Basic Instinct: Why the most luridly entertaining thriller of the 90s is still unmatched
You feel a sharp, cold icepick prod the back of your neck, and you’re forced to name the most luridly entertaining erotic thriller of the ‘80s and ‘90s. What would you go with? Dressed to Kill? Body Heat? Fatal Attraction? What about Wild Things or The Last Seduction? While all worthy affairs, it’s hard to beat Paul Verhoeven’s controversial and transgressive neo-noir crime film, Basic Instinct.
Indeed, not only did Joe Eszterhas’s screenplay sell for a then-unthinkable, record-setting $3 million, but the film also overcame its polemic response and public protests to septuple its budget and gross over $350 million worldwide.
Featuring a sleek, seductive, ultra-sexy star-making turn from Sharon Stone — who Verhoeven had to fight hard to cast as the ice-hot femme fatale Catherine Tramell — Basic Instinct hopped a slew of production hurdles en route to becoming the quintessential ‘90s erotic thriller. Between Stone’s unscripted pantyless power play, the litany of actresses who passed on the part, Michael Douglas’ diva-like demands, the shocking graphic sex and violence that required 14 editorial cuts to avoid an NC-17 rating, the undying creative differences between Verhoeven, Douglas, and Eszterhas, and a whole lot more, it’s time to reach under the bed and find out what happened to Basic Instinct almost 35 years ago.
Joe Eszterhas Writes a $3 Million Script in 10 Days
After penning scripts for the successful ‘80s films Flashdance and Jagged Edge, Joe Eszterhas drew partly on his Ohio upbringing when conceiving the story of Basic Instinct. For instance, Catherine Tramell was inspired by a go-go dancer who pulled a gun on Eszterhas in his youth. Similarly, Nick Curran was based on a thrill-seeking detective the writer knew in Ohio.
As the highest-paid Hollywood screenwriter at the time, Eszterhas was also inspired to reclaim such a title after he learned Shane Black had sold his script for The Last Boy Scout for $1.75 million. In response, Eszterhas hastily pounded out Basic Instinct’s screenplay in only 10 to 13 days under the title Love Hurts.
Eszterhas claims he began without an outline, listened to The Rolling Stones continuously while writing, and changed the title to Basic Instinct after thinking it up en route to FedEx to deliver the script to his agent.
The script sparked a hotly contested bidding war among various production companies. It was sold at auction three days later, with Carolco Pictures agreeing to pay $3 million — an unheard-of sum at the time.
Milos Forman vs. Paul Verhoeven: The Directing Shake-Up
Once Carolco agreed to make the picture, Eszterhas and producer Irwin Winkler wanted Milos Forman to direct. Although Forman was sent the script while on vacation and liked it enough to accept the job, by the time he responded, the Flying Dutchman Paul Verhoeven had already been hired.
Remember, Carolco and Verhoeven had already delivered the badass sci-fi hit Total Recall in 1990.
Yet once Verhoeven joined the project, he immediately took issue with several aspects of the screenplay and wanted to make it even sexier, more transgressive, and risqué. One of the biggest arguments between the writer and director included Verhoeven’s insistence on a lesbian sex scene, which Eszterhas deemed too gratuitous and exploitative and staunchly disagreed with.
When Verhoeven stood his ground and vowed to keep the scene, Eszterhas and Winkler flat-out left the production and never returned.
Sharon Stone’s Casting Battle (And the 12 Actresses Who Passed)
It’s worth noting that the role of San Francisco homicide inspector Nick Curran was originally written to be a lesbian female detective, with Kathleen Turner envisioned for the role.
Although Verhoeven recruited Total Recall scribe Gary Goldman to do four or five rewrites at Douglas’ request, they became worse and worse, to the point that they reverted to Eszterhas’s original script.
Once Nick Curran’s role was rewritten as a much younger bisexual man, several big-name actors passed on the part due to the stigma attached. Michael Douglas ultimately agreed to star — under several conditions.
