Episode 110: Special Effects (1984)

The gang are joined by very special guest and editor of Culture Film Publication, Isabelle Cocozza, as they look over the complicated story of sexual need and sexual repression within a woman on the verge of a troubling relationship with her student in Michael Haneke's 2001 film The Piano Teacher.   Follow Issy on Instagram. Check out Culture Film Publication.   Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang look to the present state of erotic thrillers and evaluate the latest offering of the genre, with pretty people, moral quandaries and conveniently placed staircases in Paul Feig's 2025 film The Housemaid.     Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang returns to the world of older, sexy Danish women (Anna absolutely insisted) for a tale of corruption, predation and the lengths someone will go to cover up their indiscretions in May el-Toukhy's 2019 film Queen of Hearts.     Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang turn to formalist experimentation for their latest foray into the world of erotic cinema, specifically looking over the quasi-desconstructionist giallo from filmmaking duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani with their 2009 film Amer.       Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang check out the dreamy exploitation story of a teenage sex worker, the boy who wants to save her, and the maniac cop who wants her dead in Katt Shea's 1990 film Streets.       Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang welcome back writer/director/actor Emily Bennett to discuss the cycle of emotional vulnerability and unresolved grief contained within the titular strip club in Atom Egoyan's 1994 film Exotica.   Follow Emily on Instagram. And check out her podcast The Tower.   (Oh, and the Jennifer Jason Leigh movie that Leslie refers to during the episode is Heart of Midnight (1988).)   Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang head into an atmospheric world that throws back to 70s European erotic cinema and Jess Franco in a study of comfort and kink in a relationship threatening to come apart in Peter Strickland's 2014 film The Duke of Burgundy.       Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang stay in the 1980s for the scuzzy tale of exploitation that also doubles up as a cineliterate skewering of exploitation cinema, in Larry Cohen's 1984 film Special Effects.       Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang head back to a banner year for the erotic thriller subgenre, and they've got a new permanent co-host to help talk all about the slick veneer and strange hair on display in the often overlooked film - Ridley Scott's 1987 Someone to Watch Over Me.       Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The gang start 2026 with a bang, welcoming very special guest, actor/writer/director Annapurna Sriram to discuss the many weird and troubling facets of Asia Argento's 2000 film of artistic indulgence and naked catharsis... Scarlet Diva. Follow Annapurna on Instagram. Keep an eye out for Annpurna's upcoming movie Fucktoys.     Night on the Docks - Sax Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/