Best EROTIC THRILLERS of All Time
Where there is tension between people, a spark of passion likes to appear. Danger and sexual intrigue go hand in hand, as proved by many filmmakers shooting erotic thrillers, especially in the 80s and 90s. Back then, breaking taboos was in vogue, and the screens were dominated by thrillers lined with erotism.
Here are 30 best erotic thrillers of all time. Cult productions as well as lesser-known titles crept onto the list. Even fans of the genre will find something for themselves. The oldest film on the list is from 1981, and the newest is from 2022.
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20. "Cruel Intentions"
Director Roger Kumble undertook an extremely risky task, i.e. filming Dangerous Liaisons, but in a version for minors and in a setting straight from MTV. Therefore, we finally got a story about rich, horny and incestuous teenagers from Manhattan, where melodrama appears in the form of emotional manipulation and real cinema trash; that shines like a real diamond, even though it’s just a cheap imitation. This does not change the fact that Sarah Michelle Gellar, as a typical, mean girl, pulls all her acting tricks out of her sleeve, dazzling with eroticism, strong character and innocence at the same time. This is an offer that you cannot pass by indifferently. Let’s not forget that in the lives of many teenage moviegoers, this was one of the first erotic thrillers they encountered.
19. "Disclosure"
The 1990s saw a flood of erotic thrillers. Therefore, no one should be surprised that Michael Douglas once again decided to act in this genre. And if I didn’t know better, I’d think it was a parody; which has already been noticed by a ton of reviewers. However, this does not change the fact that it is an unexpected position for those times. It raises a rather unusual topic, not typical betrayal, but harassment in the workplace; more specifically, male harassment. It’s not a perfect work, but the duel between Demi Moore and Douglas is something worth seeing at least once in your life.
18. "Pool"
It’s arguably one of the most underrated erotic thrillers out there, and there have been quite a few of them over the course of nearly two decades. Not to mention that François Ozon, who I adore, was behind the camera. This time the director entangles the heroines of his work in an unusual duel full of understatements, flirtatiousness and frustration. The effect is so incredibly erotic that at times I felt like I could use a cold shower before going back to the session. On the one hand, it’s an extremely tense situation between two very different women, on the other hand, it comes across as incredibly sexy; not because one of them walks around in a bikini all the time.
17. "The Postman Always Rings Twice"
The classic story of guilt and punishment is more than just a warning to the viewer. Bob Rafelson’s film is an extremely interesting adaptation, primarily on the genre level. On the one hand, it is maintained in the neo-noir convention, on the other hand, it can be confidently hailed as the precursor of all later erotic thrillers ever made. What delights is the fact that desire comes to the fore. Not only between the main characters, but – interestingly – also between the sensual Jessica Lange and the viewers watching her. Popular motives such as greed or revenge go completely into the background, and unbridled lust is at the center of the whole intrigue.
16. Vanilla Sky
While I love the Spanish-language original, I wouldn’t delete its American equivalent right away. Of course, on the outside, it’s just another cinematic fable about male vanity, but underneath that layer, we find much more. And although there are a lot of motifs here that push this production more into the embrace of science fiction than an erotic thriller, elements of this genre also appear; albeit in a less obvious way. I would be more inclined to the opinion that it is a romantic thriller focusing on the nature of the surrounding reality, where eroticism is just a nice addition.
15. "Unfaithful"
Although the production from 2002 looks like it was shot in the 1990s, it does not mean that it is on par with its predecessors on every level. The starting point is the story of a couple; husband suspects his wife is cheating on him. Like nothing special. Diane Lane’s role is special, for which she was nominated for an Oscar. Everything else is unimportant. The erotic scenes with her participation are truly absolute masterpieces of the world. Let’s add to all this the best possible genre clichés, thanks to which we get a work that is not obvious on the one hand, and very familiar on the other.
14. "The Handmaiden"
For me, Park Chan-wook’s film is an absolute masterpiece that all other contemporary erotic thriller films eat for breakfast. The erotic scenes are a perfect example of how they should be shot so as not to fall into overdrawn trash. Anyway, knowing the director’s filmography, you can easily guess that he is the right person in the right place. Only he was able to weave an intricate work consisting of provocation, melodrama, unpredictability and filled to the brim with feminism, to the delight of both the male and female part of the audience.
13. "Crash"
David Cronenberg’s controversial film could not be missing from this list. Violence, pain and fear interact here with carnality and sex. Crash is a film about the exciting balancing act between life and death. The characters are people fascinated by car accidents. Watching videos of cars colliding with each other over time, however, is not enough. The greater the crash, the closer to death, the greater the sexual stimulation. The tension associated with the increasingly suicidal pushing of boundaries is tightly intertwined here with the body and desire.
12. "Sliver"
When talking about Sharon Stone in an erotic thriller, the first thing that comes to mind is Basic Instinct. A year after the release of this film, the actress starred in Phillip Noyce’s thriller Sliver. Stone plays a recently divorced woman. After moving into a new apartment, she starts an affair with two neighbors. One of them is spying on other residents, and the other may be guilty of murders. In this modern, luxurious skyscraper with many hidden cameras, residents sleep together, but it doesn’t necessarily end well for them.
11. "Indecent Proposal"
Demi Moore was a big name in the 90s and the thriller, in which an eccentric rich man offers her film husband a million dollars for a night spent with his wife, ignited the imagination of many viewers. Lyne managed to create a believable story, and although it was not only about sex – as it might seem at first glance – there is no denying that the erotic tension in the relations of the three main performers sparked. Demi Moore as Diana, who tries to hide her overly visible fascination with the billionaire with rational reasons, Robert Redford as a jaded tycoon for whom it’s just another game with people and finally Woody Harrelson as a husband who – what a surprise – does not quite find himself from the situation.
EDITORIAL team