1995 Horror Movies (40 Movies Reviewed 30 Years Later!)

Holy COW did 1995 have a ton of horror movies! And, unlike my previous article on 1985 horror movies (which mostly featured films I’d watched many times), this round-up of FORTY horror films were nearly all first-time watches for me. For over a month, my life has been consumed with watching and reviewing the horror movies of 1995!

There were demons, angels, werewolves, aliens, robots, ghosts, and a whole lotta serial killers. There were new entries in established franchises as well as a ton of original ideas.

How well do the horror films of 1995 hold up three decades later? Well, I’ll tell ya! Keep reading.

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Tales from the Hood

Tales from the Hood is one of the few great horror anthology movies. There. I said it!

Usually, horror anthology films have one standout amazing segment, a few that are meh, and one total clunker. They also tend to suffer from tonal incohesiveness (like you’re watching several random films rather than different stories all occurring in the same universe). There’s also a tendency to not put as much (or any) effort into the wrap-around plotline that’s supposed to be the glue that holds the anthology together!

The fact that Tales from the Hood doesn’t suffer from any of those common issues is what makes it one of the very best.

Viewer preferences will dictate which story/segment is your personal favorite, but no story is “the good one” or “the bad one” — they’re all pretty equal in quality with a consistent sense of humor and special effects. And the wrap-around, with Clarence Williams III as a mortician telling spooky stories to scare three drug dealin’ juvenile delinquents, is both fun and extremely memorable.

Where to Watch Tales from the Hood Streaming Now:

Lord of Illusions

Directed and written by Clive Barker, Lord of Illusions is the adaptation and expansion of a short story featured in his Books of Blood series. I liked it!

I’m struggling to describe what the plot is due to how much it has going on. I guess the main thing you need to know is that real magic exists in the film’s universe, there’s an evil magic-wielding cult leader living in the desert, Kevin J. O’Connor is a magician/illusionist who dies during a performance gone wrong, and occult detective Harry D’Amour (Scott Bakula) needs to not only figure out how all that stuff all ties together… and save the world in the process!

Lord of Illusions is very unique. It’s a supernatural horror film presented as a noir-style mystery. Go for the Director’s Cut, if you’re given the choice. It’s twelve minutes longer, but those minutes fill in story gaps that occur in the theatrical release.

Where to Find Lord of Illusions Streaming Now: 

The Prophecy

I love The Prophecy! I fully admit my nostalgia bias, having first watched it in 1997, but most of the friends I’ve shown it to in the years since have enjoyed it as well. It’s fun!

Elias Koteas (Casey Jones in the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films) stars in The Prophecy as a former Catholic seminary student who became a homicide detective. He had a crisis of faith on the day he was to be sworn in as a priest and decided to make a career change. However, his religious background works hand-in-hand with his detective skills when it turns out the strange murders happening around town are actually casualties of an angelic war!

The Archangel Gabriel (Christopher Walken) is fed up with God treating angels as second best since He created humans (God’s new faves), so Gabriel’s gathered together several other pissed off angels to take care of the problem down on Earth and, eventually, take over Heaven. Simon (Eric Stoltz), another angel, still thinks God and humans are great so he’s also on Earth, trying to keep Gabriel from succeeding.

The fates of Heaven AND Earth are at stake in The Prophecy!

I enjoy all of the characters in The Prophecy. In addition to the ones I’ve already talked about, I love Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer. And I think it’s really cute how the angels all perch like birds whenever they have to sit down. I first watched this when I was twelve, but some of the scenes/themes may be too intense for most tweens. However, I’d happily recommend The Prophecy to any teens or adults who’re interested in a religious-themed horror fantasy with just a dash of humor.

Where to Find The Prophecy Streaming Now:

Mute Witness

If I didn’t know Mute Witness was 1995 horror movie, I’d swear it was made within the past few years. It felt very modern!

Mute Witness is about a mute makeup artist named Billy (she can hear, but she can’t speak), her sister Karen, and her sister’s boyfriend Andy filming a slasher film in a Moscow-based studio. One night, Billy forgets something in the studio and goes back in to grab it, but is accidentally locked in by the janitor. Since she can’t speak, she’s unable to call/communicate with anyone to let her out.

Later that night, members of a Russian mob show up at the studio to film a porno-turned-snuff film, and Billy witnesses the murder. Her life becomes a REAL slasher movie as she becomes the killers’ next target.

Mute Witness was a German-British-Russian co-production, and the way they handle communication between the characters (and the horrors of miscommunications!) is great. Billy communicates silently, Karen only speaks English, the Russians only speak Russian, and it doesn’t matter what Andy speaks because he’s too stupid to even know what’s happening. The way Mute Witness plays with language/communication barriers was an intriguing method for manipulating the suspense and keeping the story rolling.

Also of note: Mute Witness was Alec Guinness’ final film role. He plays the mob boss in charge of the snuff film operation.

Where to Find Mute Witness Streaming Now:

The Day of the Beast AKA El Día de la Bestia

The Day of the Beast AKA El Día de la Bestia is a Spanish horror comedy about a priest named Angel who discovers the Antichrist is going to be born in two days and the end of the world is imminent. So, to put a stop to things, he decides to commit as many sins as he can in order to catch the Devil’s attention so he can contact him personally.

On Angel’s journey of performing evil deeds to save humanity, he teams up with heavy metal fan Jose Mari and, together, in a Fright Night-style mistake, they kidnap a fraudulent television mystic — the Mysterious Professor Cavan — to help them with their quest. The three wise guys on their way to witness the birth of the Antichrist and, hopefully, defeat the Devil in the process.

I loved The Day of the Beast and thought it was one of the very best horror movies to come out of 1995. The main trio each has virtues and flaws that makes them feel real, and they’re all likable in their own ways – even when they’re doing horrible things to attract the Devil. The Day of the Beast never forgets that it’s a horror comedy and goes all-in on the scares AND the jokes. I was howling with laughter one minute and covering my mouth fearing for their lives the next! 

The Day of the Beast was the last movie I watched for this massive project, and I definitely ended on a high note. Highly recommend this one!

Where to Find The Day of the Beast Streaming Now:

Dracula: Dead and Loving It

Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a comedic retelling of the classic Bram Stoker story, with Leslie Nielsen in the title role! If you enjoy Mel Brooks’ comedy films (particularly Life Stinks and Screw Loose, which were also co-written by Steve Haberman), then you’ll probably enjoy this one too!

