Editorials
10 Overlooked ’90s Horror Movies You Should Watch
While some people regard the 1990s as an overall weak time for horror, others feel the decade has been too maligned. Especially when looking back on the era through a modern lens. If nothing else, the ’90s were an interesting time of transition before Scream (1996) stirred the pot and sparked new interest in all things horror. Admittedly, the years before then were all over the place, and not every movie made in Scream’s immediate wake was as game-changing; however, there are plenty of less detectable gems buried in the mix.
By now, a fair chunk of ’90s horror has been unearthed and reappraised, but these ten overlooked movies could certainly use a bit more attention.
Playroom (1990)
Pictured: Christopher McDonald and Jamie Rose in Playroom (a.k.a. Schizo).
Before going on to direct the rather underrated early-’90s slasher, Dr. Giggles, Manny Coto helmed this nearly forgotten flick. The twisted Playroom (or Schizo) sees an archaeologist, Chris (Christopher McDonald), confronting his childhood trauma; as a boy, his family was murdered at the European monastery in which his father was working. The exact one McDonald’s adult character now explores, hoping to find the tomb of Prince Elok. That prince’s legendary preference for sadism lives on as visitors come into his old playground without a clue of what’s to come. Playroom ultimately acts like something out of Tales from the Crypt, which, funny enough, Coto directed an episode of (“Mournin’ Mess”). That same episode also features Vincent Schiavelli, who plays a man wrongly accused of murder in Playroom.
No Telling (1991)
Pictured: Stephen Ramsey and Miriam Healy-Louie in No Telling.
Larry Fessenden’s clear love of monsters manifested after No Telling; however, this bad-science movie isn’t short on its own kind of monster. This Frankensteinian story follows the events of a scientist (Stephen Ramsey) whose experiments on animals become more and more troubling. His concerned wife (Miriam Healy-Louie) acts as our eyes as we examine the manmade horrors in this sinister drama. No Telling is a visually arresting, not to mention disturbing, entry from the iconic horror filmmaker.
Vacation of Terror II (1991)
It would be beneficial to watch the first Vacation of Terror (or Vacaciones de terror) beforehand, or at some point, but don’t be afraid to jump right into Pedro Galindo III‘s Vacation of Terror II if you’re feeling impatient. This follow-up is made for those who found the original movie a bit slow. On top of the evil doll, which got a makeover since we last saw it, there’s the wonderful inclusion of a rubbery, grotesque monster that keeps the energy up and going. As if that’s not enough to draw a crowd, the sequel also has a Halloween setting.
Stranger (1991)
Pictured: Yūko Natori in Stranger (1991).
If you enjoy vehicular horror, then definitely seek out Shunichi Nagasaki‘s Stranger (or Yoru no Sutorenjā Kyōfu). As part of Arrow’s V-Cinema Essentials: Bullets & Betrayal release, this very tense, straight-to-video thriller is in the vein of Duel, but instead of being set on an empty stretch of desert highway, the streets of Japan act as the backdrop for one unlucky woman’s nocturnal peril. A white-collared criminal named Kiriko (Yūko Natori) suddenly gains a stalker as she makes a new life as a taxicab driver. Soon enough, she is forced to confront that marauding motorist and their souped-up Land Cruiser. As much of a thrill ride as Stranger is, it also offers a worthwhile study of its main character.
Afraid of the Dark (1992)
Pictured: Ben Keyworth as Lucas in Afraid of the Dark.
Mark Peploe‘s Afraid of the Dark takes cues from giallo movies, particularly those with mysterious killers who fixate on certain body parts and have very specific targets. Here, a bespectacled and imaginative 11-year-old named Lucas (Ben Keyworth) awaits a scary operation on his eye. More frightening, though, is the prospect of a local slasher who preys on the blind. Yet, is young Lucas a reliable narrator? Something is amiss in this tense and strange thriller, and you’d be wise to find that out for yourself.
The Cormorant (1993)
Pictured: Ralph Fiennes in The Cormorant.
What looks to be a cozy and touching drama about a man and his bird is really more heady and uncomfortable than first realized. Based on the 1986 novel by Stephen Gregory, The Cormorant is really best described as a batty psycho-thriller with a smidge of “when animals attack” in its DNA. Before he gained international stardom, Ralph Fiennes starred in this feature-length, Peter Markham-directed episode from the BBC2 anthology series, Screen Two. Fiennes played a man who inherited his late uncle’s pet cormorant, then succumbed to the bird’s strange spell. And slowly does the protagonist go mad underneath the weight of this feathered fiend. Surely this increasingly bizarre story is why some Brits grew up to hate cormorants.
As for where you can watch this rarity in decent quality, and not have the the copy looking so old and shoddy, check your local library’s digital media services. It shows up in nice quality on Hoopla from time to time.
Aswang (1994)
Wrye Martin and Barry Poltermann‘s Aswang apparently had audience walkouts during its screening at the Sundance Film Festival. After having seen the movie, you’d understand why. This ultra low-budget, Wisconsin-shot indie taps into Filipino folklore, namely the titular creature that feeds on unborn children. The prospect of baby-eating sounds grisly all on its own, but the gruesomeness doesn’t stop there. It’s a wild, wild movie that must be seen to be believed.
Night of the Scarecrow (1996)
Night of the Scarecrow‘s biggest flaw is its title; it sounds too much like the peak of scarecrow horror, Dark Night of the Scarecrow. Nevertheless, Jeff Burr‘s supernatural slasher is a fun time. Sleazy and cheesy, this tale of a dead warlock returning as a killer strawman packs a lot of cool practical effects to compensate for any dated digital imagery. If you can get past the movie’s own attempt at creating a wisecracking horror villain, à la Freddy Krueger, then you should find yourself quite amused.
