Tonight I’ll be accompanying Matisse to a special movie screening, “Pig Hunt”, hosted by the cool cats at The Rumpus.Net Now this is a horror film and from what I have read so far, it looks to be a shocker. The thing about horror films, as I explained to Matisse once over late night pizza, is that it is a lot like bottoming. See, we the viewer go into the film expecting a thrill ride, we sit down and say to the filmmakers, “Ok guys, I paid my nine bucks now hit me with your best shot”. The filmmakers know this, in fact they are counting on the fact that most of us knew half naked, drunk teenage girls should never go out into the woods alone long before we understood the appeal of a half naked, drunk teen age girl. So there exists this relationship. We in a way are consenting to get the crap scared out of us and the film makers know this and also know that we are a tough, experienced bottom that is not going to go down easy.

Some films miss the point, they start off with lots of promises but only deliver the same old re-hash. Much like that top who talks the big talk on their online profile only to discover later that they lack the skills to really deliver a memorable scene. Then, then you have the 0-100mph films, the ones that start from frame one and don’t let up. Riveting you to the edge of your seat for 90, ass clinching minutes. These are great films, but sometimes only one viewing is all you can take. All adrenaline with no pause, no chance for breath can be fun once. Repeated viewings seem to loose appeal and impact. How many of us have played with a one speed, fast only, top? Exhausting, fun, and not something you can do often. Or worse you become bored, desensitized to all the action, overdosed on pain and stimulation.

Then, then there are what I think are the truly great horror films. The ones that blend humor and horror. Those films that dance the razor’s edge, scaring the crap out of you one second and then making you laugh the next. These, are truly brilliant films, the kind that cross over from the horror genre and become wildly popular with the mainstream. Timeless. Why? Simple, it flows. That rhythm from the adrenaline rush of fear to the release of laughter allows us to catch our breath, re-center and in the end, want more fearsome scares. This, this is what I think a good top must think like. One cannot just hammer away with a flogger till the bottom cries uncle, no but if you flow from pain to tenderness, then you will get a bigger bang for your buck. If after a particularly intense moment, draw them near and stroke their skin… giving them a moment of release and connection, then shift gears back into your sadism... then you have a flow. A rhythm that, if you pay close attention to your bottom, will allow you to play longer, harder and make them want to come back again for more.

We shall see what kind of tops out film makers are tonight, my guess is that they will try to dance that edge in hopes that we can laugh away the shock. However, like good lovers, many try to do this and where only a few truly succeed many more fail.