30 of the Sexiest Horror Movies of All Time
For scarier, steamier streaming.
When you’re in the mood for a steamy streaming sesh, anything involving gore, ghosts, and spooky stuff may not be the *first* thing that comes to mind. But trust, the horror genre is home to some extremely horny content. Fact: Sometimes the scariest movies are also the sexiest, and whether you’re picking a flick for a Netflix and chill sesh or just looking to cuddle up with your favorite vibrator and enjoy some top-tier sex scenes, you simply can’t go wrong with a sexy horror movie.
While sultry stuff and scary stuff may seem like strange bedfellows, horror and horniness actually have a long and storied history. From classics like Dracula (yes, vampires were sexy way before Twilight) to timeless erotic thrillers like Blue Velvet to the campy, blood-splattered masterpiece that is Jennifer’s Body, scary movies rarely skimp on the sexiness, and damn do we love them for it.
For some fans of the genre, horror movies can even function as a kind of aphrodisiac. I mean, not only does queuing up a scary movie for date night give you a convenient excuse to get up close and personal with your boo (“Babe, hold me, I’m scared”), but fear can actually make you physically horny. As certified sex educator Gigi Engle, lead intimacy expert for 3Fun previously explained, heightened states of adrenaline-pumping emotion can sometimes lead to arousal. So yes, sultry sex scenes really do hit different when you’re already hopped up on the suspense of an R-rated (or X-rated) thriller.
Whether you prefer kinky slashers, body horror, vampires, or movies that are more campy than, like, scary-scary, there’s a streamable, downloadable, or rentable sexy horror film out there for you. Right this way for the sexiest scary movies of all time.
It Follows
What starts off as something that could almost pass for a dreamy, teen romance quickly devolves into a heart-pounding tale of a college student running from a creepy ex who burdened her with a deadly curse passed through sex. Casual! This film is full of metaphors for toxic gender roles and young love, and it’s the perfect mix of tantalizing and terrifying.
How to watch: Netflix
Black Swan
Black Swan plays with two absolute truths: One, there’s nothing scarier than being on the precipice of greatness and watching it crumble before your own eyes. Two, there’s nothing sexier than a Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman love scene.
How to watch: Amazon
Only Lovers Left Alive
Tom Hiddleston plays a sad boy musician whose lust for life returns when he reconnects with an old flame. Awh, cute! Just kidding, turns out she and her wayward little sister are actually vampires who do what vampires do best—drain the life from centuries of lovers.
How to watch: Amazon Prime
Species
Alien life-forms, compulsory procreation, steamy hot tub scenes—it’s the '90s, baby! Species is a sci-fi thriller–lover’s dream. When scientists create a half-alien, half-human woman named Sil, she eventually breaks out of the lab to find a man who can impregnate her and carry on her, well, species.
How to watch: Amazon Prime
The Black Room
A kinky, early-’80s flick about a cheating husband who rents a room in a Hollywood Hills mansion to carry out his sordid affairs. Unfortunately for this cheater and his paramours, their little love nest happens to be owned by a pair of serial-killing siblings who have a habit of, well, serial-killing unsuspecting mistresses.
How to watch: Vudu
Angel Heart
A private investigator is hired to track down a singer when he finds himself swept up in an evil and murderous world full of lies and deceit in this chilling 1980's film. Where is the sexy, you ask? The star-studded cast (Lisa Bonet! Young Mickey Rourke! Robert De Niro, if you’re into that!) leaves little to be desired.
How to watch: Amazon Prime
Jennifer's Body
This film, starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfriend in all their 2009 glory, has risen in the ranks as one of the all-time most beloved sexy horror films. Not only has it been adopted by the queer community as the movie equivalent of a bisexual anthem—the “I go both ways” line is tattooed on our hearts forever—but it’s the perfect mix of funny and lighthearted with plenty of downright sinister moments.
How to watch: Amazon Prime
Interview with the Vampire
This 1994 thriller is all about blood lust—and ofc, plain old regular lust. Based on the novel by Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire follows a young Brad Pitt (hubba hubba) as he navigates his eternal vampiric life. Expect sexy scenes that feature Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, and of course Mr. Pitt. The good news? A TV adaptation of the film—but this time, gay! And multiracial!—is coming to AMC in October.
