12 Fantastic Sleazy Films

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

      Here are some notable examples of excellent sleazy films.

      They aren't merely guilty pleasures; they are genuine pleasures.

      Last House on the Left (1972)

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      Wes Craven’s first film possesses a gritty, unfinished feel that imparts a documentary-like quality to its violence and cruelty, making it tough to watch yet hard to look away from. It engenders a vehicle-crash voyeurism that makes you complicit in its unpleasantness.

      This tale of abduction, cruelty, and vengeance, accompanied by unsettling hippie music, serves as a time capsule of faded idealism, while also foreshadowing Craven’s incredible horror career, which includes the iconic Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream franchises.

      Additionally, producer Sean S. Cunningham would later direct the inaugural film in the Friday the 13th series, which will appear on this list shortly.

      Body Double (1984)

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      This film exemplifies sleazy ’80s cinema; Brian De Palma’s neo-noir envisions a Hitchcock film set in the VHS adult home video era.

      Craig Wasson stars as Jake Scully, a struggling actor who takes a housesitting job with an unsettling twist — he gets to observe a neighbor sensually undressing and dancing each evening. (The film portrays this as perfectly acceptable, regardless of her obliviousness to his watching.)

      Things take an even weirder turn when a home invader with a drill breaks into the woman’s home, leading Jake to connect with adult actress Holly Body, portrayed by a wonderfully adventurous Melanie Griffith. It’s a sleazy thrill that keeps you guessing until the end.

      The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

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      A film that makes you feel the need for a shower afterward, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is unrelentingly sleazy and cleverly utilizes its sleaziness to great effect.

      It stands as one of the most powerful and gripping horror films ever created, thanks to its raw, unsettling atmosphere, rife with sexuality and an ever-present threat of violence.

      Filled with the sounds of animals and buzzing insects, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre makes it clear from the outset that it has no boundaries, even before the first rev of Leatherface’s chainsaw is heard.

      Natural Born Killers (1994)

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      Oliver Stone attempts to navigate two paths in this ultraviolent film about a killer couple, aiming to condemn sleazy tabloid television while being quite sleazy itself.

      We’re meant to at least grudgingly sympathize with — if not actively support — serial killers Mickey and Mallory, played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. (Stone has been quoted in the 2016 book The Oliver Stone Experience saying he cast them for their potential to look trashy.) Watching Robert Downey Jr. as a self-righteous sleaze is also a treat.

      The film was based on a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, which underwent such extensive changes that Tarantino has distanced himself from the project — not due to its sleaziness, but because he believes the final product misrepresented his original intentions.

      Kids (1995)

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      Kids, marking Larry Clark’s directorial debut and Harmony Korine’s screenwriting entrance, faced criticism upon its release for its stark portrayal of a hedonistic teenage realm brimming with sex, drugs, and exploitation. The main character, Telly (played excellently by Leo Fitzpatrick), is a 17-year-old predator who seeks out very young girls.

      As Roger Ebert pointed out, the film “doesn’t tell us what it means.” However, that isn’t what makes Kids sleazy — depicting certain behaviors doesn’t signify endorsement, and Kids can be interpreted as a crucial message about the attention and guidance children desperately need.

      In hindsight, the film is uncomfortable due to its leering camerawork among young subjects, arguably transforming its cinematography into a sleazy tool that positions viewers as bystanders, unresponsive to the plight of the kids on screen.

      It’s an intriguing, skillfully made film, notable for introducing standout actresses Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson, and boasting one of the decade’s finest soundtracks.

      Lost Highway (1997)

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      This David Lynch film — released during a downturn between the acclaim of Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive — explores a murder driven by jealousy from the perspectives of the killer or killers, Fred and Pete, played by Bill Pullman and Balthazar Getty.

      It’s steeped in a confusing yet fascinating narrative — a recent episode of the brilliant You Must Remember This Podcast highlighted Lynch’s inspiration from the O.J. Simpson case — and pinpointing its sleaziness can be elusive.

      Nevertheless, it has familiar sleazy markers: Fred plays saxophone, the