Underrated Horror Movies from the 1990s

It seems that every year, horror film fans run out of new horror movies to watch. But instead of looking ahead to new horror movies coming out in the future, maybe we should be looking in the past to older movies that we wouldn’t have seen.

The 1990s are filled with many brilliant horror movies, and maybe we have seen a lot of the generic top-rated ones, but we shouldn’t forget about the underrated horror movies that we have missed due to little word of mouth, mentions, and advertisements like Lord of Illusions, The Dark Half, and In the Mouth of Madness.

While the 90s didn’t have the number of iconic entries as the 80s, it’s easy to forget just how good horror fans had in the 90s—this decade brought up hits like Scream, Silence of the Lambs, Audition, and The Sixth Sense. With these fantastic films, it’s easy to overlook some movies that are just as good and possibly even better.

The decade isn’t all just sequels and Wes Craven knock-offs; the global film industry set out to scare its viewers with impressive terror. For this list, we will dive into some of the best obscure, underappreciated, and hidden gems in the world of 90s horror. Read the list below or check out the video version of the article at the bottom of the post…

‘Mirror, Mirror’ (1990)

Mirror, Mirror is a horror, thriller movie following the story of a bullied teenage girl, Megan, who receives black magic powers from a mysterious antique mirror dripping blood. The naive teenage girl does not realize this black magic comes with a cost as the mirror is controlled by demonic forces turning her from innocent to homicidal.

This movie first appears as an easy-going teenage drama movie until Megan takes a turn for the worst. It shows a bullied, shy, outcast becoming corrupted into an evil murderer. Mirror, Mirror is a great pick for any Carrie movie lovers out there as it takes on a similar plot line.

‘Flatliners’ (1990)

Flatliners is a dramatic sci-fi horror movie released in 1990. This movie follows five medical students as they experiment with *near death” experiences. The students find this experience fascinating until strange and terrifying consequences begin to happen to each student one by one.

This movie was remade into the more well-known Flatliners released in 2017. This takes away from the original movie’s impact due to its older date and quality. However, this is no reason for this movie to be overlooked as it is still a brilliantly dramatic horror film with many of our favorite actors.

‘Nightbreed’ (1990)

Nightbreed is a fantasy horror movie released in 1990. It follows the story of a troubled young man who finds himself drawn to a magical place called Midian. Here, he finds many friendly monsters hiding from humanity. A terrifying serial killer is on the loose at the same time looking to pin his crimes on an easy victim.

This movie was faulted due to the studio meddling in the brilliant Clive Barker’s work, but even with their disagreeable changes, Nightbreed still shows captivating strides while watching. It is filled with many exotic monsters, shocking scenes, and wild fantasies.

‘Lord of Illusions’ (1995)

Lord of Illusions is a mystery horror movie released in 1995. It follows a private detective who meets a mysterious performer, Philip Swan. The detective ends up swallowing more than he can chew with his new acquaintance as Philip’s illusions are more than what meets the eye.

This movie was overshadowed by Barker’s other brilliant creations including the Hellraiser and Candyman movie series. This movie is still a beautiful piece that should be seen by all of Barker’s fans and those who love uneasy, moody horror movies.

‘The Resurrected’ (1992)

The Resurrected is a horror movie released in 1992 following a suspicious wife as she hires a private detective to discover what her husband’s doing alone in his family’s century-old cabin. However, what his wife is to discover is far worse and more terrifying than anything she could have expected.

This is another movie that seems to be overshadowed by the more spotlighted director’s movies including Alien, Return of the Living Dead, and Total Recall. This is a more serious adaption of Dan O’Bannon‘s work and has amazing performances executed by the main actors.

‘The Dark Half’ (1993)

The Dark Half is a mysterious horror movie released in 1993, and a Steven King adaptation. It follows the life of a writer that has an alter ego from his nom de plume who desperately wants to take over his life at any cost.

King’s adaptions can either be incredible or terrible; The Dark Halfis one of the underrated adaptions that made little waves in word of mouth or mentions. However, it is still a beautifully terrific movie that is due its day of fame.

‘In The Mouth Of Madness’ (1994)