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The erotic thriller is a film subgenre defined as a
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
with a thematic basis in illicit romance or
erotic fantasy A sexual fantasy or erotic fantasy is a mental image or pattern of thought that stirs a person's sexuality and can create or enhance sexual arousal. A sexual fantasy can be created by the person's imagination or memory, and may be triggered auto ...
. Though exact definitions of the erotic thriller can vary, it is generally agreed "bodily danger and pleasure must remain in close proximity and equally important to the plot." Most erotic thrillers contain scenes of softcore sex and nudity, though the frequency and explicitness of those scenes can differ from film to film. Erotic thrillers emerged as a distinct genre in the late 1980s, bolstered by the popular success of ''
Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film cent ...
'' in 1987 and continuing into the early
1990s File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-16s and McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, F-15s fly over burning o ...
. Studio films of this "classic period", such as
Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...
's '' Basic Instinct'', were box office successes, helmed by big-name directors, and starred high-profile actors. The popularity of the genre spawned a lucrative cottage industry for the burgeoning home video and
cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
markets. By the end of the 1990s, cultural changes and the rise of the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...
led to the decline of the genre's popular appeal and production volume.


Definition

According to British film studies professor Linda Ruth Williams, "Erotic thrillers are noirish stories of sexual intrigue incorporating some form of criminality or duplicity, often as the flimsy framework for onscreen softcore sex". The
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
film genre contains subgenres other than the noir crime film and murder mystery, including the psychological thriller, or suspense stories of illicit romance and sexual obsession. Thus, the erotic thriller participates in several genres and film styles at once, such as
film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...
, romance, and the
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
, taking narrative and stylistic elements from each. Because the erotic thriller combines various genres, pinning down the exact formula for an erotic thriller can be difficult. Though academics and writers on the subject encapsulate the erotic thriller film differently, the overlapping of the suspense thriller, romance, and softcore sex film is the unique domain of the erotic thriller.


Characteristics of the genre


Femme fatale

The character type of the
femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype o ...
—an alluring, mysterious, and seductive woman—is common to many erotic thriller films. Villainous, even deadly, femme fatales manipulate and entrap the male characters, at times being in complete control of the men. From " Sharon Stone's icy Catherine Tramell in '' Basic Instinct'' or Linda Fiorentino's brusque Bridget in ''
The Last Seduction ''The Last Seduction'' is a 1994 American neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by John Dahl, and features Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, and Bill Pullman. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and distributed by October Films. Fiorenti ...
''… hese archetypestend to be cheerfully promiscuous…These women actively reject
domesticity The Culture of Domesticity (often shortened to Cult of Domesticity) or Cult of True Womanhood is a term used by historians to describe what they consider to have been a prevailing value system among the upper and middle classes during the 19th cen ...
in all its forms, sniping about 'hating rugrats' and holding intimidatingly high-powered careers as stockbrokers and novelists". The most blatant depiction of the femme fatale is the character of Rebecca Carlson, played by
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
in 1993's '' Body of Evidence''. On trial for the murder of her lover, Rebecca is described by a prosecutor as "no ifferentthan a gun or a knife or any kind of weapon." In erotic thrillers, power dynamics are subverted as femme fatales "turn men into pliable playthings, and the punchline of almost all of these films revolves around one idea: Men are basically stupid; blinded by sex, and helpless in the face of it". The femme fatale of erotic thrillers took shape against "the backdrop of what German sexologist/sociologist
Volkmar Sigusch Volkmar Sigusch (born 11 June 1940) is a German sexologist, physician and sociologist. From 1973 to 2006, he was the director of the ''Institut für Sexualwissenschaft'' (Institute for Sexual Science) at the clinic of Goethe University in Frankf ...
deemed the 'neosexual revolution,' 'a tremendous cultural and social transformation of sexuality during the 1980s and 1990s'".
Feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
movements of the 1960s and 1970s resulted in greater socioeconomic opportunities for women of the 1980s; thus, the femme fatales in erotic thrillers "flagrantly embody male anxieties over women's burgeoning financial and professional independence". Although these female characters wielded agency and power, they were usually limited to using their bodies and
sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wit ...
as weapons. Furthermore, some films saw the male protagonist ultimately triumph over the femme fatale, subduing the threat she represents.


The fall guy

The counterpart to the femme fatale is the "fall guy"—a man who is easily manipulated by the femme fatale. The fall guy is often sexualized himself, with some films featuring full-frontal male nudity in addition to female nudity, as in the films ''
American Gigolo ''American Gigolo'' is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story about a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically ...
'', '' Color of Night'', and '' Wild Things''. The fall guy, usually working in a white-collar occupation, sees the femme fatale as "a portal or chaperone…to go from a world of normality into the world of noir or the erotic thriller".


