30 Sexiest Movies of All Time to Watch When You Want More than Just a Plot
Think: forbidden affairs, masked orgies, and at least one very infamous pool scene.
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Sometimes you pull up one of the 700 streaming services and you want something that’ll make you believe in soul mates and happily ever afters. And sometimes? You actually don’t want a love story—you want a lust story. A movie that’s less boy meets girl and more girl meets person meets trouble meets sexual tension so thick you could slice it with a stiletto. That’s where the best sex movies come in—films that don’t just include sex, but fully commit to it. We’re talking stripped-down, stare-too-long, go-ahead-and-blush cinema.
Consider this list your permission to get hot and bothered in the name of film appreciation. Some of our picks are artsy, some are campy, some are downright chaotic—and every single one gets what makes a sex scene work. Whether it’s the slow burn of forbidden desire (Unfaithful), the slick kink of a psychological thriller (Eyes Wide Shut), or the pure, NSFW unhinged energy of a yacht scene (365 Days, obviously), these picks do not hold back.
You’ve got emotionally devastating French dramas, ‘80s saxophone-laced classics, iconic pool scenes, hot mess indie gems, and more masked orgies than you’d think possible. Threesomes? Check. Spankings? Oh yes. Dangerous affairs that will ruin your life and turn you on in equal measure? Welcome. There’s literally something for everyone—yes, even you, the person who swears you “only watch for the plot.”
So if you’re searching for the sexiest movies to stream—whether for an at-home date, a vibrator-friendly solo watch, or just to feel something carnal—this is your guide. Dim the lights. Silence your group chat. And prepare to be very entertained.
Cam
If you’ve ever scrolled through OnlyFans and thought, “Huh, I wonder what happens after the livestream ends…” this one’s for you. Cam follows a rising cam girl, played by The Handmaid’s Tale’s Madeline Brewer, whose life spirals when someone who looks just like her hijacks her account—and her entire online identity. It’s psychological, sexy, and sure, a little terrifying in a “the internet is forever” kind of way.
The Hottest Part: Her solo scenes are intense—in every sense. Watching her perform for the cam feels equal parts voyeuristic and seductive, and you'll find yourself leaning in.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Deadly Illusions
A wealthy writer (Kristin Davis, aka Charlotte York from Sex and the City) hires a mysterious young nanny to help care for her kids while she finishes her next big novel! But things get real weird, real fast (dun, dun, dun). The v sexy scenes almost distract from the plot holes. Almost. But it’s fine…we’re not watching this one for the storyline.
The Hottest Part: The slow-burn bath scene where Davis’s character slips into a fantasy—or maybe not?—with her seductive nanny.
Where to Watch: Amazon
Eyes Wide Shut
A dream-like fever fantasy of masked orgies, infidelity, and sexual paranoia, Eyes Wide Shut stars then-real-life couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in a slow-burn psychosexual spiral. When Cruise’s character gets triggered by a confession from his wife, he embarks on a surreal, sex-filled night through NYC’s elite underworld. It’s long, tense, and d-r-e-n-c-h-e-d in erotic tension. If you want something iconic and sexy with substance, this is it.
The Hottest Part: The secret society orgy scene. Everyone’s in masks, robes are coming off, and it somehow feels both high-society and deeply unhinged.
Where to Watch: Amazon
Unfaithful
Diane Lane’s performance in Unfaithful is so full of pure, simmering lust that it should maybe be illegal? She plays a suburban wife who starts an affair with a hot French bookseller (Olivier Martinez), and the sexual tension is off. the. charts. Every stolen moment between them is soaked in longing, danger, and that particular kind of “I know this is wrong but I’m doing it anyway” heat. Oui oui, amiright?
The Hottest Part: That elevator scene—so damn desperate it practically steams up your screen.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
Basic Instinct
Say hello to the erotic thriller that basically invented the genre. Basic Instinct follows a detective (Michael Douglas) investigating a murder with one prime suspect: Sharon Stone’s impossibly sexy, ice-cold novelist. She smokes, she stares, she doesn’t wear underwear under her white dress—and she plays mind games like it’s her full-time job.
The Hottest Part: That infamous interrogation scene. You know the one. If you don’t, well, you’re about to. It’s burned into pop culture history for a reason.
Where to Watch: Hulu
Love
This French film was literally made to be watched in 3D, and let’s be real—it’s not for the plot. Love is a moody, visually intense deep dive into one man’s memories of a past relationship, told mostly through long, unflinching sex scenes. It’s not for the faint of heart (or the easily scandalized), but if you’re into artsy, hyper-sexual storytelling, this one goes all in. Think of it as softcore meets film school meets emotional damage.
The Hottest Part: The opening scene. No spoilers, but you will not be easing into this one.
Where to Watch: Fandango
Fifty Shades of Grey
You can’t make a list like this and not include the movie that launched a thousand kink awakenings. Sure, it’s cheesy. Sure, it’s unrealistic. But watching Anastasia Steele get introduced to Christian Grey’s Red Room of Pain? It still scratches a very specific itch. Think of it as the gateway drug to your BDSM curiosity.
The Hottest Part: That elevator kiss. It’s the perfect blend of dominance, submission, and sexual tension you could cut with a riding crop.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Secretary
Before Fifty Shades, there was Secretary—but way smarter, sexier, and honestly more romantic. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a shy woman who lands a job with her buttoned-up boss (James Spader) and discovers she’s very into his very specific brand of discipline. I realize it sounds exactly like Fifty Shades, but it came first (heh)! And it’s better. Trust.
The Hottest Part: Their spanking scenes—plural!—where dominance and vulnerability blur into something surprisingly sweet. And yes, it works.
