5 Non-Cringey Erotic Thrillers That Don’t Have to Be a Guilty Pleasure

The erotic thriller is often dismissed, and frankly, the genre hasn’t always helped its own case. When done poorly, it feels like a parody of itself, filled with gratuitous nudity, implausible plots, and dialogue that makes you want to hide behind a pillow.

However, there are still some good examples where everything works perfectly, creating a much-needed balanced mix of every little detail being in sync.

Here are 5 movies that prove the genre is not cringeworthy, you just never watched the right ones.

1. ‘The Fourth Man’ (1983)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, The Fourth Man has 100% from critics and 81% from viewers.
• On IMDb, The Fourth Man has 7.2/10.

Paul Verhoeven’s Dutch masterpiece, The Fourth Man, is a surreal and stylish psychological thriller that blurs the lines between erotic obsession and impending doom. It follows a bisexual writer who becomes entangled with a mysterious widow (who may or may not be a serial killer).

This film leans hard into the bizarre and the symbolic, but it does so with a self-aware edge. It’s hypnotic, sensual, and deeply unsettling, making it one of the most artful entries in the genre.

2. ‘Blue Steel’ (1990)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Blue Steel has 74% from critics and 36% from viewers.
• On IMDb, Blue Steel has 5.8/10.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Blue Steel is a fascinating and underappreciated thriller with a fierce, grounded performance by Jamie Lee Curtis as a rookie cop. When she kills a robber during a grocery store shootout, a stranger becomes obsessed with her, setting off a dangerous cat-and-mouse game.

The erotic tension is more psychological than explicit, with a sharp feminist undercurrent. It’s intense, gritty, and far more emotionally layered than your average genre fare.

3. ‘Nightbitch’ (2024)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Nightbitch has 59% from critics and 43% from viewers.
• On IMDb, Nightbitch has 5.5/10.

A recent addition to the canon, Nightbitch brings something completely fresh. Starring Amy Adams in a fearless performance, the film is part body-horror, part erotic fever dream, and part feminist parable.

A stay-at-home mom begins to suspect that she is transforming into a… dog. The boundaries between her primal urges and her sense of self start to blur. This darkly funny and deeply strange film contains a simmering erotic charge that’s as much about reclaiming agency as it is about desire. Honestly, just bear with this movie.

“I'm glad I stuck with it because being a mother who had the same relationship dynamic when our son was born, it really resonated with me. All those fears, doubts, self-loathing, depression, and loss of identity were so real, and it felt retroactively empowering to me,” Redditor NihilisticPollyanna said.

4. ‘Bound’ (1996)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Bound has 87% from critics and 83% from viewers.
• On IMDb, Bound has 7.3/10.

Before they made The Matrix, the Wachowskis debuted with the tight, twisty neo-noir Bound, which subverted every expectation. After ex-con Corky falls for Violet, the two women plot to steal $2 million from Violet’s gangster boyfriend.

The film's explicit scenes are among the most artfully executed in the genre and are choreographed with respect and authenticity. Bound is sleek, sexy, and genuinely thrilling, with strong performances and impeccable style. It's a cult classic for good reason.

5. ‘Swimming Pool’ (2003)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Swimming Pool has 83% from critics and 67% from viewers.
• On IMDb, Swimming Pool has 6.7/10.

François Ozon’s moody thriller called Swimming Pool is as much about repression and fantasy as it is about crime. Charlotte Rampling plays a British crime novelist who retreats to her publisher’s villa in France. Her peace is disrupted, however, by the arrival of his daughter.

This slow-burning, sensual, and psychologically rich film rewards viewers with a haunting, ambiguous ending that lingers long after the credits roll. If you loved Babygirl, you’ll love this one too.