With the fall in the prevalence of video stores and tapes, film fans have started to lose out on specific subgenres that once lined the shelves of the local rental place. The direct-to-VHS era brought about schlocky, campy horror classics and surprisingly solid sequels to bigger and better films, but one subgenre that thrived thanks to a mix of allure and danger was the low-budget erotic thriller. The documentary We Kill for Love is set to look back at that bygone subset of films and Collider can exclusively share the first clip that explores the rise and reaction to the new genre that took over Hollywood.
Framed as a stylized flashback to the era of the direct-to-video erotic thriller, the clip sees film scholars, filmmakers, and actresses look back on the genre that once was. Scholar Linda Ruth Williams recalls seeing the genre take root in the video stores with cheaper productions and enticing box art that capitalized on the mantra of "sex sells." Films like Fatal Attraction and the Sharon Stone-led Basic Instinct eventually led the charge on the big screen, making the genre a bigger draw than ever. Actresses Athena Massey, Jodie Fisher, and Monique Parent all describe their experiences with the low-budget erotic thriller differently from a quick shoot to something that sounds raunchier than they're interested in and characterized by dangerous but sexy women. Another actor, Dan Anderson, rounds out the trailer by calling the genre's name "just the perfect meld of exactly what these movies were."
Today, the erotic thriller genre has yet to fully recover from its fall from grace. While films like the Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas-led Deep Water attempted to bring back the genre for contemporary audiences, it's still a far cry from its heyday and could do with more modern explorations. We Kill for Love looks to remind viewers what made these films so enticing in the first place and why they became a staple on late-night television and in video stores.
Written, produced, and directed by Anthony Penta and hailing from Yellow Veil Pictures, We Kill for Love will feature far more voices than seen in the clip to shed light on the oft-misunderstood erotic thriller. Among the names that'll appear in the documentary alongside those in the footage are filmmakers Andrew Stevens, Jim Wynorski, and Fred Olen Ray, stars Amy Lindsay and Kira Reed Lorsch, and scholar Abbey Bender among others.
When Does We Kill for Love Release?
We Kill for Love will make its world debut at this year's Overlook Film Festival on April 1 at the Canal Place Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year's fest will be one spooky affair with Penta's doc sharing a world premiere with Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage's vampire flick Renfield. Wrapping up the event will be a demonic treat in the form of Evil Dead Rise, Lee Cronin's new entry into the beloved Deadite-infested franchise.
Screenings of We Kill for Love will take place on both April 1 and 2. Check out the exclusive new poster below:
