for me the horror of the crimes outweighs the eroticisation. (i think i just made that word up.) i feel like the narrative is showing us how the assaults and murders are erotic for the killer, but the audience also experiences the horror and terror of the victim, as well as the stark aftermath. to me there's a careful balance there, particularly as it's juxtaposed by stella's overt and explicitly consensual sex/uality where she's the one on top and in control. that both stella and paula have such compassion for the victims, maybe even tenderness, also adds to the weight of the narrative that these are heinous not sexy crimes. to paul these women are a means whereas to stella -- and i think the narrative overall -- they're people.