Neve Campbell's 'Wild Things' Still Holds Up as a '90s Erotic Thriller

Neve Campbell is best known for her iconic final girl turn as Sidney Prescott in Scream, but two years after that film she took a very different, memorable role in the 1998 erotic thriller Wild Things. The movie is often talked about for its steamy moments, yet it also remains one of Campbell’s most interesting performances from the 1990s.

The basic plot is simple to summarize: Suzie Toller and Kelly Van Ryan accuse their guidance counselor, Sam Lombardo, of sexual assault. Many viewers know that premise, but Wild Things then piles on twists and reversals, including the now-famous pool scene between Suzie and Kelly.

While Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, and Denise Richards turn in strong work, Campbell brings particular complexity to Suzie. Campbell’s Suzie feels more layered than the film’s “poor little rich girl” trope embodied by Kelly. Suzie’s disadvantaged background and struggles with substance use make her choices messy and sometimes unlikable, but they also make her motivations understandable.

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