The holidays are a time for indulgence—baked goods galore, flowing drinks, and, of course, marathons of smut. Once the dinner parties have wrapped and the children’s games have come to an end, there’s no better way to spend winter break than to curl up in bed with a leftover plate of cookies and watch films that will make your cheeks flush. We’re talking about the sexiest, horniest, most erotic feature flicks—pictures you’ve been saving in your queue for after your family members leave. And it seems the film industry agrees, delivering Luca Guadagnino’s sensual romance drama Queer just a day before Thanksgiving and following up with Halina Reijn’s daring Babygirl on Christmas day. So, go ahead and be naughty (we won’t tell Santa) by quenching your raunchy thirst with one of the steamy movies below—they’re sure to satisfy.
Babygirl (2024)
Niko Tavernise / A24
The film’s marketing put it best: “This Christmas get exactly what you want.” The world absolutely needed Nicole Kidman as Romy, a powerful CEO who jeopardizes her career and family when she begins a tumultuous affair with a young intern (Harris Dickinson). It’s explosive, it’s daring, and it will confirm for good that it’s undeniably acceptable to be naughty at Christmas.
Queer (2024)
Yannis Drakoulidis / A24
Daniel Craig appears like you’ve never seen him before in Queer, which follows American immigrant Lee (Craig) as he becomes infatuated with a younger man, played by Drew Starkey. The film will keep you on your toes, transitioning from casual dialogue, punctuated by boyish innocence, to abstract psychedelic visuals. Passionate sex scenes will keep your adrenaline up, including one where Omar Apollo makes his acting debut—the only complaint you’ll have is that the steamy scenes aren’t long enough.
Burlesque (2010)
This romance is as family friendly as this list gets, but don’t be mistaken, it is still full of moments that will make you blush. Christina Aguilera, Cher, and Stanley Tucci throw the star megawattage off the charts. The film is two straight hours of cheeky innuendos, powerhouse musical numbers (I rewind Aguilera’s throaty, soulful “Tough Lover” at least three times), itty-bitty costumes, and the hottest girls in Hollywood being absolute divas. Not to mention, there is a seriously sensual sex scene between Aguilera and Cam Gigandet after 90 minutes of growing tension.
Anyone But You (2023)
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The casting director knew exactly what they were doing putting mega-heartthrob Glen Powell and absolute femme fatale Sydney Sweeney together in this romcom. The story follows hotties Beatrice and Ben who go from lust to hate to love with plenty of funny moments, witty exchanges, and more than one sexy makeout sesh.
Hit Man (2024)
Netflix
Powell strikes again, this time opposite the alluring Eiza Gonalaz in Hit Man. The two share an inimitable electric chemistry—just their dialogue will have you thinking you’re interrupting something.
Fair Play (2023)
Netflix
All’s fair in love…and at a hedge fund firm? In this intense, sharp thriller starring the ethereal Phoebe Dynevor and the charming Alden Ehrenreich, a big promotion causes an engaged couple’s relationship to unravel. While certain moments will have you holding your breath, you’ll also do plenty of sweating as the the couple display their voltaic connection—in the bathroom, on the living room floor, and on the couch, as just a few examples.
50 Shades of Grey Franchise (2015-2018)
Universal Pictures
This list is not complete without what is arguably the most viral erotic movies of the 21st century, Fifty Shades Shades of Grey. The kinky series follows a sexually inexperienced college senior, Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), and a successful business man, Christian Grey, (Jamie Dornan) as they embark on an affair where the line between pain and pleasure is blurred. While you’re all curled up and cozy, you might as well make it a marathon with all three movies—there’s a hot and heavy scene involving ice cream that you won’t want to miss in Fifty Shades Freed.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
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Do you take your sexy scenes with a big side of heartbreak? Because this Guadagnino drama is just for you. Guadagnino has a gift for portraying queer love stories beautifully, authentically, and often bittersweet, as is the case here. In the film, stars Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer playfully roll around in the grass while passionately kissing and embarking on romantic adventures through Lombardy, Italy. There’s also a memorable NSFW scene with a peach. Yes, like the fruit.
Challengers (2024)
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Guadagnino tops our list again with the 2024 phenomenon that is Challengers. In this sultry film, tennis transforms from an uppity country club activity to a euphemism for sex. The film follows an intense ménage à trois between two best friends (Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor) and a former tennis star (played by Zendaya). It’s full of phallic food items that you can’t unsee, simmering sexual undertones, and an almost threesome you’ll be thinking about before bed.
Anora (2024)
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In Anora, which won the Palme d’or at Cannes Film Festival and is receiving tons of Oscar buzz, Mikey Madison emerges as a star. The dark Cinderella story follows Anora, or Ani, a sex worker from Brooklyn who meets and marries the son of a Russian oligarch. It will likely leave you with a melancholy taste in your mouth, but it’s also full of erotic dancing, teeny-tiny lace lingerie, and a fair share of hot sex on red silk bed sheets.
