For the longest time, HBO has been home to movies, shows, and documentary series that push the boundaries and see just how much a premium cable can get away with on TV. And while a Max subscription no longer grants you access to classics like Real Sex, Taxicab Confessions, or Cathouse: The Series, and other after-dark shows that HBO offered in the past, the streaming service does offer some rather risqué and explicit material if you don’t mind searching around.
If you are short on time and don’t want to spend hours searching through the thousands of titles on the streaming platform but still want to check some of the more “adult” offerings, don’t worry, because we have you more than covered. Below is a list of just eight of the more intense, sexually explicit movies on Max, including steamy erotic thrillers, X-rated romantic comedies, and cult classics from the 21st century.
Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
As soon as everyone saw footage of Florence Pugh and Harry Styles making out in Don’t Worry Darling, we knew Olivia Wilde’s psychological thriller would be as sexy as it was mind-bending. And it was just that.
Despite not featuring a great deal of nudity (especially compared to some titles farther down this list), the much-talked-about 2022 film features several hot and heavy sequences involving its two main stars, most notably one on the dinner table. Don’t Worry Darling is a steamy, twisty, and beautifully shot film, which makes it quite an experience.
Stream Don’t Worry Darling on Max.
Happy Together (1997)
Wong Kar-wai’s 1997 romantic drama, Happy Together, follows Ho Po-Wing (Leslie Cheung) and Lai Yiu-Fai (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai), a gay couple who embark upon a disastrous trip to Argentina, where their relationship and lives begin to fall apart. The pair take two different directions after spending all their money and becoming stuck in Buenos Aires, which leads to some intense scenes, both in terms of drama and sexuality.
Bouncing between hope and hopelessness, this intense drama about broken people trying to endure a terrible situation (and toxic relationships) is a fascinating watch and explores the human experience.
Je Tu Il Elle (1975)
Je tu il Elle (or, I You He She), follows a young woman named Julie (Chantal Akerman, who also directs) as she sets out to understand the world around her and her own place within it. Through encounters with both male and female lovers, solitary moments rearranging her small and meager apartment, and traversing the French countryside, Julie’s journey of self-discovery is full of passionate and explicit moments.
Though an early sexual encounter is largely obscured by camera angles and low lighting, a nearly 10-minute sex scene involving Julie and her ex-lover (played by Claire Wauthion) leaves very little to the imagination.
Under The Skin (2013)
One of the best A24 horror movies, and its sexiest, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin follows an interdimensional being masquerading as a woman (played by Scarlett Johansson) as she travels from town to town to find men. Seducing and trapping them, the mysterious figure catches man after man in her web before sending them to another reality where unimaginable horrors await.
Due to the nature of the film, it should be no surprise that Under the Skin features a lot of nudity and sexually explicit situations. The movie pushes the R-rating to its limit, and, surprisingly, it wasn’t released with the NC-17 designation or with no rating at all. This is not for the light of heart or more prudish moviegoers.
Killing Me Softly (2002)
Released in 2002, Chen Kaige’s erotic thriller, Killing Me Softly, follows Alice Tallis (Heather Graham) as she discovers that everything isn’t as it seems with her husband, Adam (Joseph Fiennes), after learning about his past and previous relationships soon after they tie the knot.
Like other sexy thrillers over the years, Killing Me Softly combines crime, violence, and an intricate plot with racy sex scenes that don’t hold back. Expect nudity, scenes of passion, moments of bliss, and all kinds of intrigue before the credits roll.
Stream Killing Me Softly on Max.
Calladita (2022)
Miguel Faus’ short film, Calladita, isn’t nearly as long as any of the other titles on this list, but that just means there’s less time spent watching the story unfold before things get hot and heavy. The short centers on Ana (Paula Grimaldo), a young maid working at a sprawling mansion where she practices voyeurism while her wealthy clients have their summer of love and fun.
Despite being under a half-hour in length, Calladita features multiple sex scenes, including one that involves a pink flamingo pool floaty in the dark of night.
Spring Breakers (2013)
Though some of the biggest Disney Channel stars of all time anchor its cast, Spring Breakers is far from being a family-friendly comedy about a group of college students going to Florida to let loose for a week of fun and sun. Written and directed by Harmony Korine, the twisted filmmaker behind movies like Kids, Gummo, and Julien Donkey-Boy, follows characters played by Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine as they descend into the shadier side of life in the Sunshine State.
The vulgar language, extreme violence, rampant drug and alcohol abuse, and James Franco’s over-the-top performance as rapper/drug runner/arms dealer Allen is enough to earn this movie a spot on any list of wild movies, but it’s the countless instances of nudity, explicit sexuality, and intense situations that do the trick here. This movie is something else…
Stream Spring Breakers on Max.
