History Main / EroticAsphyxiation

* A paramedic who was a HeroismAddict coerced teenagers to play "the choking game" on an episode of ''Series/CriminalMinds''.

"Intentionally cutting off oxygen to the brain for sexual arousal", to quote Wiki/TheOtherWiki. A general term for sex acts that involve either restricting one's own breathing for intensified sensations during masturbation or one party restraining the breathing of another. Needless to say, this particular paraphilia includes all the risks associated with asphyxiation, including fatalities. Thus it's generally considered to fail the "safe" part of SafeSaneAndConsensual, particularly when it involves constricting the throat as it is usually portrayed in fiction. Sometimes it will be a plot point that what at first appears to be a masturbation session gone wrong [[AlwaysMurder is actually a disguised murder]]. In the case that the death is just purely accidental, fully expect it to be portrayed as an UndignifiedDeath; a sort of post-mortem CaughtWithYourPantsDown.

-->''"A trader from Qarth told me the greatest pleasure comes from a silk cord around the neck, tied very, ''very'', tight. (victim clutches futilely at the cord) The reason so few people indulge in this...''exquisite'' pleasure...he told me it's the danger. A moment too long, and ecstasy becomes death. (goes limp) [[IronicEcho It is known]]."''

For clarification, ''auto''-erotic asphyxiation is [[ADateWithRosiePalms doing it yourself]], typically via some form of [[HangingAround hanging]], as opposed to getting someone else to do it to you. It should go without saying that this is a terrible, terrible, ''[[AccidentalSuicide terrible]]'' idea - to the extent that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation#Famous_cases many of the more famous deaths from it]] have happened that way. On the other hand, if you do get someone else to do it and [[AccidentalMurder things go wrong]], it is liable to get them convicted of murder or manslaughter even if they manage to convince the court that it was consensual. Also, being drunk or under the influence of drugs that affect alertness (whether by making you feel more alert than you are or by lessening awareness and consciousness/depressing the central nervous system) increases the odds of dying, ''especially'' if combined with doing it solo.

If you survive it, you can put yourself at risk for chronic traumatic brain damage (in the same way people who suffer from repeated mini-strokes or concussions do - cutting off oxygen to the brain for any amount of time damages it, even if the damage is not noticeable immediately, brain damage is ''cumulative''), a major stroke that may be delayed due to damage to the arteries in the neck/dislodging fat or a clot in one of them, and/or weakening or breaking the bones in your cervical spine, causing anything from chronic pain to death when/if the wrong one breaks. The risk of both stroke and broken neck vertebrae is also multiplied ''exponentially'' if you do anything else - from playing football or hockey to headbanging or having your hair done in beauty salons a lot - that inflicts trauma to the region.

** In ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'', [[spoiler: Elektra King]] mentions that a man being throttled to death will get [[RagingStiffie an erection]] and straddles Bond's waist as she turns the screws on him.

* Occurs in ''Film/RisingSun'', where a floozy who likes to be choked during sex winds up dead on the board room table of a Japanese MegaCorp. It turns out that [[spoiler: she was strangled unconscious by a governor, only for agents of the MegaCorp to finish the job and use the murder to both [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld eliminate their rivals and blackmail the governor]].]]

* In ''{{Literature/Filth}}'' by Creator/IrvineWelsh, the protagonist Bruce Robertson does this several times with [[TheCasanova one of his many girlfriends]]. He first tries it after having failed to save a man from (non-erotic) suffocation. It is a bit of {{Foreshadowing}} [[spoiler: since Bruce hangs himself in the end.]]

* This sort of happens on ''Series/TrueBlood'', but with a twist. Jason is screwing some girl and she's tied up and he chokes her a little, and she "dies". He freaks out and leaves, and then she wakes up--she was just pretending. But then the real serial killer walks in and kills her. Of course, Jason is accused of her murder and even believes himself that he killed her.

* The ''Recoil'' song "Breath Control," about a woman trying this out with her lover [[spoiler: and accidentally killing him.]]

