Movie · 1998 · Mystery, Thriller, Drama · 1h 48m · R · English
Curator score: 1.7/10 (142K ratings)
They're dying to play with you.
Overview
When teen-socialite Kelly Van Ryan and troubled bad girl Suzie Toller accuse guidance counselor Sam Lombardo of rape, he's suspended by the school, rejected by the town, and fighting to get his life back. One cop suspects conspiracy, but nothing is what it seems...
Ratings
Curator score: 1.7/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Metacritic: 51
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
John McNaughton
Production
Mandalay Entertainment
Cast
Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Theresa Russell, Bill Murray, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Robert Wagner, Carrie Snodgress, Jeff Perry, Eduardo Yáñez, Jennifer Bini Taylor, Cory Pendergast, Marc Macaulay, Toi Svane Stepp, Dennis Neal, Diane Adams, Paulo Benedeti, Ted Bartsch, Leonor Anthony
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A trashy, twist-happy erotic thriller that leans hard into camp, manipulation, and double-crosses. It’s messy and knowingly sleazy, but the plotting is engineered for shock and rewatchable reveal-chasing.
Best for
Viewers who like glossy 90s erotic thrillers
Fans of big, ridiculous plot twists
People in the mood for campy, morally rotten characters
Anyone who enjoys pulpy crime stories with a nasty edge
Skip if
You want airtight logic and subtle plotting
You dislike sexualized manipulation as a central device
You prefer grounded realism over soap-opera excess
You’re looking for a serious treatment of its subject matter
Overview
Wild Things is a shamelessly lurid thriller that treats every scene like a setup for another reversal. It’s built on seduction, suspicion, and opportunism, with the cast playing characters who are almost never telling the truth. The result is less a mystery than a gaudy machine for escalation, where each new reveal tries to outdo the last.
Worth noting
What keeps it memorable is the movie’s commitment to excess. It’s sleazy, funny, and self-aware in a way that makes the melodrama easier to swallow, even when the plotting becomes absurd. The performances are part of the appeal: everyone looks like they know they’re in a bad situation and are enjoying the chaos anyway.
Bottom line
It’s not elegant, and it’s not especially tasteful, but it is engineered for late-night entertainment. If you want a polished thriller, look elsewhere; if you want a glossy 90s shocker that keeps pulling the rug out, this is exactly the kind of overcooked fun that still travels.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Evan Feist (3★) · 5219 likes
i think if david lynch was lobotomized and lost like all access to his prefrontal cortex he would make this.
hailey 🌼 (2.5★) · 4430 likes
this is basically the 'mmm whatcha say' snl skit on crack
anna (3.5★) · 4390 likes
SEX
*woooo*
CRIMES
*boooo*
Amanda >:) (2★) · 4059 likes
Me after the 1st plot twist: Wow, that was cool I didn’t see that coming!
Me after the 3rd plot twist: Haha ok isn’t this a little much
Me after the 5th plot twist: It’s over, right?
Me at the end: 😐
1010 (4.5★) · 2845 likes
Gone Girl me once, shame on me
Gone Girl me twice, shame on you
Gone Girl me three times, shame on...
Gone Girl me four times....
Gone Girl me six times.....................
Gone Girl................................................
1998 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · 2h 1m · R · Curator 8.0/10 (147.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A late-90s crime spiral where greed and mistrust steadily corrode every relationship.