Who doesn’t like some steamy and sizzling content? Everyone does, right? Let’s redefine love and friendship with this amazing list of movies similar to 50 Shades of Gray.
One of the groundbreaking moments that broke away from mainstream cinema was the release of the film 50 Shades of Grey. The film not only started a whole new trend but also created a sense of openness and acceptance of what the mainstream media deems unacceptable.
1. The Handmaiden (2016)
- Director: Park Chan Wook
- Writer: Park Chan Wook, Jeong Seo Kyeong
- Cast: Kim Min Hee, Kim Tae Ri, Ha Jung Woo, Cho Jin Woong
- IMDb Ratings: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Set in South Korea in the 1930s, a Japanese heiress hires a young woman as a handmaid. However, the handmaiden is not the simple girl she seems as she plots with a pickpocket disguised as a Japanese Count. The Count was to seduce the young heiress, run away, rob her of her wealth, and lock her up in a madhouse.
However, though the evil plan seems to work accordingly, the heiress and the handmaiden, the lead characters, develop unexpected emotions. How will the story unfold, and what is at stake?
2. Amar (2017)
- Director: Esteban Crespo
- Writer: Esteban Crespo, Mario Fernandez Alonso
- Cast: Maria Pedraza, Pol Monen, Natalia Tena
- IMDb Ratings: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
This teen romance story is about two young lovers from Spain, Laura, and Carlos, who are deeply in love with each other. They live each day of their lives passionately, and the film is full of sex scenes. However, things are not glittery after a certain point in time. Laura tries to break free of her mother’s control of her life, and she tries to get pregnant.
Things become complicated as the two lovers seem to drift apart and look for a place for themselves in the world. A year later, when they meet, their sensuous and deep passion is just a memory.
3. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
- Director: James Foley
- Writer: Niall Leonard
- Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Rita Ora, Victor Rasuk, Kim Basinger, Marcia Gay Harden
- IMDb Ratings: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The film Call Me By Your Name is a famous movie that depicts a homosexual love story. The film follows a young boy named Elio who develops feelings for his father’s assistant named, Oliver. However, their passionate encounters with each other were temporary.
Elio comes to terms with his own sexual orientation, and his encounter with Oliver becomes one of his life-defining events.
4. Belle de Jour (1967)
- Director: Luis Bunuel
- Writer: Luis Bunuel, Jean Claude Carriere
- Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Pierre Clementi
- IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
This classic movie, Belle de Jour, is one of the first movies like Fifty Shades of Grey and is considered as director Bunuel’s finest work. The story revolves around Severine, a young woman who is happily married to her doctor husband. Though she admires her husband a lot, she is unable to be sexually satisfied.
She entertains herself by engaging in various erotic, kinky, and sexual fantasies by working in a brothel while remaining a chaste wife in her marriage.
5. Blue is The Warmest Colour (2013)
- Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
- Writer: Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix
- Cast: Lea Seydoux, Adele Exarchopoulos
- IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Blue is the Warmest Colour is about two young women who fall in love with each other. The film follows the life of Adele, who is unsure about her sexuality and starts to explore herself after learning about her desires and freedom. She gets attracted to a young woman who spots a funky haircut and has blue hair. The film depicts how their relationship develops over a while.
Blue is the Warmest Colour follows the journey of these young lovers from the time Adele was in high school, then college, and her career as a high school teacher. The film is full of steamy scenes and explorations of female sexuality.
6. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Frederic Raphael
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Marie Richardson
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Eyes Wide Shut is one of the many movies like Fifty Shades of Grey that revolves around sexual fantasies. The film follows the life of Dr. Bill Hartfordwho is heartbroken and becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. This happens after his wife admits to having sexual fantasies with a stranger she met.
Bill discovers an underground sexual group and soon becomes a regular in their meetings. The audience would love to see how their new secret life of Bill manifests.
