1The Neon Demon (2016)
This psychological horror follows a young model played by Elle Fanning as she fends off creepy bosses and jealous, blood-thirsty older models. Have no fear: There’s lots of nudity mixed in with the gore!
29 1/2 Weeks (1986)
Calling all 50 Shades fans! Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke star in this saucy romance set in the Big Easy. This film’s depictions of kink and BDSM shocked and titillated audiences in 1986 and it’s sure to grab your attention today.
3Passages (2023)
Passages offers an ultra-hot queer take on the love triangle after a film director (Franz Rogowski) meets a hot teacher (Adèle Exarchopoulos, who you may remember from another film on this list, Blue Is the Warmest Color). However, there’s just one problem. He’s married to a man (Ben Whishaw). What a fresh take on cheating, huh? The film was released without a rating following the MPA's designation of it as NC-17. It received this stamp due to the multiple hot sex scenes that often also successfully depict gay sex, such as one between two men that’s over two minutes of uninterrupted footage that’s been praised for being hot but not exploitative. Love that for all of us!
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
4Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Alfonso Cuarón’s breakout effort, Y Tu Mamá También, follows an extremely sexy road trip between two teenage boys (Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna) and an older woman (Maribel Verdú and she’s in her 20s). The film set a record for the highest box office opening in Mexican cinema. It was released unrated in the U.S. to reviews that applauded the film but criticized the sex negativity of the rating system. And, FWIW, the legendary Robert Ebert’s review stated that: “The [MPA] has made it impossible for a movie like this to be produced in America. It is a perfect illustration of the need for a workable adult rating: too mature, thoughtful and frank for the R, but not in any sense pornographic. Why do serious film people not rise up in rage and tear down the rating system that infantilizes their work?”
5Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989)
This 1989 Spanish dark comedy stares a young, insanely hot Antonio Banderas, who is a psychiatric patient sure that a porn star, played by Victoria Abril, is actually meant to marry him and have all of his babies. So. what does he do? Oh, he kidnaps her (and ties her up) to help her fall in love with him. Problematic, yes, but it’s also the entire reason that the NC-17 rating exists. Before Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, films either got an X rating (like this movie was first slapped with) or an R. Miramax contended that giving a film an X rating amounted to censorship. Their challenge led the MPA to abolish the X rating altogether and introduce the NC-17 category. (For the record, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! was eventually released without a rating.)
6Blonde (2022)
We obvs had to add this iconic and infamous Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Ana de Armas to the list. There’s full-frontal (female) nudity and plenty of topless Marilyn and graphic oral (no dick, though, sorry). While it’s an epic picture (de Armas was nominated for an Oscar for the film), you should know that, given the unfortunately tragic details of Marilyn’s life, it’s not all fun sexy content. Def check out the content warnings on this one before you proceed.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
7Caligula (1979)
What Roger Ebert once called “sickening, utterly worthless, shameful trash” is another woman’s treasure! Look, the film might not be outstanding, but the erotic fiction portrayed in Caligula is hot to the max. When in Rome, do as the Romans do… and get naked as heck.
8Antichrist (2009)
Not for the faint of heart, Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist will have you wondering if you’re aroused or if you just peed a little out of fear. If you don’t mind a truly disturbing premise accompanying your nudity, this one's for you.
9Crash (1996)
Did you know there’s a name for being sexually aroused by disasters? It’s symphorophilia, and it’s the crux of this bizarre but utterly memorable 1996 erotic film starring James Spader.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
10Spun (2003)
What’s better than sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll? Sex, drugs, and Jason Schwartzmann. Roll that up into a black comedy, add in Brittany Murphy, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
119 Songs (2004)
Unsimulated sex acts (when actors actually have sex instead of perfoming it) are the name of the game in 9 Songs. This underrated favorite of the early aughts made a splash with its daring sex scenes and its lively music. British accents abound. You’ve been warned.
12Lust, Caution (2007)
Ang Lee directed this moody period thriller about a young woman in Shanghai during WWII who was hired to seduce and assassinate an official of the Japanese government. It’s slow, sensual, and of course, very naked.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
13Wetlands (2013)
Playful, quirky, and *very* steamy, this German romance has zero shame. You’ll go from shaving a booty to kissing a cute nurse in what feels like no time at all. Consider it a must-watch.
14Q (Desire) (2012)
Love and loss come together (and cum together) in this strange-but-lovely erotic French drama about a woman who copes with the death of her father by having sex with a seemingly endless stream of partners.
15Basic Instinct (1992)
No list of great nude movies is complete without a nod to Basic Instinct. Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone’s hot, naked scenes together are practically burnt into the pop culture collective consciousness. Sweat level 100.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
16Shame (2011)
Michael Fassbender plays a deeply disturbed sex addict in Steve McQueen’s psychological drama featuring Carrie Mulligan, who plays Fassbender’s sister. There’s lots of sex and plenty of nudity in this story, though fair warning: The plot is anything but uplifting.
17Blue Valentine (2010)
Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling star in this most horny of films that follows the nonlinear narrative of their characters’ marriage and relationship. It’s a beautifully told tale of love and loss, plus they have a lot of sex. Win win!
18Deadly Illusions (2021)
Kristin Davis has made waves with the Sex And The City reboot And Just Like That…, which kicked off in December 2021. But just a few months before the show’s release, she starred in thriller drama Deadly Illusions, a very nude film that features her character, Mary Morrison, lusting after the nanny she hires to take care of her kids. Critics don’t rave about this film, but nothing beats watching prudish Charlotte receive oral sex from a lady in her kitchen.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
19Magic Mike (2012)
Yes, shockingly, this comedy-drama about male strippers features lots of sustained nudity. Come for Channing Tatum’s washboard abs, stay for Matthew McConaughey in a leather vest.
20The Concubine (2012)
This erotic romantic historical film is set in South Korea during the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from 1392 to 1910. For fans of Game Of Thrones, watch as Jo Yeo-jeong, of Parasite fame, forms a love triangle with two men who are vying for her love—and her body!
![Headshot of Emma Glassman-Hughes Headshot of Emma Glassman-Hughes](https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/c1677a1f-af45-4b84-aa88-72fd409bc0b0_1644948173.file?fill=1:1&resize=120:*)
Emma Glassman-Hughes (she/her) is a freelance writer for Cosmopolitan and a part-time editor at the Boston Globe. She was formerly a staff writer at Elite Daily, where she covered sex, intimacy, and queer topics. She is a graduate student at Boston University, where she’s pursuing a master’s in journalism with an emphasis on narrative and investigative reporting. She has a Twitter but her website is way more fun.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below