Erotic thriller movies they are a cinematic subgenre that combines erotic movie and sex scenes with the thriller genre, with sensations that oscillate between pleasure and fear and elements from suspense movie. The aspects of physical risk and pleasure are the main protagonists of the story. Many erotic thrillers consist of softcore sex scenes, although the regularity as well as explicitness of those scenes differ. Erotic thriller movies are tales of sex-related intrigue that integrate some type of crime or misdemeanor.
In the 80s, there was an unexpected boom in erotic thriller movies, similar to noir movie but with sexually intriguing content. The late 1980s and mid 1990s are considered the heyday of the erotic thriller. The erotic thriller is one of the most favored styles in the 90s, and is a direct offspring of the traditional film noir. Numerous films from the 1970s and 1960s provocatively blended noir themes with softcore sex and voyeurism. The erotic thriller also has impacts from the categories of the mystery movie and contaminations that come from the horror genre and porn.
Specific filmmakers and also actors are related to the category. Brian De Palma helped introduce the genre with such celebrated films as Dressed to Kill and Body Double, and directed Femme Fatale and Passion later in his career. Dutch director Paul Verhoeven directed Basic Instinct, Showgirls. Joe Eszterhas became a desired film writer in the erotic thriller era, creating film scripts for Jagged Edge, Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Jade. Adrian Lyne has directed a number of such films, including 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal. Other filmmakers specializing in erotic thrillers included Atom Egoyan, Paul Schrader, Abel Ferrara, William Friedkin, David Cronenberg and Zalman King.
One of the most famous stars related to erotic thrillers is Michael Douglas, who starred in 4 films: Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Disclosure and A Perfect Murder. Mickey Rourke, Richard Gere, James Spader, and even Tom Berenger have also starred in several films of the erotic thriller genre. Notable actresses of erotic thrillers are Sharon Stone, Linda Fiorentino, Glenn Close, Kathleen Turner, Demi Moore, and Greta Scacchi.
Safe in Hell (1931)
It is a 1931 American erotic thriller movie directed by William A. Wellman and starring Dorothy Mackaill and also Donald Cook, with Morgan Wallace, Ralf Harolde, Nina Mae McKinney, Clarence Muse and Noble Johnson. The screenplay for the film by Joseph Jackson and Maude Fulton is based on a play by Houston Branch.
Gilda Karlson (Dorothy Mackaill) is a New Orleans prostitute. She is accused of killing Piet Van Saal (Ralf Harolde). Her former lover, sailor Carl Erickson (Donald Cook), smuggles her to safety in Tortuga, a Caribbean island where she cannot be incarcerated. On the island, Gilda and Carl are “married” without a priest, and she testifies that she is faithful to him. After Carl departs on his ship, Gilda discovers she is the only white woman in a resort filled with thugs from around the world, each of whom attempts to seduce her.
Double Indemnity (1944)
It is a 1944 American film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and also Joseph Sistrom. The screenplay for the film was based on James M. Cain’s 1943 story of the same title, which was an eight-part series for Liberty publication in February 1936.
The film stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance policy salesman, Barbara Stanwyck as a housewife assigned to eliminate her husband, and Edward G. Robinson as an insurance investigator whose job it is to uncover false insurance claims. The term “double indemnity” describes a provision in specific life insurance policy plans that increases the payout in cases where the death is not intentional. Wilder considered Double Indemnity his best film in terms of fewest shooting and script errors, and he consistently said that both points he was most proud of in his career were the praise he received regarding this film.
Vertigo (1958)
It is a 1958 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The story is based on the 1954 novel D’entre les morts by Boileau-Narcejac. The screenplay for the film was created by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor. The film stars James Stewart as former detective John “Scottie” Ferguson, who has retired after an investigation led him to have acrophobia, a severe fear of heights with dizziness and an incorrect sensation of rotary motion. Scottie is hired by a colleague, Gavin Elster, as a private investigator to follow Gavin’s wife, Madeleine (Kim Novak), who is acting strangely.
The film was shot in the San Francisco, California area of the city, as well as Mission San Juan Bautista, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Cypress Point on 17-Mile Drive, and also Paramount Studios in Hollywood. It is the first film ever to use the dolly zoom, an effect created directly during filming that distorts the point of view to produce disorientation, to communicate Scottie’s acrophobia. As a result of its use in this film, the effect is commonly described as “the result of Vertigo”. Vertigo got mixed reviews upon launch but is currently being billed as a masterpiece. The film continually appears in American polls of the best films of all time, in the top positions together with Citizen Kane (1941) by Orson Welles.
Trans-Europ-Express (1966)
It is a 1966 erotic thriller movie written and directed by Alain Robbe-Grillet and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Marie-France Pisier. The title describes the Trans Europ Express, a global rail network in Europe at the time. The story concerns a group of people who create a cinematic story during a train ride in Antwerp, interspersed with a film within a film about an amateur drug dealer and a prostitute. The film within a film includes a Frenchman named Elias who takes his first consignment of drugs from Paris to Antwerp on the Trans Europ Express. There he has gone from one strange intermediary to another and has a dream of rape with a prostitute named Eva. At one point he reaches his main contact, who tells him his load was powdered sugar and the entire workout was an exam to assess his reliability.
Blind Beast (1969)
It’s a japanese movie, 1969 erotic thriller directed by Yasuzo Masumura. It is based on a story by Edogawa Rampo. Aki Shima is kidnapped by a strange blind boy and taken to his home in a warehouse, which is filled with sculptures of body parts and mannequins of women. The Blind Man, Michio Sofu, is a carver who wishes to use Aki as a model for his most important work. As her time as a hostage continues, Aki becomes her captor’s prisoner and they end up becoming lovers, initiating a series of sadomasochistic games.
Venus in Furs (1969)
a movie Italian erotic thriller of 1969 directed by Jesus Franco and played by James Darren. The film bears a superficial resemblance to Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel Venus in Furs. The title as well as the names of the characters in Franco’s initial script were changed based on commercial factors. Franco’s film is a supernatural erotic thriller about unattainable love. It’s not a quest for masochism like the story. James Darren plays a jazz musician who becomes obsessed to the point of losing his sanity by the scheming Wanda, a woman who always wears a fur coat, and later finds her dead body on the beach.
She Killed in Ecstasy (1971)
It is a 1971 German-Spanish erotic thriller movie directed by Jesus Franco. The story of the film takes aspects from Franco’s previous films Miss Muerte and also Venus in Furs. The film’s production team consists of numerous cast members and virtually the same staff as his previous film Vampyros Lesbos.
Dr. Johnson (Fred Williams) is happy with his attractive wife (Soledad Miranda) until his unconventional research on human embryos causes a board of directors to reject his plans and ask him to stop his work. The unpredictable doctor slits his wrists in the shower. Desperate, the wife vows to eliminate the woman and identify the 3 men “responsible” for the suicide.
Punarjanmam (1972)
It is a 1972 Indian Malayalam language erotic thriller movie starring Prem Nazir and Jayabharathi. The film is directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan, based on a study published by noted psychoanalyst AT Kovoor in the weekly Mathrubhumi. The film was very successful and was remade in Tamil with Maru Piravi with Muthuraman and Manjula in lead roles and also in Telugu with Vintha Katha with Krishna and Vanisri. The film is thought to be India’s first erotic psychological thriller. Aravindan, a college professor falls in love with his student Radha and marries her. The couple’s sexuality is a failure, creating extreme pain for Radha’s father Panikkar who is eager to have grandchildren. When all other methods fail, Panikkar contacts a psychoanalyst, who discovers that Aravindan’s lack of ability to make love to Radha may have something to do with his extreme love for his mother, who was actually dead. only six months before Aravindan.
The Teacher (1974)
It is a 1974 American erotic thriller movie written and directed by Hikmet Avedis in 12 days with a budget of approximately $65,000 and launched by Crown International Pictures. The film is Avedis’ tribute to 1967’s The Graduate. The film stars Angel Tompkins, Jay North and Anthony James, and tells the story of an 18-year-old boy’s first meeting with his attractive instructor, and also of the hidden danger that lies between them. waits in the dark.
Wife to be Sacrificed (1974)
It is a Japanese sadomasochistic themed erotic thriller movie starring Naomi Tani and directed by Masaru Konuma. The film was produced by Nikkatsu as part of their Roman Porno collection. Akiko (Naomi Tani) is alarmed to discover that her ex-husband, Kunisada (Nagatoshi Sakamoto), spies a young woman peeing along a roadway. When Akiko returns home the woman follows her and cries. Akiko turns the woman over to the authorities. Later, while doing ikebana class, the cops come back to ask Akiko for details about Kunisada. It was discovered he left 3 years earlier after being detained for a sex-related crime with a high school student.
