Erotic movies are tricky to get right. They have to tread a fine line between provocative and believable,tasteful and titillating. It’s a balance that many movies fail to get right. Indeed, some erotic films fall so short of their ambitions that they have become infamous. With poor scripts and wooden performances,their attempts at steamy scenes instead cause unintended laughter- or, worst still, outright discomfort.
With this in mind, this list considers the very worst of erotic cinema. These films set out to be daring and compelling but are undermined by clumsy direction, overblown plots, or unintentionally hilarious dialogue. Though their creators may have hoped for seductive, unforgettable masterpieces, they are remembered more for their blunders than their brilliance.
10’Killing Me Softly' (2002)
Directed by Kaige Chen
“I want you to know what it’s like to lose control completely.” In this one, Alice (Heather Graham), a London-based professional, becomes entranced by Adam (Joseph Fiennes), a mysterious and handsome mountaineer with a dark past. What initially seems like passionate love soon turns dark as Adam’s possessiveness and violent tendencies emerge. Alice uncovers secrets from his past that include disturbing connections to women who have mysteriously disappeared.
On paper, this seems like decent thriller stuff, but the third act spirals off into absurd directions. The perverse sexual revelations seem to be outrageous purely for outrage’s sake and they are not explored deeply. On the acting side,Graham’s performance falls short; the viewer struggles to believe her. As a result, Alice’s plight comes across as contrived and her character development feels inorganic. It doesn’t help that the script frequently hands her cringe-worthy lines. All told, this is one of the worst movies by a Palme d’Or-winning director.
Killing Me Softly
A whirlwind romance takes a dark turn when a woman falls for a mysterious stranger. As their passion intensifies, she uncovers disturbing secrets about his past, leading her to question whether she can escape his dangerous grip.
9’Jade' (1995)
Directed by William Friedkin
“Do you want to know the truth?“Jadeis another example of a bad movie by a good director, in this case,The Exorcist’sWilliam Friedkin. It’s about David Corelli (David Caruso), a San Francisco assistant district attorney, who is drawn into an investigation of a brutal, high-profile murder linked to an underground sex club. His search for answers brings him to Katrina Gavin (Linda Fiorentino), a well-regarded psychologist (and his ex-lover), whose life and reputation may be entangled in the crime.
Although Friedkin’s slick direction provides a nice gloss, it quickly becomes overwhelmed by the boring plot and one-dimensional characters. Indeed, the whole movie is just a big mess, despite the talents of many of the people involved. There are car chases galore and the expected sex scenes, but none of them are particularly exciting.It allgets more and more tiresome as the film rolls along.In short,Jadecan safely be skipped.
8’Color of Night' (1994)
Directed by Richard Rush
“Is that your professional opinion, Doctor?“Bruce Willishelms this erotic thriller as a psychologist tormented by the recent suicide of a patient. Soon after, he finds himself drawn into a twisted mystery involving the electric members of a therapy group. To make things more complicated, he begins an affair with the mysterious Rose (Jane March), whose secrets may hold the key to solving the case.
Color of Nightopened to very bad reviews, with most critics savaging its weirdness and general lack of logic.The constant shifting of tones and genre conventions fails to build suspense; instead, it drags out an already excessive runtime that sluggishly meanders toward the big reveal. Plus, rather than being steamy, the movie is goofy and melodramatic. The filmmakers seem to try and compensate for this by increasing the nudity, though it doesn’t work. That said, some would argue thatColor of Nightis so bad it’s good, and it has since attracteda minor cult following.
Color of Night
7’Silver' (1993)
Directed by Phillip Noyce
“There’s more to desire than just flesh.“Silverfollows Carly Norris (Sharon Stone), a young woman who moves into a luxurious New York City apartment building, only to find herself the focus of a mysterious and obsessive watcher. After she begins an affair with her landlord Zeke (William Baldwin), Carly is drawn into a web of voyeurism, control, and desire that threatens to spiral out of control.
The premise isn’t ludicrous, and the storytelling is serviceable, butSilverstill winds up being generic, lifeless, and, ultimately, boring.Every plot point is a retread and every character is a stock figure. Carly is most disappointing of all, especially in light ofStone’s iconic performanceinBasic Instinct. There are also narrative missteps in the second half, the result of extensive reshoots and the last-minute changing of the killer’s identity. Despite these myriad flaws,Silverwas a solid box office success and sold well on home video.
6’Ma mère' (2004)
Directed by Christophe Honoré
“You are my everything, my nothing.“Ma mèreexplores the unsettling relationship between a teenage boy (Louis Garrel) and his hedonistic mother, Hélène (Isabelle Huppert), following the death of his father. As Hélène introduces him to her hedonistic lifestyle, their connection grows increasingly twisted, leading to emotional upheaval and psychological breakdowns.
The movie traffics in shock value rather than insight, taking on taboos but treating them in a shallow, gimmick way. Most viewers will find the narrative off-putting, while others will find the themes dull and unsophisticated. Exactly no one will be pleased. This is a pity since Huppert and Garrel areboth great performerswho could have done a lot with a superior script. They are not helped by the bizarre storytelling choices, like the grating, incongruous soundtrack. “When I read the script of Ma Mère, I thought it was very difficult to do,” Huppert hassaid. She’s not wrong. Equal parts pretentious and distasteful,Ma mèreis best avoided.
