The dynamic list of erotic thrillers
The flashy, trashy and scintillating movies that we know and love in one dynamite list.
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- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsMichael DouglasGlenn CloseAnne ArcherA married man's one-night stand comes back to haunt him when that lover begins to stalk him and his family.The most iconic and intellectual of the series still remains as exemplary and as entertaining today. Close sizzles as a 36 year old singelton, Alex (Close), trying to score Dan (Douglas) as a sex partner, and when successful aims to make him a permanent fixture. They spar with real zeal until Alex massively ups her game, with explosive, deadly results. Special credit belongs to Beth (Archer) whose performance appears led by the movements of her perm. Just darn marvellous. Will be watched while women love, men cheat and bars serve crisp white wine.
Classic quote: Alex Forrest: I'm not just some whore you can bang a couple of times and throw in the garbage. I'm not going to be *ignored* Dan! - DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsMichael DouglasSharon StoneGeorge DzundzaA violent police detective investigates a brutal murder that might involve a manipulative and seductive novelist.Who can forget the infamy this movie generated. Sharon Stone has never been more outrageous, Douglas never so into it. You may notice he gets the crown for king of the erotic thrillers as the chart continues. Without much need for a summary, Stone plays a woman who may or may not have committed murder for her 'art' - why they didn't follow this film up with Tramell's (Stone) novel is a mystery to us all.
Classic quote: Catherine Tramell: Do you ever f$%& on cocaine Nick? It's nice. - DirectorUli EdelStarsMadonnaWillem DafoeJoe MantegnaA lawyer defends a woman accused of killing her older lover by having sex with him.Violently derailed by Madonna's many pushes of the envelope, this film is severly underrated, and I'm proud I gave it a top 5 position. The whole film is shot in a sultry, vaseline-softened fashion and Madonna is actually pretty good as the femme fatale accused of murder whilst in the act of lovemaking. So is Defoe as the lawyer taken capative.
Memorable dialogue: Rebecca Carlson: All we did was make love.
Frank Dulaney: In handcuffs.
Rebecca Carlson: It was different, but it was still making love. Have you ever seen animals make love, Frank? It's intense. It's violent. But they never really hurt each other.
Frank Dulaney: We're not animals.
Rebecca Carlson: Yes, we are. - DirectorAlain GuiraudieStarsPierre DeladonchampsChristophe PaouPatrick d'AssumçaoSummertime. A cruising spot for men, tucked away on the shores of a lake. Franck falls in love with Michel, an attractive, potent and lethally dangerous man. Franck knows this but wants to live out his passion anyway.Redefining the whole paradigm of sexuality in film, this features more real, intensive sexual scenes, as well as almost continual nudity. A film with little dialogue but a huge nod to Hitchcockian suspense and sinful human behaviour, especially when murder's afoot.
Classic quote: Henri: Okay, he's sexy, tanned and has a great body, but I guarantee he's weird. - DirectorLawrence KasdanStarsWilliam HurtKathleen TurnerRichard CrennaDuring an extreme heatwave, a beautiful Florida woman and a seedy lawyer engage in an affair while plotting the murder of her rich husband.As its sensual title alludes to, this movie features a Florida heatwave and the ultimate, white hot femme fatale in Kathleen Turner. A supercharged remake of Double Indemnity (or at least all signs nod to it), and featuring a wonderfully sleazy, William Hurt sporting a pornstar tasche, the heat pulsates right through... and I'm not talking about the weather'
Memorable dialogue: Ned: Can I buy you a drink?
Matty: I told you. I've got a husband.
Ned: I'll buy him one too.
Matty: He's out of town.
Ned: My favorite kind. We'll drink to him.
Matty: Only comes up on weekends.
Ned: I'm liking him better all the time. - DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsElizabeth BerkleyKyle MacLachlanGina GershonA mysterious young drifter who calls herself Nomi Malone hitches a ride to Las Vegas, Nevada, and begins working as a strip club dancer, and sets about clawing her way to the top of the Vegas showgirls.A movie that belongs on almost every single entertainment chart, this is the next movie from Verhoeven (a true master of sex and sensuality) after his killer classic, Basic Instinct. Verhoeven also became the first director to pick up two of the only awards this movie won.. Worst Picture & Director at the Razzies.