Waves of Lust (1975)
It is a 1975 Italian erotic thriller movie directed by Roger Deodatus and starring John Steiner and Silvia Dionisio. Irem and Barbara are a young Italian couple on holiday in Sicily and are welcomed by a wealthy and married elderly couple, Giorgio and Silvia, aboard a private yacht for a weekend of cruising and free time. Irem and Barbara soon become involved with Silvia’s marriage problems as Giorgio, an insensitive man, abuses Silvia for his perverted pleasure of controlling her. Eventually, both Irem and Barbara end up getting involved with Silvia, causing Giorgio to become much more emotionally unstable.
Obsession (1976)
It is a 1976 American erotic thriller movie directed by Brian De Palma, with Cliff Robertson, Geneviève Bujold and John Lithgow. The screenplay for the film was written by Paul Schrader, from a short story by De Palma and Schrader. Bernard Herrmann created the film score before his death in 1975. The story deals with a well-known New Orleans businessman who is haunted by guilt due to the death of his wife and daughter during a rescue attempt of a failed kidnapping. Years later he meets a girl who is a perfect copy of his long dead wife.
Both De Palma and Schrader have pointed to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) as significant cues for the story and themes of Obsession. Schrader’s screenplay was completely rewritten and abridged by De Palma before the acquisition, forcing the film’s screenwriter to announce a total lack of interest in further production and even in the launch of the film. Finished in 1975, Columbia Pictures requested from the director that minor adjustments be made to minimize objectionable aspects of the story. It was De Palma’s first significant box office success and earned mixed reviews from critics when it launched in the late summer season of 1976.
Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
It is a 1978 American erotic thriller movie starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones, directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay for the film was adapted from a short story called Eyes, created by John Carpenter. HB Gilmour later composed a novel. Producer Jon Peters, who was dating Barbra Streisand at the time, obtained the film’s script as a pitching tool for her, but Streisand ultimately decided against taking the role due to the outlandish nature of the story, as Peters later described. As a result, the role went to Dunaway, who had just won an Oscar for his performance in Network. Streisand, however, truly thought that “Prisoner,” the song from the film, would be an excellent performance for her. She sang the song on the soundtrack and had good success. The film is an example of an American version of the style Italian Giallo. The film is further known for its use of false clues and also its twist ending.
Bad Timing (1980)
It’s a movie psychological thriller 1980 British erotic movie directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel and Denholm Elliott. The story focuses on an American woman and a psychologist living in Vienna who enter into a morbid sexual relationship and, through flashbacks, an investigator investigates their relationship and her suicide attempt. The film was the subject of controversy upon its release, being billed as “a sick film made by sick people for sick people” by its own producer, the Rank Organisation: they dropped the Rank logo design from all UK prints of the film The censorship was also given an X rating in the US. Some found it fantastic; others, uninteresting. In the UK Nicolas Roeg has been called a talented and original director. In other hands all this material may be misleading, but through these fragmentary aspects Roeg and his innovative Yale author Udoff develop an interesting story.
Cruising (1980)
It is a 1980 American erotic thriller movie also written and directed byWilliam Friedkin and starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino and Karen Allen. It is loosely based on the story of the same title by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker concerning a serial killer of gay men. The title is a double entendre and can define both patrolling law enforcement officers and men traveling for sex. Disliked by film critics upon release, the film did well at the box office. Gay civil libertarians sharply criticized the film, which they thought stigmatized them. The film is also notable for its hanging ending resulting from several director changes in editing and script writing, along with various other production issues.
In New York City during a hot summer season, human body parts appear in the Hudson River. Cops think it’s the work of a serial killer who is catching gay kids in West Village bars like the Eagle’s Nest, the Ramrod and even the Cock Pit, then taking them to motels and stabbing them to death. Cop Steve Burns is secretly dispatched by Captain Edelson to the underground world of gay sadomasochism and bars in the Meatpacking District to find the killer. Burns is initially reluctant to take the job, but sees the opportunity as a way to rapidly advance his career. He rents a house there and befriends a neighbor, Ted Bailey, a penniless young gay playwright. Burns’ undercover work strains his relationship with his love Nancy.
Dressed to Kill (1980)
It is a 1980 American sensual thriller film written and directed by Brian DePalma. Starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon, the film illustrates the events leading up to the murder of a New York City housewife (Dickinson) before meeting a prostitute (Allen) who witnesses the murder. It includes numerous references to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho. Released in July 1980, Dressed to Kill was a box office hit in the United States, earning over $30 million. It garnered mostly positive ratings and has been called the first wonderful American film of the 1980s. Dickinson won the Saturn Award for Best Actress for her performance. Allen garnered both a Golden Globe Award election for New Star of the Year and a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.
