What Is The Best Porn Documentary? [21 Revealing Films About Porn]

Want to take a look behind the scenes of the porn industry?

Looking for a revealing porn documentary?

The world of the adult entertainment industry has fascinated us for decades and it is through documentaries that we can get a sneak preview behind the scenes.

From titivating accounts of some of the biggest names in blue movies, to the previously untold stories of how porn empires are built… the best porn documentaries expose the truth about this billion-dollar industry. And the resulting coverage is as fascinating as it is controversial.

Here we pick the best 21 porn documentaries from the last fifty years including some you can stream online via services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

21 Best Porn Documentaries

Released over a period of five decades, we think these 21 porn documentaries encompass every aspect of the adult film industry. From the personal lives of screen legends like Linda Lovelace, Ron Jeremy and John C. Holmes to the workings of this multi-billion dollar business.

Not a stone is left unturned.

Hot Girls Wanted

Released	2015
Run Time	1 hour 24 mins
Directed by	Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus
Starring	Levi Cash, Farrah Laurel Abraham, Carrie Brooks and Kim Kardashian West

A documentary about ‘Porn, the Internet and the girl next door’ Hot Girls Wanted is an exploration of why so many young women are lured into the amateur adult movie business.

The creative team is the same as those who produced Sexy Baby, an exploration of eroticism in the digital age.

It was originally intended to explore the porn appetites of male university students but after several weeks of filming the directors were intrigued by the high proportion of young female porn actresses. The film goes on to document the lives of a handful of these women as they launch their careers online and transition from simply amateur performers to professional ‘amateur’ porn stars.

The completed film was launched at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and was picked up almost immediately by Netflix; the documentary was also nominated for an Emmy the same year.

The film has received split reactions from critics but has mostly been positive. By and large, the films’ directors have been praised for creating an instructive and provocative film that offers an opportune cautionary tale.

The popular U.S. entertainment weekly magazine, Variety, reviewed the documentary as:

“…an intimate and ultimately harrowing peek inside the world of amateur porn, Hot Girls Wanted will shock and outrage audiences in equal measure.”

Two years after the film’s initial release a six-part TV series was created with the same name offering an exploration of ‘the intersection of sexuality and technology’.

Hot Girls Wanted is available to stream on Netflix as is the spin-off TV series Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On.

After Porn Ends (Trilogy)

Released	2012, 2017 and 2018
Run Time	Various
Directed by	Bryce Wagoner
Starring	Seka, Stormy Daniels, Asia Carrera, John Leslie and Amber Lynn

After Porn Ends is not, on its own, the best porn documentary around and the first instalment released in 2012 was not well received by audiences. However, combined with the two follow ups, After Porn Ends 2 (2017) and After Porn Ends 3 (2018), the trilogy makes for a pretty comprehensive exploration of the industry told from the perspective of retired porn stars.

It’s a retrospective look back through, for some, rose-tinted glasses whilst others share some absolute horror stories. This isn’t a documentary that will take you on a journey nor will you learn anything particularly revelatory but you do get some good gossip.

These former adult movie stars, in their married lives with children and (even grandchildren) seem so incongruous with the XXX world they once inhabited, it can feel quite comical at times. The format might not be to everyone’s liking but it is addictive; watch one and you will watch them all.

All three movies are available on Netflix.

Rocco

Released	2016
Run Time	1 hour 45 mins
Directed by	Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai
Starring	Rocco Siffredi

Winner of the NIN Award at the FEST Internatinal Film Festival, Rocco is a no-holds barred portrait of one of contemporary porn’s biggest icons; the legendary Rocco Siffredi.

Siffredi is candid and bold yet the film documents a very three-dimensional figure and fans will get to see him as never before. It is a beautiful and provocative piece of film that chronicles the final year of this famous superstar of porn in front of the camera.

The ‘Italian Stallion’ has been directing his own films since 1993 but has still managed to continue working on screen. Notching up more than 1,300 film credits over thirty years, the documentary is poignant but celebratory.

You can find Rocco through streaming services like Netflix.

