Do you see Michael Douglas, vertical blinds, or sex negativity? Then you might be watching an erotic thriller
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Courtesy of the studios, Filmways/Kobal/Shutterstock and Moviestore/Shutterstock Erotic thrillers, equal parts contrived and riveting, define whole eras of American cinema and culture. The classics are as ingrained in popular culture as Star Wars. If you haven’t seen Star Wars, you know what the Force is. If you haven’t seen Fatal Attraction, you know what a “bunny boiler” is.
The Fall Guy The Fall Guy . Photo: TriStar Pictures The Fall Guy is the male protagonist in erotic thrillers. He is usually a handsome but approachable man with a busy, vaguely interesting but standard job such as detective, doctor, or lawyer. Fall Guys are very easily seduced and incapable of seeing red flags or getting out of their dire situations by being honest. They’re all himbos; the Fall Guy’s lifeless personality serves the purpose of not competing with the femme fatale.
An Inconsequential Cute Kid Who is he? Who cares! Photo: Universal Pictures The kids in erotic thrillers are cute and never consequential. While some films put children in harm’s way — such as the kidnapping in Fatal Attraction or The Boy Next Door — they pass through the movie peacefully and unscathed. The kid in Deep Water even gets to star in the film’s weird end-credit scene.
Secret Identities And/or imposters. Photo: Columbia Pictures Erotic thrillers love secret identities. Body Heat, Body Double, Original Sin, The Handmaiden, Dead Ringers and Single White Female use fake names/matching bowl cuts in unique ways but to similar effect: Characters are not who they say they are in order to advance sexual and/or criminal needs.
The Cinematic Miscellanea Blinds Are Always in the Way Body Double has vertical and horizontal blinds. Photo: Columbia Pictures The unifying visual element of erotic thrillers is cinematic voyeourism. This includes shots through windows, shots through windows in between blinds, shots through telescopes, holes, cracks and, generally, people watching people.
➼ Trench Coats: Speaking of costumes, watch out for a classic between-season wardrobe staple. In an erotic thriller, any woman in a trench coat could be naked underneath it.
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