The 1990s was a big decade for the horror film. It was a fruitful time for horror, as Wes Craven both finalized his Scream.
While those horror films were big box office hits, there were many more inventive horror films that snaked through the decade, most of them flying under the radar. John Carpenter brought his signature sights and sounds to a few undervalued 90s genre gems, while directors as varied as Tobe Hooper and Abel Ferrara, along with many indie filmmakers, snuck in some underseen horror treasures.
Mr. Frost (1990)
In this strange little film, Jeff Goldblum plays a serial killer who is sentenced to an institution. When he arrives, doctors and patients begin to see visions and feel a dark power. He eventually tells his doctors that he is Satan.
The film's somber tone and dark imagery add an extremely creepy aura to every moment. Goldblum is excellent in a rare genre role, and he is aided by fine work from Kathy Baker and British acting icon Alan Bates.
The Pit And The Pendulum (1991)
The late, great Edgar Allen Poe tale The Pit and the Pendulum. Lance Henriksen stars as Torquemada, a man who is facing a slow decay of his soul as he abuses his religion and its power.
Gordon makes sure the brutal violence has a purpose and is unsettling for the audience. The director gives the film an urgency in its skewering of the abuses of the church and those who sit on their judgemental thrones. Oliver Reed does great ing work, and Stuart Gordon gave the 90s an extremely well-executed and classic horror film.
The Resurrected (1991)
After 1985's classic zombie horror/comedy Return of the Living Dead, The Resurrected was Dan O'Bannon's second and final directorial effort. After proving he was a varied genre writer with 1979's Alien, 1982's Blue Thunder, and 1990's Total Recall, and after the success of his 1985 zombie film, O'Bannon crafted this eerie adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft story The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
Chris Sarandon stars as a mad doctor who goes to his remote cabin to do secret experiments. When he goes mad, his wife sends a detective to find out what he is doing. Sarandon gives an excellent performance, while O'Bannon gives the film a slow burn and eerie atmosphere while saving some serious frights and gore for the film's finale. It's one of the best and most underrated Lovecraft adaptations.
Nadja (1994)
Michael Almereyda created one of the most unique and underrated vampire films ever made with his artful, post-modern New York City-set film Nadja. Elina Lowensohn's Nadja is saddened by the death of Dracula, her father. She wants to stop being a vampire, but her bloodsucking brother (Jared Harris) refuses to let her and Van Helsing's grandson (Peter Fonda) is seeking to destroy both her and her brother, forever wiping Dracula's curse from the Earth.
The Black and White cinematography adds to the unique design, making each scene a visual Art piece. Almereyda's film is a completely unique and philosophically seductive vampire tale.
Bad Moon (1996)
Eric Red found big success as a screenwriter with his scripts for 1986's The Hitcher and 1987's Near Dark. After directing a few low budget genre films, Red crafted a twisted werewolf tale with his 1996 gem, Bad Moon. Michael Pare' stars as a journalist who comes to stay with his sister and her family. He is a great guy and has a good relationship with his niece and nephew—the downside, however, is that he is a werewolf.
Red's screenplay is crafty and creative, and the film moves along with a fun mystery and good scares. Unfortunately, the studio cut Red's budget, so the underrated werewolf film.
Body Bags (1993)
John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper teamed up to direct three horror tales held within the Showtime film Body Bags. "The Gas Station" finds a woman alone at a secluded gas station while there is a serial killer on the loose. Directed by Carpenter, this is a tense and unnerving segment that allows the filmmaker an ample canvas for his signature fluid camerawork and tension building.
Carpenter's second segment, "Hair," stars Stacy Keach as a man whose regimen for saving his receding hairline gets wildly out of control. This story is silly, but it'ss saved by a comical tone. Tobe Hooper directed the film's most effective segment, "Eye." Mark Hamil stars as a man who loses an eye and gets it replaced with the eye of a serial killer. Grotesque horror ensues. Carpenter has fun under Rick Baker's makeup as The Mortician, the undead creeper who introduces each episode, ala HBO's The Cryptkeeper.
Trauma (1993)
In 1993's Trauma, Asia Argento is a suicidal woman who enters an asylum whose mother dies during a seance after being murdered by a serial killer. When Argento leaves the hospital, she seeks her revenge.
Asia Argento is excellent, and Piper Laurie adds gravitas. Argento's psychological horror was met with mixed reviews and is not very popular amongst the filmmaker's fanbase. Yet, it deserves a rediscovery, as the film is imaginative and filled with Argento's signature bizarre imagery and some palpable chills.
Village Of The Damned (1995)
John Carpenter went purposely low-budget for his remake of the 1960 British horror classic Village of the Damned, the tale of a small coastal town where women give birth to alien children who want to rule the adults.
Underrated to its core, Carpenter crafted an old fashioned horror film with good tension and a creepy atmosphere. The director's self-composed score is also one of his best.
Cure (1997)
Kyoshi Kurosawa's chilling horror film Cure concerns a detective who is on the trail of a series of violent murders committed by people who do not the killings.
This is a subtly grisly horror film that slowly burns itself into becoming one of the most disturbing serial killer films of its decade. Kurosawa uses slow pans and medium shot framing to convey a sense of dread and creates a mesmerizing that is one of the most chilling Japanese horror films of its time.
The Addiction (1995)
Abel Ferrara's New York City vampire tale The Addiction is a creepy allegory about drug addiction. Lili Taylor gives one of her finest performances in one of her absolutely best films as a philosophy student who is bitten and becomes a bloodthirsty vampire, a literal junkie for human blood.
Nicholas St. John's ambitious screenplay mixes vampire lore with NYC angst to great effect. Ferrara gives the film his artfully sleazy signature and creates a brilliant, thinking person's horror film.