Coup De Torchon (1981)
Bertrand Travenier’s Coup de Torchon is a 1981 French-language book-to-screen adaptation of Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280 that follows Lucien Cordier (Philippe Noiret), a down-on-his-luck policeman in French West Africa as he struggles to get through life. After learning that his wife is having an affair with a man she claims is her brother, constantly dealing with pimps and other criminals in his small village, and generally feeling disrespected by his neighbors, Lucien snaps and takes matters into his own hands.
A lot of the sexuality in the film comes from the not-quite-a-relationship shared by Lucien and Rose (a young Isabelle Huppert), a young bride to an abusive husband. There are more than a few scenes involving the two leads that push boundaries. And that’s on top of the sex workers, pimps, and johns featured in the movie.
Stream Coup de Torchon on Max.
Working Girls (1986)
Not to be confused with the 1988 movie with a similar title starring Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford, Lizzie Borden’s 1986 drama, Working Girls follows a group of sex workers in a New York City brothel over the course of a single day. One of the workers, Molly (Louise Smith) is a Yale graduate trying to raise enough money to get her own business off the ground through any means necessary.
The movie is full of nudity, sex scenes, and all other kinds of risque behavior that pushes the envelope and the boundaries as to what’s acceptable in a movie. This is one of those movies you definitely wouldn’t want your parents walking in on you watching on some late-night HBO showing back in the day.
The Fifty Shades Movies (2015 - 2018)
From 2015 to 2018 the Fifty Shades film trilogy took E.L. James’ unfathomably popular erotic novels, and turned them into three highly successful and sexy-as-all-hell movies starring Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as the mysterious Christian Grey. From the couple’s early days as a college student and a billionaire exploring the limits of their relationship in the world of BDSM to their days as husband and wife, the trilogy features all manner of sex scenes along the way.
Though a lot of camera tricks and quick editing prevents a lot of the nudity from being shown throughout the trilogy, the movies still feature their fair share of exposed skin in many of the more heated scenes. That, combined with the use of BDSM toys and techniques, more than earns this movie a spot on the list.
Stream Fifty Shades of Grey on Max.
Stream Fifty Shades Darker on Max.
Stream Fifty Shades Freed on Max.
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down (1990)
Some of the best Antonio Banderas movies are those directed by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, including the 1990 dark romantic comedy, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!. The movie follows a recently released psychiatric patient named Ricky (Banderas) who tries to find actress and former pornstar Marina Osorio (Victoria Abril) and convince her to fall in love with him, though the way in which he goes about this is far from romantic.
There’s an incredibly passionate, and explicit, sex scene near the end of the movie that leaves little to the imagination and displays exactly why the MPAA gave it an X rating before replacing it with the NC-17 distinction.
Stream Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! On Max.
Gia (1998)
One year before giving one of her most iconic performances in Girl, Interrupted, Angelina Jolie starred in the 1998 HBO original movie, Gia, in which she portrayed the ill-fated supermodel Gia Marie Carangi. The biographical drama, which doesn’t hold back when it comes to the depictions of the model’s battle with drug abuse, AIDS, and her sexuality, also features some incredibly sexual scenes.
One scene in particular that sticks out is the passionate encounter between Gia and make-up artist Linda (Elizabeth Mitchell), with whom she is having an affair. What starts out as a photoshoot turns into something more, creating one of the most sexual moments in Jolie’s filmography.
The Piano Teacher (2001)
Michael Haneke, the Austrian filmmaker behind titles like Funny Games and Amore, directed The Piano Teacher in 2001, and brought to the screen the story of Erika Kohut (Isabelle Huppert in her second appearance on this list), a closed-off woman whose sexual release comes in the form of voyeurism and masochism until a chance encounter with a student at her prestigious music conservatory.
In addition to a couple of intense sexual scenes involving Huppert’s character, there is a scene near the halfway point where she watches a couple have sex in their car at a drive-in, at one point leaning against the car while they make love inside.
Stream The Piano Teacher on Max.
Behind The Candelabra (2013)
In 2013, Michael Douglas portrayed the late Liberace in Steven Soderbergh’s HBO original movie, Behind the Candelabra, which detailed the pianist’s relationship with Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) throughout the later part of his life.
The movie, which really hones in on the excess that fueled Liberace’s life off-stage, as well as his attempts to preserve his public image, also has more than a few explicit sex scenes. One in particular (an oral sex scene) doesn’t feature any nudity, but the sound design and acting by Damon fills in all the blanks.
Stream Behind the Candelabra on Max.
While they focus on different situations and characters, each of these sexually explicit movies on Max share a commonality thanks to their risqué nature. If you are looking for a slightly tamer way to kill a few hours, there are a lot of non-sexual great movies on Max worth checking out. But if steamy movies are your thing, then check out some of the sexually explicit Netflix movies streaming right now, as well as the adult movies on Hulu as well.