Origins

The erotic thriller is a direct descendant of 1940s and 1950s
film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...
, a thriller genre exemplified by stylish crime films and mysteries that explores the dark underworld of post-World War II America. 1981's ''
Body Heat Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperatur ...
'', one of the first films of the erotic thriller's classic period, was itself inspired by the film noir ''
Double Indemnity ''Double Indemnity'' is a 1944 American crime film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. The screenplay was based on James M. Cain's 1943 novel of the same ...
'' (1944). "''Body Heat'' star
Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. Turner became widely ...
argued it was precisely because ast and crewwere working in an old-Hollywood framework that they were able to get away with the sexual explicitness that would set the tone for the ensuing decade: 'Film noir has a formality and shape to it. Its very familiar form allowed people to accept more readily the daring content that we were presenting.'" The erotic thriller also has its roots in the mystery genre, the horror genre, and
pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,
. Brian De Palma's '' Dressed to Kill'' (1980), another early 1980s erotic film, contains several direct references to
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's psychological horror film '' Psycho'' (1960). Though the R-ratings, theatrical releases, and notable actors differentiate erotic thrillers from pornography, both erotic thrillers and pornography "feature sex scenes occurring at regular intervals, and in low-budget erotic thrillers, the plot, as in porn, may be mainly a pretext for the sex". It is this proximity to pornography that is one of the reason's for the erotic thriller's "popular success–and probably one reason for its critical neglect as a genre". Other forebears of the erotic thriller include the
romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimis ...
, the
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio drama ...
, and works of gothic fantasy. Softcore sex films are often romances of some kind, and the genre has a long tradition, particularly in Europe. Directors such as Radley Metzger (''Theresa and Isabelle'' 1968), Joseph Sarno ('' Inga'' 1968), and Just Jaeckin (''
Emmanuelle Emmanuelle is the lead character in a series of French erotic films based on the main character in the novel '' Emmanuelle'' (1959), created by Emmanuelle Arsan. Character history Emmanuelle appeared as the pen name of Marayat Rollet-And ...
'' 1974) were influential pioneers of the softcore-romance film. Their "middlebrow sexploitation" films put stories of female desire at the center, and helped pave the way for softcore's reemergence in the 1990s.


1980s-1990s: Classic period

William Friedkin's '' Cruising'' and the aforementioned ''Dressed to Kill'' and ''Body Heat'' arguably ushered in the Golden Age of the erotic thriller at the beginning of the 1980s. The next few years saw a flood of titles, including ''
Body Double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stun ...
'' (1984), '' Jagged Edge'' (1985), and ''
9½ Weeks ''9½ Weeks'' is a 1986 American erotic romantic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne, and starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. Basinger portrays a New York City art gallery employee who has a brief yet intense affair with a mysterious Wall ...
'' (1986). ''
Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film cent ...
'' in 1987 was seen as the first visible success in the genre, as it was a critical and commercial success. The film was a mixture of psychological thriller action with brief scenes of softcore sex and illicit romance. Spending eight weeks in the No. 1 spot at the box office, ''Fatal Attraction'' grossed more than $320 million worldwide, making it the biggest film of that year. Hoping to repeat the film's success, Hollywood studios released a spate of erotic thriller films over the next several years, including '' The Hot Spot'' (1990), '' Presumed Innocent'' (1990), '' Shattered'' (1991), '' Sleeping with the Enemy'' (1991), '' A Kiss Before Dying'' (1991), '' Consenting Adults'' (1992), '' Single White Female'' (1992), '' Love Crimes'' (1992), ''
Unlawful Entry Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, woundi ...
'' (1992), '' Poison Ivy'' (1992), '' Final Analysis'' (1992), '' Malice'' (1993), '' The Crush'' (1993), '' Indecent Proposal'' (1993), ''
The Last Seduction ''The Last Seduction'' is a 1994 American neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by John Dahl, and features Linda Fiorentino, Peter Berg, and Bill Pullman. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and distributed by October Films. Fiorenti ...
'' (1994), and '' Color of Night'' (1994). '' Basic Instinct'', directed by
Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...
and written by Joe Eszterhas, was released to great success and controversy in 1992. Featuring overt sexuality and violence, including a plot depicting a bisexual woman as a murderous psychopath, the film is seen as the apotheosis of the genre. Though it received mixed reviews, it was a significant box office smash as it grossed $352 million worldwide. ''
Sliver Sliver may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sliver'' (novel), a 1991 novel by Ira Levin ** ''Sliver'' (film), a 1993 film adaptation of the novel ** ''Sliver'' (soundtrack), the soundtrack to the 1993 film * "Sliver" (song), a 1990 song by Nirvana *'' ...
'' attempted to duplicate this success—with the same screenwriter, Eszterhas, and star, Sharon Stone—the following year. Though ''Sliver'' fared even worse with critics, it also opened at No. 1 at the box office. '' Disclosure'', directed by Barry Levinson, was met with considerable success in 1994. The film—which concerns a computer specialist (played by
Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...
, his then third film of the genre) who is sexually harassed by his female superior and former lover (played by
Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera '' General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the Br ...
)—grossed $214 million against its $50 million budget.


