One of the most controversial erotic thrillers of the 90s is about to land on a new streaming home to once again tantalize viewers who grew up talking about the risqué scene that shocked audiences. While the decade certainly featured no shortage of cheap thrills thanks to movies like Body of Evidence, Sliver, Jade, and Color of Night, none of them hold a candle to one we’re talking about, which was directed by Paul Verhoeven and caused quite the stir when it hit theaters back in 1992.
Starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct set the standard for every erotic thriller that followed, and now, it’s ready to land on its new streaming home of Tubi beginning October 1, 2025. For the low, low cost of nothing, fans can relive what made Verhoeven’s film such a controversial classic, not the least of which is the infamous scene featuring Sharon Stone crossing her legs.
Hitting theaters on March 20, 1992, Basic Instinct was written by the notorious Joe Eszterhas, who over the course of his career penned such films as Showgirls, Flashdance, and Jagged Edge. The film was a bona fide hit at the box office, grossing $353 million against a budget of just $49 million. That was mostly due to all the salacious coverage it got before its premiere, thanks not only to the scene with Stone, but because of the gay rights activists who protested the movie’s depiction of homosexual relationships and the fact that its female star was portraying a bisexual psychopath. Check out the synopsis below:
“The mysterious Catherine Tramell (Stone), a beautiful crime novelist, becomes a suspect when she is linked to the brutal death of a rock star. Investigated by homicide detective Nick Curran (Douglas), Catherine seduces him into an intense relationship. Meanwhile, the murder case becomes increasingly complicated when more seemingly connected deaths occur and Nick’s psychologist and lover, Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), appears to be another suspect.”
Sharon Stone Had No Idea She’d Be Nude in That Infamous Scene
Rated R for “strong sexual content, nudity, violence, and language,” Basic Instinct wasn’t exactly what you’d call a crowd-pleaser despite its success at the box office. Roger Ebert likened it to a crossword puzzle, saying that it “keeps your interest until you solve it – then it’s just a worthless scrap with the spaces filled in.” It seems a lot of others agreed with him, as Basic Instinct holds just a 56% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 64% from viewers.
As for that much talked about scene with Stone? The star later claimed that Verhoven said he would only allude to her being nude under that tight white dress, and said she had no knowledge that her vagina would actually be shown on screen. According to her, the director asked her to remove her underwear because it was reflecting light back into the camera, and it wasn’t until she saw a screening of the movie that she realized what he had done. For his part, Verhoven denied the allegations, saying that the star knew full well what was going on.
If you’ve never seen Basic Instinct, be sure to check it out when it lands on Tubi next month. Not only will you be treated to one of the most risqué scenes in film history, but you might actually find that underneath all the controversy is a pretty good erotic thriller that deserves much better than its low Rotten Tomatoes score.
- Release Date
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May 8, 1992
- Runtime
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128 minutes
- Writers
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Joe Eszterhas
