Even after a couple of decades have passed, the 1990s are still regarded as a shameful decade for horror movies. It doesn’t matter that The Silence of the Lambs, the only horror film to ever win a Best Picture Oscar, won in the 1990s (and was a winner of the Big Five), and that in 1996 the horror rules were rewritten by Wes Craven’s Scream, the 1990s will always be seen as a downgrade from the glorious ’80s.
The previous decade was when horror had its renaissance of franchises and genre mashups. Following up was never going to be easy, but are the ’90s that bad, horror-wise?
By this point, we shouldn’t even care. Analyzing the past in order to always look down on it is unnecessary and, frankly, does not have a point. Every decade has its own plethora of gems, and each is attached to its own time. The 1990s served some pretty awesome horror movies that you could find if only you really dug into the catalogs of the decade of grunge, the rise of the internet, and some high-profile murders. We’ll actually help you find some: These are the underrated slasher films from the ’90s that are worth revisiting.
15 Urban Legend (1998)
TriStar’s lukewarm reaction punch to Scream, Urban Legend, tells the story of college students dealing with a series of murders that eerily resemble urban legends known around the country. Natalie Simon is at the center of the plot when her friends start getting brutally slashed until she remains. What she doesn’t know is that the killer may be closer than she thought. Yes, just like the regular slasher trope we are all familiar with, but Urban Legend isn’t just an average iteration.
A Noteworthy Premise on the Rise of the Internet
Urban Legend is part of the ’90s collection of films that were mostly overshadowed by Wes Craven’s modern classic and the rise of found footage. But in reality, it’s a fun watch. It has a bunch of familiar actors doing their thing as teenage meat on a grinder, and it features great set pieces that will provide a scare or two. The urban legends dissected in the film were cool enough to make everyone run and research them on the still-too-young internet of those ideas.
And even though people still refer to it as a Scream clone, it’s actually far from that. The tone in Urban Legend is kept throughout the entire film, it never goes for humor, and it features an awesome opening scene that still holds up to this day. You can stream Urban Legend on PlutoTV.
14 Cherry Falls (1999)
Jody Marken is an introverted teenager living in Cherry Falls, Virginia. The town is being haunted by a series of murders that seem to have a pattern: the killer is targeting virgins and marking them as such. Sheriff Marken is Jody’s dad, and following the advice of a teacher, he decides to join a campaign in which technically all teenagers should lose their virginity; otherwise, they’ll be targeted by the very violent killer.
The Bold Plot Device That Shocked Society
Starring Brittany Murphy in one of her earlier, yet best roles, Cherry Falls is the best slasher film that you never took the time and effort to see. The film’s very well-written and features a better cast than you remember: Michael Biehn as the sheriff, Jay Mohr as a teacher, and Jesse Bradford as a victim.
Everything screams horror comedy, and yet Cherry Falls is based on balance, and it ends up being a great and underrated slasher from the ’90s. For those that claim it’s a 2000s movie, it actually premiered in France in 1999 and then screened in the United States the following year. You can stream Cherry Falls on AMC+.
13 Maniac Cop 2 (1990)
In Maniac Cop 2, screenwriter Larry Cohen and director William Lustig join forces to make a logical sequel to the B-movie that started it all. Matthew Cordell is now in full zombie mode. His killing spree is unstoppable, and it actually combines with the vicious acts by Steven Turkell, a serial killer whose intentions don’t exactly match those of the undead Cordell but go well with his violent rampage. Eventually, justice arrives, and Cordell is believed to be resting in peace. But we all know how that turned out the first time, right?
The Brutal Continuation That No One Believed in
The film is a noteworthy example of a sequel that manages to surpass its predecessor in every single aspect. We have no other option but to mention what Maniac Cop 2 does so much better than Maniac Cop: The stunts are better, the story makes more sense, it’s a much scarier film, and Robert Davi rules as the good guy.
What’s better is that it works as a standalone slasher with ingenious kills and a very underrated villain in the hands of Robert Z’Dar and his signature character. You can stream Maniac Cop 2 on Prime Video.