DTV (direct-to-video) market

This classic period took place amidst the boon of the video rental market and the worldwide cable TV market. Over the course of the 1980s, these two new markets, together called
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...
, or DTV, would become a lucrative, non-theatrical alternative for producers of low-budget, R-rated films. The DTV market would often have a symbiotic relationship with the big studio films. Video rental chains like Blockbuster were instrumental in the popularity of the genre. Since Blockbuster did not stock unrated films as part of its family-friendly image, DTV titles were able to meet demand for content that was geared towards adults but did not stray into outright pornography. Gerry Weber, former chief operating officer for Blockbuster, said " TVerotic thrillers rated at the top" out of all the genres for rentals. Throughout the 1980s, cable television was similarly expanding and diversifying its appeal to adult audiences. In 1980 Cinemax (owned by HBO) launched with a 24-hour schedule. Soon after, Showtime followed suit with The Movie Channel. Fearing the negative publicity associated with traditional sexploitation these late-night, premium cable channels actively sought and developed adult programming that could be, in the words of one HBO programmer, "spicy but not obscene". With smaller budgets than studio films and less high-profile stars, the DTV market became hugely profitable. These "high and low" markets for the erotic thriller overlapped but did not compete, and each fed off the other financially and artistically. The "blockbuster" erotic thrillers boosted sales for small players, who sold films to DTV markets by underscoring the similarities between their films and works by the majors. A film that served as a prototypical success and catalyst in this new market was '' Night Eyes'' (1990). Shannon Tweed, Tanya Roberts,
Andrew Stevens Herman Andrew Stevens (born June 10, 1955) is an American executive, film producer, director and actor. Early life Stevens was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the only child of actress Stella Stevens and her former husband Noble Herman Stephens. Ca ...
, Joan Severance, Tané McClure, Martin Hewitt, Jan-Michael Vincent, and Shannon Whirry became notable actors in DTV films. Axis Films International and Prism Entertainment were the most prominent production companies. The former produced over 30 DTV erotic thriller titles, using a rotating stable of filmmakers over a period of ten years. These directors included Gregory Dark, Zalman King, and Jag Mundhra. Though King is mostly associated with erotic romance films, the director had an unmistakable stamp on the genre with his films '' Two Moon Junction'' (1988), '' Wild Orchid'' (1989), and '' Red Shoe Diaries'' (1992), which is also the title of his long-running cable television series consisting of erotic featurettes with female protagonists. In 1994 the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' reported that erotic thrillers—a term which, Leonard Maltin said, "didn't even exist 15 years ago"—and
action films Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
were the two most successful direct-to-video genres. In 1993, the genre was spoofed in the comedy '' Fatal Instinct''.


Cultural factors

The popularity of the erotic thriller during the 1980s and early 1990s has been said to reflect the cultural fear of
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
, as the rise of the genre overlapped with the early years of the
epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...
. Though few films actually addressed AIDS directly, "only in the late '80s and '90s—after the sex wars, against the backdrop of AIDS, and in the midst of increasingly fraught public discussions of gender politics—could pleasure and pain intertwine so enthrallingly on film". In contrast to the pornographic films of the 1970s, which embodied the ethos of "pleasure without regret," "the erotic thriller offered pleasure with a cost…the loss of human life".


