The erotic thriller film “Sliver” based on the Ira Levin novel of the same name about the mysterious occurrences in a privately owned New York high-rise sliver building turned 30 years old today. Directed by Phillip Noyce, from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas, the film starred Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, and Tom Berenger, and premiered on 19th May 1993, at Mann National Theatre in Los Angeles. It was released in the United States two days later, on May 21, and debuted at No. 1 at the box office making $12.1 million in 2,093 cinemas, eventually grossed $36.3 million domestically and $87.6 million internationally to a total of $123.9 million worldwide.

The film followed Carly Norris, a book editor and divorcee in her mid-30s, who had moved into the exclusive New York City sliver building, 113. There she met other tenants including Zeke, a video game designer; Jack, a novelist; Vida, a fashion model who moonlighted as a call girl; and Gus, a professor of videography at New York University. They all told Carly that she had a striking resemblance to Naomi Singer, the previous tenant of her apartment who fell to her death from her balcony.

After running into Zeke numerous times, Carly invited him to her housewarming party. Soon afterwards, they began a sexual relationship. Meanwhile, Jack started stalking Carly and warning her about Zeke. As Jack’s behaviour became more erratic, Gus died under suspicious circumstances and Vida was murdered, with police suspicion falling on Jack for her death. Zeke revealed to Carly that he was in fact the owner of 113, which he had bought with his inheritance from his wealthy father. As owner of 113, Zeke had installed a comprehensive video surveillance system throughout the building, allowing him to spy on all of the tenants from his own secret surveillance room. Through deduction and eventually one of Zeke’s secret recordings, Carly learned that Jack killed Naomi in a crime of passion. Jack was jealous of Zeke, who had sexual relations with both Naomi and Vida. Jack attacked Carly in her own apartment, and she accidentally shot him dead. Angry at Zeke for withholding evidence in Naomi’s murder, and jealous of his liaisons with Naomi and Vida, Carly destroys Zeke’s surveillance room, told him to ‘get a life’.

In the film, the tall and narrow sliver building is located at 113 East 38th Street in Manhattan, placing it at 38th Street and Park Avenue. The actual building used in the film is known as Morgan Court, located at 211 Madison Avenue New York, one block west and two blocks south of the fictional address. The building has since become a condominium development. It was built in 1985 and has 32 floors. While the movie made use of the building’s courtyard, the lobby was a Los Angeles film set.

The film is one of many that will be updated with new and additional film locations throughout the summer of 2023.