The 12 Most Sleazy Films We've Ever Watched

      Who claims that a sleazy film can't also be a remarkable one?

      Here are a few examples of excellent sleazy films.

      They aren't guilty pleasures; they are simply pleasures.

      Last House on the Left (1972)

      Credit: C/O

      Wes Craven's debut presents a gritty, unfinished feel that imparts a documentary-like quality to its violence and brutality, making it tough to watch, yet equally hard to look away from. It embodies a car-crash voyeurism that draws you into its ugliness.

      A tale of kidnapping, violence, and revenge, accompanied by eerie hippie music, Last House on the Left serves as a time capsule of disillusioned idealism while foreshadowing Craven's impressive horror career, including the legendary Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream franchises.

      Moreover, producer Sean S. Cunningham would later direct the first film in the Friday the 13th franchise, which will appear later on this list.

      Freeway (1996)

      Republic Pictures – Credit: C/O

      Writer-director Matthew Bright’s very ’90s retelling of Little Red Riding Hood features a young Reese Witherspoon as Vanessa, an illiterate teen living in Southern California with her sex worker mother (Amanda Plummer) and predatory stepfather (Michael T. Weiss). Then the situation deteriorates.

      When her mother is arrested, Vanessa attempts to journey north to her grandmother’s house, but she is picked up by modern-day big bad wolf Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland).

      Everything about this film feels off, and it’s exhilarating. We appreciate all the performances — Witherspoon shines — along with unexpected appearances from stars like Brooke Shields and future stars such as Bokeem Woodbine and Brittany Murphy.

      Best of all, we watched this for free on the Kanopy app.

      It also appears on our list of ‘90s Comedies That Just Don’t Care If You’re Offended.

      Body Double (1984)

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      Regarded as the pinnacle of sleazy ’80s cinema, this Brian De Palma neo-noir envisions a Hitchcock film in the age of VHS adult home videos.

      It stars Craig Wasson as struggling actor Jake Scully, who takes on a housesitting job that comes with an unsettling side benefit — he can observe a neighbor seductively undressing and dancing each night. (The film suggests this is perfectly acceptable, despite her unaware state.)

      Things take a turn for the bizarre when a home invader with a drill breaks into the woman’s residence, and Jake’s quest for answers leads him to adult actress Holly Body, portrayed by a brilliantly committed Melanie Griffith. It's wonderfully sleazy entertainment that will keep you guessing.

      The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

      Credit: Bryanston Distributing Company

      A film that leaves you feeling the need to shower afterward, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an incessantly sleazy movie that effectively harnesses its sleaziness.

      It's one of the most impactful and engaging horror films ever made due to its intense, unsettling atmosphere, saturated with sexual undertones and a constant threat of violence.

      Filled with animal sounds and buzzing flies, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre establishes right from the start that it has no boundaries, long before the first rev of Leatherface’s chainsaw is heard.

      It also appears on our list of the 11 Scariest Horror Movies of the ’70s.

      Natural Born Killers (1994)

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      Oliver Stone attempts to have it both ways in this ultraviolent couple-on-the-run film that high-mindedly condemns sleazy tabloid television while simultaneously being quite sleazy itself.

      We are meant to somewhat reluctantly sympathize with — if not actively support — serial killers Mickey and Mallory, played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. (Stone reportedly chose the actors because he believed they could embody a trashy aesthetic.) Watching Robert Downey Jr. as a self-righteous sleaze is also entertaining.

      The film is based on a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, which was so heavily altered that Tarantino has distanced himself from it. (Not due to it being a sleazy film, but because he feels the final product misrepresented his intentions.)

      Kids (1995)

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      Kids, marking the directorial debut of Larry Clark and the screenwriting debut of Harmony Korine, faced criticism upon release for its stark portrayal of a hedonistic teen lifestyle filled with sex, drugs, and exploitation. The protagonist, Telly (played by an outstanding Leo Fitzpatrick), is a remorseless 17-year-old predator targeting very young girls.

      As Roger Ebert pointed out, the film “doesn’t convey a moral.” Yet, that’s not what renders Kids sleazy — portraying behavior doesn't equate to endorsing it, and Kids can be interpreted as a significant message about the necessity for attention and guidance among youth.

      What’s