The Dark Side of Porn (TV Series)

Released	2005/2006
Run Time	9 Episodes over 2 series (Approx. 50 minutes each)
Directed by	Various
Starring	Various

Commissioned in the United Kingdom by Channel 4, The Dark Side of Porn features standalone episodes, each directed and narrated by a different creative team. Individually, each title explores one aspect of the ‘darker’ world of pornography. Topics include the mysterious death of porn star Lola Ferrari, the HIV scare of 2004 which led to a two-month shutdown of the Los Angeles porn industry and truth behind snuff movies.

The series includes a popular episode entitled Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered and delves into the story behind one of porn’s most iconic films. A cult classic and famous even with people who have never seen the title, Debbie Does Dallas featured the talents of the notorious 1970s adult film star, Bambi Woods.

Though each of the episodes in The Dark Side of Porn collection are very different they do share a commonality in the high quality of their production. With contributors ranging from Phil Tonge, Germaine Greer and Eli Roth to Briana Banks, Ben Dover and Sylvia Kristel this is a diverse selection of porn documentaries that are well worth catching up on.

You can find the titles on several pay-per-view streaming services with YouTube also having some footage available for free.

Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes

Released	1999
Run Time	1 hour 45 mins
Directed by	Wesley Emerson
Starring	John Holmes (archive), Bill Amerson and Linda Adrain

A fascinating insight into one of porn’s biggest names, John C. Holmes, Wadd features the family, friends and enemies of this icon.

The film won the Best Feature Documentary award at the 1999 South by Southwest Film Festival and was generally well-received by critics at the time. Wadd gives us a unique view of the world of pornography at a time before it became more mainstream and pre-digital.

Holmes is still one of the most prolific male adult film stars and made over 550 titles before his untimely death from AIDS in 1988. However, he is best remembered for being endowed with a huge penis. The exact size is contested but is thought to be around 13” in length and was insured by Lloyds of London for $14 million!

The film features interviews with Holmes’ contemporaries including Ron Jeremy, John Leslie and Don Fernando, this documentary is shocking at times but an utterly captivating account of a true legend.

As one critic in the New York Times commented:

“Wadd leaves us to ponder the difference between Holmes’s special ‘gift’ and, say, another star’s beautiful singing voice. When you come right down to it, they’re pretty much the same thing, but distributed to different parts of the body.”

Wadd has been reformatted on HD and is available to buy on DVD.

Inside Deep Throat

Released	2005
Run Time	1 hour 29 mins
Directed by	Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey
Starring	Linda Lovelace, Dennis Hopper and Harry Reems

Deep Throat (1972), along with Debbie Does Dallas (1978) is one of the most iconic porn titles in the world yet few people know the story of how the film sparked the mainstream crossover of porn.

Inside Deep Throat is a comprehensive chronicle of how one blue movie started the rise of ‘porno-chic’; a movement that popularized explicit porn with the upper middle classes.

Edited from over 800 hours or archive material, interviews and other footage taken during the Golden Age of Porn, Inside Deep Throat is also a vivid portrait of the film’s star, Linda Lovelace. Lovelace shot to fame after the film’s wide success yet her role was a controversial one that was reportedly shot under coercion from her partner at the time.

Narrated by Dennis Hopper, this documentary is an important reflection on one of the pivotal porno films of the last 45 years and is just as historically and culturally fascinating as the film on which it was based, is obscene.

You can stream Inside Deep Throat via Amazon or Netflix as well as buy this title on DVD.

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

Released	2001
Run Time	1 hour 17 mins
Directed by	Scott J. Gill
Starring	Ron Jeremy, Lexington Steele, Jenna Jameson and Larry Flynt

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy depicts the personal life and career of one of the most famous names in porn. At times quite homely as Jeremy fulfils his role as ‘just another Jewish guy from Queen’s’, the film alternates between a portrait of an ‘everyman’ and clips of his unlikely career as porn-king.

The meteoric rise to fame of America’s most unlikely adult film star is a fascinating one and every guy would love to study how Jeremy has done it. How this classically unhandsome, overweight and hairy man has slept with thousands of the most beautiful women in the business and been paid well for doing it.

Jeremy is known for being one of the hardest-working film stars in the business and after 25 years in the industry has notched up more than 1,600 film credits. Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

It makes for compulsive watching and this documentary has entertained many in what is ultimately an enjoyable romp around the porn business.