I’m going to leave it at that for now; however, if you’re still reading this entry, I’ll give you two fun lil tidbits as thanks: Next month, for World Dracula Day, my dad will be covering not only Dracula: Dead and Loving It but just about EVERY Dracula film ever made, decade-by-decade, so be sure to keep an eye out on HorrorFam.com for that EPIC post! Also, shortly before Dracula: Dead and Loving It premiered, I was at a birthday party and Peter MacNicol was there as a fellow guest and it was one of the few times I’ve been starstruck (I was ten and I recognized him from Ghostbusters II). He was very sweet and asked me if I’d like a slice of the cake, and all I could do was nod. He does a nice job as Renfield in Dracula: Dead and Loving It!

Where to Find Dracula: Dead and Loving It Streaming Now:

Nature of the Beast

I’d never even heard of Nature of the Beast before I started this article rounding up 1995 horror movies, and it ended up being one of my favorites! It’s very much like an EC Comics’ story and I absolutely loved that.

If you’re familiar with Collateral (2004), Nature of the Beast has a similar feel. Except, instead of a hitman and a taxi driver, Lance Henriksen and Eric Roberts are a brutal serial killer and a thief who stole millions from a mob-run casino. I won’t tell you who’s who (that’s part of the fun of watching!!), but they’re stuck with each other on a very tense drive and it’s incredibly suspenseful from beginning to end. (And, unlike Collateral, they tell the story in a TIGHT 90 minutes!).

When you’re telling a story with only two characters (everyone else they run into is incidental), it’s extremely important to have amazing actors fill those roles and both Eric Roberts and Lance Henriksen absolutely nail their parts. They’re both so good!! Which wasn’t a surprise, but I still marveled and truly appreciated it.

A Bible quote comes up at one point, but throughout the film, I kept thinking of a That Handsome Devil song lyric: “You can run from your demons until you are exhausted; One day you’ll have to stop and find out what they wanted.” When two characters are dealing with a ruthless serial killer, the mob, the police, and their own addictions (one character is an alcoholic and the other is a heroin addict) you KNOW that it’s only a matter of time until shiz hits the fan. But what an incredible (car) ride!

Where to Find Nature of the Beast Streaming Now:

Village of the Damned

I don’t have a whole lot to say about Village of the Damned. It’s a fine film! It’s directed by John Carpenter, and stars Christopher Reeve; however, other than Kirstie Alley’s government official (who was sort of a one-woman version of the two-guy government official roles from the original) and a LOT more gore, nothing really stands out as new/innovative/different with this 1995 remake.

I suppose it comes down to a matter of preference! If you’d like to watch an adaptation of The Midwich Cuckoos in black & white with British stars and 1960’s fashions, then watch Village of the Damned (1960). If you’d like to see that same story – a small town getting blacked/fogged out and then women giving birth to evil identical children with mysterious mental powers – done in color and set in America with 1990’s fashions, then watch Village of the Damned (1995). Both versions are fine!

Where to Find Village of the Damned (1995) Streaming Now:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation AKA The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Perhaps I’m giving Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation too much credit, but I actually kind of enjoyed it. I’d heard from friends that it was “terrible,” but it seemed like a serviceable parody film to me! I won’t be putting it on my list of Favorite Horror Movies Ever or anything, but I’m not sure what was supposed to be so awful about it. It’s a goof!

I always try to go into films completely blind, especially if I intend to write about them, and avoid other reviews at all costs. I typically only look up how to spell people’s names (and this film is a great example because there’s zero chance I’d be able to spell the stars’ names – Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey – correctly if I didn’t Google ’em!). I strive to not be influenced by anyone else’s thoughts besides my own when reviewing. But I’m guessing that the marketing for Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation failed to convey that the movie is just…silly…and perhaps audience animosity stemmed from that?

I truly think the silliness was an intentional choice! The acting isn’t “bad,” it’s deliberately OVER-acted to heighten the ridiculousness. Maybe those choices didn’t come across correctly at the time, but 30 years later, both Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey have proven time and again that they’re capable actors who can harness subtle-yet-impactful performances. And the rest of the Texas Chainsaw cast all seemed to be on the same page too – it felt like everyone in the film was just having FUN and that we were intended to as well.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation follows four 25-year-old high schoolers who’re out for a drive on prom night, a mishap occurs, and they end up encountering Leatherface and his family. Most of the movie’s plot is just “What if we remade 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but made every scene and character absurd?” There’s even a helicopter chase at one point! And Leatherface doesn’t just wear a woman’s face (eerie in the original), he also wears her chest and has a low-cut dress to show off his newly-acquired cleavage (how am I supposed to believe that was meant to be taken seriously?).

Anyway, I haven’t met anyone who watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation who enjoyed it back in 1995, but I’d be very curious to know if anyone besides myself watches it for the first time in 2025 and is pleasantly surprised. Oh! And, keep a sharp eye out for Marilyn Burns (Sally in the original!) making a silent cameo towards the end of the movie.

Where to Find Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation Streaming Now:

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

It’s a Michael Myers movie.

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers AKA Halloween VI was Paul Rudd’s second feature film and Donald Pleasence’s last (its dedicated to his memory).

Where to Find Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers Streaming Now:

Candy Man: Farewell to the Flesh

Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is the second film in the Candyman franchise and takes place in New Orleans. It’s nowhere near as good as the first film and desperately needed more Tony Todd.

I watched Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh the same day I watched The Fear and Last Gasp and I kept thinking, “MAN, the people of 1995 all REALLY wanted to get their steps in” because, like those other two movies, there’s a whole lot of footage dedicated to people walking around doing nothing in Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. (Directors in 1995 would’ve been very frightened by my daily walks, judging by what was oft considered horror back then!).

Tony Todd was one of those special actors who became the Best Part of whatever film he appeared in, and Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh is no exception. I wish he’d had more to do in this entry, but I was still happy to see him whenever he turned up.

Where to Find Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh Streaming Now:

Leprechaun 3

Leprechaun 3 isn’t the best film of the franchise (the original and Leprechaun in the Hood) and it’s far from the worst (Leprechaun 4: In Space). It rests comfortably in the middle!

Unlike previous the previous films in the franchise, Leprechaun 3 lacks human characters to root for or pity. Save for maybe one, all of the humans in Leprechaun 3 are pretty darn awful — making Lubdan the murderous Leprechaun the character you’ll be rooting for throughout.

Plotwise, Leprechaun 3 follows the formula of the franchise — Lubdan is awakened by someone messing with his gold coins, he kills them, he scampers off with his pot of gold but drops one of his coins, someone else finds the coin, and then mayhem ensues until Lubdan gets all of his coins together again — except THIS time the action takes places at a Las Vegas casino!

