February might be known as the month of romance, but with romance often comes something else.
You see, people aren’t just looking to watch rom-coms like When Harry Met Sally and romantic epics like Titanic this month — they’re also looking for movies that are sexy as hell, full of sexy people lusting after each other.
Watch With Us loves so-called “horny movies,” and so if you’re seeking a movie that really makes you feel some type of way, we’ve got a list for you.
Our list includes yearning classics like The Age of Innocence, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and quasi-softcore staples like Basic Instinct.
‘The Age of Innocence’ (1993) — Tubi
In 1870s New York City, wealthy lawyer Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) is betrothed to elite socialite May Welland (Winona Ryder), and on the surface it appears to be a perfect match. But when Newland meets May’s disgraced cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), Newland finds himself falling for her despite her scandalous fall from grace — and Ellen is bewitched by Newland, in turn. Caught between two women and high society pretensions, Newland and Ellen are to secretly pine for one another.
While there is no sex in The Age of Innocence, Martin Scorsese‘s adaptation of Edith Wharton’s classic novel remains a masterclass in lustful yearning to this day. Torn apart by society’s expectations, Newland and Ellen embark on their love affair through tender touches, subtle glances and the ache of unrealized passion. One of Scorsese’s most underrated films, The Age of Innocence is a lavish, lovesick and emotionally brutal movie that is just as powerful as the director’s more famous mob hits like Goodfellas.
‘Basic Instinct’ (1992) — Paramount+
Crime novelist Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) is the prime suspect in the murder of her rock musician boyfriend when her newest novel details a murder that mirrors the circumstances of the real crime. The case is headed up by homicide detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who has his own demons, and through a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, he enters into an intense, passionate love affair with Catherine. As more seemingly connected deaths pile up, Nick finds himself suspicious of his own psychologist (Jeanne Tripplehorn) — who also bears a link to Catherine.
Maximalist director Paul Verhoeven is no stranger to sex in cinema, but he faced a hefty amount of backlash and controversy at the time for the graphic material in Basic Instinct. Over thirty years later, many now regard it as a classic erotic thriller and neo-noir that pushed the boundaries of depictions of sexuality in the mainstream. It’s undeniable that Stone and Douglas have some heated chemistry, and sex and murder always make for a titillating pairing. The film is carnal, psychological and also just a lot of fun.
‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’ (1992) — Netflix
While the character of Dracula has always been inherently linked to sex (sucking liquids out of someone’s neck, etc.), Francis Ford Coppola was the first mainstream director to turn Dracula into a doomed love story of forbidden desire. When solicitor Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) is sent to Castle Dracula in Transylvania to arrange the Count’s (Gary Oldman) real estate arrangements in London, Dracula realizes that Harker’s fianceé, Mina (Winona Ryder), is the spitting image of his lost love. Thus, Dracula imprisons Harker in his castle and sets off for London to claim Mina for his own.
In opposition to Bram Stoker‘s canonical story of Dracula, Coppola reimagines the relationship between Dracula and Mina as not one of a villain seeking to claim a victim, but a mutual love affair between two people who can never be together. Coppola’s decadent, operatic horror romance is in service of this depiction of wanton desire, brimming with atmosphere, artistry and sex (of which there is, famously, between Reeves and three vampires at once). In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Dracula has a heart that yearns for love just as deeply as one that beats.
‘Wild Things’ (1998) — Netflix
In Wild Things, a seductive three-way between a high school guidance counselor and two students becomes a twist-filled erotic thriller for the ages. Shortly after high school counselor Sam (Matt Dillon) turns down the sexual advances of wealthy teen socialite Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards), she accuses him of sexually assaulting her. After a second victim, outcast Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell), comes forward, Detective Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon) progressively uncovers a twisted yarn far exceeding a simple rape case.
It’s hard to discuss the plot of Wild Things without the risk of spoiling the bounty of delights that its narrative brings for new viewers, so all we’ll say is that if you don’t know anything about it, you really have no idea what’s coming. What we can tell you, however, is that the movie is a sexy, salacious thrill ride from start to finish, and Dillon, Campbell and Richards make for an all-timer hot trio. Bordering on soft-core porn, Wild Things gives the horny melodrama of daytime soap operas a run for their money.
‘Y Tu Mamá También’ (2001) — Netflix
In late ’90s Mexico, teenage best friends Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael García Bernal) graduate high school and say goodbye to their girlfriends who are heading off to a summer excursion in Italy. While they’re gone, the boys don’t plan to be faithful, however, and decide to embark on a hedonistic road trip with an older woman that they meet at a wedding, Luisa (Maribel Verdú). Their trip turns into a coming-of-age adventure in which the boys learn about themselves, each other, sex and the adult world that they will soon be pushed headfirst into.
While the sex scenes in Y tu mamá también are incredibly graphic (be prepared for some full-frontal nudity), they also add to the story we’re being told and how we come to see each of our three protagonists. The film succeeds as a frank, uninhibited depiction of young sexuality that is made even richer by the intense chemistry between Luna, Bernal and Verdú. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Y tu mamá también is both a joyous and erotic portrait of sexual exploration.
