Fear play

Cartoon showing a frightened woman bound inside an iron maiden, waiting for the door to be shut. Illustration by Joe Shuster from Nights of Horror magazine.

Fear play is any sexual activity involving the use of fear to create sexual arousal. Unlike masochistic tendencies, fear play does not offer the subject pleasure or arousal through a rush of endorphins, but rather a terrified mental state which triggers a release of adrenaline.[1] Some have likened its role to that of horror movies, in providing a harmless outlet in which to feel frightened.[2]

  1. ^ Zdrok, Dr. Victoria. "The Anatomy of Pleasure", 2004. p. 177
  2. ^ Firestein, Beth A. "Becoming Visible", p. 361.