10 best R-rated movies streaming right now

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While family-friendly films are often a safe choice for movie nights, some gatherings with friends or even spare time alone call for more intense stories. For audiences looking for adrenaline-pumping, thrilling, or downright bizarre movies, films rated R may be just what you’re looking for.

From new movies like the kooky horror flick Cuckoo to classics like The Godfather, these superb R-rated movies are available to stream on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Max. You can’t go wrong with the 10 selections on this list.

Need more recommendations? We also have guides to the best new movies to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, and the best movies on Max.

The Substance (2024)

Now a Best Picture nominee, The Substance is a chilling body horror film that plunges viewers into the skin-crawling world of aging washed-up actress Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore). After being fired by her producer, the 50-year-old celebrity tries a revolutionary product called “The Substance” to create a younger, flawless version of herself (played by Qualley). What begins as a seemingly perfect solution to her problem morphs into a nightmare as her younger version upsets the balance and takes up more time in the real world.

Director Coralie Fargeat expertly criticizes the toxic commodification of beauty with a genuinely grotesque yet often hilarious satirical story. Numerous scenes in The Substance offer visceral, almost Cronenbergian body horror, which escalates as its protagonist sacrifices more of herself for fame and youth. Moore is outstanding as the fading actress, with her career-defining performance rightly earning her an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe for Best Actress.

The Substance is streaming on Mubi.

Gladiator (2000)

Russell Crowe wields a blade in a still from the movie Gladiator.

Before watching Paul Mescal dominate the Colosseum in Gladiator II, fans should revisit (or see for the first time) Russell Crowe’s iconic performance in Gladiator. One of Ridley Scott’s best films, this historical epic takes viewers to the twilight of the Roman Empire, where Maximus (Crowe), a revered general, is betrayed when Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) names him as his successor over Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The jealous Commodus seizes the throne, orders Maximus’s execution, and has his family killed. Left for dead, Maximus becomes a gladiator in Rome, where his combat skills make him a legend, leading to a final showdown with Commodus.

Gladiator captures the grandeur and brutality of Ancient Rome with a deeply moving tale of revenge. It’s impossible not to root for Maximus as he wins one fight after another, with Crowe’s legendary performance imbuing the character with both limitless courage and heartbreaking vulnerability. Paired with impressive set pieces and practical effects, Gladiator is just as exciting today as it was over two decades ago.

Gladiator is streaming on Paramount+.

Parasite (2019)

Parasite is a film that needs no introduction. The award-winning social thriller became a global phenomenon when it first premiered in 2019, rightly turning director Bong Joon-ho into a household name. It has a deceptively simple premise: the impoverished Kim family, who live in a basement, get an upgrade when they scheme to infiltrate the wealthy Park family’s home by posing as skilled workers. While they enjoy their time in the luxurious house, they make a dark discovery that changes everything.

Parasite has become synonymous with its mid-point plot twist, which sees the film take a disturbing turn. This revelation, along with the movie’s meticulous cinematography and symbolism, is all clever and hard-hitting commentary on capitalism and class divides. Smart, darkly funny, and deeply unsettling, Parasite is the quintessential eat-the-rich movie that should be considered necessary viewing for any cinephile.

Parasite is streaming on Max.

Cuckoo (2024)

Hunter Schafer hides behind a shelving unit in Cuckoo.

Being a teenager can be rough; for Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), it’s literally murder as she uncovers a strange conspiracy after moving with her father and stepmother to a remote resort town in the Bavarian Alps. Her father’s boss, Herr König (Dan Stevens), is building a new hotel with her dad’s help, but Gretchen thinks he’s up to something else when she discovers terrifying things around town. Who is that mysterious hooded woman who she nearly runs over one night? And does she have anything to do with the murders that are occurring at the resort?

Cuckoo makes great use of its bucolic locale, and the scares it generates are well-earned. The third act is a bit messy, but the journey to it is wild fun, and Schafer makes an excellent Final Girl worthy of Jamie Lee Curtis’ mantle. Be warned: You may never want to stay at a Bavarian Alps resort after watching this movie.

Cuckoo is streaming on Hulu.

Challengers (2024)

Zendaya leans back seductively in Challengers.

Who knew tennis could be so exciting … and so erotic? That’s just what Challengers, the new film from Luca Guadagnino, serves up throughout its 131-minute runtime as the film uses a tennis match to probe the lives of three people caught in a very unusual love triangle. That these three people are played by Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist only makes the movie more pleasurable to watch in the moment, and more thoughtful to consider long after the credits have rolled.

