HUMP! LOVES FILM: SUMMER OF SEX WATCHLIST
You’ve still got a little over 2 months until HUMP! is back in theaters and back in our hearts. In the meantime, our HUMP! staff writer is here with a summer movie watch list.
And, our team weighs in on the films that taught us something about sex, love, queerness, or tension, as well as our favorite HUMP! films of all time.
FUCKTOYS
You’ve been told you're cursed (by Big Freedia, playing a fortune teller, of course), and the only way to fix it is to acquire $1,000 and sacrifice a lamb.
So begins Fucktoys, the creation of Annapurna Sriram, who wrote, directed, and starred in the film. Fucktoys is a retelling of the Fool's Journey of the Major Arcana in tarot, and a surreal odyssey that follows our main character across Trashtown, USA, as she works to lift the curse. Featuring a wild cast of characters who influence her journey at every step, Fucktoys gives voice to the experience of sex work, of scrapiness, of yearning and queer joy and queer pain.
Decadent, strange, beautiful, funny, and at times devastating - Fucktoys is a depiction of queerness and sex work that is familiar and real to those with experience in those communities, something that feels rare in an industry that regularly refuses to consult or platform sex workers on sex worker content.
Unfortunately, Fucktoys can only be seen in theaters right now, so catch it when it comes to your city!
PILLION
Leather culture hit a more mainstream audience this year in Pillion, an insanely sexy, somewhat challenging, and (for some of us) painfully relatable story of coming into yourself and your desires in the context of a Dominant/submissive (D/s) dynamic. At moments, sweet, at others, strange. The dynamic of two people (Colin and Ray) with almost nothing in common but a desire for a specific dynamic can be, at times, a confusing watch, but for anyone who’s experienced the same, it felt relatable in ways that were both wonderful and difficult.
Whether you romanticize or hate the dynamic between the two main characters, Colin's journey as a sub is a meaningful one, and at the very least, it’s wonderful to see leather culture platformed in ways that celebrate it.
BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER
A campy cult-classic that would feel beyond wrong to leave off a summer watchlist. If you’re reading the HUMP! blog, there is a very high chance you’ve already seen this one, but it’s kind of required watching at least every few years to keep your queer card active.
But I’m a Cheerleader follows a cheerleader sent to conversion camp after being accused of being a lesbian, and shines light through humor on what an absolutely stupid fucking concept conversion camps, gender roles, and straight washing really is. Colorful, campy, full of pining and questioning, and so SO many incredible jokes; if you haven’t given yourself the gift of watching it yet, go do it now.
BOTTOMS
We all need a laugh, and I find myself coming back to Bottoms whenever I need something that is as gay as it is funny, as it is just weird. A riff on every awful high school movie you’ve ever seen, and a win for lesbian coming-of-age stories. If you’ve ever watched a teen movie and thought, “wouldn’t this be better if it were more gay and more unhinged?”, then we’ve got a film for you.
Unpopular lesbians. Sapphic fight clubs. A football team that is both more gay and more violent than any we’ve ever seen. Marshawn Lynch as a loveable but blunt teacher who supports the gays. As the film progresses, you will find it quickly leaves behind any semblance of your classic high school movie narrative, choosing instead to spiral into an insane mix of violence and yearning. I genuinely could not have predicted where the film ends, and I don’t know what else to say about that. I promise this movie is way weirder than it seems on the surface. Also: Ayo Edebiri.
SECRETARY
Much like But I’m a Cheerleader, it just feels wrong to leave this off a HUMP! watchlist. It’s a classic, and you may have already seen it, but if you HAVEN’T, it is now required watching.
Like many of our favorite kink-focused films, the dynamic on screen is best enjoyed as a kinky story full of gorgeous imagery, longing, and devotion, rather than a blueprint for how to enter into a D/s dynamic. Secretary follows the unconventional relationship between a secretary and her boss, and offered many of us who were curious about kink a funny, tender, and really hot intro to what these dynamics look like.
What I took from the film the most the first time I watched it was how expertly Maggie Gyllenhaal portrayed the feeling of devotion, endurance, and submission that can give a sub such a massive feeling of purpose.