Meanwhile, before Sharon Stone won the role of Catherine Tramell, Douglas suggested Kim Basinger, Julia Roberts, Greta Scacchi, and Meg Ryan, all of whom declined due to the graphic sex scenes. Additional actresses who turned down the role included Michelle Pfeiffer, Demi Moore, Geena Davis, Farrah Fawcett, Kathleen Turner, Kelly Lynch, Ellen Barkin, Mariel Hemingway, and Debra Winger.
Only after roughly 12 actresses declined did Douglas agree to test with Stone. It took about three months for Verhoeven to convince the producers she was right for the role. Looking back, it’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing Catherine Tramell.
Michael Douglas’ Salary, Script Demands, and On-Set Tension
Douglas agreed to star for $14 million. Once Carolco paid the fee, he demanded script changes to make his character appear less wimpy.
He refused full-frontal nudity as originally scripted, wore lifts to appear taller opposite the statuesque Stone, and insisted the bisexual elements of his character be altered. He also refused to give Stone top billing — despite her arguably being the true lead — which Faye Dunaway publicly criticized.
Stone was paid just $500,000 for her breakout role — a fraction of Douglas’s salary.
Stone later said she was never fully comfortable working with Douglas, but that awkward tension suited the characters.
It’s also worth noting that Stone — who reportedly has an IQ of 154 — was considering quitting acting to pursue law school before landing Basic Instinct.
Filming in San Francisco Amid Protests
Principal photography began April 5, 1991, and wrapped June 28. Verhoeven hired longtime collaborator Jan de Bont as cinematographer, marking their seventh collaboration.
The $49 million production shot extensively on location in San Francisco, including Pacific Heights, Telegraph Hill, Chinatown, Pier 7, The Embarcadero, Golden Gate Park, and Market Street.
When the screenplay leaked and LGBTQ advocacy groups objected to the portrayal of bisexual characters, protests erupted at nearly every location. The SFPD dispatched riot police throughout the shoot.
Catherine’s seaside mansion was filmed in Carmel-by-the-Sea, about 120 miles south of San Francisco.
The Ice Pick Scene: No Body Doubles, Real Blood
Yes, Sharon Stone appears in the opening murder scene. No body doubles were used in any of the sex scenes — though genital pads were worn due to AIDS-era precautions.
During filming, Stone accidentally stabbed actor Bill Cable through the blood packs on his chest. Some wounds were reportedly half an inch deep and required hospital treatment. His screams in the scene were genuine.
The Interrogation Scene: The Most Paused Moment in VHS History
Catherine’s infamous leg-crossing interrogation scene was not in Eszterhas’s original script. It was Verhoeven’s idea, inspired by an incident from his college days.
Stone has maintained she did not fully understand the explicit visibility of the shot at the time of filming and later attempted to have it removed. Verhoeven has disputed aspects of that claim.
Regardless, the moment became one of the most infamous nude scenes in Hollywood history — and possibly the most paused scene of the VHS era.
The NC-17 Rating and 14 Editorial Cuts
The MPAA initially slapped the film with an NC-17 rating due to explicit sex and violence.
Verhoeven made 14 separate edits, trimming approximately 35–40 seconds and adjusting camera angles to secure an R rating. The Director’s Cut later restored the more explicit material for home release.
Box Office Success and Lasting Legacy
Basic Instinct opened in the U.S. on March 20, 1992, and immediately hit #1 at the box office. Two months later, it opened the Cannes Film Festival before expanding worldwide.
With a $49–50 million budget, the film grossed $353 million globally. It became the highest-grossing film of the year in multiple European countries and the highest-grossing film ever in Spain at the time.
Despite controversy, protests, and creative warfare, Basic Instinct emerged as arguably the most successful erotic thriller of the 1990s.
Nearly 35 years later, it remains the definitive example of a subgenre that has largely faded away. And for all the indignities she endured, Sharon Stone will always stand as the brave, badass force behind Basic Instinct’s enduring bravado.
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