NC-17 films generate mass intrigue and attention in Hollywood, with many films having been given the controversial rating. Despite the stigma attached to the label, some of the entertainment industry’s most enduring and critically-acclaimed pictures have all been given the adults-only stamp and have found profound success upon their release. It may be a bit surprising for some movie lovers when they discover what flicks have been awarded the distinct rating, with esteemed directors like William Friedkin David Cronenberg, and Sam Raimi all having helmed NC-17 projects.

Audiences everywhere can’t help but cringe when they remember the ‘90s box-office bomb Showgirls, a notorious erotic drama that famously pushed the envelope and was perhaps a bit too progressive for its time. Marlon Brando earned an Oscar nomination for his intense portrayal of a grieving widower who has an anonymous Parisian affair in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris. One of show business’ most beloved and sacred horror film franchises was launched despite its NC-17 rating, with 1981’s The Evil Dead also garnering the classification despite being tamer than many of the films it inspired. Here are some of the best mainstream NC-17 movies.

Showgirls

Elizabeth Berkley dancing in Showgirls
  • MGM/US Distribution Co. 

Paul Verhoeven infamously directed the 1995 erotic drama Showgirls, which features Saved by the Bell alum Elizabeth Berkley as the savvy young drifter Nomi Malone, who heads to Sin City with big hopes of becoming a top Vegas showgirl. Rated NC-17 primarily due to its sex and nudity, the controversial picture was one of cinema’s most notorious box-office bombs and almost completely destroyed Berkley’s career, with critics panning both her performance and the drama. In recent years, Showgirls has gone on to find new life in the home video market, and since its initial release has achieved a cult status, with many praising Verhoeven’s creation as a boundary-pushing film and serious satire.

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The Dreamers

The Dreamers
Fox Searchlight Pictures 

Based on Gilbert Adair’s novel The Holy Innocents and his subsequent screenplay, the 2003 romantic drama The Dreamers follows American exchange student Matthew (Michael Pitt) who travels to Paris to attend college, where he meets the enigmatic siblings Isabelle and Théo (Eva Green & Louis Garrel) with whom he begins an erotic affair.

The provocative picture from Bernardo Bertolucci (no stranger to the NC-17 rating) caused an uproar for its inclusion of graphic sex scenes and full-frontal nudity, with Green herself having said she was “quite shocked” when she saw a rough cut of the drama, stating that "it was as though I was wearing a costume while we were making the film. It was as if I had another story in my mind. So I was left speechless." Despite its NC-17 rating and targeted audience, The Dreamers still went on to become both a critical and commercial success and one of the best films about the cultural changes of the 1968 revolutions.

Bad Lieutenant

Harvey Keitel in Bad Lieutenant
Aries Films
LIVE Entertainment

Harvey Keitel headlined Abel Ferrara’s gritty 1992 neo-noir crime drama Bad Lieutenant, in which the seasoned star appears as the eponymous character, a crooked New York City police lieutenant who attempts to shake his addictions and bad habits while searching for redemption. One of a select few films given an NC-17 rating mainly due to its extensive drug use and violence (and some male nudity), the grungy crime flick was banned not once but twice in Ireland, with the Irish Film Censor Board declaring that it had a “demeaning treatment of women.” Nonetheless, Bad Lieutenant had its worldwide premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and garnered positive reviews from critics, with Keitel’s portrayal being singled out as one of his finest performances in his career.

Blue Is the Warmest Colour

Blue is the Warmest Color
Wild Bunch

Adapted from Jul Maroh’s popular graphic novel of the same name, the 2013 romance picture Blue Is the Warmest Colour chronicles the sexual awakening and liberation of French teenager Adèle as she meets and falls in love with the blue-haired, carefree art student Emma. The emotionally-absorbing drama delves deep into Adèle’s sexuality and explores her identity while also depicting the romantic pair’s conflicting social classes and upbringings. Controversy plagued Blue Is the Warmest Colour when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, with criticism aimed at the poor working conditions and raw depiction of sexuality. Nonetheless, at the esteemed ceremony, the drama was awarded the prestigious Palme d’Or and topped many reviewers’ best films of the year lists.