Staff Picks
Insight into the movies that awakened us, and our favorite HUMP! films
Allie
Film: Heavenly Creatures
Weirdo lesbians having a hard time. Fantasy worlds. Murder. What more does a young gay femme need?? Honorable mention to the lesbian monologue from V for Vendetta for being my actual gay awakening though! It made me cry, and it taught me how much I wanted to feel longing and yearning for other gay people.
HUMP! Pick: Tell Me What You Like - HUMP! Hardcore.
Never had a film fully summed up what I love so much about being gay and kinky. There are a ton of discussions around respectability politics in kink and queerness lately; I just loved seeing two queer pervs be scary and scared and depraved. Not for the faint of heart. Absolutely for all the gay sadists and masochists.
Lindsay
Film: Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
Ignore the title, and you’ve got quite a sexy take on the mostly true story of the creation of the Wonder Woman comic. The film, set in the 1940s, explores the unconventional polyamorous relationship between the three leads with emotional depth and authenticity. The film celebrates throuples, kink, and feminist ideals… and it turned me on.
HUMP! Pick: Breakfast In Bed - HUMP! Greatest Hits Vol. 3.
IYKYK. This will go down as an all-time crowd pleaser in HUMP! history. Audience enjoyment is half the fun for me as a long-time HUMP! film watcher.
Tim
Film: Heated Rivalry
Not a film, and also not surprising that a gay guy is picking Heated Rivalry. It’s pride month and I’m going through a lot, okay?? I’ve watched Season 1 through a few times now, and aside from the very handsome men fucking in amazing lighting, what gets me riled up the most is the intimacy between the two lead characters, and how that connection and mutual understanding develop over time, traversing heartbreak, hiding and family trauma and emerging into love and truth and reality.
HUMP! Pick: The World’s Best Hand Job - HUMP! Greatest Hits Vol. 4.
I saw this film dozens of times while working in the projection booth for HUMP! in Seattle in 2014. It is simple, very creative, extremely silly, and ends in a cumshot that always made the audience erupt in cheers. To me, it represents the true essence of HUMP! and why we love our filmmaker community so much: year after year, they share unique takes on sexuality that are surprising, entertaining and ultimately delightful.
Mr. Leonard
Film: Sex, Lies and Videotapes
It challenged my understanding of intimacy by showing that desire isn't always about sex itself; it's often about vulnerability, curiosity, and connection. The film feels like a conversation about human sexuality rather than a portrayal of it, which is part of what makes it so compelling. Shoutout: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was one of the first films that made me realize how much attraction is tied to confidence, mystery, intelligence, and individuality. The film's dark visual style, tension, and sexuality left a lasting impression on me.
HUMP! Pick: PEEP WITHIN - HUMP! Spring 2026
PEEP WITHIN is my favorite HUMP! film because it forces you to look inward while also exploring voyeurism. It asks you to examine your own desires, fantasies, curiosities, and the parts of yourself you may feel ashamed of or afraid to acknowledge.
Beyond the deeper themes, it's also just incredibly fun to watch. The film plays with the idea of watching and being watched, and how that dynamic can awaken something primal in us. There's a tension, curiosity, and even a sense of internal competition that makes the experience both exciting and surprisingly introspective.
To me, it perfectly captures what HUMP! does best: presenting films that are entertaining, thought-provoking, sexy, and deeply human all at the same time.
Laura
Film: Strictly Ballroom
Don’t you love when you can tell the “straight” male lead is gay within the first 10 seconds of a film? Baz Luhrmann’s first movie may not have the budget to go full camp on set design and costumes, so the humor goes fully over the top in this amateur ballroom dancing mockumentary. Lavender dancing couples, steamy man-on-man Paso Doble, and some classic Australian dry humor… what's not to love?
HUMP! Pick: Solidarity with the Garbage Workers on Strike- HUMP! Spring 2026
This lesbian loved watching these gay gay garbage workers fuck. What else exemplifies the bond of men on the job better than a garbage can glory hole? Giving union busting a whole new meaning!
Now get to watching!
Want to check out our HUMP! selects? Head to our streaming page to browse the full selection of film lineups.
Author: Allie Huska