The Fourth Man (1983)

Netherlands 102m, Colour
Director: Paul Verhoeven; Cast: Jeroen Krabbé, Renée Soutendijk, Thom Hoffman, Dolf de Vries

The Fourth Man is a psychosexual thriller about Gerard Reve, an alcoholic bisexual Catholic author who becomes obsessed with the boyfriend of a wealthy woman who seduces him after a reading at a local literary society. After discovering that his femme fatale has had three previous husbands who had died, Gerard’s overactive imagination turns to paranoia, believing himself to be her next victim. The film’s many twisted religious elements are absurdly comedic which seem to provide an insight into Verhoeven’s sense of humor (Klaus Ming October 2016).