Winning the Audience Awards for Best Feature and Best Documentary at the No Dance Film Festival in 2001, you can catch Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy on Netflix or Amazon.

His porn autobiography is worth a read, too!

9 to 5: Days in Porn

Released	2008
Run Time	1 hour 53 mins
Directed by	Jens Hoffman
Starring	Audrey Hollander, Belladonna, Otto Bauer and John Stagliano

Also known as The Porn Diaries, this German documentary (English-language) took five years to create and focuses on the porn industry of California’s San Fernando Valley.

The documentary follows a narrative of the people inside this multi-billion dollar industry but without any judgement. It is a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the biggest names in porn. As well as the stars, 9 to 5: Days in Porn also depicts the stories of wannabes, crew and producers.

In all, these revealing chronicles are both glamorous yet repulsive, familiar but strange. The director has managed to capture the utter fascination we have with porn and presented it in an authentic and charming way that is both funny and moving.

The documentary was criticized by some but was broadly well received by critics with one film review site saying:

“Amazingly, director Jens Hoffman crafts a surprisingly objective film, one that shows both the ups and downs of an industry that contains plenty of them, while avoiding ever preaching to either side.”

Screened at many international film festivals, you can watch 9 to 5: Days in Porn from several independent online streaming services.

Respectable: The Mary Millington Story

Released	2016
Run Time	1 hour 49 mins
Directed by	Simon Sheridan
Starring	Dudley Sutton, Dexter Fletcher and David Sullivan

Described as one of the hottest British sex stars of the 1970s, Mary Millington was a softcore porn star who led a remarkable life. Her tragic death in 1979 when she was just 33 years olds was a suicide that sparked plenty of controversy.

Along with three other suicide notes damning the police and the tax man, Millington wrote to her friend and colleague, pornographer, David Sullivan begging him to:

“…please print in your magazines how much I want porn to be legalised, but the police have beaten me.”

Respectable: The Mary Millington Story charts her career from glamour model to blue movies and features previously unseen footage, photographs and interviews. It is a respectful documentary that allows the story to tell itself without being sensational or exploitative.

A fitting tribute to Britain’s most famous porn star, you can stream this film from Amazon.

Porndemic

Released	2018
Run Time	1 hour 32 mins
Directed by	Spookie Daly
Starring	Ginger Lynn, Tom Byron, Mark Cromer, Bill Margold and Michael Louis Albo

The subject of this recent porn documentary is not such a cheery one and Porndemic charts the outbreak of HIV in the San Fernando Valley during 1998.

Marking twenty years since the virus caused widespread panic and rocked the core of the U.S. porn industry, this film tells the story using interviews from people who lived through it along with archival material.

The film doesn’t need to use cheap tactics to tell the story nor play up the element of shock as the adult film industry reeled from the outbreak. It is a revealing film about a time before HIV testing was mandatory and before discussions about Proposition 60 were commonplace in California.

Porndemic is available to stream from Showtime.

A History of the Blue Movie

Released	1970
Run Time	–
Directed by	Alex deRenzy
Starring	Bonnie Holiday and Candy Barr

Featuring rare vintage erotica from 1915 through to 1975. Alex deRenzy’s A History of the Blue Movie is a rather rambling homage to antique and retro porn. It does suffer from being poorly edited at times and is quite plainly a vehicle for self-promotion (deRenzy includes some of his own work) but, nevertheless, is an interesting collection of porn ‘through the ages’.

The New York Times reviewed the documentary as ‘one of the year’s best’ films, going on to describe Blue Movie as ‘informative, honest’ and ‘titillating’.

Produced almost fifty years ago, this documentary is the first of its kind, offering an archive of some fascinating early porn that will be unfamiliar to many. It deserves its place on this list not only because of the rarity of some of the footage but for its social and cultural significance of how blue movies used to be enjoyed in gentleman’s clubs, at stag dos or in brothels.

As a result of its age,  there are very places you can stream this online but you can pick up a DVD from online stores including Amazon.

Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry

Released	2009
Run Time	1 hour 21 mins
Directed by	Michael Grecco
Starring	Tera Patrick, David Lee, Michael Grecco, Rick Plank and Evan Seinfeld

Accompanying his book by the same name, this documentary directed by celebrity photographer, Michael Grecco, is an energetic depiction of the American porn industry.

Using interviews with big names like Larry Flynt, Jenna Jameson, Ron Jeremy, Stormy Daniels and Evan Stone, Naked Ambition is indeed an R rated glimpse into this XXX world.

It is not so much a candid behind-the-scenes expose but a celebration of the glitz and glamour of the industry. In this way, it has a refreshingly festive feel to it and is a great antidote to those porn documentaries that seek to demystify this world. So, if you like your porn documentaries not to spoil the magic but still get a sneaky look at Hollywood’s ‘dirty little secret’ then Naked Ambition is perfect.

You can watch this film via YouTube or Google Play.

Pornucopia: Going Down in the Valley

Released	2004
Run Time	Mini-Series – 6 Episodes  (3 hours)
Directed by	Dan Chaykin
Starring	Stormy Daniels, Jenna Haze, Jenna Jameson, Paul Fishbein and Katie Morgan

A TV mini-series featuring interviews with some of the porn industry’s biggest names, Pornucopia was originally aired on HBO.

Broadcast over six episodes, the series was a spin off from the popular Real Sex programme which ran for 19 years between 1990 and 2004.

Pornucopia is not hard hitting nor is it particularly revolutionary; however, it is very entertaining and does give a fascinating insight into the working and personal lives of iconic porn stars. Seeing how the actors can simply stop what they are doing ‘on cue’ before returning to the action is impressive.

Detractors of the series include fans who were disappointed not to see more sex but it is the very lack of sexiness that makes this documentary appealing.  If you want to see Jenna Haze bouncing ball deep then you have plenty of choice already but if you want to witness just how ‘normal’ these stars are then this is a great inside account.

There are a couple of streaming sites that offer Video-on-Demand for this film.

Mostly Sunny

Released	2016
Run Time	1 hour 23 mins
Directed by	Dilip Mehta
Starring	Sunny Leone, Daniel Weber and Sundeep Vohra

Sunny Leone is one of the most popular porn stars of the 21^st century and, despite retiring in 2013 is still a regular in the lists of hottest adult film actresses.

Mostly Sunny charts Leone’s career as she moves away from the porn industry to pursue her dream of starring in Bollywood films. The documentary is far from the most revealing film about how to rebrand yourself in mainstream movies but will certainly appeal to anyone who has been bewitched by Leone’s porn performances.

Netflix is currently streaming this documentary but you can also pick it up on Blu-ray and DVD.

Family Business (TV Series)

Released	2003-2006
Run Time	37 Episodes over 4 series (Approx. 30 minutes each)
Directed by	Jay Blumenfield and Anthony Marsh
Starring	Mari Possa, Seymore Butts, Stevie Glasser and Lila Glasser

A reality TV series based on the Glasser family, the head of whom (Adam Glasser) is a porn star and director known as Seymore Butts. Together with his mum (Lila), son (Brady) and cousin (Stevie), the family business is in porn production.

The series won an AVN Award in 2005 for Best Alternative Release and had a cult following when it was originally aired over a decade ago.

Family Business is not so much an expose into the multi-million dollar adult film industry but a light hearted look at those who work on the periphery.

You can pick up complete series on DVD via stores like Amazon.

Louis Theroux: Twilight of the Porn Stars

Released	2012
Run Time	1 hour
Directed by	Jason Mascot
Starring	Louis Theroux, Rob Black, Xander Corvus, Tommy Gunn and Ben English

The quirky American-British filmmaker, Louis Theroux first delved into the Californian porn world in 1997 as part of his Louis Theroux’s Wild Weekends series. In this follow-up to what was a portrait of a booming industry, we find a much-changed landscape.

Twilight of the Porn Stars depicts the dwindling studios and squeezed economics in the wake of the popular rise of free internet porn.

In hindsight, this film may not seem quite so startling as it did when it was first released almost seven years ago but it does provide some interesting insights into how dynamic the industry has been to recover since this time.

Theroux’s trademark style of letting his subjects talk to fill the naïve silences he leaves works well with the material here and this documentary is an easy watch. It’s certainly not hard to see why this American Brit has been commissioned to make so many documentaries on subjects as controversial as swinging, Thai brides and the female body-building fetish scene. He has an infectious charm that evokes intimacy from his interviewees and Twilight of the Porn Stars is all the better for it.

You can catch this documentary through Netflix and other streaming services including BBC iPlayer (UK only).

Pornocracy: The New Sex Multinationals

Released	2017
Run Time	1 hour 17 mins
Directed by	Ovidie
Starring	Grégory Dorcel, Leyla Bentho, Julia Grandi, Arwen Gold and Tera Patrick

As the digital age ushers out the traditional format of porn on DVD and most millennials choking at the idea of paying for porn, this documentary looks at the way the porn industry makes it money on the internet.

It takes a long look at illegal tube sites and piracy as well as amateur content that (according to some) is forcing the industry to make more and more extreme material in order to compete. An exploration in some of the shadier aspects of porn financing, there is a constant question of how economics is driving porn rather than demand.

There will be many people who watch Pornocracy: The New Sex Multinationals who will not be swayed by some of the theories and it is hard not to poke holes in the belief that, before the internet, the porn industry was less ruthless. Wherever your sentiments lie about progress under the cyber revolution of the adult film market, this documentary does make you think.

There are quite a few Video-On-Demand services streaming Pornocracy.

X Rated Ambition: The Traci Lords Story

Released	2003
Run Time	50 mins
Directed by	Simon Kerslake
Starring	Traci Lords (archive), Jim South, Tom Byron, Ginger Lynn and Suze Randall

A British film, X Rated Ambition: The Traci Lords Story tells the story of one of America’s best known porn stars.

Lords, famously only 15 when she started her career in adult movies, was only active in porn for a two year period but has gone on to become one of the biggest household porn star names in North America.

X Rated Ambition features interviews from photographers, agents and other porn stars of the era as they tell the story of how Lords became the center of one of the industry’s most controversial scandals of the 1980s.

It’s a fascinating story of how just one woman brought such a huge industry to its knees and the director, Simon Kerslake, has put together an intelligent narrative. Think you know the whole story? Chances are you don’t but you will once you’ve seen this documentary.

There are some clips online for this film but you will need to pick up a DVD to see it in full.

Kink

Released	2013
Run Time	1 hour 20 mins
Directed by	Christina Voros
Starring	Jessie Lee, Peter Acworth, Chris Norris and Maitresse Madeline

Largely closed to ‘non-players even the mainstream crossover that this fetish scene experienced with the global success of Fifty Shades of Grey, the world of BDSM is a misunderstood one.

Enter Kink, a documentary film produced by the Hollywood actor, James Franco, to explore the world of fetish porn, framed by using the popular website Kink.com. It’s a fascinating perspective and choosing one of the world’s largest BDSM porn producers, Franco is able to offer up a contradiction to the widely held beliefs that this kind of porn is exploitative and dangerous.

Kink quite powerfully depicts a world of safe, consensual and intelligent porn that works quite powerfully to demystify this sector of the industry.

If porn documentaries are meant to educate as well as entertain the Kink deserves its place on our list and we were fascinated by the people whose stories are told in this film. Charismatic and ambitious, the subjects of this documentary will challenge your preconceptions and could open up a new subculture to your regular porn viewing repertoire.

You can find this excellent documentary on Video-On-Demand services like Vimeo or via Amazon.

Porno e libertà (Porn to be Free)

Released	2016
Run Time	1 hour 18 mins
Directed by	Carmine Amoroso
Starring	Ilona Staller, Lasse Braun, Marco Giusti, Riccardo Schicchi and Judith Malina

Porn to be Free takes a closer look at pioneers who fought against censorship laws across Europe and North America from the early 1970s through to more modern times. It is documentary that follows a rebellious group of filmmakers, writers and actors who took on religious, political and moral groups to defend freedom of speech.

It is subtitled in English and uses archive footage, exclusive interviews and well-known content to explore this fight for sexual freedom.

