Anyone who walked the aisles of a video store remembers erotic thrillers. Their cover art far moodier and less immediately bombastic than most of what adorned the horror section, this genre was aimed more at adults than teens. “Basic Instinct” might be the most notable of the erotic thriller genre’s offerings, which thrived on the small screen, leaving many direct-to-video films largely forgotten. Rightfully so, since many were barely a wire coat hanger for the impending softcore scenes teased on the cover.
Not all was disposable, though. Some directors blended danger, sex and death with style. A cinematic titan of his time and mostly remembered for “Carrie” (1976), “Scarface” (1983) and “The Untouchables” (1987), writer-director Brian DePalma was enamored with the work of Alfred Hitchcock and cribbed heavily from Hitchcock’s most famous thrillers. Between 1980 and 1984, DePalma directed three thrillers sure to satisfy fans of “MaXXXine”: “Dressed to Kill” (1980), “Blow Out” (1981) and “Body Double” (1984). These movies form a loose stylistic and thematic trilogy that sees DePalma mining the danger of the forbidden unknown for peerless cinematic thrills.
In Italy, cheap paperback thrillers were printed on yellow-tinged paper and thus became known as “giallo” — Italian for yellow. Predating the erotic thriller boom of the ’8 0s and ’90s that was fueled by late-night cable TV and the prevalence of VHS, Italian filmmakers began making intensely stylish and often quite erotic thrillers that became known purely as giallo. While the stories could be thin (though not always), the genre became most known for its brilliant and often surreal use of color and creative, gruesome kills. If this sounds familiar to ’80s slasher fans, it’s for good reason. Giallo films heavily inspired ’80s slashers, with Mario Bava’s “Bay of Blood” (1971) very clearly inspiring the makers of the first “Friday the 13th” movie.
Giallo is a deep well, with a number of notable stars and directors. Curious viewers would do well to start with “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage” (1970), directed by giallo giant Dario Argento. Argento would direct a number of giallo classics, including the often weird “Deep Red.” Director Sergio Martino also helmed a number of solid giallo mainstays: “The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh” (1971), “All the Colors of the Dark” (1972) and “Torso” (1973). And I’d be remiss not to mention Lucio Fulci, who is best known for his work in the horror genre, but whose output is always giallo-adjacent, even when he’s not working firmly within its parameters. For an extreme giallo, check out his film “The New York Ripper” (1982).
Though films like these seem to be largely on the back burner for studios, their influence is still visible on screen in the occasional modern movie. Director Edgar Wright’s 2020 “Last Night in Soho,” starring Anya Taylor-Joy, bore heavy visual influence from giallo. “Suitable Flesh” from 2023 starred Heather Graham in a film that winks and nods at the 1980s work of writer-director Stuart Gordon, who pushed boundaries of taste and style with “Re-Animator” (1985) and “From Beyond” (1986). Director Peter Strickland’s work unabashedly draws from erotic thrillers of years past. His film “B erberian Sound Studio” (2012) is clearly influenced by DePalma’s “Blow Out,” which itself is a remake. His next feature, “The Duke of Burgundy” (2014), openly billed itself as an erotic thriller.
Occupying a cinematic niche that doesn’t see much screen time in modern cinemas, the psycho-sexual lineage of Hitchcock still offers its own brand of thrills.
Thompson, VHS.D, holds a doctorate of cult media in pop culture from University of Maine at Castle Rock. He delivers lectures on movies and other pop culture topics under the moniker Professor VHS. Find him on Instagram as @professorvhs and more of his work at professorvhs.substack.com.
