bigger was significant to his character.
Funny how women expose their natural bodies on screen, and men get to hide behind a sheath of latex.
However, in this situation it is called for. A co-actor on set was a 13 year old boy, and British Child Endangerment Laws require the use of false peens around children.
In Conclusion
The movie industry as a whole tends to shy away from male nudity, whether it’s “good” male nudity or “bad.” Whether it’s hard and erect cocks in sex scenes, or bifurcated dicks as someone is being tortured, few are displayed on the screen.
Not even in the Fifty Shades trilogy, a movie about BDSM and sex, is the “D” revealed. If that isn’t an opportune time to showcase male nudity, I don’t know what is.
The acceptance of male genitalia among audience members and the critics appears all situational. Let us know what you think about the big “P” being shown in the horror world.