Saltburn director Emerald Fennell reveals the interesting origins of the film’s title. Saltburn is Fennell’s sophomore directorial feature, following her hit film Promising Young Woman. Saltburn is receiving many positive reviews, and has shocked both theatrical audiences and those now catching it on streaming.
Speaking with Access Hollywood, Fennell explains how Saltburn got its title. Fennell first explained that Saltburn is the name of a real town in England.
The writer-director chose that name specifically because “it sounded like a sex injury, but a really nice one” that is almost like a “pleasurable sting,” which she felt suited the film. Check out the full quote from Fennell below:
Somebody asked why it was called Saltburn, and I said, ‘Well, because it’s a real town in England.’ And when I heard the name Saltburn, it sounded like a sex injury, but a really nice one. You know, like a sting, a pleasurable sting. And I think that’s kind of what the film is really, isn’t it?
Why Saltburn Is Indeed a Pleasurable Sting
For all the lies, deception, and death present in Saltburn, there are equal amounts of erotic energy, crafting this kind of sensual sex injury effect that Fennell references. Star Barry Keoghan’s iconic cunnilingus scene is as lewd as it is titillating, as Oliver surfaces from the ravenous moment bloodsoaked yet satiated. In a similar vein, the infamous bathtub scene is viscerally disgusting but provides a fascinating quality to the grotesque attraction experienced by Oliver’s character.
Saltburn is also a “pleasurable sting” not just by the nature of its sexual sequences, but by how the film operates as a whole. Saltburn’s shocking ending reveals that Oliver is not speaking with a therapist as the voiceover might suggest, but rather a comatose version of Elspeth, the last surviving member of the Catton family. It is there that Saltburn delivers its most delicious bite in revealing how calculated Oliver was during the entire film, redoing scenes in which viewers initially sympathized with Oliver.
Saltburn’s 10 Biggest Clues To Oliver’s Real Plans & Deceptions
Saltburn’s ending is one of the wildest parts of the movie, but Oliver’s true plans are subtly set up over 10 times throughout the film.
Saltburn perhaps earns this erotically injurious title most notably in the ending sequence, where Oliver honors the death of all four Cattons by dancing, denuded, in their mansion. Here, Saltburn is a “pleasurable sting” on the scale of both eroticism and plot construction, showcasing its perverted protagonist in naked, devious glory. So, while Saltburn’s title choice may have had an unusual motivation, the moniker works even better knowing the intentions behind Fennell’s choice.