Post-classic period

1995 is seen as the hypothetical endpoint for the classic period of erotic thrillers, as that year saw the major box office flops of two anticipated big-budget features, '' Showgirls'' and ''
Jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group ...
'', both written by Eszterhas. Though ''Showgirls'' does not readily qualify as an erotic thriller, it was a heavily hyped re-teaming of Eszterhas with ''Basic Instinct'' director Verhoeven, whose reputations as pioneers in the genre preceded the film. ''Jade'', directed by William Friedkin and starring Linda Fiorentino in the femme fatale role, earned only $9,851,610 at the North American domestic box office. These films' critical and financial disasters led to the dismissal of erotic thrillers—and similar films with risqué content—as a studio risk. Though ''Basic Instinct'' is seen as the pinnacle of the erotic thriller craze, some argue it also signaled the genre's demise. Writer Nicholas Barber opined the film "took every aspect of the erotic thriller to such outrageous extremes that there was nowhere left for any film in the same vein to go". Some films of the mid-to-late 1990s were lauded for elevating the genre, despite not matching ''Basic Instinct'' commercial success. Canadian filmmaker
Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan m ...
's ''
The Adjuster ''The Adjuster'' is a 1991 Canadian drama film directed by Atom Egoyan. It premiered at the New York Film Festival, and was invited to the Director's Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. It is Egoyan's fourth feature film, and the first ...
'', '' Exotica'', and '' Chloe'' all trade on the audience's perception of what an erotic thriller should be with their complexity and depth in plot.
David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation ...
's '' Dead Ringers'' and ''
Crash Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch ...
'' propel the genre into the near future, where sex, obsession, and erotic desire are played out in hypermodern settings mediated by potentially destructive technologies. '' Bound'' (1996), the Wachowski siblings' directorial debut, was the first major film of the genre to feature a
lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
relationship after ''Basic Instinct''. However, unlike ''Basic Instinct'', which was heavily criticized for its negative depiction of lesbians and bisexuals, ''Bound'' was praised for offering a realistic portrayal of a lesbian relationship that did not feel crafted for the male gaze. Other films that were commended for their subversion of common erotic thriller tropes were
Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultu ...
's media satire '' To Die For'' (1995) and David Lynch's '' Mulholland Drive'' (2001). 1999's ''
Eyes Wide Shut ''Eyes Wide Shut'' is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on the 1926 novella '' Traumnovelle'' (''Dream Story'') by Arthur Schnitzler, transferring the story's set ...
'' was another high-profile film of the late 1990s due to its famed director
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
and its stars (then couple Nicole Kidman and
Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...
). Though it contained elements of the erotic thriller genre, some critics found its self-serious tone and arguably conservative message were a departure from the thrills and entertainment of films of the classic period.   


Backlash

The turn of the 21st century saw the erotic thriller genre as all but obsolete. One of the foremost reasons cited for the death knell of the genre's heyday is the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...
. The increased availability of online pornography in the 1990s arguably diminished the significance of the genre. Furthermore, by the late 1990s, the very success of the erotic thriller in the DTV era helped officiate its collapse. A glut of cheaply produced "T&A films" which offered sexual spectacle and copious nudity, but little else, began to saturate the market, watering down lucrative pre-sales deals with foreign distributors and causing budgets for erotic thrillers to shrink to nearly a third or less of what they were in the early 1990s. As budgets shrank, so did actor salaries, image quality, and shooting schedules. Family films became more important in the direct-to-video market, as retailers stocked more copies of blockbuster films instead of more titles. For these reasons many of the pioneers of the erotic thriller film, such as Axis Films International and Prism, left the market in frustration or went out of business entirely. Filmmakers of erotic thrillers have also cited a changing cultural landscape. Paul Verhoeven, the original director of ''Basic Instinct'', reasoned that the box office failure of the sequel ''
Basic Instinct 2 ''Basic Instinct 2'' (also known as ''Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction'') is a 2006 erotic thriller film and the sequel to 1992's ''Basic Instinct''. The film was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and produced by Mario Kassar, Joel B. Michaels, ...
'' was due to a more conservative America in 2006. Verhoeven explained, "'Look at the people at the top f the government We are living under a government that is constantly hammering out Christian values. And Christianity and sex have never been good friends'". Of the cultural factors that helped lead to the genre's demise, writer Rich Juzwiak detailed,
In some ways, the erotic thriller was no longer needed because it ceased speaking to the fears and interests of the viewing public. Though AIDS still claims far too many lives, the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) made HIV a manageable condition for many with access to it. HAART became commercially available in 1996, the year after ''Showgirls'' and ''Jade'' bombed.
In the decades since the erotic thriller's boom period, the economics of cinema have also changed massively. An effect of Hollywood's shift to big-budget franchises is an aversion to "'the business of making mid-budget character dramas that might or might not include physical bonding.'" Another reason given for the genre's decline is the lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. Though there have been a few exceptions, such as the
Rob Hardy Robert Hardy, Jr. is a film director, film producer, screenwriter, and television director. With partner Will Packer, he founded the production company Rainforest Films in 1994. Hardy's film credits include ''The Gospel'', ''Trois'', and '' ...
-directed ''
Trois ''Trois'' is a 2000 erotic thriller film directed by Rob Hardy and produced by William Packer. It stars Gary Dourdan, Kenya Moore and Gretchen Palmer. The film was given a limited theatrical release and was one of the years highest grossing Afr ...
'' films, as well as
Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a tot ...
's '' In the Cut'' which subverts the male gaze, erotic thrillers are mostly written and directed by white men. Moreover, the #MeToo movement has shifted the dynamic in film productions to where women feel less pressure to do nude scenes, and to feel more power to advocate for themselves against potentially exploitative situations. Many erotic thrillers of the classic period, filmed from a white, heterosexual male perspective, arguably objectify their female leads, who are "stripped of agency and reduced to mere vessels for men's wish fulfillment". However, despite all this, erotic thrillers have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years.


