Verity is out in theaters. Starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, the film follows Lowen (Johnson), a struggling writer presented with a life-changing opportunity: ghostwriting the unfinished novel of Verity Crawford (Hathaway), one of the world’s biggest authors. She accepts and soon finds herself living in Verity’s home and entangled with her husband, Jeremy (Hartnett). The snag is that Verity, left incapacitated from an accident, lies in a bed upstairs.
The movie is a welcome addition to the erotic thriller canon. The genre has a prominent history in Hollywood, originating in classic film noirs, which were packed with hidden subtext, femme fatales, and detectives. The erotic thriller makes all of that subtext explicit, and it drew theatergoers in droves back in the ’80s and ’90s. Its heyday coincided with the rise of the VHS rental market, making these films huge hits at home too.
The genre has since spilled over into others, but it’s now experiencing a boom of sorts, aided in part by BookTok bestsellers like Verity and The Housemaid, which bring the genre’s trappings to a new generation.
If you’ve already seen Verity and hope to find movies that explore similar concerns, or are simply looking for a primer on the genre, this list is for you. Here are 10 erotic thrillers you can watch.
1
Rebecca
Rebecca is the clearest reference for Verity. It’s in the title, with both films/books named after the absent woman who haunts the protagonist. Written by Daphne du Maurier in 1938 and adapted into one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best films in 1940, the story follows an unnamed woman (Joan Fontaine) who falls into a quick relationship with Mr. de Winter (Laurence Olivier), an older and wealthy man. When he proposes, Mr. de Winter rescues the young woman from poverty, transforming her from the paid companion of an insufferable socialite into the mistress of Manderley, a stunning manor. The problem is that Mr. de Winter was previously married to the late Rebecca, who haunts every corner of the home.
2
Les Diaboliques
Les Diaboliques came out in 1955 and is filled with twists and sexual undertones, becoming a key precursor to the erotic thriller. Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, the story follows a love triangle between Michel (Paul Meurisse), the headmaster of a rundown boys’ boarding school, his wife Christina (Véra Clouzot), and his mistress Nicole (Simone Signoret). When the women meet, they connect over Michel’s abusive nature and make a plan to murder him. The film was remade in the ’90s, starring Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, and Kathy Bates, bringing some of the erotic thriller subtext to the foreground while adapting the story to contemporary audiences.
3
Vertigo
Voyeurism, suspense, and repressed sexuality were foundational to Hitchcock’s films. Vertigo (1958) is one of his most famous, following a retired detective, Scottie (James Stewart), who’s hired to investigate Madeleine (Kim Novak), the wife of an old college acquaintance. Scottie’s old friend claims Madeleine is melancholic and possessed by the spirit of a dead ancestor; he’s afraid that she might hurt herself. As Scottie begins to follow her through the hills and valleys of San Francisco, he forms an obsession with her and falls prey to a trap.
4
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Curtis Hanson’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) is one of the twistiest movies on this list. Like Verity, Cradle follows a woman with a mysterious past who infiltrates the home of a family. It opens with Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra), a young mom who reports her obstetrician for sexual abuse, prompting other women to come forward and do the same. The scandal destroys his career, and he takes his own life, leaving his pregnant wife (Rebecca De Mornay) widowed. The woman decides to take matters into her own hands, reinventing herself and adopting the persona of Peyton Flanders. She gets a job at Claire’s home and infiltrates her life, flirting with Claire’s husband and mothering her kid. It also stars a scene-stealing pre-fame Julianne Moore.
5
Basic Instinct
In 1992, the erotic thriller hit its peak with Basic Instinct. Paul Verhoeven, one of our greatest provocateurs, directed a movie that perfects many of the key elements in the genre: a detective, a femme fatale, a voyeuristic writer, homoeroticism, and sex. The story follows detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who’s investigating the murder of a rock star who was killed with an ice pick. The prime suspect is Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a wealthy and brilliant crime novelist, who was dating the victim, and whose most recent novel features an almost identical murder (a setup Verity fans will recognize). As the story develops, Nick can’t decide if Catherine is out to frame him or if she’s innocent. That doesn’t stop him from sleeping with her, though.
6
Wild Things
Much has been said about Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway’s kiss in Verity, an addition to the film that wasn’t featured in the book. No kiss looms larger over the erotic thriller than the one featured in Wild Things (1998), starring Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, and Denise Richards. Set in Blue Bay, Florida, the film follows a pair of high schoolers – a wealthy cheerleader (Richards) and an outsider (Campbell) – who accuse a popular guidance counselor (Dillon) of rape. A police officer (Kevin Bacon) gets involved in the case, finding that there’s much more to the story.
7
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Speaking of duplicitous protagonists, few are more entertaining than Tom Ripley, Patricia Highsmith’s most famous creation. The novel has inspired various film adaptations, but none as star-studded as Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). Starring Matt Damon as Ripley, a weaselly American con artist who’ll stop at nothing to get the life and status he yearns for. The film follows Tom, who, after a misunderstanding, is believed to be a Princeton graduate and classmate of Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law), a wealthy socialite and heir to a multimillion-dollar business. Tom is sent to Italy on behalf of Greenleaf’s father to bring his wayward son home to take over the family business. He uses the opportunity to insert himself in Dickie’s life and social circle, with the story growing more complex and convoluted the more his lies stack up.
8
Fifty Shades
Hear me out. Dakota Johnson wouldn’t be in Verity if she hadn’t built a career based on the success of the Fifty Shades movie trilogy. And while Fifty Shades (2015) is infamous for being Twilight fanfiction, as it progressed, the film series borrowed more and more from the erotic thriller. Starring Johnson as Anastasia Steele, the story trails her romance with Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), a rich and controlling businessman who’s also into BDSM. The story grows more convoluted with each new entry, introducing a roster of obstacles, from Anastasia’s obsessive boss Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson) to Christian’s former business partner, lover, and abuser Elena Lincoln (played by modern noir icon Kim Basinger). The last two films of the trilogy were directed by James Foley (Fear), who brought a soapier, more fun approach to the material.
9
Fair Play
One of the best contemporary erotic thrillers is Chloe Domont’s Fair Play (2023), which makes some sharp commentary on gender and sexual dynamics. Set in the workplace, a beloved setting of classic erotic thrillers, Fair Play updates the formula for a modern audience. The story follows Emily Meyers (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke Edmonds (Alden Ehrenreich), two employees at a highly competitive Manhattan hedge fund. They have been carrying on a secret relationship and have decided to get engaged. The two plan on sharing the news with their co-workers once Luke gets promoted and they’re no longer working at the same level. But everything changes when Emily is offered the promotion instead.
10
The Housemaid
The Housemaid was one of 2025’s biggest hits. The release inspired a sequel (with Kirsten Dunst) coming in 2027 and has paved the way for similar films based on dark and soapy BookTok recommendations. Based on the first novel in Freida McFadden’s series and directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), The Housemaid follows Millie (Sydney Sweeney), an ex-con struggling to find a job. She’s living in her car when the perfect opportunity falls into her lap: a position as a housemaid in the luxurious Long Island mansion of Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). She accepts. Soon after moving in, Millie realizes there’s something wrong with the family. Nina is cruel and begins to sabotage Millie’s life, but that’s only the beginning of Millie’s problems. The film shares a lot of DNA with Verity: a woman on the edge gets tangled up in a marriage, slowly learning that she shouldn’t trust anyone in it.