Sexually frustrated housewife Kate Miller is on her way to treatment sessions with New York City psychoanalyst Dr. Robert Elliott. During a consultation, Kate tries to seduce him, but Elliott refuses, saying it would endanger his happy marital relationship. Kate goes alone to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where she suddenly flirts with a strange unknown person. Kate and the stranger follow each other into the tunnel until they finally end up outside, where Kate joins him in a taxi. Most likely they go to his house and make love.
Macabre (1980)
It’s a film horror Italian erotic movie from 1980 directed by Lamberto Bava. Jane Baker, a woman living in New Orleans, is secretly meeting a man, Fred, from her husband. His teenage daughter, Lucy, has suspicions that her mother is cheating on her father. Jane continues dating Fred in an apartment she rents in a boarding house owned by Mrs. Duval, where her blind son Robert is staying. While Jane is meeting Fred for sex, Lucy drowns her little brother Michael in the bathtub and says it was an accident. When he gets information about the death over the phone, Fred drives her home, but they crash on the way; Fred is killed in the crash, but Jane survives.
Night Games (1980)
It is a 1980 erotic thriller movie directed by Roger Vadim. It was launched in France as Jeux de Nuit. The film stars Cindy Pickett as a woman still traumatized after being raped as a teenager, and also unable to have a satisfying sex life with her husband, who eventually leaves her. Alone in a large house, Valerie has erotic dreams, while facing the risk of another potential rapist. Joanna Cassidy also stars as Valerie’s friend.
Nightkill (1980)
It is a 1980 German-American erotic thriller movie directed by Ted Post and starring Robert Mitchum and Jaclyn Smith. The script of the film concerns an adulteress who concocts a story to kill her millionaire spouse while her lover thinks of his alibi. Robert Mitchum’s role is promoted in the NightKill promo but his part in the film is really small with very little screen time. Married to devious Arizona businessman Wendell Atwell, Katherine is in a secret relationship with Steve Fulton, her sidekick. Knowing that a million dollars in cash Wendell hid in a locker at the flight terminal, Steve tricks her into poisoning her husband, while he will stand in for her husband on a trip to Washington to make it appear he’s still alive.
The Fan (1981)
It is a 1981 American erotic horror-thriller film directed by Edward Bianchi and starring Lauren Bacall, Michael Biehn, James Garner and Maureen Stapleton. The story tells of a movie star called Sally Ross (Bacall) who is followed by a terrible, crazy fan (Biehn), who starts eliminating those around her. The film’s screenplay by Priscilla Chapman and John Hartwell was based on the 1977 Bob Randall story of the same name. The Fan project began in 1979, and many versions of the film script were created by a variety of writers before Chapman.
The Fan was a box office failure, earning $3.1 million. It received mostly negative reviews from film critics, although it would later become a cult film in the years following its release. Bacall was crucial to the film after its launch, she later said that she felt her performance in it was among her best work.
Ms. 45 (1981)
It is a 1981 American erotic thriller movie directed by Abel Ferrara and played by Zoe Tamerlis. Inspired by films such as A Cruel Picture (1973), Death Wish (1974) and Taxi Driver (1976), the film is a revenge tale about Thana, a mute woman who ends up a killer after being raped twice in a day on his way home from work. It was not well received at its launch, but currently it is generally very fond of fans of underground cinema and independent film.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
It is a 1981 American neo-noir erotic thriller movie directed by Bob Rafelson and written by David Mamet in his screenwriting debut. Starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange, it is the fourth adaptation of the 1934 story by James M. Cain. The film was shot in Santa Barbara, California.
Frank Chambers (Jack Nicholson), a drifter, enters a Depression-era California restaurant outside Los Angeles to eat and ends up working there. The restaurant is run by an attractive young lady, Cora Smith (Jessica Lange), and also by her much older spouse, Nick Papadakis (John Colicos), a hard-working but uninspired immigrant from Greece. Frank and Cora begin having an affair soon after they meet. Cora is tired of her situation, married to an older man she doesn’t like, as well as working in a restaurant she wishes to value and own. She and Frank plan to kill Nick to start a new life together without her leaving the restaurant.
Cat People (1982)
It is a 1982 American supernatural erotic horror film directed by Paul Schrader and starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard and Annette O’Toole. It is a remake of the 1942 RKO Radio Pictures film of the same name. Giorgio Moroder composed the film’s music which includes lyrics and vocals by David Bowie.