If I Die Before I Wake (1998)
Pictured: Stephanie Jones and Muse Watson in If I Die Before I Wake.
While still trapped on DVD, If I Die Before I Wake remains an effective home-invasion title that most folks haven’t heard of or seen. Having come out a couple of years before the insecurity horror trend, Brian Katkin‘s no-budget movie is often classified as a mere crime-thriller. So, it’s understandable if this one escaped a horror hound’s radar back then. Even still, it’s a truly terrifying and unflinching look at one family’s nightmare.
Lighthouse (1999)
Rachel Shelley and James Purefoy in Lighthouse.
Fans of one-location horror and slashers may find value in Simon Hunter‘s Lighthouse (or Dead of Night), a movie that didn’t initially receive much of a warm welcome. After a traveling prison ship runs aground and sinks, the survivors end up on an island with a lighthouse. Unfortunately, one of them got to shore first, and he’s a bloodthirsty killer who likes to chop off heads. Solid production values and atmosphere help to boost this British hack-and-slash whenever it runs the risk of feeling too familiar.
It’s been 75 years since The Thing From Another World first warned us to “watch the skies”, and filmgoers have done just that by showing up to multiple instances of extraterrestrial contact on the big screen. This makes sense, as a recent CBS news poll estimated that 63% of Americans believe in intelligent life on other planets, and the ongoing disclosure movement aims to raise that number with each passing day.
With Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day leaving many genre fans hungry for more alien footage (preferably of the spooky variety), today I’d like to share a list recommending six underrated alien invasion thrillers for your viewing pleasure. After all, regardless of whether or not you believe that we’re alone in the universe, it can be fun to dream about the worst-case scenario if our cosmic neighbors ever decide to visit.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be focusing on lesser-known invasion stories rather than the popular extraterrestrials of franchises like Alien and Close Encounters of the Third (or even Fourth) Kind. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own alien favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling movie.
While it won’t be featured in this article, I’d highly recommend checking out Dean Alioto’s UFO Abduction/The McPherson Tape if you’re up for some ufology-inspired found footage thrills.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. The Arrival (1996)
Not to be confused with Denis Villeneuve’s Academy Award-winning Amy Adams vehicle about learning to communicate peacefully with extraterrestrial life, David Twohy’s The Arrival is a much more straightforward (but no less entertaining) genre romp where Charlie Sheen faces a global conspiracy involving hostile alien invaders.
It’s not exactly up there with Close Encounters or even Independence Day, but Twohy’s conspiratorial thriller plays out like an exceptionally fun episode of The X-Files that I’d recommend to sci-fi/horror fans who don’t mind a little bit of wonky CGI and 90s excess alongside their alien thrills.
5. Extraterrestrial (2014)
The Vicious Brothers made a name for themselves with the success of 2011’s Grave Encounters, but that was far from the Canadian duo’s only collaboration. And while it’s not exactly a fan favorite, I always point out 2014’s Extraterrestrial as one of their most underrated projects simply because I agree with the filmmakers’ opinion that there aren’t enough ‘cool alien abduction movies’ out there.
Admittedly, the majority of the picture functions like a run-of-the-mill creature feature with paper-thin characters and familiar horror tropes, but I’d argue that the cosmically-terrifying final act elevates the experience to new and memorable heights. The movie also boasts great performances by both Michael Ironside and Emily Perkins – a combination that more than makes up for the occasionally janky CGI.
4. Alien Raiders (2008)
Director Ben Rock has gone on record lamenting how his John-Carpenter-inspired creature feature was forcefully renamed from Supermarket to the painfully obvious Alien Raiders (a change which likely resulted in many potential viewers skipping out on the experience), but the new title doesn’t change the fact that this single-location thriller is something of a hidden gem.
Taking place entirely within a supermarket, Alien Raiders tells the story of an ensemble of customers and employees who are taken hostage by a group of armed men looking for something far more dangerous than an easy payout. I won’t get into details in order to avoid spoiling the experience, but I’d highly recommend this criminally underseen flick to fans of John Carpenter and the Resident Evil games.
3. Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
You’d think that a Ridley-Scott-produced retelling of one of the most infamous real-life UFO sightings of all time would have a bigger following, but I rarely see Justin Barber’s Found Footage period piece brought up during discussions about extraterrestrial-focused horror movies.
This is a huge shame, as Phoenix Forgotten is just as spooky as it is convincing, with this well-researched dive into the Phoenix Lights incident benefiting from surprisingly believable special effects as well as an appropriately horrific finale.
2. Communion (1989)
I wouldn’t blame you for disregarding Whitley Strieber’s controversial book about his alleged close encounter as sensationalist slop, but I’d argue that Phillipe Mora’s 1989 adaptation of these events is much better than the source material. After all, the movie works as a standalone piece of speculative fiction while also benefiting from an incredible performance by the one and only Christopher Walken!
Mora’s take on Communion may not be particularly scary, but the film is still an unforgettable character study regardless of whether or not the abduction really happened. Not only that, but the flick also paved the way for plenty of future sci-fi stories where the extraterrestrial invaders aren’t as evil as they initially appear.
1. Altered (2006)
Originally envisioned as a Sam Raimi-style horror-comedy titled Probed, Eduardo Sánchez (of The Blair Witch Project fame) eventually realized that it would be much more interesting to turn the film into a serious exploration of the emotional aftermath of a traumatic abduction incident.
That’s how we got Altered, a clever inversion of the standard abduction narrative that follows a group of troubled friends as they capture and experiment on an alien in order to enact revenge for their own abduction years prior.
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