8 weirdly risque scenes in family-friendly 80s movies

We look back at them with nostalgic, rose-tinted joy, but did you remember that some of your favourite flicks from the 1980s were downright filthy? Prepare to be disturbed…

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) – The Phoebe Cates dream sequence

Amy Heckerling’s movie is on its surface a teen comedy. But not only does it have much more emotional depth, it’s also way ruder, as this iconic dream sequence of Cates removing her bikini top proves.

Ghostbusters (1984) – Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis get it on

She’s the Gatekeeper, he’s the Keymaster. Ugh. The actual deed itself may happen off-screen, but this little moment of mature innuendo demonstrates just how cutting-edge the classic comedy is.

Splash (1984) – Their whole relationship is based purely on sex

Okay she saved him when he was younger, but once Daryl Hannah grows legs, pretty much the only thing she has in common with Tom Hanks is that they both fancy the pants off each other. Seriously, the whole film is just a series of scenes of them falling into bed.

Sixteen Candles (1984) – Totally gratuitous shower scene

John Hughes’ debut directing gig doesn’t really hold up to scrutiny now. Primarily that’s because it’s casually racist and disturbingly rapey. But he also kind of tries to justify the random topless shower scene by having it illustrate Molly Ringwald’s feelings of body inadequacy. We’re not convinced.

All The Right Moves (1983) – The random sex scene

This 1983 film is a fairly generic small-town sports drama apart from a slightly random sex scene between Cruise and his high school girlfriend played by Lea Thompson.

Class (1983) – Andrew McCarthy and his best mate’s mum in the lift

British sexpot Jacqueline Bisset is the mother and there’s much talk about whether it’s better to go up or go down. This scene in a pic about a nerdy private school kid embarking on an illicit affair with a older woman is unexpectedly raunchy and many teen boys’ fantasy.

Cocoon (1985) – Steve Guttenberg has psychic sex with an alien

They’re in a swimming pool, they’re in the buff and she’s an extra-terrestrial. The rest of the film is a gentle drama about a bunch of old people helping stranded aliens get back to their planet, so the golden sex glow scene comes pretty much out of nowhere.

The Secret of My Success (1987) – Michael J. Fox is seduced by his married aunt in a swimming pool

Fox flirted with the semi-incest theme in Back to the Future, but he goes full creepy here as a young entrepreneur who gets seduced in a swimming pool (again!) by a middle-aged woman who turns out to be his aunt. Don’t worry, only by marriage.

Image credits: Rex_Shutterstock, Universal Pictures