Welcome back to another installment in my series of posts where I look at some of my favourite horror films by the decade. Last time I looked at one of the biggest decades in horror, the 1980's and there was certainly a lot to look at. However as the 80's slowly came to an end so did the great slasher boom, by the time the 90's came around horror filmmakers knew that in order to keep the genre alive they needed to head in new directions. From tongue-in-cheek meta-horror to surreal, experimental horror, the 90's certainly saw a great change in both the style and standard of horror film compared to that of the 80's. Now comes the time for me to look at some of my favourite horror films from the 90's, and be warned there may be spoilers.
10. New Nightmare (1994)
Wes Craven found immense success with his original A Nightmare on Elm Street, after that he left the franchise to other writers and directors so he could pursue other projects. Four sequels and countless one-liners later, Craven returned to the franchise to reinvent it for the new decade and the result was New Nightmare. Instead of following its predecessors the film was set in a fictionalised version of the real world and saw Heather Langenkamp playing herself as she combats Freddy Krueger (Rober Englund) as he attempts to enter the real world. It's an interesting concept and was used by Craven as a means to bring the franchise back to its dark roots as opposed to the rather comical route the franchise had taken. Freddy was back and more terrifying than ever with his new organic clawed hand and more gruesome face while Langenkamp was joined by her original Nightmare co-star and onscreen father John Saxon. Even Craven himself joined the ride in this fictionalised version of our own world. As Craven intended, the films tone is a lot darker and much closer to the original film, there is more suspense and less one-liners, Freddy was scary again. It is an entertaining film, especially to fans of the franchise and pays many homages to the genre himself. In some ways it acts as a precursor to a later Wes Craven film, but I'll get to that later..
9. Jacobs Ladder (1990)
Psychological horror was something that gained a lot of popularity in the 90's, films took inspiration from earlier ones such as Rosemary's Baby and The Wicker Man in the sense that they would focus more on tension than explicit scares. Jacob's Ladder tells the story of Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins), a Vietnam War veteran who finds himself experiencing bizarre hallucinations and flashbacks upon returning home from the war. In terms of scares this film relies heavily on its visuals, from the shaking faceless people to a surreal party scene where people turn into lizard things(?) this film is packed full of strange and frightening imagery. Along with the creepy atmosphere present throughout the film becomes incredibly eerie as it progresses and manages to target the emotions as well as the senses in the most visceral way. This is mainly down to Robbins' incredible performance as Jacob, he packs so much emotion into the troubled character that he becomes one we can easily empathise with. He feels real. Although by today's standards it is not as terrifying as it would have been at the time, Jacob's Ladder is a thought provoking film packed with suspense and emotion, it is one of the many more 'mature' psychological horrors that became increasingly popular in the years that followed.
8. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
The 90's also saw the emergence of two very talented directors who to this day still find themselves collaborating on certain projects, they are Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. In the 90's they collaborated on a black comedy vampire flick set in a strip club in Mexico and with Rodriguez directing and Tarantino writing and acting, it was hard for this film not to be highly entertaining. From Dusk Till Dawn was the result and it saw the murderous Gecko brothers (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) who, after escaping over the Mexican border, find themselves in a strip club full of vampires. Harvey Keitel also joins the two as troubled preacher Jacob who, along with his children are forced to smuggle the brothers across the border. The script is classic Tarantino, full of witty and memorable dialogue and cultural references, along with brilliant acting from all the players this film becomes a fun ride even before the vampires bare their ivory fangs. However, as it is a Robert Rodriguez film it is packed full of cleverly choreographed action sequences, the two filmmakers work extremely well together and they really bring their combined talents to their fullest extent here. The vampires aren't your typical bloodsuckers, Salma Hayek's character Santanico Pandemonium looks particularly animal-like, they are vicious creatures in both their appearance and their actions. It is a highly entertaining film with Tarantino's wit, Rodriguez's high-octane action and their combined love of violence and gore.