Where to Watch: Tubi
Wild Things
This high school-set thriller is basically what happens when you mix a Law & Order episode with a dirty mag. Denise Richards and Neve Campbell play two very manipulative students who accuse their guidance counselor (Matt Dillon) of assault—and then team up with him in a plan so twisty it basically needs a corkscrew. There are lies, betrayals, and a very famous pool scene that lives in horny infamy.
The Hottest Part: The threesome. The tension, the Champagne, the slow-motion kiss? It’s pure ’90s filth. Bless.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Nymphomaniac Vol. I & II
From director Lars von Trier (so, yeah, buckle up), this arthouse epic centers around a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac who—ahem—vividly recounts her entire sexual history. It’s intense, messy, sometimes funny, sometimes disturbing—and absolutely full of sex. Best part? If you love Vol. I, you can jump straight into Vol. II for even more.
The Hottest Part: A scene involving multiple partners and a train ride that’s as explicit as it is oddly compelling.
Where to Watch: Peacock
Body Heat
Kathleen Turner (hot) and William Hurt (also hot) basically define the phrase “sexual tension” in this sweltering film about a woman who seduces a small-town lawyer into helping her kill her husband. It's sweaty, suspenseful, and full of blinds-drawn, slow-mo make out scenes that scream ‘80s erotic thriller in the best way.
The Hottest Part: That scene where Turner’s character walks into the house and Hurt literally smashes a door just to get to her. Iconic.
Where to Watch: Amazon
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
This newer adaptation of the scandalous D.H. Lawrence novel brings all the forbidden passion you’d want from a rich-lady-meets-sexy-gamekeeper setup. It’s giving slow-burn romance, lush countryside cinematography, and very tastefully unhinged sex in the rain.
The Hottest Part: Their first outdoor hookup, surrounded by misty greenery and pent-up tension.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Showgirls
Okay, yes, this movie is hella campy. But it’s also chaotic and deeply NSFW—and honestly, we love it for that. Elizabeth Berkley (Saved by the Bell) goes full Vegas stripper, and the movie leans all the way into nudity, power plays, and glittery chaos. It’s bad, but it’s so good.
The Hottest Part: The pool scene. If you’ve seen it, you know. If you haven’t, brace yourself for some intriguing underwater acrobatics.
Where to Watch: Tubi
The Voyeurs
This scandy Sydney Sweeney-led thriller is pure erotic chaos. She plays a woman who gets way too invested in the hot couple across the street, and spying on their sex life quickly spirals into something darker, messier, and way more dangerous. What starts as curiosity turns into betrayal, obsession, and a whole lot of “did that really just happen?”
The Hottest Part: The rooftop scene. Who knew watching Sweeney go from intrigued to unhinged would be one of the hottest on-screen moments? Unmatched.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
The Handmaiden
This erotic Korean thriller is a significant piece of LGBTQ+ cinema, so even if you’re not obsessed with subtitles, it’s totally still worth the watch. Set in 1930s colonial Korea, it follows a con artist posing as a maid who’s secretly helping a man seduce a wealthy heiress—I know. But it’s full of desire, revenge, tension, and undeniable heat.
The Hottest Part: There are two main sex scenes, both of which will leave you sweating.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Closer
This glossy-yet-emotionally brutal drama follows four wildly attractive people (Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen) as they rotate through love, betrayal, and jealousy like horny little chess pieces. It's not soft or sweet—it’s raw, toxic, and full of sexual mind games.
The Hottest Part: Natalie Portman’s strip club scene. The slow reveal, the eye contact, the power—absolute masterclass.
Where to Watch: Netflix
365 Days
This movie is basically softcore porn masquerading as a mafia romance—and we’re not mad about it. A dangerously hot mob boss kidnaps a woman and gives her a year to fall in love with him. Morally gray? Check. (This is not Healthy Relationship 101, btw.) Visually stunning and full of absurdly explicit sex scenes? Check, check.
The Hottest Part: That infamous yacht scene. IYKYK.
Where to Watch: Netflix
In The Cut
This is Meg Ryan like you’ve never seen her, y’all. Our rom-com queen ditches the usual romance movies for something way grittier (and way more provocative) in this erotic, psychological thriller where she plays a teacher drawn into a murder investigation and an even riskier affair with a detective (a v intense Mark Ruffalo). The sex is raw, messy, and way more real than anything you’d expect from an early 2000s flick. It’s definitely one of the darker, more underrated picks, but the sex scenes are the real standouts.
The Hottest Part: The scene with just her face, post-oral sex. It’s one of the most vulnerable, turned-on expressions ever captured on film. Ever.
Where to Watch: Amazon
Blue Is the Warmest Color
Yes, it’s long. Yes, it’s in French. But this coming-of-age love story is genuinely moving—and incredibly erotic. Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos deliver emotionally vulnerable performances that seriously blur the line between performance and reality. It’s a deep dive into identity, heartbreak, and first love, with sex scenes that will leave an impression.
The Hottest Part: The first time they sleep together. It's so raw and intimate, it might make you look away (and then look back immediately).
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Fatal Attraction
A classic for a reason. When a married man (Michael Douglas) has a steamy weekend fling with a sexy stranger (Glenn Close), he thinks he can just…move on? Lol. What follows is an unhinged spiral of obsession, vengeance, and a lot of kitchen-counter lust. This one’s less erotic escapism and more “hot but terrifying cautionary tale”—and that’s exactly what makes it work.
The Hottest Part: The sink sex scene. It’s chaotic and fueled by bad decisions, which somehow makes it hotter?
Where to Watch: Paramount+
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