While fans of the original incest-themed Taboo films were often baffled by the romantic, almost "cult-like" artistic atmosphere of Taboo VII , critics at IMDb have since praised its technical quality and cinematography. It remains a curious artifact of an era where adult filmmakers attempted to blend high-concept storytelling with explicit content. Taboo VII: The Wild and the Innocent (Video 1989) - IMDb
The artistic subplots, highlighted by Suzannah French's chaotic body-painting sessions, add a layer of camp and counter-culture flair. This inclusion elevates the film above standard, assembly-line adult features of the late '80s. It shows an explicit effort to maintain the franchise's reputation for giving characters distinct personalities and motivations. Legacy Within the Taboo Anthology
Production Values: For its time and category, production values are competent: reasonably crisp cinematography for 1989 adult releases, deliberate costume and set design, and a polished editing style that emphasizes rhythm and mood.
abandons that central theme entirely in favour of a more "artsy," romantic tone. Plot Summary The film follows (played by Randy West), who encounters his former love, Taboo VII- The Wild and the Innocent -1989- Ful...
Audience & Context: This film is clearly aimed at viewers familiar with and interested in the Taboo brand’s particular blend of fantasy, melodrama, and erotic content. It reflects the aesthetic and distribution norms of late-’80s adult cinema—analog-era production, staged scenarios, and an emphasis on visual styling.
(for those who can hear it) Essential for fans of: The Sisters of Mercy, early Cocteau Twins, Lycia, Clan of Xymox, and UK Decay.
The Taboo series, created by Helene Terrie, began as a serious erotic drama. By Taboo II (1982) and Taboo III (1984), the quality began to decline. Taboo IV (1985) and Taboo V (1987) introduced younger casts and more absurd plots. Taboo VI (1988) attempted a return to incest but failed commercially. While fans of the original incest-themed Taboo films
The film is noted for a bizarre opening musical number by Randy West titled "Return to Romance". Cinematography:
We no longer make films like Taboo VII . The industry has moved to ethical, digital, safe content. That is progress. But sometimes, you miss the wild. Sometimes, you miss the innocence of watching something that truly does not care if you look away.
Taboo VII marked his return to the director's chair after a brief hiatus, making it the final Taboo installment he ever directed. abandons that central theme entirely in favour of
The full title teases a binary: The Wild (the primal, the untethered, the natural order without rules) versus The Innocent (the naive, the uninitiated, the vulnerable). This article dissects why this 1989 entry remains a fascinating, if problematic, artifact of a genre trying to find its artistic footing just before the home-video boom fundamentally altered its landscape.
Context and series placement
She looked at his hand, then at the dark street stretching out before her. To take his hand was to step off the curb of her safe, sanitized world. It was the seventh rule she would break this year—the seventh step away from who she used to be.
Taboo VII: The Wild and the Innocent (1989) is an adult drama directed by Kirdy Stevens
– The bassline mimics the rhythm of a running wolf. This track is darkwave perfection: heavy, syncopated, with lyrics about transformation and the beast within. Klaus Von Stahl’s bass carries the melody while the guitar provides texture.