One of the things I liked in Leprechaun 3 was the aspect of characters making wishes. Although I proclaimed the original one of the best in the franchise, wishes were something that weren’t utilized at all. And they were barely explored in Leprechaun 2. Not all leprechauns grant wishes in folklore – and they could’ve established that Lubdan just isn’t that breed of leprechaun – but I was happy they kept the wishes-gone-wrong plot device rolling for Leprechaun 3.

With the Las Vegas casino setting (pre-filled with delusional gamblers throwing away the money they earned in favor of the Wish to be rich) and the selfish fodder characters ripe for Leprechaun-inflicted slaughtering, having Monkey’s Paw-style wishes made on Lubdan’s missing coin gave the movie wiggle room for some zany kill scenarios.

Leprechaun 3 makes an attempt to up jokes, but whether that’s a welcome addition or not is going to depend on your sense of humor (most of them fell flat for me). Overall, 1995’s Leprechaun 3 isn’t quite as good as the original, but it isn’t forgettable like Leprechaun 2 or painfully awful like Leprechaun 4. If you’re binge watching the Leprechaun franchise in order, it’s a little boost to wake up from the sequel and help you survive the fourth installment before the franchise returns to its darker horror roots with Leprechaun in the Hood and Back 2 Tha Hood.

Where to Find Leprechaun 3 Streaming Now:

Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest

Okay, so, I didn’t actually watch Children of the Corn III for this one but that’s because I’m (tentatively) considering watching ALL of the Children of the Corn films for another article. And, as of this writing, I’ve only watched the first one… and I wanna watch ‘em in order. But the movie stills for Children of the Corn III were certainly intriguing! I actually chose one of the blander photos for this entry because some of the pics that were for sale looked like they were definitely in Spoilers territory (hopefully I’ll forget by the time I actually get around to watching it!).

I’m very curious how this installment becomes an “Urban Harvest.” Will the mayhem enter into the greater city area in some way? Or did everything in 1995 feel the need to proclaim themselves “urban” whether it made sense thematically/plot-wise?? Nothing I saw in the movie stills database screamed urban setting to me! I’m so confused and I need to know!!

Where to Find Children of the Corn III Streaming Now:

Night of the Scarecrow

I already reviewed Night of the Scarecrow in another article, so I’ll keep this short. All I’ll add to my initial review is a little story that you may, perhaps, find entertaining: Before I watched the entire film for my other article, I originally saw about half of Night of the Scarecrow at a Halloween birthday/slumber party circa 1998 and we were all like “This is weird and kinda bad.” Then the ludicrously long orgy scene kicked off and that’s when my friend’s mom came in, turned off the TV, and told us we couldn’t watch any more movies. My friend’s little sister (whose Halloween birthday it was) cried and locked herself in the bathroom. The rest of the party was just a bunch of confused little girls staring like o_o while an angry mother yelled at her daughter to get out of the bathroom until we all finally got tired and went to bed.

So, feel free to watch Night of the Scarecrow, if you’re so inclined… but not during your little sister’s birthday party.

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight was the first feature-length film to come from HBO’s Tales from the Crypt television series. However, while episodes of the show range from “pretty good” to “absolutely incredible,” Demon Knight just kinda…exists. It’s not horrible (I can’t give any film with Dick Miller less than a full star), but it’s not great. If anything, it’s plot is forgettable. So much so that I forgotten I’d watched Demon Knight in the past until I was in it, watching it again!

Nearly all of the Tales from the Crypt television show’s episodes are adaptations of EC Comics’ stories and use their 22-40 minute runtimes to tell TIGHT horror-filled stories with a touch of humor. Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight doesn’t follow that formula. Not only does it not utilize any of the fantastic source material from EC Comics (and very noticeably suffers for it), it stretches out its “just okay” story for 90 minutes. And “a touch” of humor dissipates to almost non-existent when diluted by the longer runtime.

That said, while I couldn’t fully agree with the Crypt Keeper’s enthusiastic scream of “THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!”, I thought the acting in Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight was totally fine! I’m not going to claim that Demon Knight is home to Billy Zane, William Sadler, Dick Miller, or Thomas Haden Church’s BEST roles, but they gave their all to the script they were given.

I also really enjoyed the special effects! The makeup effects and practical effects are great! Whenever there’s a demon/monster/zombie/other on screen, it’s an absolute treat. If I saw Demon Knight playing on a TV, I would happily stroll into the room to rewatch every scene where the special effects are in charge.

I feel like Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight would be a decent film for a party/group setting for adult horror fans. Watching it alone, it leaves much to be desired, but I feel like the weak story and other lulls would be a perfect opportunity to chit-chat with friends, take a bathroom break, or load up on snacks. And then you and your friends could all go, “Ooooh!! Haha! YEAHHH!!” for the special effects scenes.

Where to Find Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight Streaming Now:

The Fear

Despicable, irredeemable trash. The Fear is filled with some of the most unlikeable characters ever put to film and the first death doesn’t occur until an hour and eleven minutes into the movie. Off-screen.

Wes Craven is in it as an actor (he plays the main character’s therapist in the first scene and the near-last scene) and has one of the best performances. Which isn’t saying much since he’s not an actor and the rest of the cast supposedly were.

The Fear is a meandering boring mess that moves from one sexual assault to the next (including an incestuous encounter) until the last ten minutes when the wooden dummy (with the Velcro on his costume fully-visible from the back and noticeably wrinkling “wooden” jeans) stumbles around, stares at people, plays with fridge magnets, and then chases the last two characters through the woods to ultimately do nothing. There. I saved you an hour and 38 minutes of your life.

The poster, showing off the wooden dummy’s (front-side) makeup job is by far the best part. He’s pretty cool-looking from exactly that angle when he’s not moving.

Where to Find The Fear Streaming Now?

Don’t. Just look at the poster and think about what could’ve been.

Ice Cream Man

In 2005, an ice cream man went down our street, almost ran over the neighbor’s kids who were waving money over their heads to flag him down, and I ran half a mile to catch up to him in the rain only to discover that he had no ice cream. I was soaked, had to tell disappointed children there were no treats, ended up with pneumonia and missed two weeks of work.

So… yeah. When I saw Ice Cream Man, a film about Clint Howard playing a nefarious ice cream vendor who’s up to no good I thought, “That checks out.” (I’ll assume our local ice cream man, who never returned to our street, also had a freezer filled with body parts and I was getting just a little too close to the TRUTH!).

Where to Find Ice Cream Man Streaming Now:

Jumanji

Don’t think 1995’s Jumanji is a horror movie? Um. Have you SEEN the monkeys?!

