MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for They're Playing with Fire

They're Playing with Fire

1984 · 96 min

A steamy, twisty thriller that keeps you guessing while delivering guilty-pleasure suspense.

Directed by
Howard Avedis
Genres
Crime, Horror, Thriller
Starring
Sybil Danning, Eric Brown, Andrew Prine
Tagline
From his French maid, he got Private Lessons. Now his English professor is giving him a REAL education.
Overview
A married college professor decides to seduce her student, whom she hired as a handyman for her yacht. The hesitant student succumbs to his buxom professor, but their romance is interrupted by her corrupt husband and a masked murderer.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Howard Avedis
Genres
Crime, Horror, Thriller
Starring
Sybil Danning, Eric Brown, Andrew Prine
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • campystrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • greed
  • deception
  • crime
Places
  • school
  • single country house
  • sea
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore strong
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex strong
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror5
Humour3
Realism4
Romance6
Tension5
Darkness6
Complexity4
Emotional weight3

More like this

Titles like They're Playing with Fire

Movie

Dial M for Murder

1954

A taut, stage-bound cat-and-mouse game where elegant conversation conceals cold calculation, keeping you leaning in to catch every clue.

Dark, tense · about betrayal and greed · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
105 min
Details
Dial M for MurderHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Teacher

1974

A slow-burning, steamy thriller that simmers with forbidden desire and lurking danger, ending in a sudden, tragic climax.

Same writer: Howard Avedis · Dark, tense · about betrayal and obsession · twist ending

Also
Same writer: Howard Avedis
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
98 min
Details
The TeacherHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Blood Simple

1984

A sweaty, slow-burning nightmare of mistrust and violence, full of tense set pieces and blackly funny touches.

Dark, tense · about betrayal and obsession · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
97 min
Details
Blood SimpleHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Double Indemnity

1944

A sleek, shadowy descent into temptation and betrayal, told with sharp wit and mounting dread.

Dark, tense · about betrayal and obsession · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
107 min
Details
Double IndemnityHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Body Heat

1981

A sweaty, seductive noir that wraps you in oppressive heat and mounting dread as desire and deception spiral toward betrayal.

Dark, tense · about betrayal and obsession · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
113 min
Details
Body HeatHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

House on Haunted Hill

1959

A creaky, theatrical haunted-house lark that rattles and shocks with ghoulish glee, more funfair spook-ride than genuine terror.

Tense, campy, brisk · about betrayal and greed · twist ending

Via
  • tense
  • campy
  • betrayal
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
75 min
Details
House on Haunted HillHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Bone Lake

2025

A tense, darkly funny thriller that keeps you guessing with its twists and turns, blending erotic mind games with sudden violence.

Dark, tense, brisk · about betrayal and obsession · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
94 min
Details
Bone LakeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A Bay of Blood

1971

A stylish, mean-spirited murder spree where every death is staged with cold, colorful precision.

Dark, tense, brisk · about betrayal and greed · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
85 min
Details
A Bay of BloodHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Last Seduction

1994

A sleek, nasty neo-noir that keeps you off-balance with its icy, manipulative protagonist and sharp, darkly funny twists.

Dark, tense, brisk · about betrayal and greed · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details
The Last SeductionHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Basic Instinct

1992

A sleek, dangerous game of cat and mouse that keeps you tense and unsettled, with a seductive and icy edge.

Dark, tense, brisk · about betrayal and obsession · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
128 min
Details
Basic InstinctHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Verity

2026

A sleek, chilly thriller that keeps you uneasy, constantly second-guessing what's real and who's lying.

Dark, tense · about betrayal and obsession · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • obsession
  • twist ending
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
117 min
Details
VerityHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough

2005

A twisty, steamy thriller that keeps you guessing with its double-crosses and seductive scheming.

Dark, tense, brisk · about betrayal and greed · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • betrayal
  • greed
  • twist ending
Pacing
brisk
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
87 min
Details
Wild Things: Diamonds in the RoughHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
Free
  • Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
  • Plex
  • Amazon MX Player
Rent
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
crime, horror, thriller
Directed by
Howard Avedis
Written by
Howard Avedis, Marlene Schmidt
Starring
Sybil Danning, Eric Brown, Andrew Prine, Paul Clemens, K.T. Stevens, Gene Bicknell, Curt Ayers, Dominick Brascia
Music
John Cacavas
Cinematography
Gary Graver
Runtime
96 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata