“KISSED” IS A UNIQUE LOVE STORY BETWEEN CADAVERS AND SPIRITUALITY

Lynne Stopkewich’s 1996 directorial debut KISSED starring Molly Parker is a movie that has long been part of my VHS collection but whenever mentioned, very seldom is its recognition reciprocated among my film peers. I’m unsure if it’s due to being a low budget indie Canadian production or perhaps because the subject matter of necrophilia isn’t depicted as a horror movie. When it comes to films that delve into necrophilia, they tend to fall into the horror genre such as Jörg Buttgereit’s Nekromantik duology and Marcel Sarmiento’s Deadgirl. Any genre can push the boundaries of normative standards and while I am entertained by morbid horror movies like A Serbian Film that shock and disgust, I admire KISSED for portraying death through a romantic and graceful lens. I find this particular dichotomy between horror and drama intriguing as the former genre portrays necrophilia as a depraved act rooted in violence and the latter seen in KISSED, as innocuous and sacred. Stopkewich’s use of lighting illustrates virtue as it casts a soft white light on facial close-ups and emotional scenes, symbolizing purity and innocence. KISSED is about a girl that’s fascinated with death from a young age who later as an adult has sex with male cadavers. What sets the film apart is its tasteful delivery and beautiful approach to a topic that’s commonly painted in a repulsive light. It radiates tones of intimacy, female empowerment and spirituality, making it a unique and profound film.

“When you die, your life flashes and your body disintegrates, radiating energy. When life turns into death, it’s explosive. There are streaks of lights; magical and electrifying. Everyone senses something, some energy, some spirit, some sort of illumination but I see it. I've seen bodies shine like stars.”

In 1979, Karen Greenlee was arrested for stealing a hearse and was charged with interfering with a funeral. She spent 11 days in jail for her crimes. What she wasn’t incarcerated for was having sex with the corpse in the hearse and 20-40 other male bodies that she confessed to because at the time, necrophilia was not illegal in California. Greenlee has since given a detailed interview in Jim Norton’s book ‘Apocalypse Culture’ (1988) then later contributed a chapter in Dani Filth’s book ‘The Gospel of Filth’ (2010). Greenlee’s account inspired Canadian writer Barbara Gowdy for her short story ‘We So Seldom Look On Love’ (1992), which is about an assistant embalmer at a funeral home that has sex with young male corpses before they’re buried. The title is a line from Frank O’Hara’s poem ‘Ode on Necrophilia’ and Gowdy’s short story served as a major influence for Stopkewich’s script, as she couldn’t get the idea out of her head after reading it. Stopkewich didn’t do extensive research on necrophilia for her film and the same goes for me when I started writing this piece but, I’ve always been captivated by the topic of death and this film. My morbid curiosity has lead me to be more akin to the darker aspects of life. It’s one of the reasons why I’m a horror fan and have watched extensive hours of Unsolved Mysteries. So, it was only natural for me when I watched KISSED as a teenager that I connected with the main protagonist, Sandra Larson (Molly Parker), who is fascinated with death and in tune with her feelings and emotions. She’s intellectual at a young age and maintains her taciturn demeanour as an adult.

KISSED opens with a night scene of a dead person being carried away in a body bag. Sandra’s somber eyes following the gurney to the ambulance sets the morose tone of the film. We’re then taken to the past when Sandra was a young girl as she’s caressing a dead bird. Instead of mourning in sadness, Sandra is focused and absorbed with a purpose: to perform a burial ritual. She shrouds the body in tissue, places it in a box and takes it into the woods. She repeats incantations, disrobes and does a dance. She removes the tissue to smell the carcass once last time and rubs it against her skin. She calls this process: the anointment. One day, Sandra and her only friend Carol find a dead mouse and decide to bury it. After dark when Sandra’s alone, she returns to the gravesite to give the mouse its sacred burial. On another instance, Sandra and Carol find a dead chipmunk that was pregnant so they devote a special ceremony for them. Sandra has Carol join her in dance who follows suit when she begins removing articles of clothing. As Sandra ritualistically smells and rubs the dead animal against her skin, Carol sees blood and runs away. Sandra notices the blood is from her first period. Her menstruation marks the end of her friendship with Carol and the realization of how others see her but she carries on being who she is.