An opening set in an unknown and primitive human village reveals a sacrificial maiden connected to a tree. A black panther puts its paws on her, and the scene fades to black. Another woman with feline attributes approaches a large feline in a cave, without being attacked. Irena Gallier from Canada takes a trip to modern-day New Orleans to find her brother Paul. Irena was raised in foster care after they were orphaned. Paul, who spent his youth in psychiatric wards, is currently associated with a church and lives with his Creole cleaner.
American Nightmare (1983)
It is a 1983 Canadian erotic thriller movie directed by Don McBrearty and starring Lawrence Day, Lora Staley, Lenore Zann, Michael Ironside and Alexandra Paul in the feature film launch. It tells the story of a powerful pianist who witnesses his sister disappear into metropolitan decay as a serial killer murders the city’s prostitutes. John Sheppard’s film script, based on a story by John Gault and Steven Blake, was influenced by the rise in crime in American cities in the 1970s and early 1980s. The film was produced by Paul Lynch, who previously directed Prom Night (1980). Recording took place in Toronto, Ontario in 1980 with a budget of $200,000. The film got a small release in March 1983 in Canada.
The Fourth Man (1983)
It is a 1983 Dutch erotic thriller movie directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Jeroen Krabbé, Renée Soutendijk and Thom Hoffman. Based on Gerard Reve’s 1981 book of the same name, it follows Gerard, a bisexual writer who has a fling with a woman, Christine, and also eventually falls in love with Herman, one of his male fans. While trying to pursue Herman, Gerard is plagued by a series of disturbing visions that suggest Christine may be an assassin who has selected him as her fourth target.
Released in 1983, the film was a box office success in the Netherlands, and was a major commercial success in the United States, where it became the highest-grossing Dutch film ever. It was the Dutch choice for Best Foreign Language Film at the 56th Academy Awards but was rejected as a candidate. The film is controversial and, like much of Verhoeven’s various other films, contains violence and gore.
Bed Room Eyes (1984)
It is a 1984 erotic thriller movie starring Kip Gilman and Barbara Law, directed by William Enjoys. A young entrepreneur and avid jogger discovers a privileged place for voyeurism in his nocturnal journey. After a long time snooping, he witnesses a murder. He quickly gets involved in complicated situations resulting from the event.
Body Double (1984)
It is a 1984 American erotic thriller movie directed, co-written and produced by Brian DePalma. In the cast Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith and Deborah Shelton. The film is a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950s films, especially Rear Window, Vertigo and Dial M for Murder, taking on storylines and themes such as voyeurism. Upon its release, the film garnered warm box office success and mixed reviews, and the role of Melanie Griffith gained appreciation and brought her a Golden Globe election. It is currently considered a film cult.
The star of b movie Jake Scully recently walked away from his role as a vampire in a low-budget scary movie after his claustrophobia hampered his performance. After returning home he discovers that his wife is cheating on him, he separates from her and also remains homeless. During an acting technique course, where she meets Sam Bouchard, to whom Scully reveals her worries and childhood years, the source of her claustrophobia. Scully finds a place to stay: Sam’s wealthy friend has traveled to Europe and also needs a caretaker for his ultra-modern home in the Hollywood Hills.
Crimes of Passion (1984)
It is a 1984 American erotic thriller movie directed by Ken Russell and starring Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins and John Laughlin. The film examines the themes of human relationships and mental illness. A mix of sex and thriller, the film was subjected to negative reviews and controversy for its obscene content. Bobby Grady is an ordinary middle-class electronics dealer who periodically works nights to perform security jobs. He attends a group treatment session because his wife, Amy, doesn’t really like sex and fears for their marital relationship.
Fear City (1984)
It is a 1984 American neo-noir erotic thriller movie directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Tom Berenger, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Scalia and Melanie Griffith. The screenplay for the film was created by longtime Ferrara collaborator Nicholas St. John. It has become a cult film.
The film follows a former boxer turned mob-connected nightclub manager (Berenger) and a government detective (Williams), who investigates a serial killer targeting lap dancers in Manhattan. Friends Matt Rossi and Nicky Parzeno run a scouting agency for Manhattan’s top strippers, while also grooming and scheduling their clients at clubs throughout the borough. Rossi was once in a relationship with their main client Loretta, but they separated because Rossi’s memories of unintentionally knocking out a challenger in the ring during his pro boxing days left him psychologically unstable. Loretta still cares for Matt, but is now in a lesbian relationship with a young dancer named Leila.
