History YMMV / BasicInstinct

* OneSceneWonder: Wayne Knight's character.

* EvilIsSexy: When it's played by Sharon Stone, anyway. Roxy also qualifies for this trope.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The ever-dependable Jerry Goldsmith contributes a sensuous, atmospheric and exciting score.

* NightmareFuel: The first scene depicts Catherine (from behind) having passionate sex with a man in a very warm rosy setting. She proceeds to tie his hands to the bed with a silk scarf, and just as they are about to orgasm she grabs an ice pick and starts stabbing him repeatedly. How quickly the scene shifts from eroticism to pure horror is quite a shock. We don't even see him die, we just watch him scream madly and struggle to get away as Catherine keeps stabbing, getting bathed in his blood as the movie cuts to the next scene.

* {{Sequelitis}}

* NightmareFuel: The first scene depicts Catherine (from behind) having passionate sex with a man in a very warm rosy setting. She proceeds to tie his hands up, and just as they are about to orgasm she grabs an ice pick and starts stabbing him repeatedly. How quickly the scene shifts from eroticism to pure horror is quite a shock. We don't even see him die, we just watch him scream madly and struggle to get away as Catherine keeps stabbing, getting bathed in his blood as the movie cuts to the next scene.
* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: The movie became one of the highest-grossing movies of 1992, despite protests over being misogynist and homophobic. People love forbidden fruit.

* HollywoodHomely: Brown hair, brown eyes, glasses, sensible, drab-colored clothes (and presumably underwear as well) as supposedly enough to make Beth the plain alternative to the glamorous Catherine though she was still considered desirable enough to gain the sexual interest of Catherine and Nick, do a nice topless scene, [[spoiler: possibly have made Catherine obsessed with her and possibly have seduced and killed Johnny Boz]].
* [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bitch]]: Catherine Tramell

* RewatchBonus: A lot of little lines hint at Catherine's guilt, as well as her and Beth's involvement.

** Interestingly, we never see Catherine commit any overt or violent act (apart from scratching Nick during sex). [[spoiler: Both Beth and Roxy act with violence toward Nick,]] but we only see Catherine remain passive throughout the film.

* EvilIsSexy: When it's played by Sharon Stone, anyway. Roxy also qualifies for this trope.

* [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bitch]]: Catherine

** FridgeLogic: The pantyless scene has become a trope in itself over years, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]], exaggerated, imitated, parodied, [[DeaderThanDisco nearly qualified for being a]] DeadHorseTrope, and yet it doesn't make any sense in context. Real police detectives are trained to be tough and hardened men with plenty of interrogation experience, and yet all of them seem stunned by a nearly-[[PlayingDoctor childish]] trick.
** FridgeBrilliance: Considering what kind of a person Catherine is and how the story shows that even the most hard-assed man can be swayed by a woman, the infamous interrogation scene actually makes a lot of sense. Additionally, since this is a Verhoeven movie and the director is making fun of the audience as usual for wanting to see sex and violence on screen, it could be read as a metaphor for the audience watching the movie - if she gives you what you want, you'll ignore some of the movie's gaps of logic.

* NightmareFuel: The first scene depicts a beautiful blonde woman having passionate sex with a man in a very warm rosy setting. She proceeds to tie his hands up, and just as they are about to orgasm she grabs an ice pick and starts stabbing him repeatedly. How quickly the scene shifts from eroticism to pure horror is quite a shock. We don't even see him die, we just watch him scream madly and struggle to get away as the woman keeps stabbing, getting bathed in his blood as the movie cuts to the next scene.

** FridgeBrilliance: Considering what kind of a person Catherine is and how the story shows that even the most hard-assed man can be swayed by a woman, the infamous interrogation scene actually makes a lot of sense.

** FridgeLogic: The pantyless scene has become a trope in itself over years, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]], exaggerated, imitated, parodied, [[DeaderThanDisco nearly qualified for being a]] DeadHorseTrope, and yet it doesn't make any sense in context. Real police detectives are trained to be tough and hardened men with plenty of interrogation experience, and yet all of them seem stunned by a nearly-[[PlayingDoctor childish]] trick (though considering what kind of a person Catherine is and how the story shows that even the most hard-assed man can be swayed by a woman, this actually makes a lot of sense).