During the final of a minor league tennis tournament in New Rochelle, New York, two longtime sports rivals, and former best friends, Patrick and Art, reflect on what led them to this point in their lives … and the woman, Tashi, who made it all happen. By cutting between the past, which shows the three meeting and falling in love with one another, to the present, which depicts their frayed relationships with one another, Challengers showcases how ambition can be both ruinous and save a person’s professional and personal life.

Challengers is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

A motorcycle gang rides in the desert in Furiosa.

One of the biggest flops of the year is also one of the best movies of 2024. Furiosa didn’t quite connect with moviegoers when it was released in late May, making only $172 million against a $168 million budget. And since studios only keep half of the grosses, and the budget doesn’t factor in marketing and distribution costs, Warner Bros. lost millions of dollars on what many thought was a sure thing. Now that it’s streaming on Max, it’s time for many to discover a sure-to-be classic action movie.

Set years before the events in Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa chronicles the origin of its title character (Anya Taylor-Joy) from childhood, when she’s kidnapped and forced to watch her mother’s murder, to a young woman who is dead set on getting revenge. The only things in her way are Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), and countless postapocalyptical hoodlums who are all too willing to kill her. Featuring great performances by Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth and action sequences worthy of comparison to Fury Road‘s, Furiosa is a must-see movie for anyone willing to call themselves a movie fan.

Furiosa is streaming on Max.

Anyone But You (2023)

A man holds a woman as they stare into each other's eyes.

Rom-coms aren’t usually racy enough to warrant an R rating, and maybe that’s why Anyone But You was a surprise hit in late 2023. The Will Gluck-directed movie, which is a very loose adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, stars Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) and Sydney Sweeney (Madame Web) as Ben and Bea, who loathe each other because of a past botched one-night stand, and now must attend the same lavish wedding with their exes. They then decide to strike a deal to pose as a couple to try to win back their former lovers. Guess what happens in the process? Yes, they start to develop feelings for each other.

While Anyone But You isn’t all that original or surprising (especially if you know your Shakespeare), it’s still fun and genuinely funny. The film makes great use of its primary assets: the beautiful Australian setting, and the magnetic charisma of both its leading stars. When they share the screen together, Powell and Sweeney showcase palpable chemistry, and elevate a standard rom-com into a near-great one.

Anyone But You is streaming on Netflix.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Already being called director Christopher Nolan’s best movie, Oppenheimer is an epic biographical thriller that dramatizes the life of the “father of the atomic bomb,” J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oscar winner Cillian Murphy stars as the theoretical physicist in the film, which chronicles his experiences in universities before being recruited to lead the Manhattan Project. It also depicts his downfall after World War II, with a 1954 security hearing condemning his part in the creation of nuclear weapons.

Oppenheimer quickly gained critical acclaim for its unique portrayal of the complicated historical figure’s story, with Murphy infusing his character with both brilliance and imperfections. Aside from the protagonist’s gory visions of his creation’s victims, Oppenheimer earned its R-rating for its straightforward portrayals of sex and nudity. A scene with Florence Pugh’s Jean Tatlock has even been censored using a CGI black dress in the Middle East and India, with the latter also censoring any scenes that show characters smoking.

Oppenheimer is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Alien (1979)

Now that you’ve seen Alien: Romulus, go back to where it all began. Director Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror masterpiece Alien takes place in deep space aboard the commercial towing spaceship Nostromo. The ship’s crew, including warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), encounters a deadly extraterrestrial organism on an alien vessel. Little do they know that after they retreat back to the Nostromo, the alien has already infiltrated their ship. As the creature begins hunting the crew, they must fight for survival against an unknown and terrifying enemy.

The 1979 classic would go on to spawn the beloved Alien franchise, with the first movie best remembered for its clever use of silence and its claustrophobic setting. Scott focuses on the build-up, with the film containing very few shots of the actual alien killing its victims. It’s those moments, of course, that gave Alien its R rating, as well as intense and frightening ones like the iconic chest-burster moment.

Alien is streaming on Peacock.

The Godfather (1972)

Director Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is a legendary mob drama that’s often called the best crime movie ever made. Based on Mario Puzo’s eponymous 1969 novel, the sweeping epic chronicles the Corleone crime family’s rise to power in post-World War II America. The story specifically follows Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) and his reluctant son, Michael (Al Pacino), who is drawn into the world of organized crime after his father is nearly assassinated.

The first in the award-winning trilogy sees Michael experience brutality and betrayal as he learns more about the family business. Its R rating was unavoidable, as the glimpse into the inner workings of the mafia comes with shootings, murders, physical fights, and more kinds of gore and violence. Despite premiering over half a century ago, The Godfather has lost none of its impact and is still celebrated for the way it set a new standard for the gangster genre and cinema as a whole.

The Godfather is streaming on Paramount+.

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