7. Lust, Caution (2007)
- Director: Ang Lee
- Writer: Eileen Chang, James Schamus, Hui-Ling Wang
- Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Leehom Wang
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Our only entry from the Chinese film industry, Lust, Caution, is one of the most beautifully shot salacious espionage movies. Directed by the legendary Ang Lee, this is a film set in the late 1930s and early 40s Hong Kong in the World War 2 era.
8. The Piano Teacher (2001)
- Director: Michael Haneke
- Writer: Michael Haneke, Elfriede Jelinek
- Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot, Benoit Magimel, Susanne Lothar
- IMDb Ratings: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
- Streaming Platforms: MUBI, Amazon Prime Video
One of the most critically acclaimed erotic films of all time, The Piano Teacher, follows the story of a middle-aged woman who falls for her 17-year-old student. The film is as thought-provoking as it is shocking and erotically charged.
9. Blue Valentine (2010)
- Director: Derek Cianfrance
- Writer: Derek Cianfrance, Cami Cami Delavigne, Joey Curtis
- Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Blue Valentine revolves around the lives of Dean Pereira and Cindy, a young married couple who work as working-class professionals. Both of them come from very dysfunctional families and have a troubled past, but the love for their daughter, Frankie, binds them. However, even though they are quite young, they seem to be lacking the sparks.
Dean and Cindy go for an overnight stay without Frankie, and this getaway provides a more clear picture of their marriage.
10. Tess (1979)
- Director: Roman Polanski
- Writer: Gerad Brach, John Brownjohn, Roman Polanski
- Cast: Natassja Kinksi, Peter Firth, Leigh Lawson
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The film revolves around a young woman, Tess, who is sent to her rich family members to look for a job by her father. She gets pregnant after she is seduced by her cousin Alec, and they get intimate. Though she loses the child, she decides to keep it to herself whatever happens between Alec and her and the consequences.
She later marries a very respectable farmer named Angel, who is unaware of her dubious past. Once her past comes out, will Tess and Angel’s marriage take the brunt?
11. Shame (2011)
- Director: Steve McQueen
- Writer: Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan
- Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Perhaps a very similar plotline to one of our earlier entries, the Nymphomaniac series, Shame follows the story of a troubled sex addict, played by Michael Fassbender, whose life turns upside down when his sister comes to crash at his home for a few days. Filled with intensely explicit scenes, Shame was given an NC-17 rating upon its release and should be on your list as a 50 Shades alternative.
12. The Dreamers (2003)
- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
- Writer: Gilbert Adair
- Cast: Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 60%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Set in the backdrop of the Paris Revolution, this erotic and steamy film revolves around the life of Theo and his sister Isabelle and their highly liberal and sexual relationship. Things become dreamy yet complicated when Mathew, an exchange student, comes to stay with them, and the three of them indulge in a very sexualized relationship.
Though all three of them have distinct bonds with each other, how long is a relationship that seems so complicated to survive the test of time?
13. The Last Seduction (1994)
- Director: John Dahl
- Writer: Steve Barancik
- Cast: Linda Florentino, Peter Berg, Bill Pullman
- IMDb Ratings: 7.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The Last Seduction can be counted as one of the movies like Fifty Shades of Grey. It is the story of an unhappy wife, Bridget Gregory, who tries to escape from her unhappy marriage. She traps her husband into selling cocaine and trapping him in a scandal.
As she escapes, she stops in a nearby town where she meets Mike, who instantly catches her attention. She develops a romantic relationship with him and lands a job in his firm,
Things take a deadly turn when she asks Mike to help her kill her husband and also convinces him to run another scam. The film has a lot of steamy bed scenes and was a hit during its time.
14. Basic Instinct (1992)
- Director: Paul Verhoeven
- Writer: Joe Eszterhas
- Cast: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Wayne Knight
- IMDb Ratings: 7.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 56%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Basic Instinct (Tristar Pictures) is a film like Fifty Shades of Grey and is one of the hit films of its time. The film is an erotic thriller that revolves around Johnny Boz, a former rock star, who is brutally killed during sex. As SFPD detective Curran investigates the case, he comes across Boz’s girlfriend and crime novel writer, Catherine. He suspects Catherine is a manipulative and clever woman; her involvement in Nilsen’s murder is suspected by Curran.