7. Army of Darkness (1992)
1981 saw the terrifying The Evil Dead, 5 years later its sequel Evil Dead II adopted a more comedic tone while keeping the blood and madness from the first, then in 1992 Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) returned again and this time things were completely different. In the third installment of the Evil Dead franchise, Ash finds himself stuck in the Middle Ages once again fighting the terrifying deadites while also attempting to find his way home. While Evil Dead II brought black comedy to the franchise, this film fully incorporated it making it the funniest of Ashes adventures and also the most bizarre. It features a number of miniature Ashes, a deadite clone of Ash and some of his greatest one-liners, this is really the film that established Bruce Campbell as the B movie action hero we all know and love today. While it does lack the scare factor of the original, it makes up for that with its improved visuals and creature effects, those claymation deadites became a thing of the past. Initially I was unsure about this film and its departure from the dark tone of the original, however it has grown on me a lot since I first watched it and I have learned to appreciate the direction in which it drove the franchise. The least scariest film of the franchise but arguably the most entertaining, Army of Darkness is an action packed comedy of terrors that will make you fall in love with Ash Williams if you haven't already.
6. Bride of Chucky (1997)
The Evil Dead franchise wasn't the only one to take a more comedic turn in the 90's, many others brought more comedy to their installments in order to keep things interesting, one of which was the Child's Play series. Possessed doll Chucky (Brad Dourif) had always had a sense of humour despite his films being relatively dark, however the fourth installment decided to take a completely different route and really emphasised this aspect of comedy. Bride of Chucky follows the maniacal doll as he is reunited with his ex-girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), after she too becomes a doll the duo follow a couple across America in order to gain possession of their bodies for their own use. The chemistry between the two evil dolls is tragically comedic, Chucky often lashing out at Tiffany while she attempts to lash back, but the two do love each other (as much as dolls can) and even engage in some very Team America-esque doll sex. Their playful relationship is what makes the film so funny along with memorable appearances from Alexis Arquette as Tiffany's goth friend and John Ritter as an overprotective military dad. However there is still horror in this film and Chucky is still his ruthless self and doesn't hesitate to kill whoever gets in his way, Tiffany is just as psychotic and there is a great scene in which she uses a mirrored ceiling to kill an unsuspecting couple. The darkly comedic tone really works in Bride of Chucky and acted as a means to keep the franchise fresh, it managed to develop the franchise without ruining it entirely.
5. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
David Lynches films are never usually billed as horror films, but their surreal elements and incredible sense of atmosphere makes them more terrifying than a lot of films in the genre. His show Twin Peaks had many terrifying and bizarre scenes, but they were nothing compared to what was to come in his prequel film Fire Walk With Me. Now initially I hated this film, it left out some of the shows best characters while focusing on some of its least likeable, it didn't really capture the magic of the show. However, it did manage to scare me stiff and after watching it again the film began to grow on me a lot. It focuses on the final days of Laura Palmer's (Sheryl Lee) life before her murder that sparked the events of the show. In classic Lynchian style, the film has this incredibly dark atmosphere that many will find unsettling despite the fact that there is nothing explicitly scary happening, this is a common element of his films. Through use of the score and Lynches direction, many scenes become very unnerving without any jump scares. Having said that there are many explicitly scary moments such as when Laura's face suddenly turns white while reciting a poem and when she is assaulted by the always formidable Bob (Frank Silva). David Lynch is a true maestro when it comes to sending chills up the audiences spine and he does so perfectly in this film. It is a surreal nightmare full of bizarre sequences and tense atmosphere that challenges the quality of many mainstream horror films.
4. Candyman (1992)
While many horror franchises came to an end in the 90's, some were just beginning, Candyman falls into the latter category. The film is based off Clive Barker's short story The Forbidden and follows university student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) as she investigates a mysterious urban legend involving a mythical figure known as the Candyman (Tony Todd) that could be linked with a number of real life murders. The real beauty of this film, like many horror films, lies within its antagonist played wonderfully by Tony Todd. The Candyman or Daniel Robitaille as he was known in life, is the spirit of a son of a slave whose hand was sawn off before being covered in honey and stung to death by bees. He is a tragic villain and Todd brings immense depth to the character along with giving him a sense of charisma reminiscent of villains such as Count Dracula. It is a horror with heart and Tony Todd is that heart. It is a bit of a slow burner at the beginning as it takes a while for the eponymous villain to make an appearance, this is what allows for the suspense to build and makes his subsequent appearance eagerly anticipated. Aside from being a horror, it is also a film that highlights a number of social issues such as the rising gangs in the Chicago projects, a location where much of the film takes place. While being a film that is both creepy and bloody, it is also thought provoking and looks at a number of deeper themes such as slavery and crime. It is one of the most important horror films of the 90's.