* UnfortunateImplications: And ''how''. As stated earlier, the many accusations of misogyny and homophobia--virtually every woman in the film is presented badly (even if she's innocent, Beth is at the very least, pitifully hung up on a guy who doesn't give a damn about her), and each of these women is either gay or bisexual.

* HollywoodHomely: Brown hair, brown eyes, glasses, sensible, drab-colored clothes (and presumably underwear as well) as supposedly enough to make Beth the plain alternative to the glamorous Catherine though she was still considered desirable enough to gain the sexual interest of Catherine and Nick, do a nice topless scene and [[spoiler: and possibly have seduced and killed Johnny Boz]].

* HollywoodHomely: Brown hair, brown eyes, glasses, sensible, drab-colored clothes (and presumably underwear as well) as supposedly enough to make Beth the plain alternative to the glamorous Catherine.

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: The movie became one of the highest-grossing movies of 1992, despite protests over being misogynist and homophobic.
** It should have been for being an overlong, overplotted incoherent mess. Hell, the ''[[FlipFlopOfGod guy who wrote it]]'' even said he wasn't sure what happened or who the killer was. This WASN'T some kind of avant-garde MindScrew, this was a big mainstream movie. As for being misogynistic and homophobic, I'd go further and say that there isn't a single likable character here of ANY gender or sexual orientation.
** One might say it was so popular ''because of'', not despite, all the protests. People love forbidden fruit.

* TheUntwist: [[spoiler:Catherine was so obviously telegraphed as the killer that most viewers believed it when the evidence began pointing to Beth. The filmmakers stated they had to add the last shot revealing Catherine as the real killer specifically to lead people in the right direction.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: There is much debate amongst fans of the film whether Beth is an innocent victim or an evil {{Femme Fatale}}.There are people who think its not a hundred percent clear even at the end that Catherine is a murderess. Did Roxy commit any of the murders? [[spoiler:Apart from her brothers and the attempted murder of Nick]]. The final shot is interpreted differently by different viewers. Is Catherine about to kill Nick? Was she going to kill him and then changed her mind? Does the ice pick mean she definitely is the killer or is it only supposed to hint she might be? There is also debate whether the first scene of Nick and Beth in her apartment is sex or date rape.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: There is much debate amongst fans of the film whether Beth is an innocent victim or an evil {{Femme Fatale}}. There is also debate whether the first scene of Nick and Beth in her apartment is sex or date rape.
** Also, it's not a hundred percent clear even at the end that Catherine is a murderess. Did she do it? Any of the killings? Will she kill Nick? Or was it Beth all along? And did Roxy commit any of the murders? [[spoiler:Apart from her brothers and the attempted murder of Nick]]

** FridgeLogic: The pantyless scene has become a trope in itself over years, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]], exaggerated, imitated, parodied, [[DeaderThanDisco nearly qualified for being a]] DeadHorseTrope, and yet it doesn't make any sense in context. Police detectives are supposed to be rough and hardened men with plenty of interrogation experience, and yet all of them seem stunned by a nearly-[[PlayingDoctor childish]] trick (though considering what kind of a person Catherine is and how the story shows that even the most hard-assed man can be swayed by a woman, this actually makes a lot of sense).

* TheUntwist: [[spoiler:Catherine was so obviously telegraphed as the killer that most viewers believed it when Beth turned out to be the killer. The filmmakers stated they had to add the last shot revealing Catherine as the real killer specifically to lead people in the right direction.]]

* {{Sequelitis}}

** FridgeLogic: The pantyless scene has become a trope in itself over years, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]], exaggerated, imitated, parodied, [[DeaderThanDisco nearly qualified for being a]] DeadHorseTrope, and yet it doesn't make any sense in context. Police detectives are supposed to be rough and hardened men with plenty of interrogation experience, and yet all of them seem stunned by a nearly-[[PlayingDoctor childish]] trick (though considering what kind of a person Catherine is and how the story shows that even the most hard-assed man can be swayed by a woman, this actually makes a lot of sense).

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The ever-dependable Jerry Goldsmith contributes a sensuous and atmospheric score.