Horny for Story: Why Don't We Have As Many Erotic Thrillers Anymore?

The Rise and Fall of Erotic Thrillers

The erotic thriller once dominated late-night television and the home video market, but today, it has faded from our screens into a naughty memory of the past.

I was really excited to find this video essay that explores the history of this genre, from its film noir roots to its "golden age" in the 80s and 90s, and its eventual decline in the internet age.

Erotic Thriller Origins

The video traces the origins of the erotic thriller to the film noir of the 1940s and 1950s, to Alfred Hitchcock's suspenseful masterpieces, and the Italian giallo films of the 1960s and 1970s.

Those were the foundation from which the steamy titles we think of were built.

Essentially, they were movies made for adults to go watch in the theaters and talk about at work the next day. They were pulpy and mixed sex and violence to lure us in.

These influences created a mix of sex and suspense. They explored themes of romance, infidelity, and murder. They were movies that unapologetically "went there."

The genre's success was cemented with the release of Fatal Attraction in 1987, a box office smash that brought the erotic thriller into the mainstream.

The late 80s and 90s were the genre's heyday, with over 700 erotic thrillers produced, primarily for the home video market. These straight-to-video releases, often with cheesy titles like Fatal Instinct or Body Chemistry, bypassed cinemas and pushed the boundaries of ratings boards across the world.

They became a staple of video rental stores, offering a titillating, yet accessible, look at a sexier side of life.

What Happened to the Erotic Thriller?

The simple answer is that once the internet was in everyone's homes, people started watching porn by themselves and cast the entire world out. I mean, look at Gen Z. They're not going out, not having sex, it changed the entire world.

You could also say that sexual anxieties of the 90s were replaced with terrorism anxieties of 9/11.

Like the video points out, erotic thrillers were linked to sex with danger and death, and were a reflection of public fears about the AIDS epidemic.

Promiscuous characters were frequently punished, while monogamous ones survived, reinforcing a conservative moral message that didn't necessarily hold up to standards as they changed.

Major studios are now reluctant to fund such films, and the era of big-name stars in steamy thrillers feels like a distant memory.

But look at how much 50 Shades of Grey made. It shows audiences still want these stories. We just have to figure out what is making us anxious now and talk about it with a little sex, along with the violence, to draw people in.

Summing It All Up

Now I know people can just watch porn on their phones today, but there is something sensual about going to the theater and watching a well-made Hollywood production that feels a little naughty. And doing that in a crowded theater, I also think, taps into a lot of people's inner desires.

So let's get them back and start making these things again.