Crash

1996's Crash
Alliance Communications 

James Spader and Holly Hunter teamed up with the revered David Cronenberg for his 1996 psychological drama Crash, which centers on film producer James Ballard who after a serious car accident discovers an underground subculture of people aroused by crashes. Featuring intense depictions of graphic sexual acts brought on by the violence, Crash was screened to angry viewers and widespread outrage, with fellow great filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola seemingly disgusted with the picture at the Cannes Film Festival. Cronenberg did ultimately win a rare Special Jury Prize, though according to the director Coppola refused to present the accolade himself due to his immense distaste for the drama.

Killer Joe

Killer Joe
LD Entertainment 

William Friedkin directed the award-winning 2011 Southern Gothic dark comedy thriller Killer Joe, in which the dynamic Matthew McConaughey portrays the titular detective who moonlights as a hitman and is enlisted to take out the vile mother of a desperate drug dealer. Friedkin vehemently refused to censor the picture when it was given the NC-17 rating because of the brutality, violence, and sexuality included, stating that “To get an R rating, I would have had to destroy it in order to save it and I wasn’t interested in doing that.”

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Killer Joe was lauded upon its worldwide premiere with McConaughey nabbing a Saturn Award for his disturbing, immensely dark portrayal; ReelViews wrote in their review: “A gleeful and unapologetic descent into delicious decadence, Killer Joe is proud of what it is and never tries to be something it isn’t.”

Last Tango in Paris

The Last Tango in Paris
United Artists 

Legendary silver screen icon screen icon Marlon Brando starred in Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1972 erotic drama Last Tango in Paris, appearing as a businessman and distraught widower who finds himself enamored by a young Frenchwoman in Paris with whom he begins a tumultuous anonymous romantic relationship.

The director based the edgy film off his own sexual fantasies: “He once dreamed of seeing a beautiful nameless woman on the street and having sex with her without ever knowing who she was,” and also drew inspiration from figurative painter Francis Bacon. Last Tango in Paris debuted at the New York Film Festival to intense public scrutiny and high demand, generating immense controversy due to its graphic portrayal of sex, with the drama being banned in countries like Chile, Argentina, Italy and Canada.

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
Palace Pictures 

Touting an impressive cast led by Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon, and Richard Bohringer, the 1989 crime drama art film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover takes place at the high-end Le Hollandais restaurant where the eponymous characters all come together to engage in a dangerous assortment of sex, violence, murder and mayhem. The bold and risqué picture was directed by Peter Greenaway, who earned critical acclaim for his stunning cinematography and formalism, though the drama’s inclusion of graphic violence, nudity, and cannibalism caused some waves when it hit theaters.

In their glowing review, Empire Magazine wrote, “Many people will be profoundly offended by this film... but some may appreciate it for what it certainly is: the most startling depiction of intellectual cruelty and evil for many years.” Its stunning combination of strikingly lit cinematography and gorgeous music makes this a sensual, disturbing masterpiece.

The Evil Dead

Undead in the basement
New Line Cinema

Widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films of all time, Sam Raimi directed the 1981 supernatural horror flick The Evil Dead, which centers on a group of college students who travel to a remote Tennessee cabin in the woods for a fun vacation, not realizing the isolated oasis is brimming with terrifying demons. Raimi grew up with lead star Bruce Campbell and the duo band together to secure the $375,000 funds needed to produce the picture, ultimately spawning a lucrative and beloved film franchise.

The Evil Dead helped launch the careers of the actors and Raimi and went on to become one of the most successful independent films ever released despite its NC-17 rating. Raimi was determined to make the most gory and gruesome movie possible and paid censorship no mind, resulting in one of the most notorious splatter films in cinema.