The story in a nutshell involves a girl called Nomi (already questionable) who arrives in Vegas as a naive ingenue, only to have a variety of bad luck befall her. Still Nomi's a survivor and works hard to become the best exotic showgirl in the joint. However Cristal (excellent name) also has her eyes on that prize, so let battle commence.
Memorable dialogue: the whole script. Everything. - DirectorJohn DahlStarsLinda FiorentinoPeter BergBill PullmanA devious sexpot steals her husband's drug money and hides out in a small town where she meets the perfect dupe for her next scheme.The Last Seduction is a rather delicious tale of a woman who is trying very, very hard to knock off her crooked husband. She doesn't really have a reason, she's just a sociopath, it's as simple as that. Escaping to a small town she manages to hook in Mike with her salty dialogue, high sexual drive and capacity to rope him in to her business schemes, in this case knocking off husbands for cash rewards. The twists are unceasing and Bridget's (Fiorentino) dangerous predilections work best in fiction. A must see.
Memorable dialogue: Bridget Gregory: Could you leave? Please?
Mike Swale: I haven't finished charming you yet.
Bridget Gregory: You haven't started.
Mike Swale: Gimme a chance.
Bridget Gregory: Look, go find yourself a nice little cowgirl and make nice little cowbabies and leave me alone. - DirectorBarry LevinsonStarsMichael DouglasDemi MooreDonald SutherlandA computer specialist is sued for sexual harassment by a former lover turned boss who initiated the act forcefully, which threatens both his career and his personal life.A TV movie made cinematic by the two Hollywood leads, note a second appearance by Demi and a third by King of the erotic thrillers, Mr Douglas? A movie that hankers on the man/woman power struggle for sexual dominance with a jilted Moore showing her true colours. This movie is pretty dated in technological terms and Michael Douglas's frumpy wife's hair, but the other elements save the production.
Classic quote: Meredith Johnson: You get back in here and finish what you started or you're *beep* dead. You are *beep* DEAD! - DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsCraig WassonMelanie GriffithGregg HenryA young actor's obsession with spying on a beautiful woman who lives nearby leads to a baffling series of events with drastic consequences.Melanie Griffith has spent all of her career playing a sex kitten equipped with a Monroe-inspired whisper and very few items of clothing. Many would argue Body Double represents Griffith at her most agile and empowered. It also represents the erotic genre at its most tongue-in-cheek (Holly Body as the performer name, anyone?), especially when Frankie Goes to Hollywood pop along for the infamous 'Holly Does Hollywood' section.
Hitchcock would been 85 when this was released and you can't help but think he would have enjoyed De Palma's obsession with apeing his concepts of voyeurism and murder. He would have also gone hell-for-leather with the script as well. See below for an example of the dialogue.
Classic quote: Male Porno Star: I'm not just a stunt cock, I'm an ACTOR! - DirectorPaul SchraderStarsRichard GereLauren HuttonHector ElizondoA Los Angeles escort is accused of a murder which he did not commit.'The ups and downs in the life of a Los Angeles male escort who mostly caters to an older female clientèle' is how one person described this movie, which seems a pretty accurate way of describing Gere in his most evocative, career defining role. With the notoriously sleazy Schrader at the helm, we have Gere, suited and booted in designer labels, throwing out sexy dialogue to the lonely ladies who lap up his all American looks. The thriller component of this movie revolves around the murder of the politician and the entanglement Gere has with the widow, Hutton. The theme tune, Call Me helped put this movie on the map, although, 30 years on, this movie is still just as slick and stylish as it was just then.
Memorable dialogue: Michelle Stratton: How many languages do you speak?
Julian Kaye: Five or six.
Michelle Stratton: Plus the, uh, international language?
Julian Kaye: That's right. - DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsSharon StoneWilliam BaldwinTom BerengerA woman moves into an exclusive New York City apartment building that she soon discovers houses tenants with all manner of shocking secrets.Okay, so this could well turn into the Sharon Stone list. Sliver is an erotic thriller that revolves around video cameras and voyeurism. Adapted from the Levin novel by the super sleazy Eszterhas, we have Stone falling into lust with two of the neighbours in her apartment complex. Both have secrets which are deliciously uncovered as the drama and sexual tension increases. It hardly needs me to mention Stone excels in these roles. It's where she has to play a person of stature that she rather slips off the mark.
Memorable dialogue: Carly Norris: You've been spending too much time with your vibrator.
