Before Basic Instinct even hit the theaters, queers nationwide organized a protest against its depiction of murderous women. Some thought the protesters were going too far, but even Roger Ebert conceded that "there is a point to be made about Hollywood's unremitting insistence on type­ casting homosexuals — particularly lesbians — as twisted and evil." While director Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls and Starship Troopers) was­n't going to redeem the lesbian killer genre, why not make his job a little harder and gain a lot of media attention about homophobia in film? What few people know is that the protests resulted in his changing the ending. And what Verhoeven did achieve was Sharon Stone's superstar status and a politically incorrect, sexy thriller that remains a guilty pleasure for many lesbians.

For those who haven't seen the film: Tough cop Curran (Michael Douglas) is assigned to investigate a brutal ice pick murder. His only suspect is the provocative Trammel (Sharon Stone), also the victim's bisexual girlfriend. After a panty-less interrogation (and one of the most talked about beaver shots in movie history), Curran becomes obsessed with Trammel, and when he discovers that his ex-girlfriend once slept with her... well, he completely loses it and goes on a rampage of his own.