One of the most interesting developments in the porn industry has been the emergence of a host of very talented female directors. Many deserve a mention – Tristan Taormino, Bree Mills, Erika Lust – but I’ve been especially impressed by the work of Kayden Kross.

When Kayden Kross launched her production company TrenchcoatX, I remember watching the video “Sacrosanct” (2017) and immediately being struck by the sheer artistic quality of it all – but even more by the heightened sense of eroticism throughout.

Take scene three – which is basically a sex scene between Angela White and five (!) men in a garage. But Kayden Kross takes here time building up the sexual tension by having Manuel Ferrara lead Angela (breasts positively bursting of the top of a leather corset) through room after room on the way to the garage. They encounter a couple engaged in a sensual act of foreplay – and Angela is just allowed to touch the woman before being pulled away. Next, they come across a beautiful blonde (a cameo by the director herself) wrapped only in a towel – and Angela is once again allowed to touch and taste.

Arriving in the garage, as Angela and Manuel have sex in front of a parked car, we can just make out from the shadows that there seems to be people inside the car. This turns out to be true, as four well-dressed men sporting full erections emerge from the car to join the couple.

As has become a staple of Kayden Kross’ work, the lighting and cinematography is utterly beautiful, showing off naked skin and curves in the most pleasingly tactile way. But it is the way the director keeps the sexual heat at a maximum at all times that really puts her work apart from a lot of porn – no one in these videos are ever just “going through the motions”. Maybe it has to do with Kayden Kross being a experienced performer herself, that she knows how to generate sexual energy on the set.

These day Kayden Kross does a lot of her great work for Deeper – a studio that I can only recommend.