27 Full-Length Porn Movies with Great Plots and Great Sex
Watching pornography is a normal extracurricular activity for many women. Yet, the storylines in most porn flicks center on a delivery guy/repair man showing up unexpectedly (eye roll). Why should you sacrifice a good plot for great sex? Get you some porn that can do both.
The best and most arousing porn films are often the ones that involve drama, relationships, and, ya know, things other than HD penises on the screen. But sometimes they can be hard to find. (Pun intended...?) In an effort to be helpful and sex positive, we've rounded up the best full-length porn movies—with ethical standards, feminist values, pretty cinematography, and good music to boot.
A Taste of Joy
From feminist porn director Petra Joy, A Taste of Joy features a series of three vignettes that turn, in her words, "existing porn stereotypes upside down." The cinematography is gorgeous and the sex is steamy/female-focused—what more could you want?
Last Tango
Loosely based on Last Tango in Paris, this flick is about a woman who rents out a secret apartment to escape her fiancé, and ends up having an affair. The movie won The Feminist Porn Awards' 2012 prize for "Most Arousing Adaptation," and was lauded for its "haunting, explicit sex scenes" and "emotionally rich performances." A must-watch for people who like a lot of romance and plot with their porn.
The Walking Dead: A Hardcore Parody
The Walking Dead: A Hardcore Parody is essentially what you think it is: a sexy version of everyone's favorite zombie show. And it's actually really fun and amusing in a weird "oh, these zombies are having sex now" way. Also, please note that the tagline is: "A jizz shot was the only sure-fire way to return these undead creatures to the grave!" Iconic.
The Good Girl
The Good Girl is a 2004 short film by Erika Lust that flips the "delivery guy comes over with a pizza" trope seen in many cheesy porn films on its head, thanks to a female lens. Even better, you can rest assured that this movie was filmed on a safe set with safe conditions for the actors involved, because Lust is a marquee name in the feminist film industry, herself the recipient of several Feminist Porn Awards.
The Friend Zone
New Sensations is a company known for its focus on female pleasure and the depiction of romantic sexual relationships (filmed with super pretty lighting), and The Friend Zone is one of their most lauded. The film follows two platonic friends, Kevin and Gina, whose relationship takes a turn for the sensual when Kevin creates an online dating profile in an attempt to win her heart. Think of it as a romantic comedy, with tons of sex.
The Submission of Emma Marx
If you're the type of person who saw Fifty Shades of Grey and thought, cool, but where is the sex? welcome to The Submission of Emma Marx. The movie, directed by Jackie St. James, who's received multiple awards for her work, is a about a woman experimenting with the world of BDSM.
The Bi Apple
Get it? Like the Big Apple, only bi. This porno about a college student's research study of queer New York–dwelling couples was hailed by the Feminist Film Awards as one of the "best bisexual movies to come out in years."
The Obsession
Speaking of Jacky St. James, The Obsession is her erotic thriller based on Single White Female. The plot is on-point (a woman is obsessed with her roommate—you know the drill), and the tension is real. “While researching for this film, what was most important to me was really getting into the ‘stalker’ character's head," St. James told AVN. "Motivation and intention are important. Villains typically don't look at themselves as villains. Their internal monologue isn't always riddled with judgment or self-criticism for their actions." What more could you ask for from an erotic thriller?
Pirates
Pirates is a total classic in the contemporary porn landscape—and is, naturally, based on Pirates of the Caribbean. It's campy, at times cringe-y, and knows exactly how ridiculous it is. Oh, and it also has special effects thanks to a budget of $1 million—making it the most expensive porn movie ever at the time it was released (2005). While the movie was picking up awards, actress Stormy Daniels (yes, that Stormy Daniels) told the New York Times that plot-less porn films were her pet peeve, saying: "There's nothing worse then when the pizza boy rings the doorbell, the girl says she doesn't have a tip, and then they get it on."
Chemistry
In this reality TV show-meets-porn movie directed by feminist sex educator Tristan Taormino, the performers had total control over who they have sex with, how, when, and where. To quote the film's description: "Seven stars. One house. 36 hours. No rules. No script. No schedule. Just sex...the way they want it. A 3-hour movie with 8 sex scenes." And to quote Taormino, "I was really interested in creating an environment for porn performers where they could feel safe and comfortable, and they'd be in control of who they have sex with, when, where, and what they do. For me, this part of the process is about empowering the performers to participate in their own representation—to challenge the anti-porn notion that all porn performers are exploited objects." Finally.
The Opening of Misty Beethoven
If you're interests include "hair" and "the 1970s," definitely check out this famous title based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. Here's the gist: A sexologist named Dr. Seymour Love embarks on a mission to transform a prostitute named Misty Beethoven into the best lover ever (total swan story). The movie is known for its extraordinarily high budget and art-y vibes, and is considered something of a hipster cult classic. (Seriously, it screened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, once.)
Snapshot
Snapshot is an independently funded, award-winning suspense thriller staring queer people of color, and we are here for it. Written and directed by Shine Louise Houston, it's worthy of praise outside the industry. It even has nods to Hitchcock, that's how legit it is. "I’ve been working on this script for about four years on and off and I think it’s finally presentable," Houston said in an interview. "I strive for what Hitchcock describes as pure cinema. Most of the talent I work with have very little acting experience so I write minimal but precise dialogue and film in a way that lets the editing do the acting."
