10 Insane Movie Moments You Couldn't Believe Directors Actually Went There

2. Basic Instinct's Interrogation Scene

Moonfall Twist
TriStar Pictures

Paul Verhoeven's Basic Instinct was billed as an erotic thriller, and it most certainly lived up to that label.

In the years after the film's 1992 release, the one moment that people still forever remember from the movie is the scene where Sharon Stone's Catherine Tramell is interrogated over the murder of her boyfriend, former rock star Johnny Boz.

Here, Stone plays up her sex appeal as Tramell plays the police officers in question like a fiddle. As they hang on her every word - and every movement - the detectives creepily lurch and exchange glances with one another as Catherine answers their questions in a sultry, seductive, sarcastic manner.

With Wayne Knight's John Correli getting particularly hot under the collar during all of this, Basic Instinct does the one thing you thought it wouldn't dare do. Yes, it has Sharon Stone slowly uncross and cross her legs in a way that absolutely, unequivocally confirms that her character opted not to wear underwear on that day.

So shocking was this moment, it has been spoofed time and time again over the decades - most impressively in Loaded Weapon 1's "gratuitous beaver shot" sequence.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.