12 Popcorn (1991)
Maggie Butler dreams of becoming a filmmaker. She appears to be a passionate student in her film class and believes in the art of holding a film festival to raise funds. But her mind is clouded with constant nightmares that she can’t explain. There is a past, and it will come back to haunt her as her class holds the horror film festival in the Dreamland theater. Bodies start dropping soon, and what seems to be a fun opportunity to enjoy old gimmicky films turns into a massacre led by a villain with a special ability to fabricate masks.
A Fun Follow-Up to the Glory of the 1980s
Popcorn is a long-forgotten B-movie from the ’90s. Some horror buffs remember it, but most have forgotten it actually exists because most don’t click with the unusual tone of horror comedy that the film proudly carries from beginning to end. But in reality, the story is much more interesting than the average slasher film, where the kills are what’s important.
It’s not only about Maggie/Sarah finding out who she is, but also about the killer and his motives. Once you’re able to observe this in the middle of a “film within a film” concept that Popcorn is mostly famous for, you’ll be in the presence of a highly underrated film that cleverly resembles the slasher glory of the ’80s but also manages to be its own thing. You can stream Popcorn on Shudder.
11 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
In order to understand the plot of Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, you must first understand where it takes place in the Michael Myers timeline. After Halloween II, the one that ends with the explosion of the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, Laurie has gone into hiding by faking her own death. She’s now Keri Tate and is the mother of a rebellious teenager.
20 years after the original events, Michael has re-emerged, found out about Laurie’s new identity, and heads over to California to see if he can finally end his sister’s life. Yes, in this part of the time, they are still siblings.
The First Retconning in the Halloween-Verse
The film is a notable reboot attempt that brought audiences back to the Halloween concept. It was extremely successful, and neither of the problems with the production (conflicts with Jamie Lee Curtis and John Carpenter’s rocky involvement) arose in the final cut. It’s actually an exciting and high-profile sequel in a franchise that had lost credibility up to that point.
Dimension Films was desperate enough to bring Kevin Williamson to polish the script, and his participation is as visible as it is uncredited. Unfortunately, whatever popularity it gained was actually lost when Halloween: Resurrection came after and provided viewers with one of the worst sequels in horror history. You can stream Halloween H20: 20 Years Later on Paramount+.
10 Dr. Giggles (1992)
Dr. Giggles is the story of Evan Rendell Jr., a madman who has escaped a mental institution and is now obsessed with continuing the insane rampage that his father began more than 30 years ago. Dr. Evan Rendell was a serial killer who killed patients as he took their hearts out, trying to find one that would suit his dead wife. Now Evan Jr. is obsessed with a teenager who has a heart condition and has given up waiting for a donor.
B-Movie Madness: A Theme
Sure, Dr. Giggles is not an award-winning film, nor does it want to be. But in terms of slasher basics, it does the job: the violence is extreme and graphic, it’s silly enough to have a title like Dr. Giggles, and the villain, played by the charismatic actor Larry Drake, is memorable enough to make him well-known in B-movie history. You won’t find many good opinions about the film, but in retrospect, it makes for a fun watch if you’re going for turn-off-your-brain entertainment. You can stream Dr. Giggles on Freevee.
9 Strangeland (1998)
Strangeland, also known as Dee Snider’s Strangeland, is the story of a cop by the name of Mike Gage, whose daughter falls into the hands of a creep she meets online. But not just any creep. The man who’s infatuated with pain and body art calls himself Captain Howdy, and he’s actually a serial killer who likes to torture the victims he meets online. When he’s captured, an insanity plea allows him to go free, and once again, he goes on a spree of capturing innocent victims and subjecting them to all sorts of torture.
A Creepy Visit to the Underworld of Modern Primitive Culture
The film was written by Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, who also plays Captain Howdy in Strangeland. A rocker-turned-actor move that didn’t exactly make any dents in the industry. But looking back into the phenomenon of chat rooms during the rise of the internet, the film feels like a cautionary tale that, fortunately, doesn’t fall into the basic formula of an unbeatable villain.