Judy Marks: I certainly have - I've been getting a plastic yeast infection! - DirectorAndrew BergmanStarsDemi MooreBurt ReynoldsArmand AssanteA stripper and single mother gets dragged into a dangerous situation after a congressman takes a fancy to her.Does Moore's Striptease need a narrative. A movie that was made at the very arc of Moore's sexuality, popularity and bankability, yet failed so tremendously. But why? Well, the plot does rather veer on the ridiculous. Moore - desperate & determined (she's currently in the midst of an extracting custody battle with the ex) becomes a hot stripping sensation as a second job, her first being a FBI secretary. Attracting the eye of the roguish Reynolds, who - rather unbelievably - plays a congressman, she is very keen to get him on side to help gain custody of her kid. His handlers however are worried 'she knows too much' (equally unbelievable) and are flirting with 'knocking her off.' With appalling dialogue and several sleazy scenes thrown in for good measure, its infamy is appreciated here.
Classic quote: Erin Grant: I can't still be working here when I go to court. "Oh yes your honor; I found a new job... I'm working at the Eager Beaver!" - DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJon FinchBarry FosterBarbara Leigh-HuntA serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man.I'm pleased to add Hitchcock to this chart, purely because his influence on the chart is unimaginable. Frenzy is his most provocative of all his films by a country mile. Featuring plenty of murder and more than a mere slip of nudity, Hitchcock returns to London to tell a story of the necktie murder murdering women of London, and a man framed for the murders. Lots of black humour shows just how tongue-in-cheek Hitchcock was, whatever the subject matter.
Memorable dialogue: Solicitor in Pub: We were just talking about the tie murderer, Maisie. You'd better watch out.
Maisie, Barmaid: [salaciously] He *rapes* them first, doesn't he?
Solicitor in Pub: Yes, I believe he does.
Doctor in Pub: Well I suppose it's nice to know that every cloud has a silver lining. - DirectorAdrian LyneStarsRobert RedfordDemi MooreWoody HarrelsonA billionaire offers $1,000,000 to a young married couple for one night with the wife.A movie that represents the arrogance and social liberalism that comes with the billionaires in their playground, this movie features Demi Moore, married to the loser that Harrelson and receiving a $1 million dollar offer to sleep with the still attractive Redford.
Classic quote: [on the phone] Let me get this straight. He offered you a million dollars for a night with your wife? As in *your* wife Diana? And you agreed to it? I don't know what to say. How could you do something like that? *How could you negotiate without me?* Never negotiate without your lawyer. Never! For a woman like Diana I could have gotten you at least two million. Obviously, you don't want to get screwed, and then... screwed! - DirectorAtom EgoyanStarsJulianne MooreAmanda SeyfriedLiam NeesonSuspecting her husband of infidelity, gynecologist Dr. Catherine Stewart hires an escort named Chloe in order to test his faithfulness. Soon, the relationships between all three intensify.A very underrated classic when released, Chloe tells the story of a call girl (Seyfried) hired by Catherine (Moore) to test her husband (Neeson). Chloe admits she has relations with David and manages to inveigle Catherine into relations with her. But is Chloe telling the truth, can we trust her? In a word, no. The dialogue is skillfully interpreted by the actors to create a fascinating exercise into lust and desire. This is one of the newest entries on the chart and is fully deserving of its place.
Memorable dialogue: Catherine Stewart: How do you do this?
Chloe: I try to find something to love in everybody. Even if it's a small thing. Something about the way someone smiles. There's always something, there has to be. I try to make myself generous. I do things I don't want to do. I... I think about what not to criticize. And the strangest things come back to me.
Catherine Stewart: Like?
Chloe: You.
Catherine Stewart: Me?
Chloe: Yeah. Yeah people like you walk into my life. - DirectorJohn McNaughtonStarsKevin BaconNeve CampbellMatt DillonA police detective uncovers a conspiracy behind a case involving a high-school guidance counselor when accusations of rape are made against him by two female students.For the alumni of Cruel Intentions, Wild Things is the perfect continuation, a dark, totally immoral tale that thrives on big money and questionable sexual mores. Starting with a dramatic trial about rape that turns out to a foil for extortion, our three lead characters (Bacon, Campbell and Richards) make a sticky menage-a-trois, however, that is the very tip of a very Devilish plot, that makes other thrillers on this list look like Disney movies.