5’Body of Evidence' (1993)
Directed by Uli Edel
“Pain doesn’t exist. Not here.“Madonnaleads this one as Rebecca Carlson, a provocative art gallery owner accused of murdering her wealthy lover through excessive erotic activities. As her trial unfolds, Rebecca’s attorney, Frank Dulaney (Willem Dafoe), finds himself irresistibly attracted to her, leading to an affair filled with bondage and deception. With its blend of courtroom drama and graphic romance,Body of Evidenceattempts to be both thrilling and titillating but ultimately misses the mark on both fronts.
The movie has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, serving up clunky dialogue, over-the-top sex scenes, and heavy-handed symbolism. The most sensationalist elements are placed front and center but they just don’t work. The interactions between Dafoe and Madonna are frequently awkward, for example, with the singer’s acting skills failing to rise to the occasion.Julianne Moore, who has a supporting role in the film, later admitted thatBody of Evidencewas a stinker,callingit “a big mistake.”
Body of Evidence
RENT ON APPLE TV
4’Fifty Shades of Grey' (2015)
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson
“Laters, baby.” Another movie whose commercial success was inversely proportional to its quality,Fifty Shades of Greyfollows the inexperienced Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) as she enters a relationship with the enigmatic and fabulously wealthy Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). Their relationship dips into the world of BDSM, but Christian’s emotional issues and Anastasia’s naivety make fora clumsy dynamic that lacks genuine chemistry. It’s unsurprising, given that the source novel started out as aTwilightfan fiction.
The movie is bland and formulaic, offering only a superficial treatment of its supposedly explosive subject matter. It’s boring rather than provocative. Neither of the leads looks happy to be involved, and the script has the depth of a soap opera. Consequently, rather than seducing viewers, the film serves up a series of laughable lines and uncomfortable scenes. It may be marginally better thanE.L. James’s mega-hit novel, but that’s not saying much.
3’Wild Orchid' (1989)
Directed by Zalman King
“Can you feel the heat?” InWild Orchid, a young woman named Emily (Carré Otis) travels to Brazil for a legal assignment and is unexpectedly swept up into the orbit of Wheeler (Mickey Rourke), a millionaire who is as captivating as he is dangerous. Their connection intensifies, leading Emily into a series of sensual experiences that challenge her morality and sense of self. Unfortunately,the resulting movie feels more exploitative than alluring.
Here, Rourke utterly fails as a romantic lead. He’s not believable as someone capable of having such power over Emily. Otis is better as Emily, but even her performance often leans toward a dispassionate expressiveness. Even if the acting was good, it still would’ve been undermined by the lackluster direction fromZalman King, the poster boy for B-tier erotica. The steaminess levels remain low throughout, never reaching boiling point. This was probably compounded by the director reluctantly cutting some scenes in order to comply with an R-rating.
Wild Orchid
2’Basic Instinct 2' (2006)
Directed by Michael Caton-Jones
“Boredom is a killer.“Basic Instinct 2is one of the most egregious examples of a sequel falling far short of its predecessor. Sharon Stone returns as Catherine Tramell, now in London, where she finds herself once again under suspicion following the suspicious death of a former lover. However,her performance is a pale imitation of her fieriness in the first movie.It even earned her a Razzie Award.
Unfortunately, Stone isn’t the movie’s only problem. The whole thing is poorly executed—badly photographed, lackluster in direction, uninspired in acting, and wretchedly written. The two-hour runtime feels interminable, the talented supporting cast is wasted, and the story never quite comes together. As a result, the difference in reception for this movie compared toBasic Instinctwas stark. The original grossed $359m and received an Oscar nod;Basic Instinct 2made just $38.6m against a $70m budget and holds a 4.4/10 onIMDb.
Basic Instinct 2
1’Bolero' (1984)
Directed by John Derek
“I want to taste life at its fullest.” When it comes to the worst erotic movie ever, it’s hard to top this lukewarm misfire.Bolerotells the story of Ayre (Bo Derek), a young, wealthy woman on a mission to explore her sensuality, beginning with a quest to lose her virginity. She travels from country to country, hoping to find romance and passion along the way. Her journey, however, is filled with comical encounters that undermine any sense of sensuality or depth the film aims to achieve.
The situations range from awkward to ridiculous, each more baffling than the last.It’s like a shoddy softcore porno, tedious and tepid. It’s even weirder that it was directed by the star’s husband,John Derek. This isn’t even fun as an ironic hate watch;Bolerois genuinely difficult to sit through. For all these reasons, the movie dominated that year’s Razzie Awards and quickly earned a reputation as one of the worst films ever made.
Bolero follows the journey of a young woman named Ayre who, after graduating from a British boarding school, travels across different countries in pursuit of romance and personal fulfillment, ultimately exploring themes of love and self-discovery against diverse cultural backdrops.
