Polyester marked Waters' first move into mainstream cinema. Only slightly less extreme than his earlier work, it still contained all the classic Waters trademark It was originally shown in 'Odorama' - the audience were given cards to 'scratch and sniff' at appropriate points throughout the film. This sort of exploitation gimmick was borrowed from one of Waters' influences, William Castle. Polyester also featured a theme song by Chris Stein and Debbie Harry.