INTRODUCTION: LOUD, PROUD, AND UNFOCUSED The late 1970s gave birth to some of the most memorable cult films ever made. Some of them were genre-defining classics (The Warriors, Alien), while others achieved midnight movie status through sheer audacity or accident. Then there’s Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979), a film so loud, chaotic, and juvenile … Read More “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979) — A Sonic Mess with a Soles Highlight” »
INTRODUCTION: A ROAD TRIP TO NOWHERE There’s a peculiar breed of film from the late 1970s that tries to blend introspection with structureless storytelling—a sort of pseudo-European moodiness filtered through American self-help culture. Old Boyfriends (1979) is one of them. Directed by Joan Tewkesbury (best known as a screenwriter for Robert Altman’s Nashville) and starring … Read More “Old Boyfriends (1979) – A Meandering Therapy Session in Search of a Plot” »
INTRODUCTION: BLOOD, ANGST, AND A PROM TO FORGET There are few films as enshrined in the horror canon as Carrie (1976), Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s debut novel. It’s often credited as a masterpiece of psychological horror, a landmark teen tragedy, and a breakthrough for several actors, particularly Sissy Spacek. And for a … Read More “Carrie (1976) – High School Horror That Peaked Too Early” »
INTRODUCTION: THE ’90s LUST MACHINE SPUTTERS If ever there was a time when films could survive on nothing more than a couple of sex scenes, a shady psychiatrist, a thunderstorm or two, and some suspiciously well-lit lingerie, it was the early 1990s. This was the heyday of late-night cable erotic thrillers—where narrative came second, third, … Read More “Sins of Desire (1993) – A Softcore Sleazefest That’s All Sin, No Desire” »
INTRODUCTION: T&A AND TNT WITHOUT THE FUSE By 1991, the erotic thriller had splintered into dozens of B-movie subcategories: the steamy legal drama, the forbidden-affair-with-guns flick, and, perhaps the most shameless of them all, the “stripping-gone-wrong” genre. Legal Tender, directed by Jag Mundhra and written by Barry Roberts, dives headfirst into this last one and … Read More “Legal Tender (1991) – A Court Case of Cinematic Negligence” »
Inner Sanctum (1991) – A Lifeless Thriller That Flatlines on Arrival INTRODUCTION: THE SANCTUM IS EMPTY The early 1990s saw a flood of erotic thrillers washing over the video store landscape, most of them cashing in on the success of Fatal Attraction and the cultural frenzy leading up to Basic Instinct. It was a moment … Read More “Inner Sanctum (1991) – A Low-Budget Misfire Disguised as Erotic Mystery” »
INTRODUCTION: SEX, SURVEILLANCE, AND SNOOZE Back in the early ’90s, the erotic thriller was having its cultural moment. Fatal Attraction had shocked audiences just a few years earlier, and by the time Basic Instinct rolled around in 1992, the formula was well-worn: seductive women, weak men, voyeurism, murder, and moody saxophone music. Somewhere in the … Read More “Night Eyes (1990) – A Softcore Thriller with No Pulse” »
INTRODUCTION: A MISSED OPPORTUNITY PINNED BY ITS OWN SILLINESS In the strange hybrid universe of 1980s pop culture, wrestling was white-hot. Hulkamania was sweeping the nation, MTV was still showing music videos, and every kid on the block had at least one action figure in tights and boots. It was the perfect time for a … Read More “Body Slam (1986) – Star Power in the Ring, Script on the Mat” »
INTRODUCTION: THE DANGERS OF STAYING TOO LONG AT THE PARTY By the time A View to a Kill was released in 1985, Roger Moore had been playing James Bond for twelve years. He’d already done more films in the role than any other actor and brought a sense of humor and aristocratic cool to the … Read More “A View to a Kill (1985) – Bond Grows Old, and So Do We Watching It” »
INTRODUCTION: TARZAN-LITE IN A GLOSSY, BARELY-THERE LOINCLOTH When it hit theaters in 1984, Sheena was meant to be a female-fronted answer to the pulpy adventure stories of the ’30s and ’40s, polished with glossy Reagan-era sheen and nudity. But instead of roaring like the jungle cat it promised to be, Sheena purred lazily through a … Read More “Sheena (1984) – A Jungle Flop With Just Enough Tanya Roberts To Keep You Watching” »
