Taboo | I-ii-iii-iv -1979-1985-

Taboo II is a more polished, but less interesting, film. The taboo is no longer a shocking revelation but an established genre trope. The film introduces a new dynamic: the "cool" aunt figure who initiates the nephew. Dorothy LeMay is fine, but she lacks Parker’s gravitas. The best scenes remain those with Parker, particularly a moment where she lectures her sister about the dangers of desire—a scene dripping with ironic hypocrisy. The production values are higher (better sets, less grain), but the psychological rawness is diluted. It’s still a decent adult drama, but you can feel the franchise shifting from "art film" to "series product."

The original Taboo is a legitimate artifact. Directed by Kirdy Stevens, it tells the story of Barbara (Kay Parker), a divorced, lonely woman in her late 30s whose adult son, Paul (Mike Ranger), returns home. After a series of emotionally charged encounters and a disastrous date with a man her own age, Barbara and Paul cross the line. Taboo I-II-III-IV -1979-1985-

Kay Parker is still the anchor, but she is now surrounded by a cast that clearly doesn't understand the original's subtlety. The sex is harder, faster, and more graphic—very much a mid-80s aesthetic. The "secret" is disappointingly mundane. The film tries to add psychological depth (flashbacks to Barbara’s own childhood trauma), but it handles the subject with the delicacy of a sledgehammer. Taboo IV is for completists only. It lacks the dramatic tension of the first, the expanding scope of the second, and even the shameless energy of the third. It feels like a franchise running on fumes, trying to justify another 80 minutes of runtime. Taboo II is a more polished, but less interesting, film