Ah, the bygone era of the hard-to-find sex comedy, a genre that thrived in the sticky floors of video stores and the dark recesses of cable TV marathons. These movies were like treasure maps for hormone-fueled teenagers or curious adults looking for "plot development" at 2 a.m. Most of them barely got a theatrical release but lived on in the VHS and DVD bargain bin wastelands. And boy, did they push boundaries. Or shatter them. Or just obliterate good taste altogether.

In this post, we’ll uncover a few underrated or forgotten gems (or absolute trash fires, depending on your tolerance for cringe humor) that will make you question your taste—and possibly your moral compass.

1. Private Resort (1985)

Let’s start with Johnny Depp’s pre-21 Jump Street days, when he was definitely not paying the bills with his artistic vision. In Private Resort, Depp and his buddy spend a weekend at a Miami hotel chasing women, causing chaos, and dodging a jewel thief. It’s a fever dream of 80s excess: neon swimsuits, gratuitous nudity, and the kind of humor that probably wouldn't make it past your HR department today.

Watch it if you want to see the origin story of Johnny Depp’s “quirky leading man” phase—or if you enjoy movies that could double as a warning against spring break.

2. Screwballs (1983)

Ah, Screwballs—the poster child for “we swear it’s like Porky’s, but cheaper.” This Canadian-made cult classic is about four high school guys competing to see who can seduce the school’s most unattainable girl. Spoiler alert: the plot is just an excuse for a string of increasingly absurd sight gags, double entendres, and a metric ton of bad decisions.

This movie leans so hard into its ridiculousness that it becomes oddly endearing. Kind of like a stray dog that steals your wallet but does a backflip afterward, so you let it slide.

3. The Last American Virgin (1982)

If Screwballs is the drunken frat bro of 80s sex comedies, The Last American Virgin is its emotional, hungover cousin. This movie starts like your typical horny-teen romp but takes a hard left turn into heartbreak and disillusionment. Think American Pie meets Requiem for a Dream, but with more awkward pauses.

The ending is a gut punch so brutal, it leaves you questioning whether the 90 minutes of slapstick and awkward flirting were just a long con. It’s underrated because people still don’t know if it’s a comedy or a tragedy—or just a dare someone lost.

4. Hot Moves (1984)

Ever wonder what would happen if a group of teens pooled all their brainpower and energy into... trying to see a girl naked? No? Well, Hot Moves is here to answer a question no one asked.

This movie is basically The Goonies for horny teenagers, minus the treasure map and heartwarming moments. It’s awkward, poorly acted, and deeply uncomfortable in hindsight. Which, for some people, makes it a must-watch. It’s like revisiting an old diary—you cringe, you laugh, and you wonder how you ever thought that was a good idea.

5. Zapped! (1982)

What happens when you give Scott Baio telekinetic powers in a high school sex comedy? You get Zapped!—a film so unapologetically absurd it borders on sci-fi. Baio’s character uses his newfound powers for… let’s say “research purposes” as he navigates the wacky world of teenage hormones and science experiments gone wrong.

The movie tries to be Carrie, but instead of blood and revenge, it’s bras and cheap gags. If you want to see a time capsule of 80s weirdness, this one’s worth digging up. Just don’t expect it to age gracefully—it’s holding up worse than Baio’s career.

Why These Movies Matter (Kind Of)

Sure, these films are problematic. They’re raunchy, cringe-worthy, and occasionally downright offensive. But they’re also snapshots of a time when filmmakers were throwing caution, logic, and sometimes common decency to the wind in the name of cheap laughs.

Watching these today is like taking a time machine back to an era before political correctness, CGI, or coherent storytelling. You’re not just watching a movie; you’re watching cultural archaeology. And who doesn’t love an artifact with bad hair and worse intentions?

So fire up that VHS player (if you can find one), hit the questionable streaming sites, or pray for a remastered Blu-ray release. Just remember: sometimes, the real comedy is how these movies ever got made in the first place.