Mostly covering the European ‘battles’ fought during the 1970s and featuring stars like Schiccchi, Braun, Staller and Giusti the interspersion of erotic film footage with vox pops and newsreels from the day are deftly woven to paint a picture of revolution.

Porn to be Free may not depict the February Revolution in which the proletariat unseat the bourgeoise but you may still find yourself chanting ‘let them eat cake’ by the end of this rabble-rousing (if, slightly self-aggrandizing) documentary.

You can find some clips of this film on sites like Vimeo whilst the DVD is still available with some online stockists.

Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography

Released	1982
Run Time	1 hour 9 mins
Directed by	Bonnie Sherr Klein
Starring	Lindalee Tracey, Bonnie Sherr Klein and Marc Steves

A documentary directed by the noted feminist filmmaker, Bonnie Sherr Klein, Not a Love Story was bound not to be a supportive one for the industry. Yet, although the film does explore the violent depictions of sex in porn from a female perspective, it is not simply an anti-pornographic statement.

Yes, there is much about exploitation and misogyny as you would expect from the cast of the 1980s scene plus a pretty biased narrative. However, it is a fascinating historical account of the porn industry at this time. Released in the early 1980s, you can’t help but watch this documentary with benefit of hindsight and try to imagine how Sherr Klein would be framing her narrative now in the digital age of porn.

You can find some low quality uploads of this movie via the likes of YouTube or you can find some high quality versions through digital archive sites.

Other Porn Documentaries of Note

There are plenty of other great porn documentaries covering everything from desi porn to JAV stars, vintage erotica to the rise of cam sex sites. We’ve included a few other good films which cover some other interesting aspects of the adult film industry below:

• Sex-Business: Made in Pasing (1970) – West German documentary film based on the sexploitation films of Bavarian producer, Alois Brummer.
• La Petite Morte (2003) – Winning three film festival awards, this documentary was written, produced and directed by Emmanuelle Schick Garcia and focuses on the porn industry of France.
• Aroused (2013) – Following the stories of 16 female porn stars, this curious film was not received well by the critics but is nevertheless an interesting insight.
• Pornstar Pets (2005 – A 52min documentary starring Rebecca Lord and Ron Jeremy as well as other adult performers, Pornstar Pets focuses on the family lives of porn stars as they interact with their pussies (!) and pooches.
• Thinking XXX (2004) – A documentary behind the making of the photography book ‘XXX: 30 Porn Star Portraits’.
• Dad Made Dirty Movies (2011) – German/Bavarian film chronicling the professional career of Stephen C. Apostolof, director of Orgy of the Dead (1965) and other sexploitation films of the 60s and 70s.
• The Naked Feminist (2004) – Focusing on women in the porn industry this sex-positive advocation of the adult movie industry is revealing and empowering.
• Bettie Page Reveals All (2012) – A revealing look at the career and influence of the Queen of Pinups from the 1950s.
• Dick Ho: Asian Male Porn Star (2004) – A superbly funny mockumentary that we had to include here this title explores some very real issues surrounding under representation of Asian male porn stars and is intercut with actual film footage from the Golden Age of Porn.
• Fuck For Forest (2012) – Winner of the Best Documentary at the Warsaw Film Festival, this movie follows the FFF group who raise money for environmental causes by making pornos and having sex in pubic!
• That Man: Peter Berlin (2005) – A documentary mostly narrated by Berlin himself, this film is a candid portrait of one of the most iconic gay porn stars.
• Sex: The Annabel Chong Story (1999) – A documentary profile of soft-core porn actress, Annabel Chong, the iconic performer who set the record for world’s biggest gang bang in 1995.
• Graphic Sexual Horror (2009) – Winner of the Best Documentary at the CineKink film festival and the Official Selection at several international film festivals, this U.S. documentary charts the rise of one of America’s largest BDSM websites, Insex.
• Perversion for Profit (1965) – A fascinating retro propaganda documentary that was released in the U.S. as a backlash against the rise of porn in the 1960s, this film condemns the industry. It is available in the public domain on hosting sites like YouTube.

What are your favorite porn documentaries on our list? Are there any documentaries covering the adult industry that you’d like to add?