Lethally Blonde

To moviegoers, the appeal of the Catherine Tramell is, well, pretty basic. Sharon Stone's character in the Basic Instinct films is your classic movie femme fatale: an icy siren, usually blonde, who promises sex but delivers death. The femme fatale has been a stock character in movies for decades, but if given life by the right actress, she commits the ultimate crime: stealing the picture from the supposed hero. That's what Stone did in 1992's Basic Instinct, while in Basic Instinct 2 (opening March 31), the movie is clearly hers from the beginning. If she leaves you wanting more — and these untouchable temptresses always leave you wanting more — here's our countdown of film's most memorable diabolical dames. Watch your back.

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