Thrillers are good enough as they are, but an extra ingredient never hurts. Throw in some lustful characters, and you have something truly worth repeat viewing. Interestingly, intimacy and lust in movies have been declining over the years.
A study published in 2024 found that erotic content in feature films had declined greatly over the last 25 years, notably in Hollywood. The researcher theorized that this could be due to a variety of factors, including a change in audience tastes, the shaming of such films (often labeled as trashy), increased sensitivity to the working conditions of actors, and the increased availability of explicit material through the internet.
A list of the steamiest thrillers ever made will thus consist of more ‘80s and ‘90s movies than recent ones. However, a few good recent ones also exist. If you are looking for films that showcase human carnal desires and excel in great storytelling, direction, and performances, bet on the following.
‘Unfaithful’ (2002)
From the outside, Connie Sumner (Diane Lane) and her husband Edward (Richard Gere) appear to be living the perfect life, just like every other couple in upscale Westchester County, New York. However, Connie is bored. When she meets book dealer, Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez), she falls deeply for the man, and it isn’t long before their panties are on the floor. But in movies like Unfaithful, the husband always finds out.
A Film Tailored to Gere and Lane’s Strengths
Who knew making love in a room full of Charles Dickens and Leo Tolstoy books would be so romantic? Exploring the grey area between malice and mistakes, Unfaithful lunges deep into the sad world of a married couple’s life, with a not-so-serpentine plot and a spirited, lock-jawed performance from Diane Lane, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Filmed in the gray and blue hue mostly reserved for New York-set films, this nail-biting thriller was also a box-office smash in 1947 for fledgling director Adrian Lynne, who, surprisingly, chose to step away from Hollywood for years. He would later return with Deep Water in 2022.
‘Wild Things’ (1998)
Charming high school guidance counselor Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) is in big trouble in Wild Things. Known for his bed-hopping ways, he has now been accused of sexual assault by two students. Enter Detective Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon), who believes there is more than meets the eye. Indeed, the accusations are false. Even more interesting, the lawman isn’t as clean as he looks. What’s going on?
Skim Milk Masquerading as Cream
The film benefits from rough-hewn realism. It’s also a triumph of tropical visuals and stylish production design. Capped by a steam-pool seduction scene that will make you head to Tinder to find someone you can recreate it with, Wild Things is a crackling tale of deception and tension. We are also reminded why Kevin Bacon plays cops too many times. He is just so good at it. There are perhaps too many twists, but you won’t mind, because all the film’s other elements are so neatly done. Be warned, though! The thriller might make you distrust everyone you meet.
‘Dressed to Kill’ (1980)
In Dressed to Kill, Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) tries to seduce her psychiatrist, Dr. Elliott (Michael Caine), and when he rejects her advances, she sleeps with a stranger. Shortly after, she’s murdered by a mysterious blonde inside an elevator. Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), a high-end call-girl, becomes the main suspect, but she insists she is innocent. She thus teams with Kate’s teenage son, Peter (Keith Gordon), to investigate, resulting in shocking revelations about Dr. Elliot.
Peak De Palma
Initially, acclaimed filmmaker Brian de Palma delves into this dark, layered mystery without taking sides, allowing the inherent tension and absurdity of the case to shine through. As the clock ticks, he cleverly plays up the saga’s main sensational aspects through tough detective dialogue, references to Psycho, and dramatic sound bites, which ultimately pump up the audience’s fascination with the tale. You will forever salute the buildup to Kate’s love scene, consisting of a montage of stares. It reaches fever pitch inside a taxi (with the driver throwing glances), then ends at the man’s apartment.
‘Swimming Pool’ (2003)
Seeking inspiration for her next work, Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling), a British crime novelist, heads to her publisher’s villa in Lacoste, France. A few minutes into Swimming Pool, her tranquility is disrupted. The man’s free-spirited daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) arrives and starts showcasing her sexual liberation. Tensions surge even higher when Sarah suspects Julie of murder.
Swimming in Secrets?
It’s always fun when plans for relaxation end up being a whirlwind weekend. Ludivine Sagnier acts her heart out here, leaving audiences wondering whether her real-world personality mirrors what’s seen on screen. Is she truly crazy, or just a crafty, unabashed human? Did she or didn’t she murder the person? The questions linger for long, but that’s the fun of it. Don’t hesitate to scoop up this offbeat, colorful, and thoroughly entertaining French thriller.
‘Indecent Proposal’ (1993)
Diana (Demi Moore) and David Murphy (Woody Harrelson) have been in love since high school, but a recession has left them cash-strapped. Desperate to save their land from repossession, they head to Las Vegas to gamble on their last $50,000. There, billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford) falls for Diana and makes a shocking offer: $1 million for one night with her. Will David accept it? Indecent Proposal is full of surprises.
