Whatever happened to the erotic thriller?
Todays box office values big-budget, four-quadrant blockbusters, making marketing of films about adult sexuality nearly impossible.
Plenty will say that’s a good thing;those people are wrong.
Yes, theres plenty to criticize, even in the best examples of the form.
Craig Wasson plays Scully, a failed actor housesitting in the Hollywood Hills.
Theres nothing particularly sympathetic about Scullyhes alternately a dupe or a bad decision makerand thats as it should be.
Trois(2000)
What we think of as the erotic thriller genre is overwhelmingly white.
It did respectable business as an independent film, and very well among Black audiences.
It spawned two less successful, but generally sweatier, sequels.you might streamTroison Tubi andPrime Video.
and a murder for which Costner is the chief investigatorand also the prime suspect.
Its a beautifully hypnotic and appropriately titled film that culminates in a genuinely shocking act of violence.
The two give a shot to uncover Rita’s true identity, before engaging in some undeniably hot sex.
It doesnt hurt thatBoundis an incredibly sexyand cleverBilly Wilder-inspired neo-noir.
), including some memorably risque sex scenes.
One reason this worksmaybe the only reasonis in the wild lead casting of Beyonce and Idris Elba.
Scottie falls for Madeleine (Kim Novak) before she falls to her death.
Dead Ringers(1988)
David Cronenberg followed upThe Flywith this similarly disturbing bit of psychological fuckery.
Annnnndddd cue the inevitable murder.
