On Friday nights, IndieWire After Darkish takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema within the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight film choose — one thing extraordinary from any age of movie that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as skilled by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s suggestion.
The Pitch: Peering Eyes and A number of Endings
Sliver actually ought to be necessary viewing for any “Fundamental Intuition” fan — or any lover of Sharon Stone noirs, for that matter. Stone reunites with “Fundamental Intuition” screenwriter Joe Eszterhas for this 1993 erotic thriller that feels extra like a Brian De Palma-esque satire on the style itself. Blended with the paranoia of surveillance know-how, the voyeurism of “Physique Double,” and the twin campy performances from Billy Baldwin and Tom Berenger as a part of a twisted love triangle, “Sliver” is the ‘90s movie you’ve by no means heard of however will adore.
Stone stars as a Hitchockian blonde divorcee who works as a e-book editor by day and a quasi investigator by evening. What may have piqued her curiosity, you ask? Effectively, Stone’s Carly Norris has simply moved into a brand new high-rise that appears to be chockfull of WASPy elites. But the token previous man who lives within the constructing confuses Carly with the previous resident of her residence – one who mysteriously died — and the overwhelmingly apparent sexual advances of her new neighbors, Zeke (Baldwin) and Jack (Berenger), level to one thing being afoot within the constructing. Oh, and Carly is also harking back to Zeke’s lifeless mom, as Jack informs her whereas making an attempt to argue that Zeke is mentally unwell, simply one other online game designer who cycles by means of ladies (this was earlier than video video games have been related to incels, apparently.) A string of murders begin to happen, with Carly’s neighbors being offed one after the other. Plainly the one constructing residents who stay are Carly, Zeke, and Jack…Is Carly the killer, or do Jack’s erratic tendencies and standoffish-ness level to a extra sinister agenda?
As Carly turns into entangled with each males, she questions who she will belief, and even when her personal urges are darker than simply her sexual urge for food.
The unique ending was truly swapped out as a consequence of poor check viewers rankings, however one factor has remained throughout each iterations: The uncovering of a constructing surveillance room, and a speech Carly provides that appears to be proper out of “Community.”
“Sliver” has shit rankings and mainly swept all nomination classes for the Razzies, however the movie has has slowly been rediscovered (hopefully even with the assistance of this rewatch) in recent times. Some new consideration has been partially because of the lore surrounding its manufacturing, which Stone has spoken out about not too long ago. Karina Longworth’s “You Should Keep in mind This” podcast on ‘90s erotic thrillers, launched in 2023, included “Sliver” as one of many must-watch examples of the style.
The actual-life twistedness of the making of “Sliver” even appears to make its lore extra interesting: Stone famously accused “Fundamental Intuition” director Paul Verohoven of filming her nude genitals within the notorious leg crossing interrogating scene with out her information; the tie of “Sliver” and “Fundamental Intuition” each being penned by Estzerhas helped cement Stone’s iconic erotic thriller stardom within the decade. By 2024, although, Stone claimed on podcast “The Louis Theroux Podcast” that “Sliver” producer Robert Evans inspired her to have sexual relations with co-star Baldwin for the sake of their onscreen romance believability. Baldwin in the meantime disputed Stone’s allegations towards Evans. Additionally apparently there’s a NC-17 rated model circulating round, one which entails full frontal male nudity. Paramount launched an unrated model on VHS on the time which didn’t embody such scene, however hey, you by no means know. —SB
The Aftermath: The way to Make Midnight a Secure Area for Intercourse Symbols?
Midnight motion pictures are attractive. Sure, they’re additionally experimental, violent, offensive, and gross a lot of the time. However there’s a titillating core that’s inherent to any style designed to be loved after the solar goes down. From big-boobed remaining women to sci-fi femme fatales, fringe cinema has discovered everlasting connective tissue with mainstream film fare in humanity’s near-universal appreciation of drop-dead attractive ladies. Sharon Stone is that rule and, some occasional moments of missing stress however, what a trashy pleasant romp “Sliver” was.
There’s a skin-crawling displeasure to watching males paw at Carly, and listening to Billy Baldwin say “panties” is an instantaneously torturous reminiscence I want I may give again. (Per Google, MTV awarded Baldwin “Most Fascinating Male” that 12 months, and, reader… what?) Nonetheless, Stone does stable work right here — delivering a fancy sufficient consideration of a girl grappling with the thrilling potential of single-hood pot-divorce and the very actual risks of society immediately clocking that sexual viability and freedom.
Contemplating the context Sam offered about Stone’s profession, it’s maybe irresponsible to sidestep the fact that male filmmakers’ worst tendencies have formed erotic thrills for many years. Allegations surrounding archival movies will at all times be extremely tangled, however this backwards testomony to upscale residing and sensual stranger hazard was actually directed by a person, written by one other, and based mostly on a e-book writer by one more (Ira Levin). But, it’s Stone’s face we’ll at all times bear in mind telling peeping audiences to “GET LOST!” on the finish.
As I used to be mulling over “Sliver” at a bar, a person advisable I pair it as a double function with James Gunn’s “Slither.” That film sees an attractive younger lady impregnated with 1000’s of slug-like aliens, her pores and skin bulging too far a lot for a kind of slim-cut appears Stone wears. It made me think about: What extremes ladies have gone to be within the motion pictures? And the way will we push and shield them after midnight? —AF
These courageous sufficient to affix in on the enjoyable can stream “Sliver” on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+. IndieWire After Darkish publishes midnight film suggestions at 11:59 p.m. ET each Friday. Learn extra of our deranged solutions…