Taboo (and Taboo II)
No best porn list would be complete without Taboo, the completely insane and retro movie about—brace yourself—incest. Which, yes, is gross. But it's also a subject that gets plenty of mainstream play. (Think: Game of Thrones.) It seems impossible to deny the impact this film has had on the industry, and interestingly it was written by a woman and has some very intense female-driven themes. If you ever watch it, take solace in the fact that everyone isn't really related.
Amanda by Night
As one Reddit user succinctly put it, "This was the kind of porn that Boogie Nights was referring to when the industry wanted to begin providing plots." The movie is a police mystery in which a detective teams up with a high-class prostitute to figure out who is killing her fellow call girls.
Love, Anonymous
If you like your porn with a healthy dose of romance and some rom-com vibes, Love, Anonymous is for you. The movie is about a somewhat magical poem written by an anonymous author that leads to intimate, er, relations and affairs with several people. Think Love, Actually if the Martin Freeman part of the movie were...the whole movie.
The Devil in Miss Jones
Made during the Golden Age of Porn (roughly 1969 to 1984), The Devil in Miss Jones tells the story of a depressed spinster who commits suicide thereby damning herself to limbo—she's been a good person and led a "pure" life, but because she died by suicide, she cannot be admitted to heaven. Miss Jones' solution is to return to earth as the embodiment of lust and earn her place in hell, which she does, leading to a very thought-provoking ending for a porno.
Behind the Green Door
If you liked the sexiest scenes in Eyes Wide Shut, you'll love Behind the Green Door—a trippy, erotic classic from Porn's Golden Age. The movie follows Gloria Saunders, a wealthy socialite who is taken against her will to an elite sex club where she has group sex with six women before being taken onto a stage through a green door. Onstage, Gloria engages in several more acts with several more partners, one of which includes a psychedelic ejaculation sequence—because it was the seventies, after all.
Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Comedy
The Golden Age of Porn keeps giving. Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Comedy is just what it sounds like—a musical, pornographic comedy based on the children's classic Alice in Wonderland. Famed film critic Roger Ebert gave the movie a positive review when it was released, writing that it was, "An X-rated musical comedy that actually has some wit and style to it. It's also fairly mild, as X movies go; it could almost be an R, and it's sexy rather than offensive."
Through the Looking Glass
In spite of the title, this one is not based on a Lewis Carroll classic. Instead, this 1976 adult film is about a vain socialite who finds herself sexually aroused by a mirror, masturbates in front of it, and then eventually is brought to climax by ghosts from the mirror. It's avant-garde, if you hadn't already guessed. The film is not for everyone—it contains scenes of violence, sexual violence, incest, and the resulting trauma associated with all of the above. The film is notable for treating its sexually explicit scenes artistically.
Maraschino Cherry
This 1978 film, another product of the illustrious Golden Age of Porn, follows the titular character, Maraschino Cherry, who owns a high-class escort service in New York City. Cherry decides to teach her younger sister about the biz, and, in the process, both women think back on some of the most erotic highlights of their careers as escorts. The film was praised by critics for its wit and humor.
Caligula
This film, based on the Roman Emperor Caligula's life, is an "erotic historical drama" (sure) and has the distinction of being the only movie ever produced by Penthouse magazine. It also boasts actual Hollywood actor stars like Helen Mirren, Malcolm McDowell, and Peter O'Toole and features unsimulated sex scenes (performed by extras, not by the aforementioned A-list actors).
Deep Throat
This film starred Linda Lovelace and tells the age old story of a sexually-frustrated woman who learns that her clitoris is in her throat. It's perhaps more famous for lending its name to the anonymous source in the Watergate scandal.
Portrait of a Call Girl
This film, written and directed by Graham Travis, won a slew of adult film awards and has been compared to Steven Soderbergh's mainstream film The Girlfriend Experience. The movie focuses on Elle, a call girl with a dark past who finds personal acceptance and freedom through a series of sexual experiences.
Flash Gordon
This 1976 sexploitation film is a parody of the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s and its become a cult classic thanks to its campy, irreverent tone.
I am Curious (Yellow and Blue)
These two films, beginning with Yellow in 1967, tested the limits of obscenity laws in the mid-20th century. Notably, Yellow passed U.S. standards when the Supreme Court ruled it wasn't obscene thanks to the educational context of the film. This led to a movement in pornography known as "white coaters," pornographic films that would begin with a doctor in a white coat introducing the film in order to pass obscenity rules under the educational exception.
Erotic Nights of the Living Dead
If you love horror and erotica, this one is for you. The plot: A wealthy land developer buys an island and plans to build a luxury hotel there. The locals warn him that the island is cursed by voodoo magic and that it's also home to zombies, but the businessman just doesn't listen.
Fuego
This 1969 Argentine sexploitation drama was written, produced, and directed by noted sexploitation filmmaker Armando Bó and starred Bó and his longtime muse/onscreen paramour Isabel Sarli. It's also a favorite of John Waters, for whatever that's worth.
You Might Also Like