** If the player chooses to start masturbating over the PageThreeStunna with the personified Horrific Necktie equipped[[note]]a difficult check to see, as it requires the player to have had a high enough Inland Empire stat at the start of the game to give the Necktie its personality, but to have then dropped it to 0 (without the Necktie equipped) - e.g., by being in the process of internalising the Boring Cop thought when doing the check[[/note]], it will 'tighten up a bit for you', ask you if that's good and call you a "sick, wild fuck-boy". Electrochemistry will respond by freaking out and force you to stop.
** A Harry with a high Inland Empire stat might become obsessed with the idea that the murder victim hanged himself doing autoerotic asphyxiation, talking to the corpse to ask it if it was enjoying its death, and repeatedly touching the corpse's penis (much to Kim's annoyance, who points out how unlikely it is). (We later discover [[spoiler: the corpse ''had'' enjoyed his death, but that he'd been having sex with a woman at the time]].)
** Harry's/the Necktie's obsession with autoerotic asphyxiation probably stems back to his fandom for the Revacholian disco star Guillaume le Million (RhymesOnADime. [[YouSayTomato Somehow??]]), who - if you complete the thought - you find out died in an autoerotic asphyxiation listening to a disco record on loop, in a setup similar to Harry's trashed bedroom at the beginning of the game. His Encyclopedia warns him that Guillaume's death is a 'metaphor for Revachol'. If you try and discuss him with Joyce, she's convinced Guillaume died of venereal disease, possibly implying Harry's ideas about the death are just another part of his own dangerous fetish.

* Hinted at with ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''[='s=] [[spoiler: Equius, who already has a [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom musclebeast]] and [[HappinessInSlavery masochism/submissive]] fetish. He's always had "bloodshot" bags under his eyes and grins while Gamzee (who is finally [[FantasticCasteSystem acting his bloodcolor]]) strangles him to death.]]

*** In the same episode, it turns out to be a ChekhovsSkill, when [[spoiler: Quagmire's repeated abuse of this trope allows him to trick Brenda's boyfriend into thinking he had killed Quagmire via strangulation]].

* Creator/HaydenChristensen's character Sam in ''Film/LifeAsAHouse'' mentions doing this.

For clarification, ''auto''-erotic asphyxiation is [[ADateWithRosiePalms doing it yourself]], typically via some form of [[HangingAround hanging]], as opposed to getting someone else to do it to you. It should go without saying that this is a terrible, terrible, [[AccidentalSuicide ''terrible'']] idea - to the extent that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation#Famous_cases many of the more famous deaths from it]] have happened that way. On the other hand, if you do get someone else to do it and [[AccidentalMurder things go wrong]], it is liable to get them convicted of murder or manslaughter even if they manage to convince the court that it was consensual. Also, being drunk or under the influence of drugs that affect alertness (whether by making you feel more alert than you are or by lessening awareness and consciousness/depressing the central nervous system) increases the odds of dying, ''especially'' if combined with doing it solo.

For clarification, ''auto''-erotic asphyxiation is [[ADateWithRosiePalms doing it yourself]], typically via some form of [[HangingAround hanging]], as opposed to getting someone else to do it to you. It should go without saying that this is a terrible, terrible, ''terrible'' idea - to the extent that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation#Famous_cases many of the more famous deaths from it]] have happened that way. On the other hand, if you do get someone else to do it and things go wrong, it is liable to get them convicted of murder or manslaughter even if they manage to convince the court that it was consensual. Also, being drunk or under the influence of drugs that affect alertness (whether by making you feel more alert than you are or by lessening awareness and consciousness/depressing the central nervous system) increases the odds of dying, ''especially'' if combined with doing it solo.

For clarification, ''auto''-erotic asphyxiation is [[ADateWithRosiePalms doing it yourself]], as opposed to getting someone else to do it to you. It should go without saying that this is a terrible, terrible, ''terrible'' idea - to the extent that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation#Famous_cases many of the more famous deaths from it]] have happened that way. On the other hand, if you do get someone else to do it and things go wrong, it is liable to get them convicted of murder or manslaughter even if they manage to convince the court that it was consensual. Also, being drunk or under the influence of drugs that affect alertness (whether by making you feel more alert than you are or by lessening awareness and consciousness/depressing the central nervous system) increases the odds of dying, ''especially'' if combined with doing it solo.