In order to trap her, Curran plays a lust-filled mind game with Catherine, and as they delve into more passionate sex and romance, the number of dead bodies rises as well.
15. The Secretary(2002)
- Director: Steven Shainberg
- Writer: Erin Cressida Wilson
- Cast: James Spader, Maggi Gyllenhaal
- IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The Secretary typically seems like one of the movies like Fifty Shades of Grey and revolves around an emotionally fragile woman with a history of self-harm. She joins as a secretary for a very demanding lawyer played by James Spader. However, their relationship soon turns into a sadomasochistic relationship, and the dominating personality of her boss asserts itself, both in their professional and personal spaces.
Their sexual adventures keep evolving, and so do their relationships and them as individuals. How this boss and secretary’s passionate relationship unfolds is something that the audience would want to know.
Read More: 25 Must-Watch Movies If You Like 50 Shades of Grey
16. Stranger by the Lake (2013)
- Director: Alain Guiraudie
- Writer: Alain Guiraudie
- Cast: Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Paou, Patrick d’ Assumcao
- IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
This simple erotic film does not seem so simple, with the characters having their own dark secrets. The film revolves around a gay man named Franck who develops an attraction for a middle-aged bisexual man named Henry on a gay beach. However, Franck develops a sexual attraction toward Michel, who appears later on. But things are not what they seem.
As Franck sees Michele drowning his lover, his attraction to him makes him stay silent as he seriously considers a relationship with a ruthless yet charming killer.
17. Cruel Intentions (1999)
- Director: Roger Kumble
- Writer: Choderlos de Laclos, Roger Kumble
- Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Resse Witherspoon, Selma Blair
- IMDb Ratings: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Instant Video, iTunes
The erotic thriller movie that your elder siblings probably rave about, Cruel Intentions, was one of those ‘bold’ movies that would be considered not so controversial as others on the list. Nonetheless, this was one movie that probably kick-started the phenomenon of racy thrillers.
18. Unfaithful (2002)
- Director: Adrian Lyne
- Writer: Alvin Sargent, William Broyles Jr.
- Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Oliver Martinez, Erik Per Sullivan
- IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 50%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The movie Unfaithful is one of the movies like Fifty Shades of Grey. It is one of the erotic thriller films that revolves around a New York wife named Connie, who has everything she needs and is dissatisfied. She bumps into a random stranger and gets obsessed with the handsome man. They soon start an adulterous affair. However, there are many dark things that are lurking behind.
Things start to get complicated as Connie’s actions start to catch up on her, and her husband finds out about her affair. While confronting her lover, he discovers a rage in himself and also gets to know about the shocking details of Connie’s infidelity.
19. In The Realm of Senses (1976)
- Director: Nagisha Oshima
- Writer: Nagisha Oshima
- Cast: Eiko Matsuda, Tatsuya Fuji
- IMDb Ratings: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
In the Realm of the Senses is an erotic art film that gained quite a lot of attention during the time of its release. The storyline revolves around Sada Abe, who is a former prostitute but now works as a maid in a hotel. She has an affair with the owner of the hotel, and the affair is highly erotic. Both of them engage in various sexual experiments.
Things start to get ugly when Sada kills Ishida while her darker side takes over. Her increasing possessiveness makes her do things that might send shivers down one’s spine.
20. Nymphomaniac Part 1 and Part 2 (2013)
- Director: Lars Von Trier
- Writer: Lars Von Trier
- Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stacy Martin, Stellan Skarsgard, Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Conny Nielsen, Michael Pas, Jean-Marc Barr.
- IMDb Ratings: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The seemingly bizarre premise of the film revolves around the life of Joe, who is a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac named Joe. The film depicts her recollection of her erotic encounters with a stranger who saves her from an assault. The film collectivizes Joe’s multiple sexual relationships, starting from her teenage days to adulthood.