The Sidewalks of Bangkok (1984)
It is a 1984 French erotic thriller movie directed by Jean Rollin. The film was influenced by Boris Karloff’s 1932 film The Mask of Fu Manchu. In contrast to Rollin’s usual themes of vampires, dreamlike atmospheres and collapsing castles, Les Trottoirs des Bangkok mixes themes of travel, crime and secrets with comic book dialogue, while including naked women and sex.
Rick, a French secret service agent, is eliminated. His friend Jacques finds Rick’s camera, which includes shots of a girl named Eva. The Secret Service concludes that she has the thing Rick was eliminated for, a deadly substance that would surely eliminate an entire city if released. The Secret Service returns to Bangkok to search for Eva, who works in a brothel. 2 women burglarize the secret service apartment, eliminate a man and find the container of the film; these women work for an evil association run by a woman who is also trying to find Eva. Since the intelligence cannot pay to fly to Paris, the organization gets to Eva before them.
The Trap (1985)
It is a 1985 erotic thriller movie directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, and also starring Tony Musante, Laura Antonelli, and Florinda Bolkan. The famous director Italian horror filmmaker Lucio Fulci worked on the script of the film: he could not direct it due to liver disease. The film is based on a story entitled “The Eye”, written by the director Francesco Barilli. Barilli planned to make the film himself, but ran into difficulties with producers who wanted Shelley Winters to star. He sold the story to Griffi who let him shoot it. Barilli later said that the film was crap, and Fulci used profanity mentioning his point of view on Griffi, deprived of the opportunity to direct the film.
Matador (1986)
It’s an erotic thriller Spanish of 1986 written and directed by Pedro Almodovar about an apprentice bullfighter, Ángel Giménez (Antonio Banderas), who admits to committing murders he didn’t commit. Diego Montes (Nacho Martínez) is a former bullfighter who was fired after being gored. He discovers the satisfaction of sex by watching slasher films. Among the students of his bullfighting course is Ángel, a less assertive boy who has problems with vertigo. During an episode of vertigo, Ángel dreams of a woman who kills a man with a clip during sex, in a way comparable to how a bullfighter kills a bull. After the class, Diego asks Ángel if he is homosexual, bearing in mind that he has no experience with women.
Angel Heart (1987)
It is a 1987 American erotic horror film, an adaptation of William Hjortsberg’s 1978 novel Falling Angel. The film was written and directed by Alan Parker, and starring Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet and Charlotte Rampling. Harry Angel (Rourke), a New York City private detective, is hired to solve the murder of a man named Johnny Favorite. His examination takes him to New Orleans, where he ends up involved in a series of murders.
Hjortsberg began crafting the film script for a film adaptation, but found that no major production companies agreed to produce the film. The project resurfaced in 1985. Parker began writing a new script and in doing so made numerous changes to Hjortsberg’s book. He also met with Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, who agreed to finance the $18 million production with their independent film studio Carolco Pictures. Filming took place in New York and New Orleans.
5 Corners (1987)
It is a 1987 American independent erotic crime film directed by Tony Bill, written by John Patrick Shanley, with Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins, John Turturro and Rodney Harvey. The film illustrates 48 hours in the life of a group of 4 New York men in the 1960s. The film received favorable reviews, but was a financial failure, earning $969,205 against a budget plan of $5.5 million. At the 4th Independent Spirit Awards; Foster won Best Female Lead, while Turturro was chosen for Best Supporting Actor.
Dead Ringers (1998)
It is a 1988 erotic thriller movie with Jeremy Irons in the double role of twin gynecologists. David Cronenberg co-wrote the film’s screenplay and directed with Norman Snider. Their screenplay was based on the lives of Stewart and Cyril Marcus as well as the short stories Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, a fictionalized version of the Marcus tale. The film won several accolades, including for Irons’ performance, as well as 10 Genie Awards, most notably for Best Picture. Toronto International Film Festival critics ranked it among the top 10 Canadian films of all time. Doubles Elliot and Beverly Mantle are gynecologists who run a medical practice in Toronto for fertility issues. Elliot seduces the women who arrive at the clinic and when he is bored with them he passes them on to introverted Beverly, and they do not notice that he is someone else.
