You may find eroticism and horror films [1] strange bedfellows, but you shouldn't — sexy [2] horror films are absolutely a thing, and with so many good ones to choose from, they probably deserve their own genre. We've picked the sexiest [3] horror flicks out there, featuring everything from blood-sucking vampires [4] to carnal werewolves to unhinged serial killers, with a whole lot of sex [5] thrown in. If you have a strong stomach (believe us, some of these movies make the surgeries on Grey's Anatomy [6] look like a game of Operation), then you just might have 40 new erotic thrillers [7] to pick from on your next date night.
— Additional reporting by Lauren Harano and Kalyn Womack
Species
This sci-fi thriller starring Natasha Henstridge ranks high on the steamy film scale. After a scientist produces a half-alien half-human woman named Sil, she breaks out of the lab in search of a male to impregnate her. Her hunt involves murder, sex, and a racy rollercoaster you never saw coming.
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder [8], and Keanu Reeves [9], this gothic remake tells the story of Count Dracula, a 15th-century prince who is condemned to live off the blood of humans for all of eternity, but when the count sees a picture of his lawyer's fiancée — who bears a striking resemblance to his deceased wife — he imprisons the lawyer and escapes to track the woman from the photograph. This movie looks and feels like an erotic dreamscape.
Planet Terror
Erotic and horrific, this thriller is about a blood-soaked zombie apocalypse that takes place in a small Texas town. A go-go dancer and her ex-lover try to fend off the zombies, but not without a couple racy encounters that are sure to keep you watching through the blood and gore.
Videodrome
A 1983 drama fantasy, this flick follows the president of a TV channel who is dying to get new content to attract viewers. He finds a site that portrays a torturous kind of porn that will surely get his channel the attention it needs. When his girlfriend tries out for the show, she never returns, and Max learns that the site's content might be more real than he thought it was.
Maniac
For starters, this 2012 slasher movie (a remake of a 1980 film) is shot from a serial killer's point of view. Frank Zito (Elijah Wood [10]) stalks, preys on, and kills his victims only to turn them into mannequins at his late mother's boutique shop. You can catch some sexy scenes in the midst of all the violence.
Daughters of Darkness
This 1971 drama tells the story of an ageless hotel owner who intrigues many of her guests. When a newlywed couple passes through, she turns her attention to them, and things get interesting, racy, and raunchy.
The Witches of Eastwick
In a small Rhode Island town, three friends curiously find themselves with witch-like powers. When a new man (played by Jack Nicholson [11]) comes to town, he takes interest in all of three of them, and they take interest in him, too. Things start to heat up as they spend more time in his mansion, but they don't know his true intensions.
The Love Witch
A young beautiful witch is in search of being loved, so she makes potions and spells to attract male suitors. She hunts for men around town, seduces them, and puts magical spells on them, only to end up with needy victims who can't get enough of her. When she meets the man of her wildest dreams, she gets so caught up in love and sex that it almost leads to a deadly murder.
Possession
If sinister and sexy had a baby, it would be this movie. When Anna tells her husband that she's been having an affair, she leaves her family behind. Not long after, her husband hires a private investigator to follow his ex to keep an eye on her. He soon finds out that Anna is going mad, and that there might be something more sinister going on.
Eyes of Laura Mars
Faye Dunaway stars as a New York City fashion photographer with a portfolio of sexual, as well as violent, images she has captured throughout her career. Out of nowhere, she begins to get visions from an unknown serial killer's perspective. She sees him stalking her friends and coworkers, and must do what she can to find out who he is before it's too late. In between her serial killer hunt, she gets things on with her romantic interest in the hottest of ways.
Cat People
This mystery thriller tells the story of Irena, a young woman who is visiting her brother Paul in New Orleans when she happens to fall in love with a zoologist. She soon finds out that she and her family are cursed, meaning they could turn into werecats at any minute, especially during passionate encounters. She must mate with someone of her same species to prevent her ultimate transformation, which, you guessed it, leads to many racy encounters.
An American Werewolf in London
When two American college students, David and Jack, go on a backpacking trip through Britain, they are brutally attacked by a large wolf, causing the death of Jack. David makes it out alive, and while he is recovering in the hospital, he has dreams of Jack telling him he is going to turn into a werewolf. Scared by his fate, he must do what he can to stop it before the next full moon. In the midst of that, he meets a girl and has one of the hottest shower scenes you've ever seen in a horror film.
Only Lovers Left Alive
Two vampires, Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton), are long-lost lovers who have just reconnected after a long time away. When Eve's little sister comes to town, both of their lives are shaken up in the most unexpected way, causing blood, gore, and some very sexy scenes.
