The first Taboo was a landmark film, directed by Kirdy Stevens and starring Kay Parker. Its controversial plot—a lonely, divorced mother, Barbara, who seduces her teenage son, Paul—became a massive success, helping to shape the "cougar" and "MILF" genres that thrive today. Its notoriety and profitability spawned a long-running series of sequels, which followed the incestuous dynamics of the same family.