The Nymphomaniac is made in parts and is split into eight parts distributed in two volumes. The film features some weird and steamy fantasies and depicts a sexual relationship in a way that intrigues the audience.
21. Don Jon (2013)
- Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Writer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore
- IMDb Ratings: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
- Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
Maybe not as intensely graphic as some of the other ones on the list; nonetheless, Don Jon is one hell of an entertaining film with some steamy scenes.
Directed and written by Joseph Gordon Levitt and starring himself alongside Scarlett Johansson, this movie follows the story of a porn addict. The funniest part about the film is Joseph Gordon Levitt wrote the movie and cast Scarlett Johansson opposite him for all the steamy scenes. good one, Joseph.
22. Friends With Benefits (2011)
- Director: Will Gluck
- Writer: Will Gluck, Keith Merryman, David A Newman
- Cast: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson
- IMDb Ratings: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
The film features fans’ favorite Justin Timberlake and the beautiful Mila Kunis, who are friends from work. The actors, indulging in a fun, friendly banter, decide to take their friendship to the next level by becoming friends with benefits without becoming an actual couple. However, Jamie, played by Kunis, and Dylan, played by Timberlake, have a tumultuous past, and they try hard not to fall in love with each other.
However, soon, they realize that sex is only going to complicate things for them. Will the two friends figure a way out of the complex relationship they share, or will they fall prey to the deadly four-letter word LOVE?
23. A Dangerous Method(2011)
- Director: David Cronenberg
- Writer: Christopher Hampton
- Cast: Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Sarah Gadon, Vincent Cassel
- IMDb Ratings: 6.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
A Dangerous Method is one of many movies made in film history that circles around the controversial psychologist and writer Sigmund Freud. This film is one of the few movies like Fifty Shades of Grey. It depicts the complex relationship between Carl Jung and Freud when Jung discovers that Freud’s method of psychoanalysis cannot treat his patient Sabina Spielrein. The film depicts the childhood trauma of Sabina and her sexual fantasies that arise from it, as well as her relationship with both Freud and Jung.
The film presents a very interesting take on the friends turned rivals story of three of history’s greatest and their complex relationships, which kept the audience greatly intrigued.
24. Newness (2017)
- Director: Drake Doremus
- Writer: Ben York Jones
- Cast: Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones, Michael Schaefer, Michael Pruss, Robert George, John Finemore
- IMDb Ratings: 6.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Newness is one of the best recent erotic films, and it follows the story of Martin and Gabi, who usually spend their weekends glued to dating apps. However, when both of them cross paths, they develop a connection that both of them always wished for. They get into a relationship and enjoy the newness of it.
However, soon, the spark fades, and the relationship turns boring. They decide to try to have an open relationship, and how this decision unfolds is something the audience would love to know.
25. No Strings Attached (2011)
- Director: Ivan Rietman
- Writer: Elizabeth Meriwether
- Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Cary Elwes, Kevin Kline
- IMDb Ratings: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 48%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
No Strings Attached is one of the movies like Fifty Shades of Grey and revolves around Adam and Emma, who meet after 15 years. Adam discovers that his former girlfriend is living with his father and is messed up in his head. However, his life takes a different turn when he meets Emma and develops a purely sexual relationship with her.
However, things do not turn out the way they expect them to be, as both of them start to develop feelings for each other. Will their no-strings-attached actually be like this, or will their relationship take a completely different turn?
26. Room in Rome (2010)
- Director: Julio Medem
- Writer: Julio Medem
- Cast: Elena Anaya, Natasha Yarovenko, Enrico Lo Verso, Najwa Nimri
- IMDb Ratings: 6.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix
Room in Rome is one of the erotic comedy and romantic movies that depicts the life of two women who meet unexpectedly. Natasha, a Russian woman who is about to get married, tours Rome when she meets Alba. Both Natasha and Alba share a room, and they develop a connection soon. Centered around this hotel room in Rome, the women get intimate with each other and explore and discover themselves along the way.