Will They take the Money?
Pitting the sanctity of marriage against the necessity of money, Indecent Proposal doesn’t just leave the characters with tough questions, but audiences, too. Adapted from Jack Engelhard’s book of the same name, this distressing, beautifully photographed MTV Award-winner could have used some of the cultural elements it left out from the source material (David is Jewish and John is Arab), but it still entertains. Its story of desperation resonated with audiences in the ’90s, just as a wave of erotic thrillers was coming ashore, and remains totally absorbing today.
‘Bound’ (1996)
In Bound’s opening minutes, ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) gets a gig to renovate an apartment. While on the job, she meets the couple next door: mobster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano) and the glamorous moll Violet (Jennifer Tilly). Soon, the two women begin an affair and hatch a plan to steal $2 million of mafia money. How’ll that go?
Enter the Real Gangsters
Bound was the first ever film made by The Wachowskis. Talk about a flying start. Everything works because the directors were thorough. For the love scenes, they employed intimacy educator Susie Bright as an ad hoc coordinator, even granting her a cameo role. Today, the gangster flick is widely considered an essential LGBTQ film. The symbolism is also quite impressive. For example, in one of the scenes, Corky is literally inside Violet’s fancy closet, bound and gagged by the brutal Caesar.
‘Body Heat’ (1981)
Body Heat takes us to South Florida, where the womanizing lawyer Ned Racine (William Hurt) has just begun an affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), the gorgeous wife of one of the state’s richest men. The two plot to murder her husband and claim his wealth, but things aren’t as straightforward as Ned thinks. He is in for some big surprises.
Senseless Actions, but Fun To Watch
You won’t feel any sympathy as Ned’s delusional and baffling endeavor puts everything he has at risk. William Hurt ensures you hate his character while learning a few things regarding how to properly kiss a woman. Overall, the lustful, contemplative nail-biter seamlessly merges an unnerving crime scenario with an engaging tale of encroaching forbidden passion. To his credit, director Lawrence Kasdan is confident enough in his plot and his actors to let the saga build gradually, but you’ll still be pretty much engrossed from the outset.
‘The Handmaiden’ (2016)
Inspired by the best-selling 2000s novel Fingersmith by Welsh writer Sarah Waters — with the setting changed from Victorian-era Britain to 1930s Japanese-occupied Korea — The Handmaiden follows Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri), a pickpocket hired be the maid of Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee), a wealthy heiress. Unknown to Hideko, Sook-hee is part of a plan by a con man, Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo), who intends to trick Hideko into marrying him, before committing her to an asylum, and stealing her fortune.
Love Cutting Across Class Boundaries
Early in the movie, it’s difficult to tell who’s really one step ahead. The question is: is Count Fujiwara going nuts, or does he possess a rare con artist gift? The big spoiler is that Sook-he and Lady Hideko become physical romantic partners, and the numerous intimate scenes between them will have you gulping liters of water. Kim Tae-ri stands out in a star-making, award-nominated turn as the maid, and Kim Min-hee oozes grace and desire. If your pupils have been stuck on Hollywood’s thrillers, it’s definitely time to shift them slightly to this Korean gem.
‘Fatal Attraction’ (1987)
Michael Douglas stars in Fatal Attraction as Dan Gallagher, a married New York lawyer who falls into temptation and sleeps with an editor, Alex Forrest (Glenn Close), while his wife and daughter are out of town. He intends to forget the action and file it under the “one-night-stand” section, but Alex becomes obsessed to the point where she endangers Dan’s family and career.
Call it “Adrian Lyne’s ‘Psycho'”
Fatal Attraction was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Close. She sure knows how to play a psycho, but she is even better when she is in her loving, feminine state. “Are you discreet?” Her quote remains timeless. Douglas is good, too. Even though he put himself in this mess, you’ll root for him, and early on, when he is getting intimate in the kitchen, you might wish you were him.
‘Basic Instinct’ (1992)
It’s Michael Douglas again. This time, he is a detective, the kind who arrives at crime scenes last and asks for a summary. Nick Curran is his name, and he is investigating crime novelist Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone). Some of the recent killings in town mirror the events in her books. Could she be the killer? Well, maybe, but Nick complicates things when he gets in bed with her early in Basic Instinct.
Erotic Gold
Presented as a mystery crime thriller, Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct is naughtier and loaded with more outrageous dialogue than his later, more sophisticated pictures. But that’s precisely why it works! Some of the interactions are goofy and downright puerile, but the fun never stops, thanks to the carnal delights. This right here also contains one of the most iconic movie scenes where Tramell taunts the lawmen who are interrogating her inside a station.