** In the episode "Business Guy", when Lois' father, Carter falls into a coma, it turns out that he left {{video will}}s for several situations:

** Cheryl likes to be strangled during sex due to her fetish for murder fantasies. Although she is unusual because she doesn't seem to specifically want to be deprived of oxygen so much as she's aroused by the [[NightmareFetishist thought of being murdered]]. The entire thing is PlayedForLaughs; she's already TheDitz and an UpperClassTwit, so chances are the brain damage isn't having that much of an effect.

** Harry's/the Necktie's obsession with autoerotic asphyxiation probably stems back to his fandom for the Revacholian disco star Guillaume le Million (RhymesOnADime. [[YouSayTomato Somehow??]]), who - if you complete the thought - you find out died in an autoerotic asphyxiation listening to a disco record on loop, in a setup similar to Harry's trashed bedroom at the beginning of the game. His Encyclopedia warns him that Guillaume's death is a 'metaphor for Revachol'. If you try and discuss him with Joyce, she's convinced Guillaume died of venereal disease, possibly implying this is also part of Harry's fetish obsession with strangling yourself to orgasm.

** If the player chooses to start masturbating over the PageThreeStunna with the Horrific Necktie equipped, it will 'tighten up a bit for you' and ask you if that's good. Electrochemistry will freak out and force you to stop.

** A possible reading of Harry's trashed hotel room at the beginning of the game is that it is the aftermath of an attempt at him trying to autoerotically asphyxiate himself with the [[CompanionCube Horrific Necktie]], with him waking up after his bender with his tie strung in a noose-style knot and dangling off the ceiling fan. (The other possible reading is that Harry was just [[BungledSuicide trying to kill himself]].)

** Harry's/the Necktie's obsession with autoerotic asphyxiation probably stems back to his fandom for the Revacholian disco star Guilliaume le Million (RhymesOnADime. [[YouSayTomato Somehow??]]), who - if you complete the thought - you find out died in an autoerotic asphyxiation listening to a disco record on loop, in a setup similar to Harry's trashed bedroom at the beginning of the game. His Encyclopedia warns him that Guilliaume's death is a 'metaphor for Revachol'.

* The UK Subs' 1979 hit ''Stranglehold'' [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar got a lot of crap past the radar]] ref. this topic:

* The ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'' episode "Higher Love" uses auto-erotic asphyxiation as a major plot point. Mr. Peanutbutter's agent (and later [[spoiler:[=BoJack=]'s costar in the ''Secretariat'' movie]]) both die from these incidents, and [=BoJack=] threatens to do this in order to get his girlfriend to say that she loves him.

** A possible reading of Harry's trashed hotel room at the beginning of the game is that it is the aftermath of an attempt at him trying to autoerotically asphyxiate himself with the [[CompanionCube Horrific Necktie]], with him waking up after his bender with his tie strung in a noose-style knot and dangling off the ceiling fan. (The other possible reading is that Harry was just [[DrivenToSuicide trying to kill himself]].)

* "Give Great Thanks" by Music/DorianElectria has a lyric which mentions this, complete with the AutoTune on their voice becoming more high pitched as they sing it.

* Creator/HaydenChristensen's character does this in ''Film/LifeAsAHouse'' when he toys with becoming a prostitute.

[[quoteright:301:[[Film/KillingMeSoftly https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1_large.jpg]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:301:For extra ambience, cue up anything by Music/AirSupply.]]-]

->'''Sex Addiction Therapist:''' Most likely, you'll end up going the way of Creator/DavidCarradine and Michael Hutchence: auto-erotic asphyxiation.\\

%%* Hayden Christensen does this in ''Film/LifeAsAHouse''.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1503527082043938100
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

* The deaths of at least two famous musicians in what seemed to be this way is how the concept entered public consciousness both in the Western world (as a result of Michael Hutchence) and in Japan (as a result of a common assumption regarding hide) and made it MemeticMutation as a "badass" or SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll way to die.