Where to Find Jumanji Streaming Now:

Outbreak

Speaking of monkeys, Outbreak is about how a monkey from Zaire is illegally smuggled to a California-based lab animal testing laboratory, is then stolen to be sold to a pet store, and then – when that doesn’t go according to plan – is set free in the woods. Now, there are all kinds of problems with that whole scenario from the get-go, but the BIGGEST problem is that the monkey was carrying Ebola (called “Matoba” in the film) and said monkey managed to scratch and bite quite a few people before scampering off into the woods.

And, well, the rest of Outbreak is pretty much the real-life horrors we all already lived through in the not-too-distant past as the characters navigate a gnarly unexpected Pandemic as the virus spreads far and wide.

The sneeze scene at the movie theater is enough to qualify Outbreak as a horror film in my book!

Where to Find Outbreak Streaming Now:

12 Monkeys

The exact date of the future that 12 Monkeys occurs in is never stated directly, but going by the age the main character is supposed to be versus lines said by secondary characters, I think it’s either 2019, 2029, or 2035. And in that future, whenever it may be, only 1% of humans are alive (and living underground) because the rest of humanity was wiped out by a virus that was released on the public in 1996. On the surface, it’s an episode of Life After People, and animals rule the wasteland that used to be humanity’s playground.

Bruce Willis stars as James Cole, a prisoner who’s sent back in time by the future’s scientists to figure out who runs the Army of the 12 Monkeys and prevent the world-ending event of 1996. Unfortunately, it’s not an exact science, and James Cole is mistakenly transported to 1990 — where he’s immediately locked up in a mental institution.

While there, James meets looney Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt, in one of his very best performances!) and psychologist Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe), a woman he feels he’s met before somehow. And with those relationships established, James is zapped back to the future.

From there, poor James keeps getting sent back and forth in time. And much like The Time Machine and The Butterfly Effect, each time he tries to save the future by interacting with the past, he’s only helping to make the doomed future inevitable. And that’s not a spoiler. You KNOW what’s going to happen. From minute one, 12 Monkeys lets you know what’s up. But darn it does 12 Monkeys mercilessly tease you with hope for its likable characters!

I got fully sucked into the characters and story of 12 Monkeys! I shed some tears, but I loved the movie. The only time I wasn’t completely immersed in its world was when Bruce Willis’ James Cole loudly proclaims “All I see are dead people!” Because… you know… In 1999 he’d be meeting a different Cole who sees dead people. Heh.

Facing the consequences of our own actions is one of the most harrowing forms of horror there is, and 12 Monkeys brings that feeling home with a slam dunk. Check it out!

Where to Find 12 Monkeys Streaming Now:

Se7en

Before there was Saw, there was Se7en. Although it’s been reduced to a meme through the decades (“What’s in the box?!”), I remember audiences of the time were shaken by it.

Homicide detectives Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are tasked with capturing a serial killer who’s devising grisly traps to murder people based on which of the seven sins he believes they represent.

What’s already a gnarly situation gets even worse when the killer deems one of the detectives a sinner.

I thought Se7en was a good horror-thriller, but it’s very bleak. Be ready.  

Where to Find Se7en Streaming Now:

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah

Before you watch Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, I highly recommend you watch the original Godzilla (1954). Most of the characters in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah are returning characters from that film or are related to them in some way – and the plot heavily focuses on dealing with the consequences of the actions taken 40 years earlier.

Once you’ve finished watching Godzilla (1954), all you need to know is that in one of the previous films, a girl with ESP found an egg, hatched a lil baby Godzilla monster (“Junior”/”Little One”), raised him, and then set him free to live with Big Godzilla. Junior is a friendly Godzilla who generally likes humans and he pals around with Big Godzilla, helping to keep him calm. And the girl with ESP can communicate with Junior, which also allows her (and another gal with ESP who joined G-Force/G-Center) to keep tabs on Big Godzilla since they’re always together.

That’s pretty much all the background information you need to understand what’s happening in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah! Oh, and be sure to turn on the subtitles. As of this writing, only the dubbed version is available on streaming services and there are a lot of gaps/explanations that don’t make any sense if you ONLY listen to the English dubbing (but the subtitles correct/fill-in those “huh?” moments).

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah might not blow you away if you watched Godzilla Minus One recently (that movie is AWESOME!), but if you love the original Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah really feels like a big “full circle” moment in the franchise.

The stakes are END OF THE WORLD massive in this one! Something’s gone wrong, Junior is missing, and Big Godzilla has a DANGEROUS health problem and he’s PISSED! Not to mention Destoroyah is a total menace (and one of the most unique monsters of the franchise!).

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is a love letter to Godzilla (1954) and feels like the significant end of an era. In addition to destruction caused by giant monsters, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah grapples with whether Sentiment and Progress can co-exist, and several other issues. And, yeah, the last fight scene goes on for a tad too long (would it be an old Godzilla film if it didn’t?), but those who find joy in seeing big rubbery monsters destroy model cities probably won’t mind!

Where to Find Godzilla #22: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Streaming Now:

Mommy

If you’re around my age, or slightly older, you may remember watching sitcoms that were all fun and games until you were suddenly hit with a “very special episode.” Although it’s from 1995, Mommy feels like a “very special episode” of a 1980’s sitcom in which young Jessica Ann has to learn what to do when you find out your mother is a serial killer.

The title role in Mommy is played by Patty McCormack who was the title character in The Bad Seed back in 1956, and I’m sure I’m not the first person to joke that perhaps Rhoda “Bad Seed” Penmark survived and Mommy is the continuation of her journey as a deranged adult.

Mommy is a very odd, almost dreamlike film. I realize I’m repeating myself, but I can’t stress enough how much it looks and feels like a “very special episode” that tackles maternal narcissistic abuse (Jessica Ann has to be perfect and win every award so that her mother can obtain vicarious pride), the inherent helplessness of young children (for better or worse, kids’ lives are ruled by the whims of the adults who surround them), and the signs your parent may be a murderer and how/when you should tell a trusted adult (like Brinke Stevens’ kind Aunt Beth, and/or the police) your suspicions.

I’ll admit I laughed through most of Mommy – it’s unintentionally funny with little Jessica Ann’s cheesy voiceover narrations, its overall look/feel, the EXTREME character of Mommy (a “total Karen” as kids of the now would say!), etc. – but Patty McCormack’s final line genuinely gave me chills!

Where to Find Mommy Streaming Now:

Out of the Dark

I know comedy is subjective, but the bulk of the jokes in this particular horror comedy fell flat for me. I really like Stephen Chow! And he truly did his best with the material he was given to work with; however, every second that he’s not on screen, Out of the Dark suffers immensely (and he’s off-screen for far too many minutes). Anyway, even when I was cringing with secondhand embarrassment (do you ever whisper “Please. Don’t. Don’t do that” to your screen while watching a scene that you know wasn’t a good idea for the time period and aged even worse?), Stephen Chow’s charisma and physical comedy skills were still powerful enough that I watched Out of the Dark through to the end.

