The standard slasher movie involves a group of teens getting stalked and dispatched by a masked maniac. Sometimes, those teens might be college co-eds. Far less common is a slasher set around adult victims facing very real adult problems. But taking that adult concept further, like say, setting the slasher in the sex industry or involving characters that work in the sex industry, and you have a much rarer beast altogether.
The upcoming Deep Murder is a perfect example, which follows a group of porn stars who start getting picked off by a masked killer. It’s a sort of alternate reality set in a tacky soft-core porn film, where a group of increasingly self-aware stock characters are up against a mysterious killer.
The directorial debut of Nick Corirossi, Deep Murder stars Jerry O’Connell, Christopher McDonald, Chris Redd, Katie Aselton, Quinn Beswick, Josh Margolin, Jessica Parker Kennedy and Stephanie Drake. The film was written by Quinn Beswick, Josh Margolin, Benjamin Smolen and Nikolai Von Keller and will arrive in theaters and VOD on June 14, 2019.
To prepare for its release, we look back at some of the greatest adult-themed slashers.
American Psycho
American Psycho is actually a psychological horror film, but it’s wrapped in designer post-modern slasher clothing. Patrick Bateman is a wealthy New York City investment banker with a materialistic lifestyle. He has a meticulous fitness and skincare regimen, and a busy social calendar to maintain appearances, despite not liking most in his “friends” circle. When his friends aren’t looking, he gives in to his darkest impulses, and he usually seeks out escort services or street corners for his victims. American Psycho gives an uncomfortable peek into the class divide between the wealthy elite and the lower class willing to put themselves in danger to earn a living. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for this modern classic.
Frankenhooker
Frank Henenlotter’s horror comedy gives an oddball spin to the Frankenstein story with Frankenhooker, a title that likely drew ire of many parents upon release. After a freak accident with a lawnmower that killed his fiancée Elizabeth, Jeffrey decides to bring her back to life. Being that she was hacked to bits, he pieces her back together using parts of prostitutes from the streets of New York City. This causes the resurrected Elizabeth to begin looking for new customers, who then explode after sex. It’s a bizarre slasher, comedy, Frankenstein mashup befitting of Elizabeth’s newly stitched together state.
The New York Ripper
Lucio Fulci’s New York City set giallo sees a burned-out police detective on the case of a series of murders involving female victims. The only common link among them is that they all happened to be sexually liberated, running the gamut from sex show worker to prostitute to simply a free-spirited woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. Like most of Fulci’s most regarded horror films, The New York Ripper is full of gore and sleaze in equal measure, and is possibly most known for its killer talking in a weird duck voice.
Maniac
Frank Zito grew up in an abusive household, raised by his prostitute mother. To say it left him with serious psychological trauma would be an understatement. An encounter with a prostitute blows open old wounds, resulting in Frank murdering her and removing her scalp as a memento. It’s the start of Frank’s descent into madness and murder, leaving a string of scalp-less victims in his wake. But it’s his obsession with photographer Anna that might be his complete undoing. It should probably surprise no one that this sleazy cult favorite is set in Manhattan- a recurring setting for many adult-themed slashers. It doesn’t dare follow the traditional slasher formula either, placing the viewer in the shoes of the film’s killer.
Stripped to Kill
Set in Los Angeles, Detective Cody Sheenan and her partner witness a stripper being murdered. A serial killer has been targeting strippers, but they refuse to talk to the police. It kicks off a mission to find the killer by getting up close and personal, with Detective Cody going undercover as a stripper. Directed by Katt Shea and produced by Roger Corman, this low budget exploitation slasher never shies away from the strippers, their jobs, and the problems that come with their profession. All while delivering fast-paced thrills and a bonkers ending.
Girl House
College co-ed Kylie is struggling to pay her college tuition, so when she’s recruited to join an online porn venture that means living in a house with cameras that streams its inhabitants to customers 24/7, she doesn’t hesitate to sign up. But when she performs her first striptease, she catches the notice of Loverboy, an unhinged user whose obsession grows to the point of showing up at the house to stalk and slay the ladies. A traditional slasher with a creepy masked killer gets a modern update with its unique cam girl setting.
Look for the porn set Deep Murder to slash its way onto VOD and theaters on June 14, 2019.
