Movies Like The Essence of Sex

If you liked The Essence of Sex (1982), a comedy and mystery movie directed by Joe D'Amato, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
★ 7.2/10Also mystery
One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to…
2
The Substitute 2: School's Out (1998)
★ 6.5/10Also mystery
When teacher Randall Thomasson is killed during a carjacking, an unexpected visitor shows up at his funeral - his estranged brother, Karl Thomasson. An ex-Green Beret turned mercenary, Karl signs on as a new substitute…
3
D.O.A. (1949)
★ 6.9/10Also mystery
Frank Bigelow is about to die, and he knows it. The accountant has been poisoned and has only 24 hours before the lethal concoction kills him. Determined to find out who his murderer is, Frank, with the help of his…
4
Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy
With a hitman’s gun aimed at him, Finch tells the story of how he broke out of jail, fell in love, and took the identity of a man wanted by the Mafia.
5
Accident Man (2018)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy
Mike Fallon, the Accident Man, is a stone cold killer. When a loved one is murdered by his own crew, Fallon is forced to avenge the one person who actually meant something to him.
6
The Overnight (2015)
★ 5.9/10Also mystery and comedy
Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family “playdate” becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on.
7
68 Kill (2017)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy
Chip's problem is that he can't say no to beautiful women. This weakness gets him into a world of trouble when he agrees to help his girlfriend steal $68,000.
8
Money Train (1995)
★ 5.9/10Also comedy
When a vengeful New York transit cop decides to steal a trainload of subway fares, his foster brother—a fellow cop—tries to protect him.
9
8MM (1999)
★ 6.5/10Also mystery
A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of…
10
Balls Up (2026)
★ 5.8/10Also comedy
Two marketing executives go "balls out" and pitch a bold full‑coverage condom sponsorship with the World Cup. After their drunken celebration in Brazil sparks a global scandal, they must outrun furious fans, criminals…
11
Hard to Die (1990)
★ 6/10Also comedy
While doing the inventory for a lingerie outlet in a high rise office building, five attractive women are terrorized by a series of bizarre killings. They suspect that the strange janitor, who witnessed another series…
12
Novocaine (2001)
★ 6.1/10Also comedy
A dentist finds himself a murder suspect after a sexy patient seduces him into prescribing her drugs.
13
Oldboy (2013)
★ 5.9/10Also mystery
A man has only three and a half days and limited resources to discover why he was imprisoned in a nondescript room for 20 years without any explanation.
14
Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday (2022)
★ 6.8/10Also comedy
The Accident Man is back, and this time he must best the top assassins in the world to protect the ungrateful son of a mafia boss, save the life of his only friend and rekindle his relationship with his maniacal father…
15
Ricky Gervais: Mortality (2025)
★ 7/10Also comedy
Ricky Gervais tackles life, death and the state of the world in a brutally honest special that spares no topic, even his own mortality.
16
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy
Harlem's African-American population is being ripped off by the Rev. Deke O'Malley, who dishonestly claims that small donations will secure parcels of land in Africa. When New York City police officers Gravedigger…
17
Body Double (1984)
★ 6.7/10Also mystery
After losing an acting role and his girlfriend, Jake Scully finally catches a break: he gets offered a gig house-sitting in the Hollywood Hills. While peering through the beautiful home's telescope one night, he spies…
18
One on Top of the Other (1969)
★ 6.5/10Also mystery
A San Francisco doctor encounters a prostitute who bears a striking resemblance to his late wife.
19
Stretch (2014)
★ 6.2/10Also comedy
A hard-luck limo driver struggling to go straight and pay off a debt to his bookie takes on a job with a crazed passenger whose sought-after ledger implicates some seriously dangerous criminals.
20
Desperate Living (1977)
★ 6.3/10Also comedy
After killing her husband, Peggy Gravel and her murderous maid Grizelda wind up in the crazy town of Mortville, where Queen Carlotta presides over a sleazy collection of misfits.