Just dropped on TVNZ+, does erotic thriller Wild Things still stack up 25 years on?

Amberleigh Jack is a Stuff culture reporter who is old enough to remember the erotic thriller boom of the 1990s

OPINION: The late 1990s was a strange time to be a teenager.

The internet was the new big thing, we crushed hard on Ethan Embry and erotic thrillers were all the rage for thirsty teenagers everywhere.

I was 17 in 1998 when Wild Things was released.

We’d already had a taste of manipulative seductress leads with Sharon Stone’s Basic Instinct and Bridget Fonda’s Single White Female earlier in the decade, which we somehow convinced our parents we were mature enough to watch the VHS of.

In a year, Ryan Phillippe’s Cruel Intentions would have us obsessed.

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The 1998 classic, starring Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell and Denise Richards, served as an almost satirical take on the genre.

Now, 25 years on, TVNZ+ is dropping the film dripping with sex, murder and plenty of confusing twists. But does it still hold up?

I settled in to reminisce and find out.

Why so many twists?

In the couple of decades since I’d seen this iconic piece of cinematic history, I’d somehow forgotten just how strange all the plot twists get.

Before you wrap your head around the did he-didn’t he rape allegations that kick things off, we’re told the accused is actually the victim, who turns out to actually be the villain. They’re all working together to scam money out of wealthy parents.

Confused? Don’t worry, it gets weirder.

Murders are plotted, good guys turn bad, dead characters may not really be dead – and the murders just keep happening.

And right when the credits roll, flashback scenes fill you in on what you missed (which turns out to not only offer a bit more confusion, but some more sex for good measure).

So much sex

It came at a time when so many of our thrillers were basically soft porn. Wild Things took the theme of satiating thirsty teenagers and went loose.

It’s the 1990s, so of course there are plenty of girl-on-girl scenes – in bed, in a pool (water was common at the time – remember Bruce Willis in Colour of Night?), while being watched and recorded by law enforcement, or as part of a threesome. Basically anytime there’s a lull in murder or dialogue, the clothes come off.

While Neve Campbell was subject to some clever editing to ensure she showed no nudity, they made up for it by putting Denise Richards’ bare chest on display any chance they got.

While a planned Bacon and Dillon scene never eventuated, viewers did get a glimpse of an accidental, yet not-accidental-enough-to-remove-in-editing full-frontal shot of Kevin Bacon.

Whether you were thirsty for attractive women, men or both, Wild Things had you covered, and then some.

Those rape accusations, though

My vague recollections of the madness that was Wild Things were spotty at best. While I recalled the plot revolved around manipulative, deceitful, yet hot and horny women, I’d somehow forgotten the entire plot revolved around those false rape accusations that kicked the film off.

And they all somehow seemed so … normal.

It felt very dated. Which is absolutely not a bad thing.

Yet somehow, it’s hard to turn away

While being oh-so-’90s in its soft-porn murder plot, with way too many unnecessary sex scenes, some pretty outdated comments and an outrageous plot, somehow it’s still impossible to turn away. Albeit in a similar way to being unable to look away from a very slow car crash.

When my Gen Z colleague watched the film, her one-line review had me guessing that was probably the case.

“It sucks so bad,” she messaged me.

To be fair, it’s pretty accurate. Wild Things sucks for so many reasons. It’s confusing. It’s dated. There’s way too much nudity for the sake of getting people naked.

But it’s also a piece of a massive part of our teenaged history, when erotic thrillers sparked our sense of rebellion, our apparent desire for every on-screen interaction to turn erotic and our love of bonkers plot twists that leave us so very confused.

It’s a time of my life I’m pretty glad I’ve grown out of.