As the day breaks, it poses a threat to the newly formed bond they had formed over the course of the night, and what is the end of such a beautiful connection is to be seen. The actors definitely did an incredible job of portraying the characters.
Read More: 30 Best Movie Sex Scenes You Don’t Wanna Miss
27. Kama Sutra: A Tale Of Love (1996)
- Director: Mira Nair
- Writer: Helena Kriel, Mira Nair, Wajida Tabassum
- Cast: Naveen Andrews, Sarita Choudhury, Indira Varma, Ramon Tikaram
- IMDb Ratings: 6.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%
- Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
The only Indian movie entry on our list, Kama Sutra: A Tale Of Love, is one of the most iconic erotic films of all time, simply because Indian cinema doesn’t make openly erotic mainstream films. It is a historic period drama with some sizzling erotic scenes.
28. Original Sin (2001)
- Director: Michael Cristofer
- Writer: Michael Cristofer
- Cast: Denise Di Novi, Kate Guinzberg, Carol Lees
- IMDb Ratings: 6.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 12%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The film Original Sin follows Luis and Julia, who meet when Luis posts an ad about getting a US wife. Julia and her lover are cons who decide to make Luis fall in love with Julia and then run away with his wealth. However, things do not go as planned, and Julia starts to fall in love with Luis. The film is full of explicit sex scenes and BDSM scenes.
29. 9 1/2 Weeks (1986)
- Director: Adrian Lyne
- Writer: Sarah Kernichan, Zalman King, Patricia Louisianna Knop
- Cast: Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger
- IMDb Ratings: 5.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Video
The film follows two strangers, John and Elizabeth, who get into a relationship. While both have completely different lives, their sexual chemistry is spot on as John pushes for more kinky and erotic scenarios. However, Elizabeth soon realizes that John is only carnally invested in the relationship, and she must take a decision that would change the course of her life. The lead characters played an amazing role in the film.
30. Lie With Me (2005)
- Director: Clement Virgo
- Writer: Tamara Faith Berger, Clement Virgo
- Cast: Lauren Lee Smith, Eric Balfour, Polly Shannon, Ron White, Kate Lynch, Don Francks, Kristin Lehman
- IMDb Ratings: 5.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 38%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
Lie With Me follows the story of Leila and David, who meet unknowingly in a nightclub and instantly hit it off with one another. Leila has a rampant sexuality, and David pursues a passionate carnal relationship with Leila, which is also casual. However, when Leila’s parents head for a divorce, David becomes a constant in Leila’s life.
However, as their relationship develops, Leila fears emotional attachment in her relationship, and her fear of commitment seems to go wary.
31. Bare (2015) – Bonus
- Director: Natalia Leite
- Writer: Natalia Leite
- Cast: Dianna Agron, Paz de la Huerta, Chris Zylka
- IMDb Ratings: 5.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 56%
- Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
Not as high profile as others on the list, Bare is a rather steamy indie flick that follows the story of a young girl who leaves her boyfriend for another woman. The film is charged with drama just as much as it is charged with erotic scenes.
32. 365 Days – Bonus
One of the more recent releases on our list, 365 Days, is a glamorous Polish erotic film about a gangster who kidnaps a woman and gives him 365 days to fall in love with him. Quite a weird storyline that some accused as glamorizing harassment, yet this film became one of the most popular erotic films of recent times, with similar imagery to 50 Shades. It was even nicknamed the Polish 50 Shades.
Conclusion
Ever since the introduction of streaming services in our lives, erotic movies have become largely common. Movies like 50 Shades of Grey and 365 Days have propelled erotic thrillers to semi-mainstream popularity with the enormous attention they get from the younger generation. Above are 30 or, in fact, 32 best movies with the perfect balance of good plot lines and spicy imagery to enjoy.
