15 Most Controversial Movies Of The 90s

14. Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct is a film that is famous primarily due to that scene (you know the one). While a little controversial in its own right, it wasn't the blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of Sharon Stone's private parts that had people up in arms at the time of its release, but rather the supposedly homophobic depiction of her character. The film was heavily protested by gay and lesbian rights groups, who believed the film was perpetuating negative stereotypes by having the killer be revealed as an out-of-control, emotional, man-hating lesbian. Chris Fowler of GLAAD called Basic Instinct 'a good indication of where gay and lesbian images are right now - the only ones we see are negative and stereotyped'. It was a statement that, at the time, would have been hard to contest. These days, Basic Instinct is regarded as little more than a decent, raunchier than average thriller with a couple of standout scenes. In 1991, however, it wasn't looked at as being harmless and was actively questioned and attacked by the gay community.