Horror is a tricky genre, where it’s hard to impress and effectively send shivers down the spine of all audiences and critics, and plenty of horror films from the 1990s prove this. Though the ’90s is a year generally looked at as having some of the best and most influential films within the horror genre, there were a handful of films that earned a divided response from critics. More often than not, the films with the biggest divide between critics were those that combined horror with comedy.

Though it is possible to create a successful mix of the two genres, plenty of films fail in the eyes of critics, as divisive horror comedies tend to inadequately prioritize one genre over the other. Many of these films have earned cult followings and the critical reception has changed drastically over the years, with movies like Scream being viewed as a crucial film in the horror genre. Whether they were films that tried to merge horror with comedy or they contained weaker scripts that distracted from the intended scares, plenty of ’90s horror movies received a split critical reception.

10

Leprechaun (1993)

Directed by Mark Jones

It’s not uncommon for horror films to be ᴀssociated with holidays other than Halloween, including Valentine’s Day, April Fools’ Day, and Saint Patrick’s Day. The figure ᴀssociated with the latter holiday is the antagonist in the horror comedy, Leprechaun. The film sees a vengeful leprechaun (Warwick Davis) go after a family he believes took his pot of gold. The film was intended to be played seriously as a horror film, but Davis’ take on the character turned out to be more humorous.

As a result, Leprechaun has an odd amalgamation of comedy and horror, which didn’t work for everyone. Many critics reviewed the film negatively, calling it unfunny and borderline unwatchable. Yet, despite making up a smaller portion of critical reviews at the time, others found joy in the film’s campy tone, deeming it a “so-bad-it’s-good” horror movie.

9

Ravenous (1999)

Directed by Antonia Bird

Horror and comedy aren’t two genres that are easily fused, and their combined product hasn’t always been easy for critics to digest. In Ravenous, a horror comedy set in the Old West, a group of soldiers is attacked by a mysterious cannibal.

Despite the gruesome acts and depictions of violence, the tone of Ravenous is still largely comedic, be it dark humor. The meshing of the two tones confused audiences, but didn’t bother critics as much. Instead, negative critical reviews of Ravenous felt the film was too concerned with establishing a chilling atmosphere than setting up an interesting story.

To them, the story that was presented wasn’t full or compelling enough to do right by the film’s otherwise fascinating themes. Ravenous‘ critiques of manifest destiny and colonialism were presented through acts of cannibalism, which a handful of critics felt was commendable. Still, Ravenous failed at the box office, and it took years for it to be recognized as a cult film.

8

The Exorcist III (1990)

Directed by William Peter Blatty

Following the unexpected levels of success of the first film, Exorcist II: The Heretic was widely panned by critics and delayed the release of the third installment. Finally, at the beginning of the ’90s, The Exorcist III was released and earned mixed reviews. The film cleverly ignores the events of its predecessor, circling back to characters seen in the original from 1973. The Exorcist III is centered around Lieutenant William Kinderman’s search for a serial killer in the local area.

The Exorcist III is, without a doubt, the best film in The Exorcist series, right after the original. Positive reviews of the movie agree with this sentiment, as critics praise its ability to balance callbacks to the original film whilst still being something entirely new. However, critics with negative takeaways from the film couldn’t help but compare it to the first. Such reviews state how The Exorcist III, try as it might, isn’t able to capture the same terror and innovation as the original.

7

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Directed by Jim Gillespie

Slasher films are largely ᴀssociated with the ’80s, meaning releases since then, especially those in the ’90s that barely missed the cutoff, are viewed with an especially critical lens. I Know What You Did Last Summer follows a group of four teenagers as they’re hunted by a killer following a car accident in which they killed someone. The film isn’t afraid to flaunt its inspirations, proudly shining a spotlight on the urban legends and ’80s slashers it pulls from.

However, a handful of critics saw I Know What You Did Last Summer as inferior to Scream, which had just been released the year before. Where Scream was able to have fun parodying the elements of a classic slasher, I Know What You Did Last Summer, in the eyes of critics, tried too hard to be taken seriously. Still, reviews of the film weren’t all bad. Many critics appreciated the slasher’s willingness to explore fascinating character relationships even as the film’s body count was quickly rising.

6

Tremors (1990)

Directed by Ron Underwood

Regarded as one of the best monster movies of all time, Tremors seeks to both scare and entertain audiences with its combination of beloved B-movie traits. The film stars Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward as handymen characters wishing to leave their small town after growing tired of their daily routines.

The nonsensical fun wasn’t appreciated by everyone, as other critics felt the film was undecided, being neither scary nor funny enough for its intended mix of genres.

