 Though similar films appeared as early as the 1960s, erotic thrillers emerged as a distinct genre in the late 1980s, bolstered by the popular success of Adrian Lyne's "Fatal Attraction" in 1987 and a quickly expanding domestic and international market for softcore adult entertainment on cable television and home video.The genre had a classic period of growth and expansion in the 1990s, highlighted by the success of Paul Verhoeven's "Basic Instinct", but by the early 2000s declined in production and popular appeal.The potent combination of danger and romance, catering to both male and female audiences simultaneously, was the primary selling point for erotic thriller films during their classic period.