Further developments of the genre

With few mainstream erotic thrillers being made in the United States or the UK today, many films of the genre have been relegated to the European and Asian art-house cinema. More recent examples center gay sexuality, such as the French film '' Stranger by the Lake'' (2013) and the South Korean film '' The Handmaiden'' (2016). Paul Verhoeven premiered his French-language erotic thriller '' Benedetta'' at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The 2000s and 2010s saw erotic thriller films with non-white lead actors, such as '' Obsessed'' (2009), '' The Boy Next Door'' (2015), and '' When the Bough Breaks'' (2016). ''
Unforgettable Unforgettable may refer to: Film * ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta * ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film * ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film * ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...
'' (2017), which starred
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include ''He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
as a co-lead, was written and directed by women. Although the ''
Fifty Shades ''Fifty Shades'' is an adult erotic BDSM romance franchise created by British writer E. L. James. It originated as a ''fanfic'' for the young-adult teen romance novel series ''Twilight'' by American author Stephenie Meyer. That story was turne ...
'' film series was anticipated to revive the genre, the films were widely panned as lacking chemistry and sparked criticism for the depiction of
BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...
and consent. As television has flourished as an art form, many have argued the graphic sex scenes that were previously limited to the erotic thriller have migrated to TV shows on premium cable channels and streaming services.
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
's '' Bridgerton'', HBO's ''
I May Destroy You ''I May Destroy You'' is a British black comedy-drama television limited series created, written, co-directed, and executive produced by Michaela Coel for BBC One and HBO. The series is set in London with a predominantly Black British cast. C ...
'' and ''
Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and d ...
'', and
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...
's '' Normal People'' have all featured graphic scenes of nudity. Current erotic thriller films include ''
The Voyeurs ''The Voyeurs'' is a 2021 American erotic thriller film written and directed by Michael Mohan. Shot and set in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, it stars Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith as a young couple who spy on and become obsessed by the lives of t ...
(''2021), a film in the vein of the voyeuristic erotic thriller, as well as the 2022 films '' Deep Water'' (directed by genre pioneer
Adrian Lyne Adrian Lyne (born 4 March 1941) is an English film director, writer and producer. Having begun his career directing 1970s television commercials, Lyne made well-received short films which were entries in the London Film Festival. He started mak ...
) and ''
Don't Worry Darling ''Don't Worry Darling'' is a 2022 American psychological thriller film directed by Olivia Wilde from a screenplay by Katie Silberman, based on a spec script by Carey Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, and Silberman. The film stars Florence Pugh, Harr ...
'' (directed by Olivia Wilde). In an interview with ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'', an unnamed former development executive at a major streaming service described the challenge of making erotic thriller films today. The executive said, "There was an active effort few years agoto find projects that would both be modern and a throwback to the erotic thrillers of yore. And there were, quite frankly, very few that fit both bills. That in a post–Me Too environment felt like they were giving a nod to current mores and current moral panics while being of a piece with the goals of an erotic thriller. Which are to both entertain and, to a degree, titillate." The films ''Fatal Attraction'' and ''
American Gigolo ''American Gigolo'' is a 1980 American neo-noir crime drama film written and directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. It tells the story about a high-priced escort in Los Angeles (Gere) who becomes romantically ...
'' are being rebooted as TV series on Paramount+ and Showtime, respectively. Of the former, Paramount producer Nicole Clemens said the TV reboot will give "a 360-degree view, dimensionalizing the characters of lex, Dan, and Beth really getting underneath their skin and examining the psychology."


See also

* List of erotic thriller films * Vulgar auteurism *
Social thriller A social thriller is a film genre using elements of suspense and horror to augment instances of apparent oppression in society. The genre gained attention in 2017 with the release of Jordan Peele's ''Get Out'', a film highlighting occurrences of ...
* pinku


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Erotic Thriller 1980s introductions 1980s in film 1990s in film 2000s in film 2010s in film 2020s in film Film genres Thriller genres Thriller films Thrillers