Memorable dialogue: Suzie: Kelly's pissed at Mr. Lombardo too. She's in love with him. I mean she's been her whole fantasy since her old man died, and then she found out that Mr. Lombardo was doing her mom, and that was it.
[Crowd gasps]
Sandra Van Ryan: What? Kelly!
Kelly Van Ryan: You skanky bitch!
[Kelly throws a glass at Suzie but Suzie dodges it]
Kelly Van Ryan: Get your *beep* hands off of me? Don't you know who I am? - DirectorAdrian LyneStarsRichard GereDiane LaneOlivier MartinezA New York suburban couple's marriage goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling.Richard Gere, once the hot hot star of early 80s classics (all of which were rejected by Travolta) now plays a wonderful second fiddle to everyday wife, Diane Lane and brawny, semi-intellectual, broody Frenchman, Martinez, who happens to be the 'other man' in this slow burning thriller. Like Fatal Attraction, the dialogue scintillates slowly and effectively, inviting us in and leaving us at the foot of Lane's dilemma, broody young Frenchman, or priggish, churlish, middle-aged Gere? Gere on the other hand invites a PI into the action, from there we are invited into the maelstrom of a very, normal, very typical affair.
Memorable dialogue: Connie Sumner: I think this was a mistake.
Paul: There is no such thing as a mistake. There are things you do, and things you don't do. - DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsMichael CaineAngie DickinsonNancy AllenA mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.Totally mad garbage, which still manages to entertain hugely. Dressed to Kill revolves around a call girl (Allen) being stalked by a savage killer. As we slowly start to understand the motive, the story moves towards sheer farce, doppelgängers, transgendered characters who may or may not exist and reams and reams of unrealistic dialogue from Michael Caine's psychiatric sessions. The directing by De Palma relies once again on the softest of focus and demonstrates his technical skill within the genre.
Memorable dialogue: Doctor Robert Elliott: How are things going with you and Mike?
Kate Miller: Fine.
Doctor Robert Elliott: Good.
Kate Miller: [considering for a moment] No, they're not fine. What a stupid word that is. He gave me one of his wham-bang specials today and I'm mad at him. Isn't that right? Shouldn't I be mad at him?
Doctor Robert Elliott: Yeah. Did you tell him?
Kate Miller: Of course not. I moaned with pleasure at his touch - isn't that what every man wants?
Doctor Robert Elliott: I don't know. Is it?
Kate Miller: Don't start that stuff with me. - DirectorBob RafelsonStarsDebra WingerTheresa RussellSami FreyA federal investigator tracks down a gold-digging woman who moves from husband to husband to kill them and collect the inheritance.A very poor movie that has some subtle flashes of brilliance, Winger is hunting for a woman who she has very good reason to believe is a Black Widow. Unable to fully pin down Russell, the archetype psychopath, she has to go incognito to trap her in Hawaii, which allows the viewer some excellent promotional shots of the island and even a pre-Showgirls mermaid/pool sex scene. The dialogue isn't particularly punchy but there are some fantastic scenes where our investigator and femme fatale both weave their sexual webs to entice the same man. As always, we should be watching for the double cross that defines the genre.
Classic quote: Catherine Peterson: Black Widow! She mates and she kills. Your question is, Does she love? It's impossible to answer that. - DirectorDavid FincherStarsBen AffleckRosamund PikeNeil Patrick HarrisWith his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.Slipping in the chart in case I get swept up in its Oscar euphoria. Based on a novel (a rarity in this chart) we have a screenplay written by the novelist herself, Flynn, just to guarantee we know exactly why our anti-heroine, the 'Amazing' Amy is as messed up as she is. With much of the promo focusing on the male and female nudity (something Fifty Shades can't match), we have the tale of an everyday wife who has gone missing, with everybody talking about it. Did the husband kill her? Is she still alive? Was there a robbery, an attack? With a dual narrative from wife and husband, we are treated with shades of an erotic thriller and a very exciting power trip between husband and wife. With very forceful dialogue and superb twists, it's never been more entertaining to watch a bitch on screen.
Memorable dialogue: Nick Dunne: You *beep* *beep*
Amy Dunne: I'm the *beep* you married. The only time you liked yourself was when you were trying to be someone this *beep* might like. I'm not a quitter, I'm that *beep* I killed for you; who else can say that? You think you'd be happy with a nice Midwestern girl? No way, baby! I'm it.