If you think Fifty Shades Of Grey is scandalous, you should have been around in the 1980s and 1990s.

There was a time in cinema when the words ‘starring Michael Douglas’ on a movie poster basically meant socially acceptable porn.

If Sharon Stone or Demi Moore were cast, the guys in the audience were going to have some fidgety seat adjusting to do in the cinema.

Or at least that’s probably how you remember it if you haven’t revisited them since you first watched them.



1. Basic Instinct

Year: 1992

Stars: Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas

Most famous for: Sharon Stone’s interrogation.

I vividly remember a load of us crowding around a VCR in a friend’s house continuously rewinding and trying to pause at the moment of Sharon’s knee splaying, but we kept missing and getting stuck on Wayne Knight’s sweaty face.

What were we trying to see? I’m not sure any of us knew what was up there, much less what it was for when I was 11.



2. Sliver

Film: Sliver (1993), starring Sharon Stone as Carly Norris.

Year: 1993

Stars: Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, Tom Berenger

Most famous for: Not showing Sharon Stone’s bits

This was basically the poor man’s Basic Instinct.

Anyone thinking Sharon was going to step it up a gear after lest year’s outing was left disappointed.

It’s most famous sex scene is undoubtedly among cinema’s most awkward, in which Billy Baldwin continuously bumps a fully clothed Sharon Stone against a wall. Seriously, she’s wearing a floor-length gown – what is he doing back there?



3. Disclosure

Year: 1994

Stars: Michael Douglas, Demi Moore

Most famous for: Women sexually harassing men? What!?

Michael Douglas was for a period the most envied man on earth, paid lots of money to simulate having sex with beautiful women.

In this one the tables are turned a little, as Demi Moore ‘forces herself’ on him, which had every male audience member rolling his eyes.

Douglas of course didn’t have to be pushed too hard before he was doing his trademark jut his jaw out. It’s only when he see’s a reflection of him shagging Demi does he realise he’s cheating on his wife.

I don’t think that’s how sexual harassment works, but whatever.




4. Fatal Attraction


Year: 1987

Stars: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close

Most famous for: Bunny boiling!

Douglas again. Married again. Having another affair. Does he never learn?

This time it’s Glenn Close, who tries to do nice thing and cook him some dinner but he gets all freaked out, probably commitment issues.

The raunchiest sex scene in this film features Close washing the delph behind her back while Douglas has his way.



5. Indecent Proposal



Year: 1993

Stars: Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Robert Redford

Most famous for: That hypothetical question

This one was a rip off. Lot’s of people want to have sex with Demi Moore, but we only get to see one of those terribly edited, flashes-of-scenes jobs, and the whole time we are thinking about Woody Harrelson’s gross underwear is marinating in the dinner.

You don’t see the sex Robert Redford paid a million dollars for. Phew.




6. Dirty Dancing



Year: 1987

Stars: Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey

Most famous for: Watermelons

Every time I saw this on the shelf of the video-rental store as a kid I assumed it was filth.

Couple with that the fact my mam wouldn’t let my sisters watch it, even though their friends were allowed.

Watching all that grinding years later, I completely agree.



7. Eyes Wide Shut


Year: 1999

Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman

Most famous for: A real husband and wife!

Oh my God. Those guys are totally married in real life.

It’s gonna be like watching them have sex for real at home. Unfortunately, it was.



8. Wild Things


Year: 1998

Stars: Neve Cambell, Denise Richards, Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon

Most famous for: The pool scene.

There is a decent bit of smut in this film – including a threesome – but the problem is once you have seen Matt Dillon in There’s Something About Mary or Denise Richards as Dr Christmas Jones, its very hard to take them serious and not giggle the whole way through their sex scenes.



9. Species


Year: 1995

Stars: Ben Kinsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker, Natasha Henstridge

Most famous for: I still would.

This alien chick wants to mate, but a team of scientists keep c*ck blocking her.

Natasha Henstridge was super hot in this, so it really shouldn’t have been that difficult at all for her.

TBH, most men would have gone along with it tentacles or not.



10. Crash

Year: 1996

Stars: James Spader, Holly Hunter

Most famous for: Wound sex

This is a film about people who get horny – and I don’t mean the one on their steering wheel – by watching car crashes.

If you were already aware of that, forget it and pretend you’ve just heard that sentence for the first time. 19 years ago this film was considered

shocking. Now it is considered hilarious.





What movie do you want to see AGAIN?