Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Taboo IV Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 29, 2017

Going about as far as they could with the Barbara Scott saga, helmer Kirdy Stevens and writer/producer Helene Terrie take a different tonal direction for 1985’s “Taboo IV: The Younger Generation.” While soap opera-esque exchanges remain, the sequel actually attempts to take this entire universe of rampant incestual activity seriously, playing it unnervingly straight as the screenplay moves from cheap titillation to abyssal psychological exploration, doubling down on perverse activities and blood relation couplings. It takes a few moments for the severity of “Taboo IV” to sink in. However, this dramatic concentration is actually fascinating to watch, with Kirdy and Terrie pushing the envelope instead of merely licking it.

Dr. Jeremy (Jamie Gillis) is a popular sex therapist specializing in incest. He hosts a support group in his home, welcoming Joyce (Honey Wilder), who’s in a relationship with son Junior (Kevin James), but he’s also dealing with his own issues of dysfunction, watching wife Alice (Cyndee Summers) commence an affair with his brother, Billy (John Leslie). There are also difficulties with his daughters, finding Naomi (Karen Summer) attracted to Billy, while Robin (Ginger Lynn) is protective of her dad, welcoming his growing fascination with her sexuality. As family ties fray, bedroom hopping begins, testing these bonds to the fullest.

Dr. Jeremy is a stern man, and his exists in a cinematic world where incest is becoming a growing problem, requiring his study to help solve. Of course, that’s ridiculous, but Terrie does a convincing job of salesmanship in “Taboo IV,” building a fever pitch of normality as mothers date their sons, and daughters aspire to marry their fathers. It’s nuts, but that’s the appeal of the “Taboo” series, which takes a weird little corner of kink (I know there’s dark, real-world alarm with this subject matter, but let’s not go there today) and turns into a free-for-all of attraction, playing up forbidden desires with a cast that’s surprisingly able to remain focused on the intensity at hand, rarely slipping into camp (Gillis is frighteningly authentic as a frustrated man of science succumbing to primal needs).

Taboo IV Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation features exceptional detail, with close-ups especially powerful, picking up on facial nuances and make-up limitations, while more graphic encounters retain natural textures, with sharpness reaching as far as cinematography will go. Colors are vivid, leading with period costuming and interior decoration, finding bedrooms teeming with varied hues. Skintoes are spot-on. Delineation is appealing. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is in terrific shape.

Taboo IV Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles the simplicity of "Taboo IV" well, prioritizing dialogues exchanges, which come through clearly enough, reaching a few crispy highs along the way. Emotional moments and sexual performance sound clear and true. Soundtrack selections deliver a heavier presence on the track, supporting as intended with agreeable instrumentation.

Taboo IV Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features director Kirdy Stevens and writer/producer Helene Terrie.

• Commentary #2 features star Ginger Lynn.

• Interview (16:43, HD) with star Karen Summer is a bubbly chat with the actress, who shares her early history as a P.A. on "The Dukes of Hazzard" before finding her way into adult films, recruited along with a friend by agent Jim South. Summer points out co-star quirks and her close relationship with Ginger Lynn, with the two bonding as siblings while playing siblings. Summer seems utterly delighted with her career in adult cinema, but has difficulty watching herself on screen, recalling her utter horror with large movie theater dimensions during the "Taboo IV" premiere.

• Interview (26:43, SD) with Ginger Lynn is a little strange, as the actress seems completely horrified by the content of "Taboo IV," but remains supportive of its popularity. Lynn recalls her homework for the role, raiding her father's adult film collection to learn more about "Taboo" and star Kay Parker. Lynn also goes into depth on each co-star, sharing her disappointment with John Leslie's sexual needs and her ongoing appreciation for Jamie Gillis and his unique bedroom appetites. Lynn closes with her memories of shooing on film vs. video, crediting her astronomical popularity in the 1980s with the ubiquity of her movies on video store shelves.

• Script Gallery provides access to the 80-page "Taboo IV" screenplay.

Taboo IV Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Terrie manages a knotted screenplay that messes around with paternity issues, twisting formula to refresh excitement, and her appetites for extremity hit an all-time high with a finale that brings matrimonial designs into the mix. While "Taboo IV" continues its examination of problematic attraction, it ups the ante when necessary and quite successfully, refreshing its commitment to lust and bedroom gymnastics.