Inner Sanctum (1991)
It is a 1991 erotic thriller movie starring Tanya Roberts, Margaux Hemingway, Joseph Bottoms and Valerie Wildman, and was also written by Mark Thomas McGee and directed by Fred Olen Ray. The film was produced for $650,000 and was also very successful, leading Ray to make a collection of erotic thrillers. “I didn’t really know what an erotic thriller was when I did Inner Sanctum,” Ray later confessed.
Jennifer Reed, heiress to a significant amount of money, thinks her husband Baxter, an insurance agent in Los Angeles, is cheating on them. Unable to accept it, she takes many sleeping pills and falls down a stairway. A couple of weeks later, Jennifer, now in a wheelchair, becomes even more jealous of her husband due to him not being interested in her, providing Nurse Lynn Foster with more attention. Foster had previously been responsible for the home treatment of a client. After the person died inexplicably, Nurse Foster married the widower, who then also died under strange circumstances.
Whore (1991)
It is a 1991 American erotic thriller movie directed by Ken Russell and also starring Theresa Russell. It chronicles the life of a prostitute in Los Angeles. Antonio Fargas, Jack Nance, Danny Trejo and Ginger Lynn Allen play supporting roles. The screenplay for the film by Russell and Deborah Dalton is based on David Hines’ talk show Bondage. Throughout the film, the protagonist usually breaks the fourth wall, confronting the audience with speeches containing reflections and stories about her life as a prostitute on the street. While not a hit, earning just over $1 million, the film attracted some favorable reviews from film critics, particularly for Theresa Russell’s role. The film was banned in Ireland due to its depiction of sexuality and violence. The film inspired the sequel Whore II in 1994.
Basic Instinct (1992)
It is a 1992 erotic thriller movie directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco government investigator Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is looking into the brutal murder of a wealthy rock celebrity. During the exam, Curran begins an erotic affair with the prime suspect, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), an enigmatic author.
Eszterhas wrote the screenplay in the 80s. From there, Verhoeven came on board to direct, and Douglas and Stone became interested in the project, after many actresses were considered for the role of Tramell. Prior to its release, Basic Instinct produced controversy due to its sexuality and violence, especially a rape scene. Gay civil liberties lobbyists have criticized the film’s depiction of same-sex intercourse and the depiction of a bisexual woman as a homicidal psychopath. Infamously, Sharon Stone crossed her legs exposing her private parts, which she claimed was done without her knowledge, a claim refuted by the director.
The film garnered mixed reviews from critics, who praised the actors and editing, however criticized its writing and character development. Basic Instinct was a hit, earning $352 million worldwide, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 1992.
Light Sleeper (1992)
It is a 1992 American crime film written and directed by Paul Schrader and starring Willem Dafoe, Susan Sarandon and Dana Delany. Set in New York City, the story features Dafoe as a drug dealer who seeks a life change before getting caught up in terrible events with his ex-wife. Despite low receipts, the film was received positively by film critics.
John LeTour, a 40-year-old New Yorker, is one of two shipping men for Ann, who supplies drugs to special clients in the financial market. While Ann considers moving to the cosmetics company, LeTour, who suffers from a sleep disorder, has changed her outlook on life. One evening LeTour meets his ex-wife Marianne, with whom he shared a troubled relationship due to substance abuse. They stop taking drugs and after spending an evening together, she informs him that this was her way of saying goodbye. Unbeknownst to Marianne, her mother died in the hospital while she was with LeTour.
Exotica (1994)
It is a 1994 Canadian erotic thriller movie written and directed by Atom Egoyan, with Bruce Greenwood, Mia Kirshner, Elias Koteas, Sarah Polley and Don McKellar. Set largely in the fictional Exotica strip club in Toronto, the film follows a grieving father who is seduced by a young lap dancer. It was inspired by Egoyan’s interest in the function strip clubs play in sex-obsessed societies. Exotica was filmed in Toronto in 1993. Marketed as an erotic thriller upon its release in Canada and the United States, the film proved to be a significant success for English-language Canadian cinema, as well as garnering favorable reviews. It has won numerous accolades, including the FIPRESCI Award at the Cannes Film Festival and 8 Genie Awards, including Best Film.
