Cinema Shock

SHOWGIRLS: The NC-17 Disaster That Became a Cult Classic | Sex + Violence

After the smash success of BASIC INSTINCT, Paul Verhoeven had the Hollywood clout to push boundaries like never before. For his next film, he wanted total freedom—no rating compromises, no MPAA edits. What he made was one of the most notorious movies of the 1990s.
SHOWGIRLS.
Written by Joe Eszterhas and pitched (literally) on a cocktail napkin, SHOWGIRLS was meant to be Verhoeven’s ultimate statement on American decadence and ambition. Instead, it was universally panned, laughed out of theaters, and quickly became shorthand for “Hollywood disaster.” But over time, the film’s reputation has shifted—from box office bomb to camp classic, and now to a legitimate subject of critical reappraisal.
In this episode, we trace the full journey of SHOWGIRLS: its unlikely origins, wild production, disastrous release, and long road to redemption.
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Coming Up:
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)
HOLLOW MAN (2000)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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BASIC INSTINCT: Sharon Stone, Joe Eszterhas, and the Most Controversial Film of the ’90s | Sex + Violence

After back-to-back sci-fi hits with ROBOCOP and TOTAL RECALL, Paul Verhoeven took a surprising left turn. Instead of another effects-heavy blockbuster, he chose a smaller, more intimate (but no less explosive) project—a sexually charged neo-noir thriller that would push American taboos to the brink.
That film was BASIC INSTINCT.
In this episode, we trace the origin of BASIC INSTINCT, from Joe Eszterhas’s record-breaking screenplay sale to the casting of Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas, to the intense scrutiny and controversy the film faced both during production and after release. We also unpack how the film plays today, and how Verhoeven’s unique blend of sexual provocation and formal precision made BASIC INSTINCT one of the defining—and most debated—films of the 1990s.
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Coming Up:
SHOWGIRLS (1995)
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)
HOLLOW MAN (2000)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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TOTAL RECALL: Paul Verhoeven, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Philip K. Dick Mind Trip | Sex + Violence

After the surprise success of ROBOCOP, Paul Verhoeven had officially made it to the A-list—and so it wasn’t long before Hollywood’s biggest star came knocking. Arnold Schwarzenegger, impressed by ROBOCOP’s mix of action and intelligence, personally recruited Verhoeven to direct his next film: TOTAL RECALL.
But the story of TOTAL RECALL doesn’t start there.
In this episode, we trace the film’s complex journey from its earliest incarnation as a Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett script—written in the same era as ALIEN—through a decade of rewrites, studio changes, and near-deaths in development hell. We break down how the film finally came together under Carolco Pictures, how Verhoeven put his stamp on the production, and how its mix of ultraviolence, mutant horror, and psychological ambiguity turned it into a sci-fi classic.
We also discuss the legacy of TOTAL RECALL, including the many attempts at a sequel—and the remake that couldn’t measure up.
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Coming Up:
TOTAL RECALL (1990)
BASIC INSTINCT (1992)
SHOWGIRLS (1995)
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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Let's Talk About the ROBOCOP Sequels | Bonus Episode

For our very first Cinema Shock Roundtable, we’re gonna tie things into our current series on Paul Verhoeven by discussing the non-Verhoeven sequels to ROBOCOP.
These Roundtable discussions are designed to be less structured than our regular episodes where we can play around with our format a bit. Got an idea for a bonus episode? Hit us up at @cinema_shock on Twitter or Instagram!
For even further ROBOCOP discussion, check out this episode from our friends at The More You Nerd where they discuss the ill-fated 90s ROBOCOP TV series.
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Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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ROBOCOP: Paul Verhoeven, Corporate Satire, and Ultraviolent Salvation | Sex + Violence

 
After the commercial disappointment of FLESH + BLOOD, Paul Verhoeven made a bold move—he left the Netherlands and relocated to the United States, determined to understand American audiences from the inside out.
His first major project on U.S. soil? A dystopian action movie about a cyborg police officer called ROBOCOP.
In this episode, we track the development of ROBOCOP—from the satirical, ultra-violent script by Ed Neumeier and Michael Miner, to Verhoeven’s initial dismissal (and eventual embrace) of the project, through its chaotic shoot and over-the-top violence that nearly earned it an X rating. We also explore the film’s legacy as one of the smartest, bloodiest, and most influential sci-fi films of the 1980s.
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Coming Up:
TOTAL RECALL (1990)
BASIC INSTINCT (1992)
SHOWGIRLS (1995)
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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FLESH + BLOOD: The Bloody American Debut of Paul Verhoeven | Sex + Violence