Saltburn (2023)
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Produced by Margot Robbie, Saltburn is a thriller comedy about an Oxford student named Felix, played by Barry Keoghan, who stays at his friend Oliver’s (played by Jacob Elordi) estate and starts to consume Oliver’s eccentric family one member at a time, both literally and figuratively. Let’s just say there’s a moment with a bathtub drain you won’t want to miss.
X Trilogy (2022-2024)
If horror movies are more your speed, cue up Ti West’s X trilogy, starring Mia Goth. The first installment follows a group of actors making a porn film, so sex is obviously guaranteed; but so are screams, as the crew discovers their Texas hosts are hiding sinister secrets. The second movie, Pearl, includes a scene with a scarecrow that might make you lower the volume if your family is in the other room. And, in the third, main character Maxine continues her sex work, but this time in the gritty, starry-eyed city of Los Angeles—so there’s glam and guts.
Magic Mike (2012)
Does this one really need to be explained? Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, and Matthew McConaughey shirtless, showing off their glistening washboard abs, and grinding on stage.
Black Swan (2010)
The intensity is high in this psychological horror flick, which follows two ballerinas yearning for the lead role in Swan Lake. While the twist might have you staring at the wall as you process what you just watched, there’s some reprieve in the form of an arousing kiss between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, whose characters strike up a twisted friendship while in competition for the number one spot.
Titanic (1997)
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This romance is a classic for a reason. Between Rose (Kate Winslet) and Jack (Leonard DiCaprio) sharing their romantic moment at the bow of the ship, Jack painting his lover like one of his French girls, and Rose’s foggy handprint, Titanic breathed new life into the word “steamy.”
Cruel Intentions (1999)
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Hot, horny rich kids behaving badly? Count me in. This romance thriller follows two vicious step-siblings (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe) who make a bet to seduce the daughter of their prep school’s headmaster (Reese Witherspoon). The film is dripping in seduction, full of savage mind games, and features some provocative French kissing between Gellar and Selma Blair.
Hustlers (2019)
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Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Cardi B, Keke Palmer—the Hustlers cast oozes sexy. The movie follows a struggling stripper (Wu) and her street-smart friends, who turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. It makes being bad look so good and features a tiny sequin bodysuit-clad Lopez giving a tantalizing strip routine.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Everyone knows Spain is a romantic vacation destination, but even more so when Javier Bardem is showing you around. Bardem, who plays Juan in the Woody Allen film, purs to Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall’s characters, “I’ll show you around the city, and we’ll eat well. We’ll drink good wine. We’ll make love.” And he follows up on that promise. The chemistry among the three, and later Juan’s former lover, played by Penélope Cruz, give way to a fiery, sensual watch.
Atonement (2007)
All you need to know about this war romance is there is a scene in which Keira Knightly, dressed in an enticing green gown, is taken by her lover, played by James McAvoy, against a bookshelf that will completely alter your definition of passion.
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
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Salma Hayek as a vampire goddess dancing with a massive boa constrictor in a minuscule brown bikini? This movie is hardly a tough sell for any audience. It’s got action, it’s got thirsty bloodsuckers, it’s got a smouldering George Clooney.
Moonlight (2016)
If you haven’t already seen it, you might recognize the title of this movie from that Academy Awards mishap. But the drama won Best Picture for a reason. The story looks at critical moments in the life of Chiron, a young Black man growing up in Miami, through a lens of masculinity and homophobia. It will make you cry, it will make you think, and at one point, via an intimate scene between Chiron and his childhood friend Kevin by the beach, it will raise your heartbeat.
The Graduate (1967)
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You’ve certainly heard the men in your life rave about this movie; it’s a top favorite, among The Godfather, for many. The dramedy follows a recent college grad, played by Dustin Hoffman, who finds himself in a complicated love triangle between a bored housewife (Anne Bancroft) and her daughter (Katharine Ross). The film is overflowing with sex appeal and has an ending that packs a punch.
Lady Chatterly’s Lover (2022)
In this romance drama, brought to Netflix by French director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Emma Corrin makes another striking return to the screen as Connie, an unhappily married aristocrat who strikes up a torrid affair with the gamekeeper on her husband’s estate. In addition to beautiful visuals, there are plenty of racy sex scenes that’ll make you break a sweat.
Love Actually (2003)
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It doesn’t get better than nine intertwined love stories wrapped up with a Christmas bow. Plus, the O.G. heartthrob Hugh Grant. Oh, and a naughty porno body doubles scene.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
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We started with Kidman, and it only feels right to end with Kidman. The Academy Award-winner has quite a repertoire for erotic films, and her most famous might just be Eyes Wide Shut, in which she stars opposite Tom Cruise. The eerie Stanley Kubrick movie follows a Manhattan doctor (Cruise) who embarks on an offbeat, night-long journey after his wife (Kidman) makes a shocking sexual admission.