The handymen get the fun adventure they were hoping for when they, along with a seismologist and survivalist couple, fight to survive against a giant flesh-eating worm. The success of the original film led to a series of direct-to-video sequels that pale in comparison.

The first Tremors film was greatly appreciated by critics for its homage to ’50s monster movies and horror tropes, as well as the fact that Tremors never took itself too seriously. However, the nonsensical fun wasn’t appreciated by everyone, as other critics felt the film was undecided, being neither scary nor funny enough for its intended mix of genres.

5

Bride Of Chucky (1998)

Directed by Ronny Yu

Taking a drastic turn from previous installments, the fourth film in the Child’s Play franchise, Bride of Chucky, was much more humorous. The film follows the adventures of Chucky (Brad Dourif) and his former girlfriend, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly). The film has all the entertaining kills present throughout the franchise but is accompanied by comedic banter between Chucky and Tiffany, which would reshape the characterization of the former and the remainder of the franchise.

This humorous turn wasn’t appreciated by a majority of critics. The lack of scares and overuse of self-referential humor in Bride of Chucky left critics unimpressed with the direction the series of films was going in. However, Bride of Chucky‘s over-the-top nature and campiness is what audiences have appreciated about it most. Critical reviews in agreeance with audiences embrace the film’s unique tone.

4

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Directed by Robert Rodriguez

A collaborative effort by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, From Dusk till Dawn is a horror film that begins as an ordinary crime thriller before evolving into an intense horror film with a vampire showdown. The film follows Tarantino and George Clooney’s characters as they take a family hostage before crossing into Mexico. While waiting in a saloon, they discover it’s run by vampires.

The film has earned praise from critics for the vampire twist, with a few reviews calling the film an entertaining B-movie with a great setup. However, this tonal shift turned some critics away, as the splash of violence feels sudden and unnecessarily gruesome. As is the case with many divisive horror movies from the ’90s, From Dusk till Dawn went on to grow a cult following and produced an expansive media franchise with sequel films, a comic book, a video game, and a TV series.

3

Army Of Darkness (1992)

Directed by Sam Raimi

After two successful and acclaimed entries in the Evil ᴅᴇᴀᴅ film series, some critics were left feeling disappointed with the series’ third installment, Army of Darkness. Compared to the first two films, Army of Darkness has a lighter tone and sees Ash Williams trapped in the Middle Ages fighting off the unᴅᴇᴀᴅ to return to the present day. The film did well with audiences and a majority of critics, who had yet to grow tired of Bruce Campbell’s performance as Ash or Sam Raimi’s direction.

Still, there were a handful of critics who felt the film’s humor didn’t land. Some stated it wasn’t as funny as previous installments and others claimed its comedic elements felt too cartoonish and absurd. Army of Darkness is still full of fun, which is hard to challenge, and it is this entertainment value that’s led the film to gain a cult following throughout the years.

2

Cube (1997)

Directed by Vincenzo Natali

Despite its clever blend of science fiction and horror, certain aspects of Cube prevent it from earning a sweepingly positive response from critics. Though it can be seen as cheesy, Cube has a great story that follows seven individuals trapped in a setup of cube-shaped rooms.

These individuals must escape the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly contraptions in and out of the cubes, adding a great sense of tension throughout the entire film. Cube has since received sequel films and has earned a cult following. However, the initial critical response to the film was divided.

On one hand, critics felt that the lackluster characterization, dialogue, and weak writing prevented the film from being truly great. However, others pointed out Cube‘s undeniable uniqueness with its surreal setting and innovative, horrifying death contraptions. In 2021, a Japanese remake of Cube was released with a near-identical story, but its critical response was more mediocre.

1

Scream (1996)

Directed by Wes Craven

Though it’s recognized today as kickstarting arguably the best horror movie franchise, the original Scream earned mixed critical reviews. Scream follows a group of teenagers trying to evade the infamous serial killer known as Ghostface. Now, the slasher is celebrated for having reignited interest in the horror genre and for its creative use of meta-humor, but at the time of its release, critics were divided in their response to the film’s balance of horror and humor.

Negative critical reviews claimed the film was too referential and sacrificed telling an intelligible story of its own.

Those dissatisfied with Scream‘s tone felt the humor took away a significant amount of suspense despite its degree of violence. Negative critical reviews claimed the film was too referential and sacrificed telling an intelligible story of its own.

A greater number of critics agreed Scream‘s meta-humor and references to quintessential slasher tropes were admirably executed. Though such comedic choices were intended to get a laugh, they weren’t done with malice like other satirical horror films, and the sharp writing allowed them to stay fresh, made clear by the ongoing Scream franchise.