In our new series Sex + Violence: The Films of Paul Verhoeven, we’re diving into the provocative, satirical, and often controversial career of one of cinema’s boldest auteurs.
We kick things off with a look at Verhoeven’s first English-language film: the brutal 1985 medieval epic FLESH + BLOOD, starring Rutger Hauer and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Before we get there, we also spend time exploring Verhoeven’s early life, his rise through Dutch cinema, and how his distinct blend of sex, violence, and social critique began to take shape in films like TURKISH DELIGHT and SPETTERS.
Then, we get into the chaotic production of FLESH + BLOOD—from its battles behind the scenes to the uneasy balance of exploitation and artistry on screen—and how it set the tone for the American phase of Verhoeven’s career.
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Coming Up:
ROBOCOP (1987)
TOTAL RECALL (1990)
BASIC INSTINCT (1992)
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2: Hooper Goes Wild With a Cult Sequel | Tobe Hooper: The Cannon Years

For the final film in Tobe Hooper’s Cannon Films trilogy—and the last wide theatrical release of his career—he returned to the movie that started it all.
At the end of his three-picture deal with Cannon, the studio asked Hooper to deliver a sequel to his 1974 horror masterpiece. But THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986) was not the film they—or most audiences—were expecting. Loud, gory, satirical, and often absurd, the film ditched the gritty realism of the original in favor of pitch-black comedy and over-the-top violence.
In this episode, we follow the story of how CHAINSAW 2 came to be, how it baffled critics and audiences upon release, and how it gradually found a second life as a cult classic—now considered one of Hooper’s most distinctive and beloved films.
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Coming Up:
FLESH + BLOOD (1985)
ROBOCOP (1987)
TOTAL RECALL (1990)
BASIC INSTINCT (1992)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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INVADERS FROM MARS: The Cannon Remake That Crashed Back to Earth | Tobe Hooper: The Cannon Years

After the critical and commercial failure of LIFEFORCE, Cannon Films still had faith in Tobe Hooper—or at least, they had a contract to honor.
Next up in Hooper’s three-picture deal was INVADERS FROM MARS (1986), a remake of the 1953 sci-fi cult classic. Cannon hoped the film could help change their reputation from B-movie factory to big-budget player. Instead, the result was a box office disappointment that only deepened the perception of Cannon’s creative chaos.
In this episode, we explore how INVADERS FROM MARS came to be, the troubled shoot, and why the film ultimately failed to connect with audiences. Plus, we highlight the incredible creature effects by Stan Winston and his team, whose work remains one of the film’s few enduring legacies.
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Coming Up:
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE PART 2 (1986)
UP NEXT: Sex + Violence: The Misunderstood Films of Paul Verhoeven
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
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LIFEFORCE: Tobe Hooper, Space Vampires, and Cannon Chaos | Tobe Hooper: The Cannon Years

In this new three-part series, we pick up where The Tragedy of Tobe Hooper left off—right after the POLTERGEIST controversy—following Hooper into his wildest professional era: his years with Cannon Films.
First up: LIFEFORCE (1985), a big-budget space horror film based on the novel The Space Vampires. With a screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby (BLUE THUNDER), LIFEFORCE was Hooper’s attempt to kick off a new phase in his career—one with more control, more money… and much, much weirder material.
In this episode, we dive into the film’s chaotic production, its strange creative choices (naked space vampires, anyone?), its reception by critics and audiences, and how it set the tone for Hooper’s Cannon trilogy—and the rest of his career.
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Coming Up:
LIFEFORCE (1985)
INVADERS FROM MARS (1986)
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE PART 2 (1986)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD: Punk Rock Zombies and a Long-Overdue Breakthrough | The Unsung Legacy of Dan O’Bannon

For the final entry in our Unsung Legacy of Dan O’Bannon series, we’re diving into the movie that finally gave O’Bannon full creative control—and a chance to prove what he could do when left to his own devices.
After the early success of ALIEN, O’Bannon spent years struggling to gain traction in Hollywood. Burned by politics, studio rewrites, and his own stubborn reputation, he still hadn’t found a project that was truly his… until 1985’s RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD.
Originally brought on as a screenwriter, O’Bannon eventually stepped into the director’s chair and delivered a film that was part horror, part comedy, part punk rock, and all attitude. The result? A cult hit that redefined zombie cinema and helped inspire decades of undead mayhem.
In this episode, we break down the story behind RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD—from its legal roots in George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, to the chaotic production process, and O’Bannon’s vision for something weirder, wilder, and more subversive. We’re joined by special guest Dan Wipert of the Film Trace podcast.
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Coming Up:
LIFEFORCE (1985)
INVADERS FROM MARS (1986)
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE PART 2 (1986)
Theme Song: "There's Still a Little Bit of Time, If We Hurry and I Mean Hurry" by Slasher Film Festival Strategy.
This episode was written, produced and edited by Gary Horne, Justin Bishop, & Todd Davis.
Visit our website for episode archives, blogs and more: http://cinemashock.net
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