‘Adult Cinema’ Photo Series Captures the Seedy Porn Houses That Still Operate in America

By Tyler Coates

May 28, 2014

I’ve never gone to one of those adult entertainment boutiques (honest! I swear!) — not that I think there’s anything wrong with them, it’s just not my scene. Luckily, photographer Michael Max McLeod‘s ongoing series Adult Cinema gives a good look at what goes on behind those curtains, in those darkened rooms, on the other side of that wall. In an interview with Feature Shoot, McLeod is intrigued by a seemingly antiquated culture of venues that exist right out in the open beneath bright neon Xes. “I’m surprised they still exist,” he says. “The internet has been mainstream since, what, 1993 maybe? That’s over 20 years. Porn and anonymous hookups are a click away now — anywhere, any time. Most of the locations I go to are completely empty or have only one or two patrons. Thats great, because it gives me a lot of freedom to photograph. But I imagine they can’t stay in business much longer.”

Photo credit: Michael Max McLeod