What made this one of the biggest XXX cult classics of all time?
Taboo (1979)
Kay Parker portrays a woman whose husband has left her for his younger secretary, her and her son to fend for themselves. In order to put her life back together, she takes a secretarial job.
After her boss makes an uncomfortable pass at her and she falls into the divorcee’s role of meaningless parties and blind dates, she becomes caught in a vortex of lust and passion for her young son Paul.
Director: Kirdy Stevens
Studio: Dart Enterprises
Starring:
- Kay Parker
- Mike Ranger
- Dorothy LeMay
- Juliet Anderson
- Tawny Pearl
- Don Fernando
- Chris Scott
- Lee LeMay
In 1979, America probably wasn’t ready to watch a movie that features a mother having graphic sex with her son. But that’s exactly what Taboo delivered. How did the public respond to such filth? Well, almost immediately Taboo became a sales juggernaut, spawned thirteen sequels and remains one of the best-selling porn movies of all time.
What made Taboo so damn shocking was the way it took a piece of subject matter so controversial that most people wouldn’t even talk about with their friends and put it front and center. The film didn’t tiptoe around the idea of a mom fucking her son or even try to make it something bad or dirty.
Taboo made the argument that incest could be really fucking hot. And people responded to that in a big, big way.
Also, keep in mind that in the late 1970’s, people couldn’t just discreetly download this movie and watch it in secret. They had to either buy or rent it from a VHS store or get a copy from a friend. Either way, you couldn’t watch this without having to go look for it or ask around for it. This film literally had people out shopping for incest porn.
And then there’s probably a whole generation of kids who stumbled upon Taboo in their dad’s porn stash, watched it and ended up becoming all sorts of damaged as a result.
Is the acting in this movie great? No. Are the sex scenes featured here as wild as they are in some other porn films? Nope. And are many parts of the plot flimsy as a piece of plastic wrap? Yup. And yet, this single film sparked a whole new era for the porn industry. Today, there are entire studios that make nothing except for “family roleplay” movies.
Kay Parker’s performance in Taboo certainly also helped the movie become as runaway hit. She did a pretty decent job of portraying a sexy, mature mother who could still fuck with the best of them. She brought to life the twisted fantasies that were swirling around in people’s wet dreams since they were old enough to jerk off. Her role as Mrs. Barbara Scott made her an XXX legend and helped earn her a spot as one of Die-Screaming’s Top 10 Best Female Pornstars of the 1970s.
Kay Parker wasn’t the only MILF pornstar who helped make Taboo so great. This joint also featured the wildly talented Juliet Anderson, one of the 10 best female pornstars of the 1980s, who serves as the voice of debauchery and bad decisions, to Kay Parker’s character.
As I already mentioned, there were a whole mess of Taboo sequels. That alone is noteworthy because up until then, there were no porn franchises or series. While the first few were pretty good, most of the Taboo sequels are crap that never even come close to living up to the awkward, electric energy of the original. If you haven’t seen Taboo 4 thru 14 (none of which actually feature Kay Parker)…you aren’t missing anything.
If you haven’t ever seen Taboo, it’s certainly a movie that’s worth your time. While it’s not the best or “hottest” dirty movie ever made, it is one of the most influential and controversial. A lot of the most twisted and demented smut today can be directly attributed to the first Taboo, a movie that was released over thirty-five years ago and still remains such an edgy piece of erotica.
What are your thoughts on all of this family debauchery? Tell us all about it in the comments box below.