Top 10 Horror Movies With the Most Nude Scenes

Slasher cinema’s golden age was already in the rear view by the time this sequel to “Sleepaway Camp” was released back in 1988. “Unhappy Campers” goes all in with the satirical black comedy, while also indulging in plenty of skin. The actors and characters are both presented as older here, which gives “Sleepaway Camp II” plenty of time to showcase them in various stages of undress. Valerie Hartman’s character of Ally Burgess[a] might win the award for most explicit sex and death scenes, etching her character forever in “Sleepaway Camp”’s scandalous hall of fame.

This one just says it right there in the title. “Nude for Satan” arrived late to Italy’s gothic horror cycle, which thrived during the 1960s. Director Luigi Batzella[b] then decided to up the ante in terms of eroticism and nudity in order to compete with successful exploitation cinema of the day. “Nude for Satan” still retains all of the atmospheric and even dreamlike tropes usually associated with this genre, only tempered with quite a bit of bare skin. Lead Rita Calderoni[c] was no stranger to quirky and chaotic Italian productions, but the camera clearly loves her, and the movie benefits from her inclusion. There’s even an extended cut featuring more explicit shots of adult film stars inserted into the sex scenes.

The original “Piranha” from 1978 did a great job at combining comedy and horror, but its spiritual remakes from the 2010s showed little regard for legitimate scares. Instead, both “Piranha 3D” and “Piranha 3DD” went the fast ‘n cheap route with excessive blood and CGI fish. The nudity quotient, however, was clearly high on the priority list for both films. The lion’s share of skin in “3DD” comes from the extras, but there’s still plenty of it. The sex and nudity in this pair of flicks are unapologetic, creative, and bountiful.

The swinging sixties had given rise to the permissive 1970s by the time “Virgin Witch” was released in 1971. Society’s interest in the occult was also approaching an all-time high, which meant that this British horror film could combine the best of both worlds. Modeling, sex, and Satan all swirl around sisters Ann and Vicki Michelle, who portray runaway siblings that run afoul of a promiscuous coven. This means that the audience gets eyefulls of the Michelle sisters in miniskirts, out of the shower, and on the altar of sacrifice during a Satanic orgy. If that sounds like a good time to you, then “Virgin Witch” will definitely be your bag, baby!

It isn’t so much the prevalence of nudity in 1985’s “The Return of the Living Dead” that earns it a spot on our list, but rather one very specific and iconic scene. Linnea Quigley[d] is one of horror’s best known and most beloved scream queens, but she’ll probably always be associated with this graveyard striptease performed by her character, “Trash.” Quigley’s pre-strip monologue is something else, and instantly quotable. Meanwhile, that sound you hear during Trash’s big moment is a million VCRs hitting “rewind” at the exact same time. It was a scene that shot Quigley into cult fandom history forever, but if we’re being honest? This scream queen was awesome in everything.

The cinema of José Ramón Larraz[e] frequently combined boundary-pushing sexuality with generous amounts of bloodletting. “Vampyres” was perhaps this Spanish director’s most successful export, a titillating expansion of the Carmilla archetype of carnal, undead predators. Larraz’s films such as 1982’s “Black Candles” were daring for their time, yet it was “Vampyres” that highlighted the filmmaker’s creative vision for the widest audience. Leads Marianne Morris [f]and Anulka Dziubinska[g] put in performances that are brave and without a shred of modesty, as sexually charged vampires that waylay unwary travellers. There’s just no other way to say it: “Vampyres” is a hot movie. But it’s also an atmospheric and well-made movie – one that’s definitely worth your time.

Nudity in horror movies isn’t always there just for titillation. The nudity and sex in Mary Harron’s “American Psycho,” though fairly explicit, tends to take a back seat to explorations of character. Harron and her co-screenwriter, Guinevere Turner, adapted Bret Easton Ellis’s novel with a focus on the lead’s tenuous grip on reality. Meanwhile, the over-the-top gore and violence land somewhere between absurd and terrifying. So yeah, there’s skin in “American Psycho,” but you just might be too worried about Patrick Bateman’s grip on that axe to focus on anything else.

This cinematic debut for Natasha Henstridge proved to be a demanding one, especially when it came to both prosthetics and nudity. Famed Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger [h]helmed the creature design for this sci-fi/horror hybrid, but it would be Henstridge that laid everything bare up on the silver screen. The sexual politics of “Species” could be seen as problematic by today’s standards. Henstridge’s nudity is often presented in a salacious manner, allowing some room for motivation and pathos … but usually just focusing upon the actress’s beauty. That said, “Species” captured something in the zeitgeist, and was popular enough to warrant three sequels.

Whenever anyone discusses ‘80s slasher movies and nudity, this franchise is bound to come up. The 2009 remake/reimagining actually managed to up the skin ante, even by “Friday”’s formidable standards. Heck, there’s a bunch of skin and sex before we even see the title screen! Meanwhile, “Friday the 13th” 2009 can also boast one of the franchise’s most explicit sex scenes. We’re referring, of course, to the infamous coupling of Trent and Bree. Their enthusiastic canoodling has got to set a record for one of the most over-the-top “Friday the 13th” sex scenes of all time.

France’s Mathilda May has enjoyed a long and fruitful career playing a wealth of expressive and complex characters. Yet, for better or worse, she may always be best known as, ahem, “Space Girl” from 1985’s “Lifeforce.” This Tobe Hooper joint was May’s second film, and required her to be naked … well, practically all the time. “Lifeforce” was adapted from a book titled “The Space Vampires,” and it delivers on all of the wild creature effects implied by that title. It’s May’s unfettered performance that ultimately allowed “Lifeforce” to achieve a second life on home video, since the film initially bombed at the box office. Because why wouldn’t you want to rent a VHS with a naked vampire Space Girl?!

Does an abundance of nudity influence your decision to watch a horror movie? Be honest, and tell us in the comments!

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[c](REE-tuh kal-duh-ROH-nee,
[d](lih-NAY-uh KWIG-lee)
[e](hoh-SAY rah-MOHN luh-RAHZ,
[f](MAR-ee-an MORR-iss)
[g](uh-NOOL-kuh joo-BIN-ska,
[h](AYCH AR GEE-gur, Swiss pronunciation)