* The ''Recoil'' song "Breath Control," about a woman trying this out with her lover [[spoiler: and accidentally killing him.]]
* "Suffocate Me" by Angelfish is both [[TheMasochismTango metaphorical]] and [[ObligatoryBondageSong literal]].

* Happens with you and Mizuki in ''Yume Miru Kusuri''.

* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' suspects Darth Vader of [[http://xkcd.com/682/ this]].
* ''Webcomic/TheaterHopper'' had some people wondering why Vader was strapped to a table in the first ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' trailer and wondered if he liked that stuff, supporting it with him wearing leather, and that he likely choked officers for this trope.
* ''Webcomic/OtherPeoplesBusiness'': Shown as a part of Leon and Collin's violent relationship.
* Hinted at with ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''[='s=] [[spoiler: Equius, who already has a [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom musclebeast]] and [[HappinessInSlavery masochism/submissive]] fetish. He's always had "bloodshot" bags under his eyes and grins while Gamzee (who is finally [[FantasticCasteSystem acting his bloodcolor]]) strangles him to death.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** Michael Hutchence's death is alluded to in a cutaway gag.
** In the episode "Business Guy", when Lois' father, Carter falls into a coma, it turns out that he left {{video will}}s for several situations:
--->'''Carter:''' ''(on video)'' Hello, if you're watching this, it means they didn't cut the rope when I climaxed. As a result, I'm now dead.\\
'''Carter's attorney:''' ''(fast-forwarding the tape)'' That's not it.
** This kicks off the DramaBomb that is "Screams Of Silence: The Story Of Brenda Q.", with Quagmire nearly killing himself via doing this while watching clown porn.
*** In the same episode, it turns out to be a ChekhovsSkill, when [[spoiler: Quagmire's repeated abuse of this trope allows him to trick Brenda's boyfriend into thinking he had killed Quagmire via strangulation]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' also refer to Hutchence.

--->'''Woodhouse:''' You know, I do recall a lot of loose doorknobs...\\

* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Kenny killed himself this way in "Sexual Healing," after learning about this from the page quote.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', there is an episode where Stan attempts to kill himself by hanging being one-upped by Steve and Roger. Steve freaks out and Roger is seriously unimpressed, even commenting, "Stan, are you killing yourself or thrilling yourself?"
** Klaus mentions having nearly died in this act while comparing it to the satisfaction of killing Steve's MMO character.
** In "Minstrel Krampus", Roger gets a TooKinkyToTorture moment when [[BadSanta Santa]]'s [[ChristmasElves elves]] try to strangle him.
* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Metalocalypse}}'', when Pickles has to go to rehab the other bandmates suggest autoerotic asphyxiation as a [[AddictionDisplacement possible substitute]]. Ofdensen thinks that's a horrible idea, but the other bandmates think it's a badass way to die.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'', Donna reveals she was faking being injured and strangles Holt threatening to kill him if he tells Cleveland. Then she notices him undoing his pants.
** A CutawayGag has Cleveland at David Carradine's funeral, giggling inappropriately at a eulogy with a lot of AccidentalInnuendo. He apologizes, to which the minister says it's ok because autoerotic asphyxiation is a funny way to die. Cleveland replies, "You can die from that?" and starts crying.
* In the season one finale of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', [[spoiler:Morty and Jessica catch Squanchy doing this in a cupboard in Rick's lab]].

* In ''Comicbook/{{Starman}}'', the ghost of the Black Pirate describes the sensation of being hanged and says you start to feel sleepy, but everything's awake below the waist. Jack admits that he's actually experienced this with an ex-girlfriend. The ghost then asks if Jack's experienced what happens ''next'', when ''everything'' goes to sleep, and Jack obviously hasn't.
* In the "Voodoo Mansion" back-up story in ''ComicBook/LoriLovecraft: Into the Past'' #1 (which takes place in the same continuity as Lori's adventures), it is revealed that one of the souls residing in the mansion is Patrick, who accidentally strangled himself while attempting autoerotic asphyxiation. His death was ruled a suicide and his body turned into an anatomy skeleton.