Francis Brown, a tax auditor for Revenue Canada, is a regular visitor to a Toronto strip club called Exotica. There he meets Christina, a stripper wearing a schoolgirl outfit, who offers him a private striptease. This motivates the envy of the DJ of the club, Eric, Christina’s ex-boyfriend. While at the club, Francis pays his brother Harold’s teenage daughter Tracey to “babysit”. Francis has no children and the woman just sings to herself on her piano until Francis drives back to her house. Francis’ relationship with Harold changed, as Francis realized that Harold and his wife were having an affair before his death in an automobile accident, which furthermore left Harold paraplegic. Francis’ daughter Lisa was kidnapped and killed a couple of months before the crash, and was among the suspects, but was later cleared. These events left a significant mental mark on Francis.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
It is a 1999 erotic thriller movie directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on the 1926 novel Traumnovelle (Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzler, shifting the setting of the tale from early 20th century Vienna to 1990s New York City. When his wife (Nicole Kidman) reveals that she really thought about having an affair with a stranger a year ago, her husband, a doctor (Tom Cruise), is stunned. He then embarks on a nocturnal adventure, during which he infiltrates a private orgy of a not unknown secret society.
Kubrick acquired the rights to the novel Dream Story in the 1960s, considering it a great story for a film adaptation about sexual intercourse. When he hired author Frederic Raphael to help with the adaptation, he picked up the project again in the 1990s. The film, which was shot primarily in England, apart from some exterior shooting, at Pinewood Studios. The film’s production, which lasted 400 days, holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous film shoot.
Kubrick died 6 days after completing the final cut of Eyes Wide Shut at Warner Bros. He considered this film his “greatest contribution to the art of cinema”. To release it as a public film, Warner Bros. cut a number of scenes during post-production. This version was released on July 16, 1999, to favorable responses from film critics. Grossings reached $162 million, making it Kubrick’s highest-grossing film.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
It is a 2001 surrealist mystery film with some erotic elements, written and directed by David Lynch and starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Mark Pellegrino and Robert Forster. It tells the story of an up-and-coming actress named Betty Elms (Watts), who has recently arrived in Los Angeles, and befriends a woman (Harring) recovering from an automobile accident. The French-American co-production was initially conceived as a television pilot, and a large section of the film was shot in 1999 with Lynch’s idea of keeping it flexible for a future series. After checking out Lynch’s cut, however, television executives rejected it. Lynch then wrapped up the work, turning it into a feature film. The resulting half-TV pilot and half-feature film, as well as Lynch’s distinctive surrealist style, left a mark of originality on the film. Lynch hasn’t revealed any of the story while making the film, leaving audiences, critics, and cast members guessing what’s to come. He only said that it was “A love story in the city of wishes”.
Classified as a psychological thriller, Mulholland Drive won Lynch the Best Director Award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, sharing the award with Joel Coen for The Man Who Wasn’t There. Lynch also had an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. The film greatly enhanced Watts’ Hollywood career and was also the last feature film to star actress Ann Miller. Mulholland Drive is commonly regarded as one of Lynch’s best works and also one of the best films ever.
Femme Fatale (2002)
It is a 2002 erotic thriller movie written and directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars Antonio Banderas and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. It was selected out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. The film was a commercial flop but was appreciated by many film critics and slowly became a cult film.
Mercenary safecracker Laure Ash belongs to a group that carries out a ruby heist at the Cannes Film Festival. The rubies can be found on a necklace worn by actress Veronica, who is arriving with director Régis Wargnier for a preview. Laure seduces Veronica to get the rubies, aided by her partners “Black Tie” and Racine. The theft attempt doesn’t work and Laure ends up playing a double game with her associates and leaving for Paris with the rubies. In Paris, a series of events causes Laure to be misinterpreted as a Parisian woman named Lily who has recently disappeared. As Laure basks in a bathtub at Lily’s house, the real Lily returns and commits suicide while Laure secretly watches. Laure is given the opportunity to take her ID and leave the country to go to the United States.
Passion (2010)
It is a 2012 erotic thriller movie written and directed by Brian De Palma, with Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace. It is an English-language remake of Alain Corneau’s 2010 thriller film Love Crime, with the story significantly changed. The film was chosen for the competition for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.
Christine, an American marketing executive based in Germany, is collaborating with her protégé Isabelle on a marketing campaign for a new cell phone. Isabelle, who is secretly meeting Dirk, Christine’s boyfriend, has a great advertising idea. Isabelle is jealous, but makes up with Christine when she shares the story of how her brother died when Christine claims him as her own. At the urging of her aide Dani, Isabelle posts a version of her ad on the Internet, where it goes viral. Christine vows revenge, teasing her with a sex tape Isabelle had made with Dirk. After a distraught Isabelle crashes her car in the company parking lot, Christine shares the safety video with the rest of the company, embarrassing Isabelle and she falls into clinical depression.
