We’re all waiting with bated breath to get our greedy little eyes on Babygirl, Queer, and Disclaimer which have been heating up screens, and audience’s pants this week at the Venice Film Festival. The wait is brutal but fortunately we don’t have to delay the gratification or erotic thrill of a queer film, because baby, we’ve been making them for decades.
From Sapphic heists, to killer (literally) hookups in the woods, to dark and steamy explorations of gay desire, queer films noir, filmmakers have been blending the subversive genres with the taboo delights of LGBTQ+ love and lust to make cinematic magic.
So, yes, we can't wait to see the latest from Halina Reijn, Luca Guadagnino, and Alfonso Cuarón. But since we aren't currently star-spotting from a gondola in the canals, we have plenty to keep us busy on streaming right now. Here are 10 queer erotic thrillers you can watch right now, and where to do so.
All film descriptions courtesy of their respective studios.
Stranger by the Lake
Frank (Pierre Deladonchamps) spends his summer days hopelessly searching for companionship at a popular cruising spot on the shores of a lake in rural France. One day, he meets Michel (Christophe Paou), an attractive yet darkly mysterious man and falls blindly in love. When a death occurs, Frank and Michel become the primary suspects but they choose to ignore the dangers and instead continue to engage in their passionate and potentially lethal relationship.
Where to watch: Kanopy
Cruising
In New York City during the middle of a hot summer, body parts of men are showing up in the Hudson River. The police suspect it to be the work of a serial killer who is picking up gay men at West Village bars like the Eagle's Nest, the Ramrod, and the Cock Pit, then taking them to cheap rooming houses or motels, tying them up and stabbing them to death. Officer Steve Burns (Al Pacino), who resembles the victims' dark-haired, slim profile, is sent deep undercover by Captain Edelson (Paul Sorvino) into the urban world of gay S&M and leather bars in the Meatpacking District in order to track down the killer.
Where to watch: VOD
The Handmaiden
A gripping and sensual tale of two women - a young Japanese Lady living on a secluded estate, and a Korean woman who is hired to serve as her new handmaiden, but is secretly plotting with a conman to defraud her of a large inheritance. Inspired by the novel Fingersmith by British author Sarah Waters.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Bound
Corky, a lesbian ex con hired to work in an apartment as a plumber, meets neighbors Caesar, who launders money for the Mafia, and his girlfriend Violet. The two women have a love affair and decide to steal $2,000,000 that Caesar has in custody before he gives them back to Mafia boss Gino Marzone. Caesar is set up by the two scheming women as a scapegoat but things start to go wrong when he reacts in an unexpected way...
Where to watch: Paramount+
Mulholland Drive
Los Angeles, city of angels. Amnesiae and wounded, a mysterious femme fatale wanders on the sinuous road of Mulholland Drive. She finds shelter at Betty's house (Naomi Watts), an aspiring actress who just arrived from her hometown and in search of stardom in Hollywood. Initially intrigued by the stranger who calls herself Rita (Laura Elena Harring), Betty discovers that her handbag is full of dollar bundles. The two women get to know each other better and decide to investigate in order to discover Rita's true identity.
Where to watch: On VOD
Love Lies Bleeding
Reclusive gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart) falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou's criminal family.
Where to watch: Max
O Fantasma
By day, brooding, lonely Sergio works as a trash collector in the streets of Lisbon. By night, he embarks on an increasingly intense odyssey of random, anonymous sexual encounters. Quickly, Sergio becomes fixated on a hot, young stranger and begins to retreat further and further into his dark dream life, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, love and obsession.
Where to watch: Tubi
Sequin in a Blue Room
Sequin in a Blue Room is the story of Sequin, who is exploring his burgeoning sexuality through an obsession with anonymous, no-strings sexual encounters. That is until he finds his way into The Blue Room - a strictly anonymous, group sex party - where a whole new, alluring world unfolds before him. There, Sequin connects with a captivating stranger, but they are separated suddenly. Utterly fixated on this man, Sequin sets off on an exhilarating and dangerous mission to track him down.
Where to watch: On VOD
Nevrland
In this dark, sexy, psychological coming-of-age drama, 17-year-old Jakob struggles with crippling anxiety and takes refuge in the internet. While on a cam-chat site, he meets 26-year-old artist Kristjan. Caught between reality and fantasy, youth and adulthood, Jakob's blurry process of sexual awakening is a psychedelic trip of hot, strange hallucinatory sequences of desire and madness that will bring you to the edge of your seat.
Where to watch: Tubi
The 4th Man
Gerard Reve (Jeroen Krabbe) is a controversial alcoholic novelist who claims his stories "lie the truth." But when he is seduced by sexy widow Christine (Renèe Soutendijk), Gerard finds himself trapped in a nightmare of blasphemy, bloodshed and bisexual desire. Has Christine brutally murdered her previous three husbands or is Gerard only hallucinating his horrific fate as the fourth man?Where to watch: The Internet Archive