Streaming
If you’re searching for onscreen steaminess, look no further.
Consider this hypothetical situation: you’re watching Fifty Shades of Grey, getting all hot and bothered, and then after the movie ends you're still hot, bothered, and maybe a little unsatisfied. If you’re seeking out other movies like it on Netflix, you'd be surprised at how readily available this sub-genre of romance really is — and how many funny, ridiculous, and dramatic films also get steamy. (There are also some really sexy TV shows on Netflix, too, so you’re welcome.) What’s even better is that these films often tell interesting stories, so you can totally feel like you’re watching a “real” movie that just so happens to feature some hot plot points — a real “have your cake and eat it too” situation.
So there’s plenty to watch in the vein of Fifty Shades of Grey — it just depends on how deep you're willing to dig, and how kinky and taboo you really want to get. Actually, the Fifty Shades series, based on the E.L James book trilogy, is actually pretty tame compared to some of the other sexy, sexy movies you can find if you dig deep enough. If you find yourself in the mood to watch a saucy fling, or the steamy passions of a long-term relationship, or an exploration of sexuality, this list has you covered no matter what you’re after.
1‘Ride or Die’ (2021)
This 2021 original Japanese film centers around two female friends. Rei is desperately in love with Nanae, who’s married to an abusive man. Nanae jokingly asks her BFF to kill her terrible husband (is she joking, though?) and Rei goes for it — sending them both on the run. Surprise, surprise: they end up contend with their (very sexy) feelings for one another.
2'Haraamkhor' (2017)
A little bit of counter-cultural sexuality, a little bit of infidelity, a little bit of violence — this Indian drama has everything you may need if you liked watching Fifty Shades Darker.
3‘Elisa & Marcela’ (2019)
This subversive historical drama sees two women in love and unable to get married — until one of them dresses up as a man so the two can be together. Yes, it’s based on a true story of the first (accidentally permitted) same-sex marriage in Spain. And it’s even hotter, scarier, and more tender than it sounds.
4'Newness' (2017)
Nicholas Hoult and Laia Costa star in this sexy romance about a couple who decide to test out their devotion to one another by trying an open relationship. What is at first a steamy experiment becomes a bit of a sexual spiral as the two try and one-up each other. This one's kind of sad, but is still super hot and says a lot about internet dating.
5‘Striptease’ (1996)
Almost universally loathed at the time and even deemed “the worst movie ever made,” Striptease is now right up there with Showgirls as an unintentionally hilarious watch — that just so happens to feature Demi Moore looking fantastic as a former FBI secretary-turned-reluctant stripper.
6'Ibiza: Love Drunk' (2018)
Ibiza: Love Drunk is more of a romantic comedy than a steamy thriller, but it still features enough raunchy, sexy times to make it on this list. Gillian Jacobs stars as a weary PR office lackey who is sent on a work trip to Spain, but naturally the trip turns out to be about everything other than work. The romantic lead? A very sexy post-Game of Thrones Richard Madden.
7‘Lust Stories’ (2018)
This progressive Indian film tells a series of stories about sex: from extramarital affairs, to taboo power dynamics, to a woman discovering sexual self-pleasure. The depth of storytelling is only matched by the intense in each tale.
8‘Yes, God, Yes’ (2020)
A potentially familiar scenario for some viewers, this is about a teen growing up within a conservative religion and wrestling with her burgeoning (very normal) sexual urges. It’s a comedic and a sharply critical look at abstinence-only education — but it’s sexy-taboo-funny, too.
9'The Guest' (2014)
When Dan Stevens left Downton Abbey behind, he chose to play the character most unlike Matthew Crawley we've ever seen. Stevens plays a soldier who returns home to the family of his best friend who died in Afghanistan — but the shots of him shirtless emerging form the shower and engaged in steamy scenes with Maika Monroe are pretty much all you need to know about this thriller.
10‘365 Days’ (2020)
Ok, so, granted, this movie starts with a non-consensual relationship where a dude basically kidnaps a woman and gives her a year to fall in love with him. It garnered a ton of controversy for depicting what could absolutely be considered Stockholm Syndrome later in the film. With all that said, though, it features some of the most intense and horny sex on this list, and lots of viewers were into it.
11'Gypsy' (2017)
Ok so this one's a series, and not a movie, but 10 hours of steamy scenes and sexy actors is better than two, right? Naomi Watts stars in this show about a psychologist who secretly inserts herself into the private lives of her patients, seducing partners, and infiltrating their lives in a scandalous way, all the while attempting to maintain a pretty rough and kinky relationship with her own husband.
12'Fifty' (2015)
Fifty and Fifty Shades of Grey might share the same number in their titles, but they couldn't be more different... well, except for the sensual sex scenes. The Nigerian film tells the story of four women on the verge of turning 50, as they take part in steamy affairs with younger men, with older men, or both. The TV spinoff is still available on the streaming service.
13'Juanita' (2019)
Academy Award nominee Alfre Woodard stars in this sexy comedy about a woman with three grown children searching for some new adventures. While she's not indulging in sexy fantasies with actor Blair Underwood, who hilariously plays himself, she takes off to Montana where she falls for a Native American restaurant owner played by Adam Beach.
14‘Cam’ (2018)
This psychological horror film just so happens to be about a cam girl whose channel is taken over by a just-as-sexy doppelgänger who eerily looks, sounds, and acts just like her. It’s a mystery of stolen identity ... and it’s creepy and erotic in equal measure.
This article was originally published on