Angel Heart
Horror and eroticism define this 1980s movie perfectly. When a private investigator is hired to track down a singer named Johnny Favourite, his investigation takes a highly dramatic turn and he finds himself getting caught up in something much, much larger. Aside from the drama, the sex scenes are definitely worth a watch.
The Shape of Water
This Oscar-winning movie is part fantasy, part horror, and part romance with a whirlwind of a plot. Elisa is a mute woman who is a maid at a top-secret government facility. One day, she finds a strange creature locked away in a water tank and takes interest in it. Soon after, she and this creature, who turns out to be a scaly fishman, develop a hot romance.
Nekromantik
Dark, twisted, and quite seriously horrifying, this movie centres around a street sweeper and his wife who begin a romantic affair with a corpse. When Rob brings home a dead body from a grisly car accident, he finds his wife to be much more interested in the corpse than himself. If it's not obvious enough, watch this with caution.
Don't Look Now
In this 1973 thriller, a husband and wife grieving over the drowning of their daughter decide to spend time in Venice, Italy, where the wife encounters two sisters who claim to have a connection to the spirit of her deceased child. Though a psychologically astute look at how grief can affect a marriage, this movie also provides some incredibly hot scenes between Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland as they try to keep their passion alive.
Basic Instinct
When a sexy, mysterious crime novelist (played by Sharon Stone [12]) becomes a murder suspect, she decides to seduce the homicide detective (Michael Douglas) to throw him off her trail. Though Ryan Reynolds [13] parodied the famous leg-crossing scene in Deadpool 2, it doesn't do justice to the sexiness of Stone's original move.
Thirst
When a Christian priest volunteers to be infected with a virus that's devastating Africa in order to help find a cure, he finds himself inflicted with an intense craving for blood and sex, leading to an affair with an unhappily married woman that becomes increasingly dark. This South Korean thriller may not be one of the best vampire films around, but it's certainly one of the hottest.
From Dusk Till Dawn
In this '90s flick, George Clooney [14] and Quentin Tarantino [15] play brothers on the run after a bank robbery who decide to take cover in a topless bar — but unfortunately, the bar also happens to be a hangout for a gang of vampires. If we don't already have your attention, Salma Hayek [16] also performs a sexy dance with a snake way before Britney Spears [17] made it cool.
Interview With the Vampire
When you've got Brad Pitt [18] as an 18th-century-lord-turned-blood-sucking-vampire and Tom Cruise [19] as his vampire companion, you have the perfect recipe for a steamy flick (and having Christian Slater play the eager biographer who tells this story definitely doesn't hurt).
The Neon Demon
An aspiring model (played by Elle Fanning) moves to LA to launch her career and, both fascinated and intimidated by the fresh-faced innocence of the ingénue, industry members instantly make her the target of intense scrutiny. Also starring Jena Malone as a makeup artist and Bella Heathcote and Abbey Lee as desperately jealous models, this movie is shocking, twisted, and undeniably sexy in its intensity.
Suspiria
This Italian supernatural horror film is an oldie but a goodie, centreing around an American ballerina (what is it with ballerinas?) who transfers to a prestigious dance academy in Germany only to realise that her new school has a dark history of occultism and is responsible for a series of brutal murders. Dakota Johnson [20] will be appearing in a remake of the 1977 cult classic later this year, alongside Chloë Grace Moretz, Mia Goth, and Tilda Swinton.
The Hunger
When a gorgeous immortal vampire (played by Catherine Deneuve) loses her mortal lover, she sets her sights on a new conquest: a lovely young scientist (Susan Sarandon), who quickly falls under the vampire's spell. Unfortunately, Sarandon's character doesn't take as well to vampirism as the lover who came before her did, and she requires some extra convincing.
Ginger Snaps
Centreed around two teenage sisters who harbour a morbid fascination with death, this film follows what happens when one of the sisters is bitten by the creature responsible for their town's recent rash of dog killings, leading to aggressive physical and mental transformations. Be careful watching this one with men — if they're already afraid of menstruation, this movie will give them nightmares.
American Psycho
Based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel by the same name, this film is centreed around a handsome, young professional (played by Christian Bale [21]) who works on Wall Street by day and commits murder by night. Bale's performance as the infamous Patrick Bateman is disturbing, violent, and inexplicably arousing.
In the Cut
When a middle-class teacher (played by Meg Ryan [22]) witnesses a sexual assault that she believes to be connected to a murder that occurs a few days later, she meets with a sexual aggressive homicide detective (Mark Ruffalo [23]), whom she finds both thrilling and frightening, and she begins a steamy affair with him despite her growing distrust of men.