In high school, Sandra’s in biology class watching her teacher dissect a frog. She looks away in horror, calling it “dangerous and destructive”. She privately keeps taxidermy mice and describes their bodies as “perfection” as she smells and rubs them against her skin. Sandra reveres and is fond of animals after they’ve died and clearly disagrees with her teacher who claims after cutting into the frog that it doesn’t matter because they’re dead. After high school, Sandra is working for her family’s flower business and one day delivers flowers to a funeral home. She overhears the mortician Mr. Wallis (Jay Brazeau) on the phone say he needs help as the previous assistant Tony (Jeff Richards) died on the job so, Sandra offers her services as Tony's replacement. As Tony’s body lies in an open coffin, Sandra places her hand over his and is shocked by how cold it is. On her way to the church, she drives the hearse through a carwash then crawls to the back. When she opens the coffin’s lid, a bright white light radiates from inside. She caresses Tony’s body, kisses his lips, then we see a white flash. During the funeral, Sandra is pensive as she caresses her lips with her fingers. Later, she visits Tony’s grave and places a flower on his tombstone. 

“Crossing over was glorious and overwhelming. It was absolutely addictive.” 

Mr. Wallace begins training Sandra in embalming. As she’s watching him pack holes and staple lips together, before he goes to inject a trocar into a cadaver, Sandra's empathy for the body as if it would feel the poke causes her to yell “wait!” Mr. Wallace replies, “no, he’s dead”, much like her biology teacher dissecting the frog. She’s disturbed by people’s insensitivity towards dead animals and human cadavers and we see her sensitivity when she’s alone with the body. She sweetly whispers into the cadaver’s ear “it’s ok” while softly caressing his forehead then places her ear to his chest and tells him “don’t worry” like a mother soothing a sick child. She begins unbuttoning her cardigan then the screen fades to black. Sandra decides to further her career as a mortician and begins studying embalming in college. While reading in a coffee shop, Sandra is approached by Matt (Peter Outerbridge) who strikes a conversation about pathology. While the meeting was uncomfortable for her, she dwells on something he said that made her feel seen: “That’s really the only way to know a corpse. You see it all.” When Matt asks Sandra why she wants to be an embalmer, she’s forthcoming and discloses that she makes love to dead bodies. Instead of being repulsed, his interest is piqued and this leads to Sandra’s curiosity about having sex with a man who is alive. While Matt is sleeping after they’ve had sex, Sandra goes to caress his forehead the same way she does to cadavers but his sudden stir causes her to quickly withdraw her hand. Unsatisfied, she runs to the funeral home to have sex with a dead body. As she straddles the body, a bright white light shines from above onto a close-up of her face, angelic and pure.

As Matt and Sandra’s relationship progresses, so does his persistence to comprehend her motives in an attempt to rationalize them. She explains that she can feel different personalities with every dead body she has sex with as each have their own wisdom, innocence, happiness and grief. Her sexual encounters with cadavers is not about facts and figures but about crossing over, like an out-of-body experience. He becomes increasingly consumed by Sandra and his insatiable need to understand her turns obsessive. He’s in love with her but grapples with his inability to satisfy her the way dead bodies do, knowing the only way she’ll truly love him is if he’s dead. We as the audience have the privilege of hearing Sandra’s inner monologues as she describes her intentions and experiences. She can feel the lingering energies of people after they’ve died and helps their souls cross over. She’s empowered by her sexuality and morality and when she transfers her love and compassion to help their transition to the afterlife, it’s euphoric.

“Love is about craving, our craving of transformation and all transformation and movement happens because life turns into death.”

Stopkewich’s ability to successfully refine a taboo subject matter within a 1 hour and 18 minutes runtime has always impressed me. KISSED is a provocative yet beautiful story of a necrophile who is both lascivious and spiritual. Sandra is driven by her love for people's energies once their bodies have died and nurtures them as she helps their souls pass through after death. Her calling the process the anointment perhaps grants Sandra a divine authority, chosen to transcend and consecrate energies, allowing souls their sacraments on their eternal journeys. The film’s use of white lighting is associated with goodness and makes Sandra's actions feel more tender and less violating. The final scene plays the song “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” by Sarah McLachlan and in the lyrics she sings: “I won’t fear love”. I can sense the depth of these words in Sandra as she allows herself to receive and give love. Both Sandra and the film’s narrative push the audience out of their comfort zones without instilling fear. Aspects of the film are certainly disturbing and may offend some viewers but I never got the sense it aims to disgust. KISSED remains one of my favourite underrepresented films. The script is bold, unique and enthralling. Parker is wonderfully passionate as Sandra and Outerbridge delivers a compelling performance as Matt. If you’re like me and have a morbid curiosity for the darker side of life or if you’re in the mood for a different and interesting movie, give KISSED a watch. After countless views, I’m still engrossed every time I watch it.