Novelist Chuck Palahniuk seems to have a predilection for pithy titles that invoke death. Two of his works—Choke, the film adaptation of his 2001 book by the same name, and Snuff, his latest novel, offer glimpses into characters who appear soulless, heartless, and thus, lifeless, but are merely hiding behind a chilly demeanor.

Both Choke and Snuff present a series of sordid sex scenes, graphic details and improbable scenarios. They are also cynically hilarious Pynchon- and Easton-Ellis-esque satires about romantic and platonic love, family and sacrifice, reunion and redemption.

Palahniuk stuffs his work with wit and irony, literary leitmotifs, stunningly researched facts, neuroses and truly touching hijinks—which are elegantly directed and performed by Choke director Clark Gregg and Sam Rockwell respectively.

Choke, which opened September 26th, centers around Victor Mancini (Rockwell), a thirty-something sex-addict med school drop-out. Like Fight Club’s unnamed protagonist (played by Ed Norton), Victor frequently sits in on support group meetings to fulfill a need not conforming to that group’s intended goal. In his case, Victor trolls sex-related 12 Step programs for tail. When he’s not venturing into the self-help world, he earns most of his money playing an Irish indentured servant in a recreated 18th century American setting and gets the rest of his living as a con-man.

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