If you were a single guy in the ’90s, rather you had a girlfriend or not, you probably know all the ’90s B-movie actresses who populate the world of straight-to-video (or in some cases, straight-to-cable) erotic thrillers by heart. In this edition of The Hot List, we’re listing the Top 5 Sexiest stars of the genre, those who dominated the ’90s erotic thrillers movie scene. You know the ones I’m talking about, the ones with the lurid covers — a half-naked woman standing over a dead body, sitting in front of a mirror, or perhaps presenting her generous cleavage for your inspection, with titles that will invariably include the words “Dream”, “Illicit”, “Intimate”, or “Body”. Most of these actresses them have gone on to obscurity now, but some have continued onto bigger and better (if not sexier) things. But we’ll always have the ’90s, and we’ll always have The Hot List.
Up first at #5 is Kari Wuhrer. Although not a major staple of the early heyday of the erotic thriller, she did start to make a major impression toward the latter ’90s while splitting her time between leading lady roles in cheaply made genre erotic thrillers and small roles in mainstream Hollywood films. Unlike most of her sisters on this list, Wuhrer is probably the only one who can boast an actual mainstream movie career before, during, and after her erotic thriller days. Though she isn’t generally considered one of the more prolific actresses in the genre, she still did enough good work to make it onto your list.
At #4 is Tane McClure, otherwise known as the blonde bombshell you get when Shannon Tweed is too busy doing another erotic thriller at the moment. Basically a Tweed clone, from the tall lean body, huge breasts, to the blonde hair, Tane McClure carved out an impressive body of work (no pun intended) in the genre. Perhaps Tane’s unoriginal look can also be blamed on all the sequels on her resume; when you already have an established name (in this case, the movie title), a major star is not absolutely necessary. Hey, it’s not exactly a compliment to be told you look enough like someone else that they’re willing to slot you into the role, but someone’s gotta do it, and McClure did it so well.
Bringing up #3 is Gabriella Hall, a gorgeous brunette who spent most of her erotic movie days playing supporting roles, which is just fine with us, since even the supporting players disrobe almost as much in these movies. Gabriella Hall is most memorable to me for having sex appeal up the wazoo, but maybe that’s just my preference for sexy brunettes with killer bodies. Besides feature-length movies, Gabriella was also a regular on a variety of softcore TV series like “Beverly Hills Bordello” and its ilk, her parts basically consisting of a couple lines of dialogue before the clothes came off. Her most recent movie was 2005’s “Jacqueline Hyde”, which was one of the very first movies I’ve seen with her in the lead.
At #2 and #1 are the two Shannons. Of course I’m talking about Shannon Whirry and Shannon Tweed. Was there any doubt these two women would end up #2 and #1, respectively? The Shannons ruled the ’90s erotic thriller genre. Basically, if you had an erotic thriller and you wanted to sell it overseas and guarantee yourself a financial return, you sought out one of the Shannons — the blond Tweed or the redhead Whirry. Although I have always been partial to Shannon Whirry, if only because of her incredible physical beauty, there is no doubt that of the two, Tweed is Queen of the Erotic Thrillers, and has sold videos and DVDs (not to mention cable viewings) by the bucketloads.
#2: The Whirry
#1: The Tweed
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