Softcore started getting mass produced in the mid-to-late-70's when Playboy Playmates such as Susan Lynn Kiger, Rosanne Katon and Pamela Bryant started making comedies that we both funny and showed skin. This coupled with big screen successes like "National Lampoon's Animal House" led to the wave of raunchy teen comedies that dominated the 80's. When the 90's rolled around it was another shift; this time to steamy, sometimes kinky dramas such as "Animal Instinct" "Night Eyes" "Secret Games" and others, most of which have had profitable, straight-to-video sequels.
Now that we're almost four years into a new decade, what direction to you see softcore going? When I think of actresses like Shannon Whirry, Lisa Boyle, Julie Strain and playmates like Pam Anderson, Jenny McCarthy and Neriah Davis I can't help but think they're all fast approaching a kind of expiration date. Name a playmate in the last five years who's even come close to Jenny's or Pam's status in the media. Is there a new batch of actresses right now ready to dominate the vid market? Are there new Linnea Quigley's I haven't heard of yet? Would like to hear some feedback, thanks.

In the late 90's, the movie Boogie Nights was made. For the first time, the worlds of mainstream and porno officially meshed. Before then, there had been a disconnect. One thing Hollywood discovered was that porno actrsses have some acting ability, and unlike mainstream actresses, have no problem with nudity. This is one factor.

The second factor is the success of Surrender Cinema. These are T & A flicks with poor writing, acting, and directing. Prior to Boogie Nights, Blockbuster rarely offered Surrender Cinema movies. With the advent of DVD's, Blockbuster has difficulty avoiding nudity. It had been censoring videotapes. Blockbuster has surrendered to the fact that there is a public appetite for nudity.

Recent playmates, and actressses like Shannon Elizabeth have used one nude appearance as a foot into the door of mainstream acting, with the proviso of "I don't do nudity anymore". Even though these actresses have harmed the softcore market, there isn't a shortage of cuties with their own website who appear nude and more. Sooner, rather than later, some saavy person in Hollywood will link up these cuties with movies. There's just a lag time because we have a conservative president, congress, and supreme court. The only thing Hollywood fears is costly federal legal trouble. Prior to 9/11, Attorney General John Ashcroft was preparing a massive assault on porn, and subsequently B movie makers. The war on terrorism put porn on the federal back burner. The war has also fueled the public's interest in comedy over drama, music over violence. Hollywood doesn't know how to deal with this as Hollywood thinks sex and violence are as connected as breathing and heartbeat. Therefore, we have to support the makers of "Eurotrip" and their ilk who are making the type of movies I really really like. The more support they get, the more we'll see mainstream movies that link lots of nudity with comedy. Right now, these guys and Surrender Cinema are all we have.

As far as I'm concerned the softcore porn industry went down the crapper years ago. On one hand the filmmakers fell out of touch with their audience. You see nothing but brassy blondes with huge fake tits and well coiffured pussies. And the sex is so simulated. Guys don't want to sleep with supermodels in $200 Victoria Secrets underwear. they want to sleep with the girl next door wearing cutoff jeans. And on the other hand there is little market for unrated videos (with frontal nudity). Blockbuster refuses to stock them and you can't sell them on eBay. The trend now for non-hardcore explicit sex in cinema is on the film festival circuit and artsie cable movies (especially with lesbian themes).

want to know where its headed..just watch and show on Hbo or networks like it .Hung,californication more recently weeds ..(which was a great show but totally jumped the shark )...look at the sex on shows like that..totatlly softcore ..pretty soon the regular actor will be obsolete and a pornstar will take its place

Linnea Quigley still has frequent appearances in cheesy horror films, but they're pretty much cameos now. She's been laid out to pasture when it comes to nude scenes, which is understandable given her age (sorry Linnea). But she definately did her share. She is a legend, and she contributed greatly to our movie enjoyment. Tiffany Shepis is another. She still has frequent roles, but her nudity seems to be getting toned down as she gets older.

But you bring up a good point. There were a lot of scream queens who weren't at all shy about doing great nudity and were prime attractions for movie goers (Linnea, Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer, Debbie Rochon, ect). Where are this generations Scream Queens? There doesn't seem to be any actresses in the current generation to compare with them. There are still some great one-timer scenes. Betsy Rue in My Bloody Valentine 3D, that scene was incredible, a career maker for a Scream Queen. So why aren't we getting more of her? Don't the studios realise that made her a major attraction for the Y-chromosone crowd? Where has she been since? Maybe it's just another illustration of how gratitious female nudity is out of style, but the Scream Queen seems to a relic of the past. It's more of a career breaker than a career maker now (such a shame).

IMHO it hasnt been any good since the earlys 00s.

The Shannon Whirrys, Kennedy Johnsons, Nikki Fritzs, Beverly Lynns and the like were replaced with porn actresses and I completely lost interest.

Some of them just became porn stars, but most of them were just pre-empted when "soft-core" porn moved to TV.

I think the mainstreaming of the porn world along with the sharing of nude clips on sites like this one led to the decline of the softcore "Skinemax" movie industry. Fewer people want to watch movies with actresses simulating sex when it's so easy to see the real thing. Also, fewer actresses want to do nude love scenes now that clips of it are all over the Internet forever.

Having "grown up" watching Skinemax movies and TV series I find this to be very unfortunate. I still think the softcore scenes made back then are hotter than hardcore scenes. The actresses are more attractive, and there was an artistry to the scene. Now they just point a camera at people fucking.

Still some here :

http://www.boundheat.com/videogal.php

about 30 most recent, but only lesbian

Softcore is dead. Too much porn out there for free, can't make money for softcore. The B-Movie queen is no more. The likes of Nikki Fritz, Monique Gabrielle, Michelle Bauer...they are no more. If an actress can't make it in the mainstream, she can only go hard or go home.