How to watch: Amazon Prime
From Dusk Till Dawn
Campy vampire action thriller with George Clooney and Salma Hayek? Yes please. While this film probably won’t give you nightmares (the '90s makeup and special effects might seem a little primitive nowadays), you’ll be having all kinds of *other* dreams about the sexy snake dance. Take my word for it.
How to watch: Hulu Premium with Showtime add-on
The Love Witch
Enough vampires, let’s have some witchy action, shall we? Samantha Robinson plays a California witch who casts spells on her foolish lovers in a splashy scary-comedy that manages to turn the tables on some of the dated gender roles that tend to plague horror classics of yore.
How to watch: Amazon Prime
Cat People
Not to be confused with Cat Person, this one is about, um, actual cat people. As in, like, humans who transform into cats, werewolf style. Surprise, they’re called “werecats,” and after finding out she is one, this cat lady learns she must mate with another from her species to prevent permanent werecat status. Oh, and she has to hide it from her hot new zoologist boyfriend. Don’t you hate when that happens?
How to watch: Amazon Prime
Friday the 13th (1980)
What’s become an endless series of slasher films that all basically end the same way, Friday the 13th is about young people being horny and having sex. And then getting murdered. You know the drill. Let’s hear it for young Kevin Bacon!
How to watch: Amazon Prime
The Shape of Water
If you’re looking for a sexy horror movie that’s a little more high-brow than your standard low-budget kinky slasher, look no further than this buzzy Oscars darling. In case you missed the hype a few years back, fantasy plus romance plus horror equals, well, lots of merman sex in this award-winner.
How to watch: Hulu
Daughters of Darkness
'70s glam meets bloody horror in Daughters of Darkness, a film about a European countess who bathes in the blood of young virgins to preserve her own youth. Expect lots of nudity!
How to watch: Tubi and Amazon Prime
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Yes, more '90s vampires—only this time, you get a little Winona Ryder as a treat! This film has some campy elements and isn’t likely to send you cowering under the covers, but it’s dripping in vampiric sensuality and gore. A true classic.
How to watch: Amazon Prime
The Hunger
The trailer itself describes The Hunger as “a modern classic of perverse fear”—what more is there to say? Susan Sarandon, David Bowie, and Catherine Deneuve star in this film about immortal love (yes, vampires again), desire, and bloodlust.
How to watch: HBO Max
Mulholland Drive
David Lynch is considered the master of twisted, reality-bending, and very sexy thrillers, and Mulholland Drive is just another notch in his cinematic bedpost. The story of a car-crash victim who attempts to piece her memories back together, this film is creepy, sapphic, and will stick with you for a long time.
How to watch: Amazon Prime or YouTube
Blue Velvet
Before Mulholland Drive, David Lynch made Blue Velvet, what many consider to be a masterpiece of erotic thriller cinema. It’s one of those see-it-to-believe-it kind of movies, with all sorts of unexpected twists that keep you guessing (and sweating). Prepare for jump scares followed by heart palpitations thanks to the undeniably sexy Kyle Maclachlan and Isabella Rossellini.
How to watch: HBO Max
Videodrome
An '80s film all about the anxiety of the digital age, the growing porn industry, and enslavement to technology, Videodrome explores some complex—not to mention spooky and sensual—themes.
How to watch: Youtube or Amazon Prime
Don't Look Now
A movie all about grief and death and communicating with spirits doesn’t sound too sexy. But when it’s Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie trying to keep their marriage alive in the bedroom? Very hot.
How to watch: Amazon Prime
Emma Glassman-Hughes (she/her) is a freelance writer for Cosmopolitan and a part-time editor at the Boston Globe. She was formerly a staff writer at Elite Daily, where she covered sex, intimacy, and queer topics. She is a graduate student at Boston University, where she’s pursuing a master’s in journalism with an emphasis on narrative and investigative reporting. She has a Twitter but her website is way more fun.
Kayla Kibbe (she/her) is the Associate Sex and Relationships Editor at Cosmopolitan US, where she covers all things sex, love, dating and relationships. She lives in Astoria, Queens and probably won’t stop talking about how great it is if you bring it up. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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