I loved a lot of the IDEAS in Out of the Dark! Stephen Chow is a mental patient (locked away from society because he’s a man without fear – which is, of course, crazy) who is also a self-proclaimed ghost hunter/expert. His sidekick is a plant named Lily. Does he actually know what he’s talking about when it comes to matters of the paranormal, or is he fully insane? That’s a very fun idea for a character!

As for the plot, it’s very similar to Evil Dead Rise! It all takes place in one apartment building, the people who live there are being possessed by vengeful spirits, and they’re gorily offing each other. It’s a great idea, but it gets sidetracked or goes nowhere far too often. Plus, every character other than Stephen Chow (and, regrettably, sometimes even his character) is so stupid and unlikeable, it was difficult to care. There either needed to be way more splatter at a faster pace (unlikeable fodder characters are easier to put up with if they’re dispatched quickly), or there needs to be characters that you genuinely like so that you’re invested and feel what’s at stake when the action ramps up at the end. If there’s a possessed former ally wielding a chainsaw racing to strike down the other remaining characters, you should care.

Since it seems like everything’s getting remakes these days, I’d actually be very interested in seeing a remake of Out of the Dark. I’ll never understand why great movies are remade, but movies like this one — films that have a lot of wonderful ideas that just…went wrong…? Absolutely try again to get it right! Until then, I’d probably pass on Out of the Dark and watch Evil Dead Rise instead.

Where to Find Out of the Dark Streaming Now:

Project: Metalbeast

Project: Metalbeast is surprisingly fun! In a year with a lot of bleaker, “thinky” horror films, it was refreshing to watch one that was just a classic “guy in a rubber suit” monster movie. With its very restrained gore (I’m talking “a guy gets slashed and there’s just a tidy lil splat of fake blood on his un-slashed shirt” kind of gore), and old-fashioned feel, Project: Metalbeast wouldn’t feel too out of place among B-movie monster flicks from the early 1960’s. Seriously! Imagine it filmed in black & white and you’ll get what I’m saying.

I also really appreciated how Barry Bostwick was a gleefully evil villain. No shades of gray, no troubled/misunderstood past – he was just a straight-up bad dude and made no apologies for it. I miss that! And when he huffily told the title werewolf to “work on that attitude,” I couldn’t help but giggle. Villains with sass are so fun.

As for the plot, Project: Metalbeast starts out with a military mission to Hungary to obtain werewolf blood to be studied as a potential weapon but the soldiers don’t grab enough of it to be useful so the project is at risk of being shut down. So, the soldier who led the mission injects himself with the blood, thereby turning himself into a werewolf, so that his body can provide plenty of blood to be studied. But he becomes unruly (to no horror fan’s surprise) and is put on ice for twenty years for people in the 1990’s present day to figure out.

In the present day, military scientists are experimenting with metal-infused skin grafts (figuring it might be useful for burn victims or others in need) but they need a human to test it on. That’s when bad ol’ Barry Bostwick gives them the frozen werewolf (in his human form) claiming it’s just an old cadaver he has lying around. Nothing suspicious at all about that, right?! So, they graft metal skin onto the werewolf and, wouldn’t ya know it, a powerful werewolf with metal flesh turns out to be a major problem!

It’s silly fun, and it keeps up a good pace. There’s a werewolf kill within the first five minutes and has the werewolf on screen causing problems every ten minutes or so after that. They were clearly very proud of the werewolf suit they made (as they should be! It’s a good one!) and never miss a chance to show it off.

When the werewolf’s metal skin grafts take full effect, the final evolution of the beast is pretty neat too. Plus, the MetalBeast, when fully transformed, is played by Kane Hodder of Friday the 13th fame!

Where to Find Project: MetalBeast Streaming Now:

Last Gasp

If you took out all of the scenes of driving around, people slowly walking from one location to the next, people silently staring, and long pauses after each line of dialogue… Last Gasp would be about 20 minutes long. The pacing is absolutely excruciating. Heck, there’s even an action scene that seems promising right up until one character gets their hand cut and the other gets a leg wound and they both STOP the fight to dress their wounds and don’t resume fighting for a full two minutes. AHHHHHHH!!!

Anyway, the plot of Last Gasp is about evil businessman Robert Patrick going to Mexico to have a hotel built but the Totec tribe who lives in the area doesn’t want that to happen so they start offing his construction workers. Undeterred, Robert Patrick hires some mercenaries to kill off the tribe and even kills off the Chief himself. But he stands a little too close to the dying Chief and gets possessed. Now, every twenty days, he needs to kill and eat someone. Kind of like transforming into a werewolf, but instead of growing fur and fangs he gets decked out in, uh, very regrettable Brown Face (much like Out of the Dark, I was whispering my “Please. Don’t. Don’t do that”s to Last Gasp. Oof!).

However, the bulk of Last Gasp is gorgeous Joanna Pacula sloooooooooooooooooowly solving a murder mystery with only one suspect. And her friend Goldie (a “gold digger” character they forgot to write a real name for) trying to bang Robert Patrick because who CARES if he’s evil – he’s RICH!!

I always enjoy seeing Robert Patrick and his adorable ears, but MAN. Last Gasp would be pretty questionable even with good pacing, and it’s one of the most padded films I’ve seen in years (and I watched it AFTER watching The Fear!!). I did learn that Xipe Totec is the Aztec god of flaying (and veggies!), so that was nice, I guess. I didn’t learn that from Last Gasp though. I found that out when I was looking up how to spell Totec correctly for my review. So… uh… yeah.

It also reminded me how much my friends and I feared people hiding under cars to slash ankle tendons! That comes up a LOT in Last Gasp. Was that a common fear in the 1990’s? I don’t know where we all got that from! Do today’s kids still worry about that?? 

Where to Find Last Gasp Streaming Now:

Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde

I wasn’t able to watch Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde! As of this writing, it seems to be completely wiped from possible viewing options (there’s not even a dodgy upload on YouTube or DailyMotion!). But I do remember passing by the poster/VHS cover at our local video rental store. It’s an extremely simple design, but it effectively conveys the plot’s premise really well: Dr. Jekyll turns into Ms. Hyde. I highly doubt the humor of that idea went much further than the poster, but my friend’s little sister (the same one from the Night of the Scarecrow birthday misadventure) sneakily rented this one, claiming it was for kids, and her review basically boiled down to: “Dr. Jekyll was sooo cute and I really liked Ms. Hyde’s dresses!” Which doesn’t really tell us a whole lot about the plot or jokes within this 1995 horror-comedy (or maybe it DOES?!), but there ya go!

