History Film / BasicInstinct

* SiblingRivalry: Roxy's jealousy of her brothers getting the love and attention from their father drove her to kill them.

* PreserveYourGays: Unlike the other LGBT+ characters in the film ([[spoiler: Roxy, Beth]]), bisexual villainess Catherine Trammell is the only one alive and well at the end of the film.
* PsychoLesbian: Roxy.

* SexEqualsDeath: The killer's modus operandi.

* SexInASharedRoom: Catherine likes having her lesbian lover Roxy watch her have sex with other men and encourages Roxy to watch her while she and Nick are having sex.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: When Nick asks Beth how she knows so much about Catherine [[spoiler: still unaware of their previous relationship]], Beth claims that she knows the type because she's a psychologist. Nick points out that as a ''practicing'' psychologist (Catherine majored in it in college but presumably did not pursue it further), Beth is probably even ''better'' at manipulating people.

* OnlyAFleshWound: Averted when [[spoiler: Nick shoots Beth]]. She's hit in the shoulder but bleeds out within minutes.

* NoodleIncident: The death of Catherine's fiance Manny Vasquez. Despite the fact that it happened in the boxing ring, in full view of hundreds of spectators, it's implied she had something to do with this too.

* NoBisexuals: A case with [[spoiler: Beth, who enjoys dating and sleeping with men but is revealed to have slept with murder suspect Catherine back in college. Nick is not pleased as this jeopardizes everything. Beth admits she experimented in college with Catherine and that it was a one time thing and that it hasn't changed her. Beth doesn't consider herself bisexual. However, at least according to Beth, Catherine became obsessed with her. Nick also thinks that Beth is still into girls and taunts her with this while holding her at gunpoint]].
-->'''[[spoiler: Beth]]:''' What was I supposed to say? "Hey, guys, I'm not gay, but I did fuck your suspect"?

* HeirClubForMen: PlayedForHorror. Roxy killed her brothers because her father paid attention to them.

* IronicName: Catherine means 'pure'.

* {{Fanservice}}: Most of the film's scenes are steamy sex scenes featuring an unclothed Sharon Stone or Michael Douglas.
** The opening sex scene between retired rock star Johnny Boz and his girlfriend, just before she stabs him to death.
** The first half of Nick and Beth's sex scene is this before he date rapes her.
** Catherine slowly stripping her clothes off until she's completely naked inside her house as Nick watches.
** Catherine and Roxy kissing, groping each other, and dancing together in the club as Nick watches.
** Nick and Catherine's kiss and sex scenes after the club.

* FetishizedAbuser: Nick is this to Beth, verbally abusing her, forcing himself on her and eventually [[spoiler: shooting her when he believes her to be the killer.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: After talking with Beth, Nick comments to Gus, "She killed him." Misunderstanding, Gus declares: "Beth? Now you've got Beth killing people?" Nick corrects him, saying that he was referring to Catherine, [[spoiler: but soon enough, evidence surfaces implying that Beth is indeed involved in the slew of murders that have occurred, even if, of course, it was Catherine who was framing Beth.]]
** Downplayed as it's actually [[LampshadedTrope lampshaded]] InUniverse, but still, in the end, [[spoiler: Beth is dead on when predicting what a murderous writer would say in her defense.]]

* EvilWearsBlack: Roxy is usually seen in dark-colored clothes.

* DepravedBisexual: Catherine again. [[spoiler: She manages to make it seem as though Beth is this too.]]

* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: In this case, it's because of Catherine trying to break down Nick's willpower by tempting him with cigarettes and alcohol, which he's not supposed to be doing since he's on probation.

* ContrivedCoincidence: A lot, considering it revolves around a murder.
** [[spoiler: Beth]] arriving at the crime scene right after [[spoiler: Gus]] is murdered.

* CoitusUninterruptus:
** The extended cut reveals that the killer continues to have sex with Boz, riding him even as she stabs him with the ice pick.
** Catherine [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl casually changes her clothes in front of the police detectives]] sent to escort her to the station for questioning in a show of contempt.
** A naked Nick has a hostile discussion with Roxy just after having had sex with Catherine as casually as if he were fully clothed.

* BigPrickBigProblems: The late Johnny Boz was visibly well-endowed, but it didn't prevent him from being stabbed to death during sex.

** Nick's bare backside, as he forces himself on Beth.

* BaitAndSwitch: In the end, [[spoiler: Catherine leans over and reaches for something under her bed as she gives Nick a look. However, she changes her mind goes back to sleeping with him. However, the camera pans down to show that she was indeed planning on killing him, making this a DoubleSubversion]].

* HiddenDepths: Despite the fact that Catherine is apparently a monster who enjoys killing people [[ForTheEvulz for the hell of it]] and likes to mess with the minds of others and exploit them for her personal gain, she freaks out [[spoiler: over Roxy's death and changes her mind about ending her relationship with Nick because she apparently decides she doesn't want to be without him. There's also the possibility that she was scorned by Beth Garner and murdered her husband as a result]].

* AnythingThatMoves: Catherine Tramell.

''Film/TheFourthMan'', one of the films Verhoeven made in his native Netherlands, has similar content and tone to ''Basic Instinct'', which Verhoeven considers a SpiritualSuccessor to the earlier work. It was followed by a sequel, ''Film/BasicInstinct2'', released [[SequelGap fourteen years later]], that was panned by critics and spectacularly bombed at the box office.

* GoingCommando: Nick peeks on Catherine changing her clothes before the interrogation, and sees her put on a white dress with no underwear. This is followed by the famous leg-uncrossing scene.