Shannon Tweed and Shannon Whirry: The Queens of B-rotica - Episode 128

In the early- to mid-1990s, a deluge of enterprising, low-budget filmmakers sought to cash in on the erotic thriller craze that swept into cinemas in the wake of the incredible success of the likes of Fatal Attraction at the end of the preceding decade - films that we at the Rewind Movie Podcast have been lauding in our dubiously-named RErotica series. We bring the series to a (maybe temporary) close with a look at two of the biggest stars to emerge from the DTV erotica craze - Shannons Whirry and Tweed - as they star in 1992’s Animal Instincts and 1994’s Scorned AKA A Woman Scorned, respectively.

Boiling down the generic elements of their big budget forebears with ruthless efficiency, laced with the quirks of maverick creatives responding to fast turnarounds and budgets skimpier than the costumes, these staples of the video store, after-dark cable, and, for UK listeners including our panel, the nascent Channel 5 sought to match the daring sexual politics, dangerous thrills, and indulgent visual titillation of Hollywood productions on a shoestring.

We discuss the directorial work of notorious adult filmmaker-turned-videauteur Gregory Dark, and journeyman actor-turned-cottage industry multihyphenate Andrew Stevens, in two prime examples of this once-lucrative subgenre that has been all but swept under the rug. Is there some insight to mine from revisiting these sketchy late night sleazy features; can it tell us anything about the minds and lives of the audiences of the era who ploughed millions into these films, only to see them drop off the face of the earth just a few short years later? Travel back with Gali, Devlin, Patrick and Matt to an era of slumming C-list stars, ambitious models-turned-actresses seeking their big break, and their cut-price misadventures behind the net curtains and under the bedsheets of suburban California in our B-rotica special. Check out our blog to learn more!

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If you have a film you’d like the gang to tackle, send us an email at [e-mail]. For introductions, essays, playlists, and the full back catalogue of episodes and specials, find us at rewindmoviecast.com.

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