Episode 93 - 90s Sci-Fi Horror

Mar 30, 2025

Dive into the cinematic landscape of 90s sci-fi horror, where forgotten gems like 'Hardware' and 'Event Horizon' resurface. The discussion highlights a transformative decade, revealing underappreciated films and their innovative storytelling. Explore how cultural shifts, punk influences, and critiques of corporate greed shaped the genre. Unpack themes of voyeurism and technology as an antagonist, while celebrating the chilling visuals that made these films cult classics. Rediscover why this era deserves a second look!

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INSIGHT

Misunderstood 90s Horror Era

The 1990s horror films were plentiful, with over 600 titles, but often obscured by the label 'thriller' and overshadowed by the previous decade.
Despite this, many great and groundbreaking films were produced in the 90s, especially in international markets.

ANECDOTE

Hardware's Deep Personal Impact

John Kitley shares how the film Hardware, released in 1990, uniquely connected with his underground interests and became a life-changing favorite.
The movie's cyberpunk setting and inclusion of his favorite underground musicians made it feel personal to him.

INSIGHT

Hardware's Filmmaking Mastery

"Hardware" impresses with tight, clever filmmaking despite a low budget, using lighting, sound, and setting effectively.
Director Richard Stanley crafted a believable dystopian world with minimal exposition, showcasing his filmmaking skill.

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Hardware (1990), Death Machine (1994), and Event Horizon (1997)

The 1990s are often thought of as a decade of dread for horror fans—not because of what was on the screen, but because nothing good supposedly came out of it. Or at least, that’s the typical response. But as we continue down the path to Discover the Horror, we’re starting to realize that what we remember about the past isn’t always accurate—whether it's based on our own memories or what we were told.

When you really dig into those ten years, there's actually a lot of great stuff that came out—even just here in the U.S. And when you look beyond to international horror, it gets even better. Browse through the list and you’re bound to say, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that one.”

In this episode, we decided to tackle that decade and picked three titles that, as it turns out, share some very similar themes. And we think all three are well worth watching.

Films mentioned in this episode:

Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Batman Returns (1992), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Boneyard (1991), Braindead (1992), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Candyman (1992), Cronos (1992), Day of the Dead (1985), Death Machine (1994), Dellamorte Dellamore (1994), The Descent (2005), Dr. Giggles (1992), Dust Devil (1992), Event Horizon (1997), Evil Dead 2 (1987), The Exorcist (1973), Faces of Death (1978), Freeway (1996), Goodfellas (1990), Godzilla (1998), Gravity (2013), Halloween (1978), Halloween H20 (1998), Hardware (1990), Hellraiser (1987), Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), High Tension (2003), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), In the Mouth of Madness (1994), Judge Dredd (1995), Jurassic Park (1993), Lord of Illusion (1995), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), Meet the Feebles (1989), Mimic (1997), Misery (1990), The Mummy (1999), Nightbreed (1990), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Princess Bride (1987), Reign of Fire (2002), The Resurrected (1991), Return of the Living Dead (1985), Return to Splatter Farm (2020), Ringu (1998), Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Star Wars (1977), Thelma & Louise (1991), The Thing (1982), Valentine (2001), Warning Sign (1985), Willow (1988)