Matt Shaw ‘Porn’ Review

Written by: Matthew J. Barbour

It is perhaps not news to anyone that the adult film industry has the potential to destroy lives. This concept is taken to the extreme in Matt Shaw’s Porn. It is, in many ways, the quintessential erotic horror novel. Combining graphic depictions of sex and violence, Shaw does not hold back in creating an engrossing and exploitative narrative which lives up to its title.

For those unfamiliar with the author, Shaw is a relative newcomer to the horror genre, beginning his publishing career in 2004. He has been incredibly prolific. In the decade since he began, Shaw has written more than 50 horror stories. His most widely praised works have been in his extreme horror collection. All of the novels within the collection are instantly identifiable by their unadorned black covers and graphic content. Porn is among these titles.

Porn follows the career of Vicky Blows, a struggling actress who gets caught up in the adult film industry. She finds the new profession is one she excels at. In no time at all, she is quite successful. It is this success which is her undoing, as Vicky is targeted for a snuff film. After enduring torture and watching the execution of her friend, she manages to escape before the final coup-de-grace. Now all that matters is revenge.

Porn is not for the faint of heart.  It contains some of the most explicit and disturbing sexual violence imaginable. Chainsaw, knife, hammer, garden clippers, butt plug, and sharpened dildo are among the tools utilized in the narrative. Acts are committed against both the innocent and guilty alike. No one is spared.

To say the book is something of a twisted allegory is an understatement. It is a book preaching against the evils of sexual violence through the use of sexual violence. An eye for an eye as it was, or in this case, a butt plug for a butt plug.

The book is creepy for all the right reasons. It is disgusting, but that is not the point. It is terrifying because the reader is forced to reflect on his own enjoyment of the book. The monsters that watch and participate in the brutal rape and torture of Vicky Blows find entertainment in it, just as the reader finds joy in the monsters own sexual punishments.

However, the analogy goes even further with writer Matt Shaw edging extremely close to his fictional director Harry. Both orchestrate the horrors portrayed in Porn. Perhaps, the condemnation of Harry is a way for Shaw to cope with his own guilt over having written something so vile? Then again, in light of the bittersweet ending, perhaps he has no regrets. For better or worse, no one is spared.

Porn is an example of erotic horror done well. Whether it should be considered a modern day classic is debatable. The story is, by its very title, smut. Yet, it is hard not to enjoy it. Porn is Matt Shaw at his finest. It is must read for fans of erotic and extreme horror.

Order it right here.

Rating: 4/5