Necrophilia, also termed as thanatophilia, necrolagnia, necrocoitus, necrophilism, and necrochlesis, is the sexual attraction to the dead. It came from the Greek word “nekros” which means “corpse” and “philia” which means “love”. This condition is categorized as a paraphilia by the American Psychiatric Association and World Health Organization. The reasons for this deviant behavior may include the desire for a non-resistive partner, reunion with a loved one who passed away, being sexually aroused by corpses, feeling less isolated, and having a sense of power by taking a victim’s life.
Necrophilia has three types: regular, fantasy, and homicide.
Regular necrophilia includes sexual intercourse with corpses, necrophilic fantasy involves mere erotic imaginations concerning dead bodies, and necrophilic homicide involves having sex with individuals who were killed by the necrophiliac. For instance, Ted Bundy, an infamous American serial killer, had sex with some of his victims after murdering them.