Where to Find Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde Streaming Now:

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell AKA The Japanese Evil Dead

It takes a good long while for Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell to get going, but once it does it has some fun splatter effects does its best to live up to its secondary title – The Japanese Evil Dead – in both story and action.

The fuzzy footage and wobbly camera work in Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell made me a little woozy and the music made me extremely sleepy, but if you aren’t susceptible to those issues then you might find some enjoyment from this previously-deemed-lost film.

If you’re curious about Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell, I’d recommend watching it via The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs (the Shudder or AMC+ buttons below, if available) because the additional commentary and background/history information about the film is far more fascinating than the movie itself.

Where to Find Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell Streaming Now:

Castle Freak

Director Stuart Gordon once again unites the dynamic duo of Barbara Crampton and Jeffery Combs! While I always love those actors, and enjoy when they team up, if you’re going to watch them in a Stuart Gordon film, choose Re-Animator or From Beyond.

Castle Freak is an absolute misery of a movie. And not in ways that illicit a reflective “hmm” and have you ponder the horrors or the humanity – it’s more of a wallow through an impacted sewer pipe that just leaves you poop-stained and wondering why you thought it was a good idea to dive down there in the first place.

John (Jeffery Combs) is an alcoholic who kills his son in a drunk driving incident and he thinks the solution for that is more alcohol and hiring a prostitute. Susan (Barbara Crampton) is his wife. They have a blind daughter. They inherit a castle with a “Freak” living in the basement who kills cats and people.

The castle sets are nice for the Gothic-inspired setting and the FX makeup for the Freak are good (Jonathan Fuller is completely transformed/unrecognizable!). But, if you’re going to watch Castle Freak, I’m going to once again recommend you do so via The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs. Barbara Crampton is interviewed during the guest segments and she’s adorable. Her enthusiasm is so infectious, it’ll carry you through. (Plus, there’s a conversation with the always bubbly Felissa Rose of Sleepaway Camp fame!).

Where to Find Castle Freak Streaming Now:

Mortal Kombat

If “Mortal Kombat (Techno-Syndrome)” by The Immortals – now known as “The Mortal Kombat Theme” – doesn’t get you pumped up, you may need to check yourself for a toe tag. Among the living, that jam remains one of the greatest workout songs ever performed even 30 years after it made its debut in this martial arts horror fantasy!

Mortal Kombat, based on the video game franchise of the same name, is the story of Earth’s greatest fighters (mortal men and women) being drafted into a tournament against the greatest fighters of the Outworld (a fictional Hellscape filled with primarily non-humans) with the fate of who (humans or monsters) controls our world hanging in the balance.

The plot stakes are high; the stunt work, fight choreography, and special effects are fantastic; the music slaps; the scenery and set designs are as varied as the game’s levels; and it’s just an all-around good time. And although it has a PG-13 rating, there are still a ton of on-screen Mortal Kombat-appropriate gory deaths (the rating system only counts human deaths, so anything can happen to the monsters and still be classified as PG-13 so long as no one swears too much). Turn off your brain and enjoy! Maybe move your furniture to the side and watch this one standing up so you can fight along with the characters. It’s FUN!

Where to Find Mortal Kombat Streaming Now:

Delores Clairborne

Can it even be called a significant year in horror if there isn’t at LEAST one Stephen King adaptation?

Kathy Bates stars as the title character in Dolores Claiborne, with Jennifer Jason Leigh as her daughter Selena, and Christopher Plummer and a very young John C. Reilly as the detectives on the case. “What case?” you ask. Well, Dolores was discovered standing over the dead body of her elderly employer… and the fact she was wielding a heavy marble rolling pin at the time wasn’t a good look.

There’s also the fact that Dolores probably killed her husband 30 years earlier, but it couldn’t be proven. And Christopher Plummer’s homicide detective – who was in charge of 86 cases and only closed 85 (guess which one he missed!) – is absolutely determined to put Dolores away for this most recent murder.

But IS it even a murder? Dolores claims complete innocence! What could the motive be if she DID do it?? And DID she kill her husband? If so, WHY? Her estranged daughter – filling the Stephen King alcoholic writer character trope – returns home to get to the bottom of what’s really going on.

The story unfolds by mixing flashbacks of what happened in 1975 and the then-current day. The horror element of this psychological thriller mystery-drama comes from the absolute dread of figuring out what went down in the past (even before its shown) and acknowledging just how horrible some humans can be. There’s no supernatural Big Bad in Dolores Claiborne – just the ghosts of a truly traumatic past, and the horrors of living with painful secrets.

Dolores Claiborne was an extremely well-done film, with fantastic acting from every cast member (even the ones I didn’t mention by name), that doesn’t have any “filler” moments despite its long runtime, and always stays on track even with the multiple jumps between time periods. Be warned though: Dolores Claiborne is a heartbreaking, rough film to watch. You may want to follow it up with a comedy so you don’t have to go to bed feeling bummed.

Where to Find Dolores Claiborne Streaming Now:

The Mangler

Speaking of Stephen King, The Manger is a film adaption of a Stephen King short story (from his Night Shift novel/collection) that’s directed by Tobe Hooper.

Robert “Freddy Kreuger” Englund stars as laundry shop owner Bill Gartley and his demon possessed laundry press keeps “eating” (squishing) people. There’s a whole backstory about sacrificing girls on their 16th birthday to “The Mangler” (the laundry press) in exchange for wealth/power, but it’s a bit difficult to get fully wrapped up in the supernatural elements of the story when people keep getting themselves into ridiculous situations.

The laundry press is enormous, and it’s just sitting there doing laundry press things, but people keep walking up to it wearing baggy clothes that (surprise!) get caught in the press. Or they’ll drop something on the machine and then just reach on in to grab what they dropped and (surprise!) get smushed. Like, do these people really need an exorcist or just some basic training from an OSHA safety officer?

That said, The Mangler is a fun one to watch with a group of horror friends. Robert Englund gives every role his all, and he’s fun as Bill Gartley. And the absolute absurdity of “victims” having to walk up to “The Mangler” laundry press and slooooooowly get munched as if it were completely unavoidable is perfect for giggles in a group setting!

Where to Find The Mangler Streaming Now:

Vampire in Brooklyn

Vampire in Brooklyn was directed by Wes Craven, was written by Eddie and Charlie Murphy, and stars Eddie Murphy. That sounds like the perfect combination for a delightful horror comedy, but Vampire in Brooklyn is pretty much just a straight horror film with a heavy helping of romantic drama.