Dressed to Kill
A high-class call girl accidentally becomes witness to the brutal murder of a sexually frustrated housewife, and she finds herself threatened by the police, who believe her to be the killer, and the actual killer, who wants to keep her quiet. Even nearly 40 years later, this one is still both shocking and scintillating.
Stranger by the Lake
In this French thriller, a man cruising for sex in the woods surrounding a nude beach meets a handsome guy to whom he is instantly attracted — even when Franck accidentally sees his new love interest, Michel, drowning another man in the lake. The result is a modern-day Hitchcockian film that is both darkly humourous and irresistibly erotic.
Jennifer's Body
Starring the incredibly sexy Megan Fox [24] and Amanda Seyfried [25], a small-town cheerleader becomes possessed by a demon, giving her a craving for guys who had previously never stood a chance with her — a craving for their flesh, that is.
American Mary
A medical student strapped for cash begins performing extreme plastic surgery and body modification under the table in this movie, and it's definitely not for those with weak stomachs (though a sexy, bloody striptease might change your mind).
The Howling
In this '80s cult film, a TV journalist who finds herself traumatized after helping out in the case of a serial murderer decides to attend a remote mountain retreat — not realising, of course, that the residents of the retreat are actually werewolves. Though it sounds campy, this movie is surprisingly erotic, with a moonlit sex scene you won't soon forget.
The Ninth Gate
Johnny Depp [26] stars in this movie as a rare book collector who finds himself in possession of a satanic text, leading to a string of violent crimes that seem to follow him, as well as a gorgeous, mysterious woman (played by Emmanuelle Seigner) who is undoubtedly following him.
Blue Velvet
When a college student (played by Kyle MacLachlan) returns home and discovers a severed ear in a remote field, his investigation leads him to sultry lounge singer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), who draws the student into her dark, twisted world, which includes a violent psychopath (Dennis Hopper) with bizarre sexual proclivities.
May
Centreed around an emotionally vulnerable young woman named May (played by Angela Bettis), this film shows what happens when the sexual interest of May's coworker (Anna Faris [27]) wanes, resulting in dangerous delusions and an ultimately murderous tirade. This movie manages to be both funny and incredibly dark, including a new twist on Jack and Jill that will ruin your childhood.
The Last Seduction
In this movie, a manipulative telemarketing manager named Bridget decides to escape both her money troubles and her marriage by convincing her doctor husband to sell stolen pharmaceutical cocaine, then fleeing to Chicago with the profits. There she begins a sexual affair with a new man, whom she tricks into murdering her husband back in New York. We're not sure there's ever been a sexier, eviler villain than Bridget Gregory.
Mulholland Drive
With an all-star cast composed of Naomi Watts [28], Laura Harring, and Justin Theroux, this cinematic classic is about a car crash victim who tries to piece together her fragmented memories with the help of an aspiring Hollywood actress, and the sexual chemistry between Watts and Harring is seriously unreal.
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
Starring Amber Heard, this teen slasher film is about a beautiful high schooler who reluctantly accepts an invitation to a rural weekend party, only to find her many male suitors murdered one by one.
Straw Dogs
In the 2011 remake of the 1971 original, a scriptwriter (played by James Marsden) and his new wife (Kate Bosworth [29]) relocate to rural Mississippi where his wife grew up, but he quickly finds himself the target of the depraved locals, especially his wife's ex-boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgard) and his crew. The result is a desperate escape that is ruthless and carnal — plus the remake offers a female lead that has a lot more agency than the original, which is definitely sexy.
Black Swan
A fierce, twisted rivalry between ultracompetitive prima ballerinas for the starring role in Swan Lake — what could possibly go wrong? If you're not still thinking about that sex scene between Natalie Portman [30] and Mila Kunis [31], then we think you need to watch this one again.
The Babysitter
Cole stays awake past his bedtime and discovers his hot babysitter is a member of a satanic cult. This drives her and the cult to do anything to keep him quiet.
Shivers
After a scientist murders a teenage girl and kills himself, investigators discover an infestation of experimental parasites that are loose within the apartment building where the crime occurred. Those who are infected pass along the bug through violent sex.
Knock Knock
A loyal husband and father has the house to himself for a weekend. Things take a sinister turn once he gives two women shelter from a storm.
Cam
When a camgirl gets hacked by her look-alike, her and her fanbase try to figure out the true identity of the mysterious doppelgänger.