FEBRUARY’S EROTIC THRILLS IN THE NIGHT: SEA OF LOVE (1989).

Posted on February 14, 2024     2 Comments

“Deception is dangerous. Desire is deadly.” Light up a cigarette and throw on your favorite trench coat with nothing else underneath because it’s time for our Erotic Thrills In The Night for February: 1989’s SEA OF LOVE.

Al Pacino plays New York City detective Frank Keller, a burnt-out cop investigating a serial killer who lures his victims using personal ads and leaves the Phil Phillips song “Sea of Love” playing at the crime scenes. Detective Frank is pulled into a classic vortex of seduction as he falls head over heels for one of his prime suspects after conducting a plan to find the killer by posting his own personal ads.

Al Pacino delivers on all fronts playing a burnt-out detective. I absolutely cherish burnt-out cop movies, and hell, now that I’m thinking about it, we could easily devote a month-long chronicle of the best burnt-out cops to ever grace the screen. The classic case of these brooding men is a cop who has a troubled history and therefore now works too hard, doesn’t sleep, has no life, is always grumpy, drinks too much and lives haunted by his past. Detective Frank Keller is a textbook case. He wanders the streets at night, smokes 497 cigarettes, obsesses over the killer and is permanently tired but still sharp as a nail.

When Frank begins getting involved with prime suspect #1 Helen Cruger, peak horniness ensues as passions burn and desires are felt. Yes, those might be Dokken lyrics but they are also a good indication of the animal attraction that Frank and Helen bring to these scenes.

A supermarket rendezvous is prompted by Frank when he calls Helen on a pay phone, asking her what she’s wearing and requesting that she meet him. This is right when he’s having a stressed-out cop moment by working too hard on the case and being lonely. It couldn’t come at a better time and she gives Frank the sultry distraction that he so needs. Without spoiling the scene for those who haven’t seen the film, below is a sneak peek.

After watching this scene you might not be just thinking of vegetables the next time you’re standing at the produce section of the grocery store. Or perhaps you’ll lock eyes with a lucky someone while picking out yellow peppers and lettuce. Just be sure to have some sensuous saxophone music like this in the background…

Trevor Jones composed the music for Sea of Love and it’s truly one of those perfect scores for a film of this caliber. Have a listen and just try not to get hot and bothered.

The “Main Title Theme” has been a personal favorite of mine for a long time. Listen to how the percussion and saxophone drift over the synth melody like city steam rising from the sewers and dissipating into thin air just a moment later. Then it repeats itself, again and again. I can picture the empty streets at 4 a.m. and dimly lit street lamps. Then suddenly, the sound of high heels walking against the pavement from the distance. A rhythmic, click-clack sound of red stillettos that evokes feelings of elegance, power and potential danger.

Sea of Love is an absolute staple in the erotic thriller genre. TNUC recommends watching it preferably late into the night when the mood is right and you find yourself in a haze of crime, lust and cigarettes. (Or just watch it how you please).

‘Erotic Thrills In The Night’ is a monthly chronicle into the forgotten world of the erotic thriller movie genre. These sultry titles and steamy VHS covers were at their absolute peak during the early 1990’s but as years progress, they fall deeper into the abyss. Inspired by the recent documentary We Kill For Love, this monthly feature will attempt to resurrect these films and keep you on the brink of seduction. We can’t predict what indecent behavior will be committed or how much illicit, unprotected, promiscuous activity will ensue, but prepare for a wild ride with lots of saxophone.

JANUARY’S EROTIC THRILLS IN THE NIGHT: SCORNED (1993).

Posted on January 18, 2024     2 Comments

‘Erotic Thrills In The Night’ is a monthly chronicle into the forgotten world of the erotic thriller movie genre. These sultry titles and steamy VHS covers were at their absolute peak during the early 1990’s but as years progress, they fall deeper into the abyss. Inspired by the recent documentary We Kill For Love, this monthly feature will attempt to resurrect these films and keep you on the brink of seduction. We can’t predict what indecent behavior will be committed or how much illicit, unprotected, promiscuous activity will ensue, but prepare for a wild ride with lots of saxophone.

Since January is the first entry, we’re diving head first into what possibly could be considered the pinnacle of steamy, up alone at night, keep-the-volume-low erotica. I’m talking about 1993’s SCORNED.

Shannon Tweed. You better get used to saying her name because she’s going to be a permanent fixation around here. Female talent like Sharon Stone, Glenn Close and Demi Moore may have paved the way for big budget thrillers, but Shannon Tweed carried the next decade on her shoulders by starring in what appears to be 497 straight-to-video erotic thrillers. The woman was a steam-powered erotica machine set on maximum heat. Arguably the queen of the genre.

Scorned is the sensitive story of Amanda (Tweed), a beautiful, captivating woman who slithers her way into a family’s home with a seemingly effortless plan of seduction and destruction. She doesn’t stop at just going after the man who she blames for her husband’s death. She seduces the entire family. Yes, the wife and their high school-aged son as well.

This old familiar tale starts with a corporate-stressed husband named Truman and his blonde bombshell of a wife, Amanda. Truman is so determined to climb the corporate ladder and land that higher position at the office that he invites his old pervert of a boss to their house for some drinks, cocaine and…his wife. Truman turns his cheek to allow his pig boss to grope and sleaze all over his poor wife in the kitchen against her will.

Matters escalate very quickly at the office when the high position at work is passed over to Alex Weston, played by genre mainstay Andrew Stevens (who also directed the movie). Truman commits suicide over this and this is where the fun begins…

The now widowed and angry Amanda discovers where Alex’s family lives and snakes her way into the house to begin tutoring Alex’s son, Robey, with his school work. This leads to some late night peeping around the bushes and the horny high schooler going all the way with Amanda. The twosome begin to have quite a few late night rendezvous with copious amounts of saxophone and slow-mo camera work. For a kid who’s parents forget his birthday, and a kid who is constantly fighting with his dad, he sure makes out beautifully with how things develop. The little twerp is the clear winner in this story.

After the fun with junior, she makes her way towards his father, Alex. This ultimately starts the Weston family turning on each other as Amanda makes her way around to each of them, with the previous family member finding out and becoming enraged.

The character of Amanda performs these seductive tricks with such ease and perfect timing. It’s like overnight she had the whole plan executed in her mind and it just unfolds impeccably. One by one the clothes come off and they are weaved into her web.

If you are a fan of the genre, I can’t recommend Scorned enough. Again it’s one of those titles that’s very hard to track down, aside from the crusty VHS copies floating around. By the end of this monthly chronicle, I hope to discover why most erotic thrillers aren’t given any upgrades or proper releases. For all the (let’s be honest, crappy) horror titles that are given the golden platform decades after their lackluster original reception, it’s baffling that erotic thrillers don’t get a whiff of that treatment or push.

While I know most are expecting us to end with a soundtrack cut of saxophone heat from the score to Scorned, I thought it would be fitting to feature the KISS song “Thrills In The Night” considering it’s the name of our chronicle AND Shannon Tweed is real life-married to Gene Simmons! Enjoy and sleep tight.