* ''Film/KillingMeSoftly'', a grade B sex-drama, featured Joseph Fiennes tying Heather Graham into a rig that used yards and yards of silk to induce erotic asphyxiation. Of course, this was him getting off on strangling her while they screwed, not her getting off on getting strangled...

* In ''Film/WorldsGreatestDad'', [[Creator/RobinWilliams Lance Clayton]]'s son dies this way. (Not much of a spoiler, since every single article about this movie talked about it).

* In ''Film/TheGeneralsDaughter'', [[spoiler:Elizabeth Campbell]] got up to all kinds of kinky stuff, this included.
* A very explicit and disturbing example in ''Film/KenPark''.

* While a couple is having sex in ''Film/TheRemake'', the girl tells her boyfriend to choke her a little.
* This is the focus of one of the segments of ''Film/TheABCsOfDeath''.
* ''Film/TheMechanic2011''. Bishop kills an ArmsDealer this way to MakeItLookLikeAnAccident, strangling him with his own belt, then hanging him up with some porn playing on a laptop in front of him. His protege Steve then makes the mistake of trying to copy this method on his first target -- unfortunately ''his'' victim is a very fit and powerfully built hitman.
%%* ''Film/InTheRealmOfTheSenses''
* ''Film/NakedObsession'': William Katt plays a city councilman who takes a trip into the seedy side of his city and has sex with a stripper who is into erotic asphyxiation. He strangles her unconscious and is afraid that he's killed her, but she wakes up. The next time he visits her, however, she's been strangled to death, forcing him to clear his name.

* In ''{{Literature/Filth}}'' by Creator/IrvineWelsh, the protagonist Bruce Robertson does this several times with [[TheCasanova one of his many girlfriends]]. He first tries it after having failed to save a man from (non-erotic) suffocation. It is a bit of {{Foreshadowing}} [[spoiler: since Bruce hangs himself in the end.]]
* In ''Literature/{{Hannibal}}'', Mason Verger was into this, but it backfired when Franchise/HannibalLecter tricked Verger into cutting his face off and feeding it to his dogs while high out of his mind and then used the setup to hang him. Verger survived but horribly maimed and paralyzed.

* In the Amazon ebook ''LockhartandTeague:TheEmptyChest'' the shadowthurges are forbidden from having [[TechnicalVirgin intercourse]] and pursue sexual release through other means. Avelyn Teague's preference is this.

* ''Series/SixFeetUnder'' had an opener death caused by autoerotic asphyxiation. The dude's wife is devastated and had no idea he was into that stuff.
* On ''Series/TheXFiles'', Clyde Bruckman (who can see how anyone will die) implies that Mulder will die this way.
-->'''Bruckman:''' You know, there are worse ways to go, but I can't think of a more undignified way than autoerotic asphyxiation.
-->'''Mulder:''' Why are you telling ''me'' that?
-->'''Bruckman:''' ''[shrugs]'' Look, forget I mentioned it. It's none of my business.
* ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'':
** There's an episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' in which a woman is killed and it is made to look like it was an autoerotic asphyxiation accident.
** A similar scene occurs in ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'', but with a male victim. He'd also been bludgeoned.
* This sort of happens on ''Series/TrueBlood'', but with a twist. Jason is screwing some girl and she's tied up and he chokes her a little, and she "dies". He freaks out and leaves, and then she wakes up--she was just pretending. But then the real serial killer walks in and kills her. Of course, Jason is accused of her murder and even believes himself that he killed her.
* ''Series/TheWhitestKidsUKnow'': This was the subject matter of a sketch. The guy dies, and his ghost is forced to watch as people keep walking in on him in increasingly compromising situations.
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'':
** The victim in one case apparently died in this fashion. Of course, this being a crime drama, it's ''never'' what it first looks like.
** There was also an episode that did the reverse. It was set up to look like a murder but turned out to be erotic asphyxiation gone wrong.

* ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen'': Went [[GoneHorriblyWrong Horribly Wrong]] at a fetish party, when the emcee suffered a fatal heart attack and was unable to release everyone. [[EverybodysDeadDave And none of them lived.]]
* ''Series/PeepShow'': Referenced a few times:
** The first is when the teenage {{goth}} Valerie starts to strangle Mark during sex. He's terrified and thinks she's trying to kill him, until afterwards when she explains that her ex-boyfriend used to love it (Mark still finds it a bit disturbing though).
** Jeremy gets so dangerously bored sitting around the house doing nothing that he threatens to try "that thing Michael Hutchence did".
** At one point much later in the series, we get this quote from Mark:
---> ''"If he hangs himself over this, I can stick an orange in his mouth and call it a fatal wanking accident."''
* ''Series/QueerAsFolk'' (the US version) has Brian trying this in the first season finale, but he's pulled down by Michael before anything horrible can happen.
* The 1970 ''Series/HawaiiFiveO'' episode "Bored She Hung Herself" was about a deadly yoga technique that had more than a passing resemblance to EroticAsphyxiation. Allegedly, a viewer tried to imitate the technique and died, which is why "Bored She Hung Herself" has been a MissingEpisode ever since.
* One episode of ''Series/{{House}}'' features a man who is into dominance/submissive sex and he likes to be choked.
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'':
** The only on-screen Scorpius/Sikozu sexual scene has him choking her with a chain. With [[SubordinateExcuse Braca]] overlooking from a window. Still, that's Scorpy for you.
** In Season 2, Scorpius has his hands wrapped tightly around Natira's neck when they're having sex.

* In the first season of ''Series/MurderOne'', the defendant likes to strangle girls when he's having sex, which gets used against him when a former girlfriend turns up strangled to death.

* ''Series/{{Oz}}''. After being forced to become the sex slave of his cellmate, Robson talks him into trying this method, then 'forgets' to cut him down, thus killing him and making it look like a suicide at the same time.
* On ''Series/NYPDBlue'', one of the civilian assistants is into asphyxiation and sees one of her partners die from lack of oxygen. This is an awkward case for Sipowicz because she had made unsubtle passes at him while working at the precinct.
* One {{Jerkass}} cigarette executive in ''Series/MidsomerMurders'' turns out to be into this, as revealed by his wife. As there was a recent strangling recalling a similar series of crimes decades ago, it's yet another reason to suspect him. [[spoiler:The murderer was actually his boss, who murdered his blackmailer and tried to pin it on the previous killer, a hotel owner who ended up stabbed in the shower by his mother when she thought he'd started killing again.]]
* ''Series/FilthyRichAndCatflap'': When Ralph is in prison awaiting execution by hanging, he takes some pleasure in knowing that the asphyxiation will give him an erection: his first one in years.
* ''Series/{{Rome}}'': When Octavian selects Livia as his wife, he tells her that he may beat her during sex. It turns out that he enjoys being beaten and strangled just as much.

* ''Series/MurderOne'': The defendant in the first season likes to choke girls during sex. Things don't look good for him when a former lover ends up naked and strangled to death.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': This is cited in a deleted scene in Season 2 [[spoiler:where former SexSlave Doreah is strangling Irri to death.]]

->'''Sex Addiction Therapist:''' Most likely, you'll end up going the way of Creator/DavidCarradine and [[Music/INXS Michael Hutchence]]: auto-erotic asphyxiation.\\

->'''Sex Addiction Therapist:''' Most likely, you'll end up going the way of Creator/DavidCarradine and [[Music/INXSMichael Hutchence]]: auto-erotic asphyxiation.\\

->'''Sex Addiction Therapist:''' Most likely, you'll end up going the way of Creator/DavidCarradine and {{Music/INXS Michael Hutchence}}: auto-erotic asphyxiation.\\

->'''Sex Addiction Therapist:''' Most likely, you'll end up going the way of Creator/DavidCarradine and [[Music/INXS Michael Hutchence]]: auto-erotic asphyxiation.\\