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Basic Instinct poster

Movies that feel likeBasic Instinct (1992)

Catherine, a novelist with an insatiable sexual appetite, becomes a prime suspect when her boyfriend is brutally murdered -- a crime she had described in her latest story.

If you loved Basic Instinct, the closest films we have are Thelma (2017), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Blue Velvet (1986). All three share Basic Instinct's tense and twisty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is The Firm (1993).

πŸ… 56% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Paul Verhoeventensetwistyobsessive
12 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Paramount Plus Premium

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If Basic Instinct hit the spot, these will too

Thelma poster
Thelma
2017 Β· dir. Joachim Trier
πŸ… 92%β˜… 6.9drama Β· mystery Β· thriller

One thread runs through both: sexual obsession

The difference: Reviewed even better

A college student starts to experience extreme seizures. She soon learns that the violent episodes are a symptom of inexplicable abilities.

Eyes Wide Shut poster
Eyes Wide Shut
1999 Β· dir. Stanley Kubrick
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.5drama Β· thriller Β· mysteryMax

The same preoccupation in both: eroticism

The difference: Sits closer to drama than Basic Instinct does

After Dr. Bill Harford's wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings -- and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.

Blue Velvet poster
Blue Velvet
1986 Β· dir. David Lynch
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7.7mystery Β· thriller Β· crime

Common ground: detective

The difference: Leans harder into crime than Basic Instinct does

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

Identity poster
Identity
2003 Β· dir. James Mangold
πŸ… 64%β˜… 7.3mystery Β· thriller

Both are built on the same subject: psychopath

The difference: Trades the obsession of Basic Instinct for an angle of its own

Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is.

Vertigo poster
Vertigo
1958 Β· dir. Alfred Hitchcock
πŸ… 94%β˜… 8.2mystery Β· romance Β· thriller

Both keep coming back to the same thing: detective

The difference: Made in the 1950s, in a different era of the craft

A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

Misery poster
Misery
1990 Β· dir. Rob Reiner
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.8drama Β· thrillerMax

Different title, same corner of the shelf

After an accident, acclaimed novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued by a nurse who claims to be his biggest fan. Her obsession takes a dark turn when she holds him captive in her remote Colorado home and forces him to write back to life the popular literary character he killed off.

8MM poster
8MM
1999 Β· dir. Joel Schumacher
πŸ… 23%β˜… 6.6thriller Β· crime Β· mystery

Tense and twisty in the same breath

A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of evidence to determine the fate of a complete stranger. As his work turns into obsession, he drifts farther and farther away from his wife, family and simple life as a small-town PI.

The Number 23 poster
The Number 23
2007 Β· dir. Joel Schumacher
πŸ… 7%β˜… 6.4thriller Β· mystery Β· crime

Obsessive thriller in both cases

Animal control officer Walter Sparrow becomes obsessed with a novel that he believes was written about him, as more and more similarities between himself and his literary alter ego seem to arise.

The Girl on the Train poster
The Girl on the Train
2016 Β· dir. Tate Taylor
πŸ… 44%β˜… 6.5crime Β· mystery Β· thrillerStarz

Mystery built on tension, twice over

Rachel Watson, devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds.

The Ghost Writer poster
The Ghost Writer
2010 Β· dir. Roman Polanski
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.2thriller Β· mysteryPrime VideoStarz

Twisty thriller, and it commits to that

A writer stumbles upon a long-hidden secret when he agrees to help former British Prime Minister Adam Lang complete his memoirs on a remote island after the politician's assistant drowns in a mysterious accident.

The Firm poster
The Firm
1993 Β· dir. Sydney Pollack
πŸ… 77%β˜… 6.9drama Β· mystery Β· thrillerMaxParamount+

Both lean on tension more than on mystery

Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by 'The Firm' and made an offer he doesn't refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice - work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan...

Exam poster
Exam
2009 Β· dir. Stuart Hazeldine
πŸ… 61%β˜… 6.7thriller Β· mystery

Thriller with a pulse of twists, in both cases

Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, where an armed guard keeps watch, they are given 80 minutes to answer one simple question.

In the mood for more tense?

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The best-reviewed films that share Basic Instinct’s defining feeling.