Don’t get me wrong – there ARE jokes. But you know how normal people are sometimes kinda funny and crack jokes versus how a comedian tells jokes…? Everyone in Vampire in Brooklyn is normal people funny. Eddie Murphy, as Max the Dracula-style vampire, is just a suave fellow who occasionally tosses out a moderately witty quip. His Renfield/ghoul is an immature young man who sometimes makes inappropriate comments. Renfield’s uncle is a slightly sassy old man. There’s only one scene that goes fully into comedian level comedy (when Max the vampire impersonates a priest). The rest of Vampire in Brooklyn is pretty grounded. And I won’t say that I was disappointed, but it certainly surprised me!

Plot wise, Vampire in Brooklyn opens much like Dracula — a ship arrives with none of the crew left alive, save for vampire Eddie Murphy. He’s come to Brooklyn in search of a woman (Angela Bassett) who’s half-vampire, half-human. She’s unaware of her vampiric side, but he intends to coax it out of her and make her his mate for eternity.

Angela Bassett is a homicide detective working cases with her partner, Justice (that’s the man’s name, not a metaphor). They have a mutual attraction but haven’t acted on it due to their professional relationship. But the romance angle gets kicked up a notch when Eddie Murphy starts trying to woo Angela Bassett. So, much like Twilight, it becomes a battle of vampiric Team Edward/Eddie versus Team Jacob/Justice!

For the most part, I enjoyed Vampire in Brooklyn but I was disappointed that Angela Bassett’s character completely changes halfway through the movie. She goes from a tough cop who tells Eddie Murphy she’ll shoot him if he treats her badly on their date to a screaming, crying, damsel in distress who just doesn’t know WHAT to do! And I’ve never been someone who thinks that every woman should or needs to be a badass; however, her character was established as gal who knew how to handle herself and dangerous situations. I figured, with her police knowhow and half-vampire/half-human background, she’d be going full Blade mode by the end – not whimpering for someone else to rescue her. Maybe that’s just me.

Also, Eddie Murphy plays THREE roles in Vampire in Brooklyn! In addition to Max the vampire, he dons heavy makeup and plays two other characters. At one point, I was looking at a character and thought, “Oh, that actor has a very unique look. I wonder if he’s been in anything else…” and I looked up the cast and he was Eddie Murphy!! He got me!

Where to Find Vampire in Brooklyn Streaming Now:

Monster Mash

Monster Mash is a live-action horror movie musical written and directed by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow that utilizes the classic monsters — Frankentein’s monster, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and… either the Mummy or The Invisible Man (he’s just referred to as “Elvis” in the trailers and the sarcophagus he pops out of says “Mummy” to me but the bandages with sunglasses combo is usually an Invisible Man thing).

Currently, Pluto is the only one streaming it. Except they’re not. Maybe they’ll change/update it but right now, there’s the poster for this movie but, when you try to watch it, a cartoon plays. The cartoon, Monster Mash (2000), is also a monster-themed musical. I kept thinking that the cartoon was some sort of wrap-around for the live action film, but when it just kept going and going I finally realized what happened. I decline to share how long that realization took me.

So, I wasn’t able to watch this 1995 horror movie either! But I’m curious about it. I really love when the Monsters get together (The Monster Squad, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and the Beetlejuice’s Graveyard Mash-Up live show at Universal Studios all have a special place in my heart!) and I usually enjoy horror movie musicals. If you’ve somehow seen Monster Mash (1995), let ME know how it was! I’d love to know!

Screamers

I can’t recommend Screamers to anyone who suffers from tinnitus or other auditory issues because the high-pitched squealing the title baddies relentlessly exude may leave your ears ringing for several hours after viewing (ask me how I know!?). For everyone else, Screamers is a decent sci-fi horror film of the era. It’s got cool concepts, nifty special effects (they’re not for everyone, but I really enjoy stop-motion animation done with practical models), and there are immersive sets and scenery to help build the off-world setting.

The ending is a “Try Not to Roll Your Eyes” Challenge, but everything leading up to it is pretty good. Screamers takes place in 2078 and Earth has been at war for 10 years. The main characters are a military unit holding down a different planet that has resources Earth needs. There’s a bunch of other sci-fi world-building stuff that adds details to that whole situation, but I’m just gonna skip ahead and tell you that the “Screamer” weapons that were developed to wipe out any naysayers to the military’s takeover of that planet have started to not only have minds of their own, but evolve into much more than they were.

When the intelligent weapons in Screamers start evolving to take on the form of humans, the plot shifts to be a bit like The Thing – the characters no longer know who can be trusted. Is former RoboCop Peter Weller the only one who’s NOT a robot?! Find out!

Where to Find Screamers Streaming Now:

Hideaway

Dad told me that Dean Koontz (the author of the original novel) and anyone who read the book were severely disappointed in Hideaway. Fortunately(?), I didn’t read the novel on which this was based and I had a pretty good time!

Hideaway is MEGA dumb — unintentionally and oft to great hilarity if you’re easily amused. At one point my husband said, “Oh! You’re watching a comedy now?” and I could just barely say “No” through my giggle fits.

Jeff Goldblum (always fun) stars as Hatch, a man who dies in a car crash and is brought back to life by Alfred Molina. Problems arise when he begins having episodes where he sees through a teen serial killer’s eyes as he’s committing murders (kind of like when Harry Potter would catch glimpses of whatever mischief Voldemort was up to). 

So, Jeff Goldblum tries to use his new insight into the killer’s mind to track him down and put a stop to his shenanigans. Unfortunately, the police won’t listen to him, his wife is totally not on board, and his daughter (Alicia Silverstone, Cher in Clueless) just wants to party. Jeff’s on his own with his quest to save young women from grisly fates.

The teen serial killer is played by Jeremy Sisto (Elton in Clueless) and he’s supposed to be cool, mysterious, and easily attracting the teen girls he lures to their dooms. But, having BEEN a teen in the late 1990s, I know for a fact he would’ve been laughed out of the room before he could get his hands on anyone back THEN and, watching Hideaway 30 years later, his overall approach feels even sillier. That’s not a knock on Jeremy Sisto’s performance — he did a fine job bringing that level of cringe to life! — but it made me wonder if anyone working on the film consulted any real teens when adapting those characters for the screen.

The beginning and end of Hideaway HEAVILY use CGI that aged hilariously. If I’d taken the rest of Hideaway seriously, I’d have completely lost my immersion for those scenes. Fortunately, I did not, and I had a lot of fun!

You know that old joke about switching out Beethoven for Cujo when your kid’s not looking? I kept thinking about how funny it would be to fall asleep watching Clueless when Alicia Silverstone and Jeremy Sisto are having a spat and waking up during the last scenes of Hideaway thinking, “Whoa. That escalated quickly!” (By the way, don’t actually traumatize your kids – the joke above is a silly thought, not a prank recommendation).