Instead, the questionable performances are decent enough to lead a film with a backstory about counterculture that feels underdeveloped. You can rent Strangeland on Prime Video.
8 The Dentist (1996)
Brian Yuzna’s slasher film The Dentist tells the story of Dr. Alan Feinstone, a once-promising dentist in Los Angeles who suffers a mental breakdown after he catches his wife cheating on him on their anniversary. But this is not an explosive reaction. Instead, Feinstone begins to hallucinate with his patients, and he starts seeing things that are simply not there. The problem is that Feinstone takes it on his patients and uses his… techniques to go on a violent spree.
You Will Never Feel the Same in the Hands of a Dentist
The Dentist is an extravaganza of gore. An insane product of its time that’s only enjoyable if you’re willing to let go of pretenses, enjoy the lack of rules in terms of the narrative, and enjoy the downfall of a man whose profession is one that always requires patients to be vulnerable, at least for a couple of minutes. When Feinstone loses control of himself and wreaks havoc on a patient’s mouth, you are guaranteed to squirm. You can stream The Dentist on Tubi.
7 Wishmaster (1997)
In Wishmaster, an ancient djinn gets trapped in a jewel for centuries. That is, until he’s accidentally released and is able to cause havoc during his quest to capture Alex’s soul. The woman is smart enough to oppose the djinn, but she witnesses the wrath of the ancient entity, who has the ability to fulfill any wish with everything that ensues. In terms of technicalities, Wishmaster is a smart film, but that isn’t exactly transposed into the final cut of a film that, surprisingly, spawned into a franchise.
Enough Potential for a Franchise
Even though it was marketed as one of his films, Wes Craven didn’t exactly direct it. And no, there isn’t much of his spirit in the film. But Wishmaster exists as a guilty pleasure for ’90s buffs who seem to enjoy the film’s campy aspect, its wicked and funny villain, and the practical effects that stand out in the middle of CGI sequences that you won’t exactly remember afterwards.
It features great cameos by Kane Hodder, Ted Raimi, Tony Todd, and Angus Scrimm, as well as a notable performance by Robert Englund. You can stream Wishmaster on Tubi.
6 Nightbreed (1990)
Clive Barker’s Nightbreed is based on one of his novellas, and it features the author’s brilliant translation from page to screen from beginning to end. In the film, Aaron Boone is tormented by nightmares, and he decides to try psychotherapy.
The problem is that Aaron realizes there have been ritualistic murders taking place that strangely resemble what he sees in his dreams. When his doctor tricks him into taking non-traditional medicine, Aaron discovers he may belong in another world alongside a series of monsters that were believed to exist in folklore legends.
An Auteur at His Best
Nightbreed is one of those ’90s films that suffered manipulation by the studio, both in the marketing phase and the final cut.
Barker always insisted the fantasy element was too essential to discard, but unfortunately, the theatrical cut didn’t expand on it. In reality, the film is a celebration of Barker’s vision and his ability to expand on the big screen what he initially wrote as a novel. It’s not only a formula-based slasher film, but also an interesting take on folk horror with touches of superhero culture. You can stream Nightbreed on Peacock.
5 Bride of Chucky (1998)
Seven years after Chucky was defeated by teenager Andy Barclay, his remains are recovered by Tiffany Valentine, Charles Lee Ray’s partner. She manages to rebuild a decent version of Chucky, who doesn’t see her effort, and in an act of revenge, puts her soul in a doll that looks just like him. So, in Bride of Chucky, both Tiffany and Chucky try their best to transfer themselves into human bodies, but not all couples who appear to have chemistry work well together.
The Horror Comedy that Went All the Way
In this turn of the franchise, a heavy dose of humor is incorporated. Bride of Chucky is mainly a comedy film, with some touches of horror and gore that add some balance to the spirit that was always alive in Chucky’s adventures at finding a human vessel. The addition of Tiffany, and Jennifer Tilly’s performance, fueled up the comedy factor and made Bride of Chucky the return that no one expected to be so good and fun.
