R. C. Hörsch

R. C. Hörsch
R. C. Hörsch circa 1999
Born
Raymond Charles Hörsch

(1943-05-05)May 5, 1943
East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedMay 2025 (age 81 or 82)
Occupations
Spouse
Myroslawa Anna Ferkuniak
​
​
(m. 1980⁠–⁠1989)​
(her death)
Amy McHale
​
​
(m. 2004; div. 2008)​
Relatives
  • Eugene Albert Horsch (son)
Convictions
Details
Victims2 (suspected)

Raymond Charles Hörsch[a] (May 5, 1943 – May 2025) was an American erotic photographer, author and pornographic filmmaker. His 50-year body of work ranged from the poetic to the explicit.[1] His artistic work "often focused on scantily clad women in sadomasochistic settings". He had numerous criminal convictions, including for drug manufacturing and forgery.[2] Criticism of his work condemns the exploitation of his subjects.[3][4] In June 2016, his ex-wife Amy McHale, to whom he was married between 2004 and 2008, disappeared.

In 2026, his former residence was searched by police and linked to the disappearance and implied murder of at least two missing women.[5]

Early life and career

R. C. Hörsch circa 2014

R. C. Hörsch was born in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania on May 5, 1943.[6] In 1968, he operated an avant-garde cinema known as “Underground Cinema 16” or "Roxy", which was later shut down for operating without a license. He later directed films, beginning with The Erotic Memoirs of a Male Chauvinist in 1973, continuing to release films until shortly before his death.[2]

In 1973, he pleaded guilty to passing bad checks in North Carolina. In 1974, he was charged with "passing nearly $180,000 in fake 10-dollar bills and possessing phony driver’s licenses." In 1977, police raided his home and discovered equipment that they alleged was used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. Hörsch fled to New Zealand, later returning to California, where he lived under the alias “Richard Harris”. He was captured in Florida in 1985, and sentenced to three years' imprisonment. In 2009 he was charged with growing over 450 cannabis plants, with two shotguns also confiscated. He was subsequently sentenced to 54 months in prison and released in 2013.[2]

Personal life and death

Horsch was married at least three times. In 1964, he married his high school sweetheart, who left him in 1970. In 1980, he married Anna Ferkuniak in Nevada while using the alias Stokowski. They had a son, Eugene. Ferkuniak died in 1989.[7] In 2004, he married Amy McHale. They divorced in 2008, though they stayed close. McHale went missing in 2016.[8]

Horsch died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in May 2025, at the age of 82.[2]

2026 police investigations

In 2026 an ongoing investigation was started by the Philadelphia Police Department involving evidence recovered from his former house in the Olney section of Philadelphia after the arrest of his son, Eugene, on gun and drug allegations.[9] A federal grand jury later indicted Eugene on charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of an unlawfully produced document and authentication feature. Pennsylvania prosecutors withdrew five state charges on August 6.[2]

Anthologies

  • The Mammouth Book of Erotic Photography, Maxim Jakubowski (editor), Running Press; Fourth Edition (October 1, 2013), ISBN 978-0762449446
  • The Mammouth Book of Erotic Women, Maxim Jakubowski (editor), Running Press; 1ST edition (October 19, 2005), ISBN 978-0786716029
  • Photo Sex, David Steinberg (editor), Down There Press, San Francisco, 2003, ISBN 978-0940208322
  • Sex in the City — An Illustrated History, by Alison Maddox with foreword by Camille Paglia, Rizzoli Universe Publishing (February 14, 2006), ISBN 978-0789315076
  • Empathy: The Memoir of an Empathetic Serial Killer (2014). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781492890553.[10]
  • Annie (2014), with Anna M. Ferkuniak. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1-4929-7105-4.[11]
  • Transgressions (2014). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781493512454.[12]
  • Slaves (2014). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781492177180.[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ also spelled Horsch or Hoersch

References

  1. ↑ Sex, by John Spayde, Utne Reader, September–October 1994, p24-25
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Laker, Barbara; Briggs, Ryan (June 27, 2026). "A woman missing since 2016 had close ties to the Olney house that's now the target of a massive investigation". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  3. ↑ Jamison, Mikala (June 3, 2014). "Naked prostitutes and heroin: Is the R.C. Horsch exhibit in Kensington art or porn — or a catalog of victims? :: Blogs ::". Citypaper.net. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  4. ↑ Hodges, Kate (June 1, 2006). "RC Horsch - Heroin Erotica". Bizarremag.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  5. ↑ Rushing, Ellie; Laker, Barbara; Marin, Max; Briggs, Ryan W. (August 12, 2026). "Police say at least two missing women likely killed inside Olney home linked to violent pornography". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Raymond C Horsch". U.S., Public Records Index, 1950–1993, Volume 1. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Anna M. HORSCH (Ferkuniak)". The Morning Call. August 2, 1989. p. C7. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  8. ↑ Laker, Barbara; Briggs, Ryan W.; Marin, Max; Rushing, Ellie (August 2, 2026). "DARK ARTS: A pornographer's obsession and criminal past blur fact and fiction in Philly's missing women mystery". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  9. ↑ Palmer, Chris (June 26, 2026). "Knives, drugs, and guns: A police report obtained by The Inquirer shows what officers found inside Eugene Albert Horsch's car". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Empathy: The Memoir of an Empathetic Serial Killer". AbeBooks. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Annie". AbeBooks. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Transgressions". AbeBooks. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Slaves". AbeBooks. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
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