Hideaway isn’t a great movie, but I had fun watching it. Maybe you will too! My only other thought on it is that if you suffer from light-induced ocular migraines, be sure to look away whenever Jeff Goldblum starts to have one of his mental episodes (they always begin with bright white flashing lights) and avoid Hideaway entirely if you’re prone to seizures. Otherwise, it’s an okay time!

Where to Find Hideaway Streaming Now:

The Addiction

There’s always that one boy or girl in middle school who makes brooding and being “deep” their entire personality. They read one philosophy book or watch one indie film and then they spend several months with a mild superiority complex and talk down to their peers about the ways of the world. Most, thankfully, grow up and out of that phase and become mellow sound-minded adults. But a select few never mature past that middle school mindset and become a-hole adults — and Lili Taylor’s character in The Addiction, Kathleen/Kathy, is unfortunately the latter.

Like, Kathy, don’t lecture your friend on how your salad is so much better than her burger – you’re a drug addict having an affair with your professor who kills people. You’re not better than anyone. Grow up.

Christopher Walken has second billing in The Addiction, but he’s a star in it the way Wes Craven stars in The Fear or George Clooney stars in Return to Horror High — he’s only in one scene. It’s the BEST scene in the entire film! But, man, do you miss him once he’s gone.

The Addiction is about a preachy college student who whines about the bleakness of life getting bitten by a vampire and then uses that as an excuse to be even more of an insufferable jerk to the people around her.

At one point she pulls out one of her own teeth to prove to her friend that we’re ALL rotting/dying so why not just give into nihilism…? Um, Kathleen, you probably just need to diversify your diet and maybe take a vitamin C supplement. Young people living on their own for the first time on a meager budget are sometimes susceptible to scurvy due to malnutrition. Chill!

Kathleen also compares her life to those who died in the Bosnian War and in the Holocaust and it’s just like… No? You’re living on your own in a cushy Manhattan apartment while studying for your useless doctorate in philosophy. You don’t even work! How dare you. Someone get Van Helsing on the phone, stat!

Well, as I said, I really enjoyed Christopher Walken’s scene in The Addiction (he’s also a vampire, but he’s learned how to enjoy life. He was very excited that he’d figured out how to eat real food and poop again!). I thought The Addiction had a nice look. It’s filmed in black & white and it worked well with the locations, particularly the outdoor scenes.

Where to Find The Addiction Streaming Now:

Species

Species is the story of a sad young woman going through a very rough puberty.

Scientists decide to create an alien/human hybrid, Sil, who rapidly grows into a 12-year-old girl. As tween girls do, Sil begins having mood swings as her hormones begin to kick in. So, rather than buying her some pads and chocolate and talking her through it, the scientists dudes decide to murder her.

Young Sil escapes and matures into a beautiful twenty-something with a mad case of the horny. So, she goes on the prowl for a man. But people keep finding out she’s actually an alien and she kills them in self-defense.

Sil is a tragic Frankenstein’s monster character with a succubus twist. I felt bad for her! I’m not sure what happens in later films in the Species franchise, but in this first entry it felt like she just really needed a good friend and a cold shower. That poor girl.

I thought Sil’s design, when she’s in full alien form, looked neat. She looks like a Monster High doll!

Where to Find Species Streaming Now:

Casper

Yay! 1995 FINALLY delivers a horror movie suitable for kids!!

I’ve already written at length about Casper in two other articles, so I’ll keep this short: Casper is a cute kid/tween-friendly ghost story with CGI special effects that hold up surprisingly well. Some of the 1990’s cultural references/jokes may be missed by younger audience members, but it won’t affect the story or the movie as a whole.

Where to Find Casper Streaming Now:  

Tank Girl

Okay, so, Tank Girl was more a horror at the box office (it bombed) than an actual horror movie, but I realized I’d reviewed 39 horror movies from 1995 and I really wanted to do 40. Haunted (1995), a period piece set in the 1920s about a haunted house, wasn’t available and I didn’t want to do another “I wasn’t able to watch this” entry. Sooooo… Tank Girl! It’s a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film and, I mean, have you SEEN the kangaroo men?! They’re HORRIFYING!

Anyway, I think if Tank Girl came out in the 2010s rather than 1995, it probably would’ve done okay! It feels like, to quote Marty McFly, one of the “I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet. But your kids are gonna love it” kinda movies.

Tank Girl takes place in the not-too-distant future of 2033 and the world (or at least Australia) is a dried-out desert after a major drought caused by an apocalyptic event. Malcolm McDowell is the bad guy in charge of all the water and power. Lori Petty and Naomi Watts play Tank Girl and Jet Girl, respectively, and they team up with the Rippers (the aforementioned kangaroo men, who are great fighters and nice fellows but MAN are they nightmare fuel to gaze upon) to defeat Malcolm McDowell.

It has a lot of energetic music, there are SO many costume changes that I lost count (Tank Girl sports a new outfit in every scene!), and Lori Petty’s Tank Girl absolutely gives off modern/current Harley Quinn vibes. She’s not evil, she’s not exactly a hero, but she’s clearly having a lot of fun and it’s hard not to get swept up by her energy and root for her. And Jet Girl is very cute, sensible, and a nice counter-balance to Tank Girl’s character.

It leans a little too heavily into sex jokes sometimes for my personal preferences, but otherwise Tank Girl is all right!

Where to Find Tank Girl Streaming Now:

Which 1995 Horror Movies Are YOUR Favorites?

To me, it felt like the horror movies from the early 1990s were still coasting on the vibes of the late 1980s. Then, in 1994 and 1995, horror felt a bit lost. Many of the films have an undercurrent of hopelessness, and there’s a distinct lack of heroes. Very few 1995 horror movies feature anyone who’s genuinely GOOD or trying to do good. It’s a trend I’ve seen repeating with many horror films now… And it makes me want to reach back through time and give the folks living in 1995 a hug. I won’t, of course – 12 Monkeys showed us that mucking around with time isn’t a great idea — but I do feel sadness for them.

That said, I’m very excited to review the horror films of 1996 next year! To me, that’s when 1990’s horror really found its footing and took off. Some of my faves came out that year (The Frighteners! Scream!) and the years after were a lot of fun too. And, if history is repeating itself, that gives me hope for us in the present as well.

But what did YOU think of the horror films of 1995? Which 1995 horror movies were your favorites? Let me know!

Images for these reviews were purchased via MovieStillsDB and CineMaterial. Sometimes I layered them so they’d be horizontal images instead of vertical. The stock photo image of wood was from Pixabay.