Yes, it’s extremely campy, but it’s a well-executed concept that forever changed the Chucky-verse. You can rent Bride of Chucky on Prime Video.
4 Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990)
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III takes viewers back to Texas, where, contrary to what the previous films should have taught folks to do, people are still passing through. This time, it’s Michelle and Ryan’s ordeal. The couple is hunted by Leatherface and other members of the Sawyer family and are eventually captured in order to witness the dynamics of Texas’ most infamous family, which in this version is led by a young Viggo Mortensen.
One of the Best Iterations of the Monster
Not exactly the franchise’s most successful film, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III works as an expansion of the legendary family we already met in parts one and two.
However, this one decides to give more screen time and humanity to Leatherface himself, a character who’s allowed to become more vulnerable and sentient in this sequel. This makes the latter part of the film, when Michelle meets the Sawyers, a brutal and disturbing sequence that makes up for the entire film. You can rent Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III on YouTube.
3 Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollow tells the story of Constable Ichabod Crane as he’s sent from the city to the town of Sleepy Hollow, where he must investigate a series of murders in the late 1700s. Crane is a skeptical, science-driven policeman, and he’s sure there must be an explanation for the strange beheadings, but locals believe it’s the work of a ghost. Crane tries his best to use his methods to find the killer, but eventually, he will face the Headless Horseman with the black steed, who clearly has an agenda and won’t stop until it’s met.
A Different Kind of Slasher
Yes, Sleepy Hollow isn’t the first movie you think of when exploring the slasher subgenre of horror. But Burton’s Gothic version of the classic tale complies with just about every rule in the book of slasher villains. It’s also one of Burton’s most underrated films that deeply explores horror while staying within the boundaries of the director’s classic, safe for kids, and peculiar style of filmmaking.
The script was written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en, 8mm), and it was actually the winner of an Academy Award for Best Art Direction, something inconceivable for the other honorable picks on this list. You can stream Sleepy Hollow on Paramount+.
2 Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)
In Psycho IV: The Beginning, audiences were treated to the origins of the Bates Motel, the Bates family, and Norman’s incursion into a world of emotional turmoil. Norman is now a grown man, but when he hears a radio program referring to serial killers, he makes a call and… explains everything. Through flashbacks, we explore Norman’s childhood and teenage years, when he turned into the terror of those who dared step inside the Bates Motel.
The Origins of Norman Bates
The film was a rare production by Universal Television, the TV division of the studio, to honor Psycho‘s legacy on the 30th anniversary of the film. It was shot at Universal Studios Florida right as the park opened in 1990, and director Mick Garris worked with a script by Joseph Stefano, the original writer of Hitchcock’s film.
The result was a made-for-TV exploration of the film’s concept and, most of all, Norman’s trauma. It’s campy sometimes, but when it stays in a more sober tone, the film is actually a very interesting addition to the world that Hitchcock created with his groundbreaking thriller. Psycho IV: The Beginning isn’t available to stream anywhere.
1 Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990)
The events in Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation are nothing like you would think after watching the previous three films of the franchise. Instead, newcomer to the franchise Brian Yuzna decided to twist around the concept, and he made a film about something else altogether. It tells the story of Kim Levitt, an investigative reporter who decides to work on the case of a woman who’s found half-burned on the sidewalk. But Kim goes too deep into the conspiracy, and she discovers this may be the work of a coven of witches.
The Franchise Sequel That Everyone Forgot About
The film has hints of what the franchise was based on at some point (the killer dude in the Santa costume), and while it shares a title with the rest, the application of slasher rules is simply not the same.
In Initiation, it’s all about the quite interesting storyline about witches and the inclusion of Kafka-esque themes that comply with Yuzna’s usual style and images. Trust us when we say this is not a Christmas film. You can stream Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation on Tubi.
Let’s stay in a 1990s vibe and check out a video about TV series from that decade which ended on a cliffhanger:
