In a pivotal scene from Dario Argento's thriller, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, Sam Dalmas is helpless as he stands behind a glass door, watching a victim writhing in agony from what appears to have been an attempted murder. The aspect of voyeurism is closely tied to the thriller, especially in classics such as Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Sliver, released in 1993 during the short-lived run of erotic thrillers that found varying levels of success following Basic Instinct, encompassed themes of voyeurism and obsession that have always been prominent in the genre.

Dismissed by many critics at the time of its release, Sliver is one of many erotic thrillers that deserves far more praise than ridicule. Some who had seen Sharon Stone's performance as femme fatale Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct were taken aback by what some described as a more "passive" role. While Stone's portrayal of...