3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Hannibal Lecter had already made his onscreen debut when Brian Cox took on the role in Manhunter 5 years prior, however this is the film that really popularised the character and showed audiences what the cannibalistic doctor was really capable of. However, Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) is not the villain of this piece, instead it is the insane Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) while Lecter quietly waits in the wings acting as a consultant for the FBI. On the trail of the murderous Bill is Agent Clarice Sterling (Jodie Foster) who must consult Hannibal in order to get inside the mind of a killer. Obviously the highlight of the film is Hopkins as Hannibal, in his limited screentime he managed to create this incredibly captivating and unsettling character without even having to kill anyone until the films final act. He brings this incredibly intimidating presence to all of his scenes and is equally as terrifying to watch as he is captivating. Foster and Levine also excel in their roles however they are somewhat overshadowed by Hopkins despite having much more time on screen than he does. It is a clever horror film that both requires and provokes thought, however this sophistication is juxtaposed by the grotesque violence and gore, this really works and is essentially what makes the film stand out from other horror films at the time and what gained it such acclaim. It is often considered a 'thinking mans horror' but that doesn't mean it lacks in violence, the scene where Hannibal escapes custody is incredibly violent and tense, yet it still retains the characters sense of intelligence. The Silence of the Lambs is a smart and thrilling piece of horror cinema that contrasted many others of its time and one of the few horrors to not only win an academy award, but to win five of them.
2. Braindead (1992)
Peter Jackson is often best associated with his adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, however some of his earliest films were the pinnacle of splatter films during their time and one of the best of these is his zombie romp Braindead. This mad little zombie flick sees a zombie outbreak in a small New Zealand town, at the heart of it all is the timid Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme) whose mother was the first infected and who houses many of the undead. Now this film is completely off-the-wall, it's bonkers and that's what makes it so memorable. It has the perfect balance of slapstick comedy and outlandish gore that is almost vomit inducing, one of my favourite scenes involves a woman's head being torn apart by the zombie baby growing inside her. Yep, zombie baby. It's got a zombie baby, a kung fu priest and some particularly horny zombies too, it's a film that has to be seen to be believed. The violence in this film is relentless, the climax involves Lionel slaughtering the hordes of the undead using a lawnmower, I don't think I've ever seen so much blood onscreen before Braindead. However, the bizarre sense of humour throughout makes the more gory sequences much more enjoyable and easier to watch. This film never seems slow, Lionel is constantly struggling to keep the zombies in his basement a secret while at the same time attempting to woo his beloved Paquita (Diana Penalver) so there is always something happening to keep the audience amused. Braindead is relentlessly sublime, darkly comical and above all, it is a love story.
1. Scream (1996)
Now earlier in this post I spoke about New Nightmare and Wes Craven's attempts at meta-horror but all that was merely a precursor to this brilliant 90's slasher flick. However, this is no ordinary slasher as it follow a killer with an obsession with the horror genre who teases his victims with trivial questions over the phone before killing them mercilessly. The killers latest target is Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) who appears to have a mysterious connection with them. The film both parodies and pays homage to the horror genre, in particular slashers, by poking fun at the many tropes and 'rules' of horror cinema. The character of Randy (Jamie Kennedy) who is particularly obsessed with the genre makes frequent references to many horror films along with informing his fellow teens of the 'rules' of surviving a horror film. While it is heavily tongue-in-cheek, that does not make Scream any less frightening, the opening scene alone is incredibly suspenseful and sees tensions gradually rise as Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) being terrorised by the formidable Ghostface. It's a clever little storyline courtesy of screenwriter Kevin Williamson, and with Craven's directorial skills and experience to bring it to life it was hard for this film to not be a hit. Scream if often regarded as a turning point in horror cinema, personally I think this is the point when horror films became more self-aware. Not only did this encourage other films to take a similar tongue-in-cheek route, it also prompted future horror films to play with the genres conventions and break 'the rules' so carefully outlined in the film. It is an homage to the genre and a great send off to a fantastic century of terror.
And so there ends yet another decade in horror cinema and with that also ends the 20th century. We've looked at the golden age and the slasher boom, zombies and vampires, an entire century of horror cinema. Next time I'll be looking at horror's emergence into the 21st century where remakes and torture porn were the new craze. Stay tuned for that!
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