10 Best B-Movies of the 1990s, Ranked

The humble B-movie is something of a lost art form in the modern era, with the 1990s possibly being the last great decade for the genre. “B-movies” refer to any film with a miniscule budget that squeezes the entertainment out of cheap thrills, action, gore and sex appeal. Usually living in the realm of science fiction, horror, action or martial arts movies, these types of films fulfill a cult niche with their unmistakable campy charm. While the 80s had their best B-movies, the 90s are a strong contender with some strong offerings.

The best B-movies know not to take themselves too seriously while making their tiny budgets go as far as possible. It’s not an easy task, but talented directors like Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson are more than capable of making the slow production costs go much further than ever expected. Add in some half-decent (or memorably bad) acting performances, creative premises, and an undeniable pop culture impact, and B-movies can end up being so much more than the sum of their parts.

10

Kube

1997

A B-movie loved enough to spawn its own modest series of spin-offs, Kube is an incredibly creative flash movie that makes the most out of its limitations. The film follows an eclectic group of strangers who suddenly wake up in a mysterious shifting labyrinth of cube-shaped rooms with no memory of how they got there. They have to work together to survive the facility’s deadly traps while keeping tabs on each other to avoid becoming a human shield.

Kube is driven by its incredibly creative premise, building on the mystery of the cube’s purpose with very gingerly hidden answers that are then ruined by the specificity of the sequels. The gruesome traps of the various shifting rooms of the puzzle-like torture chamber provide a wide variety of creatively brutal deaths, even if many of them are quite predictable. Kube It doesn’t quite execute its concept as strongly as other B-movies from the ’90s, however was popular enough to get its own trilogy of films for good reason.

9

Hardware

1990

A rare horror film with a robot as the primary antagonist, Hardware is a shockingly atmospheric splatterfest set in a well-realized science fiction world. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic future in which small bands of humanity get through in the hollowed-out ruins of a technologically advanced society, Hardware Centers around a soldier who gifts his artist girlfriend an old robotic head to use in a sculpture. When the head reactivates, building a body for itself from exhausted materials, terror breaks out in the couple’s small community of survivors.

like cube, hardware uses its dense, claustrophobic setting to evoke a world far grander than what’s shown on screen. Hardware However, does a better job at world building, and creates a truly memorable cybernetic killer to unleash the endearing characters that viewers will really want to see live to the end credits. that is, The slow pacing and lack of pop culture impact continues Hardware A more obscure cult classic.

8

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

1990

Big family-friendly franchises aren’t typically what you expect to be paired with a B-movie, but it’s hard to argue that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Doesn’t fit the bill. From its small budget to its schlocky premise, the live-action manifestation of the beloved comic-turned-80s-cartoon certainly qualifies as a B-movie in all the ways that matter. Not reinventing the wheel, the first 90s Turtles movie tells the origin story of the titular crime-fighting reptile youth and their earliest battles with the evil ninja clan the Foot, and their deadly master, Shredder.

While the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Having had many incarnations, their radical 90s versions have left a lasting impression on the hugely popular franchise ever since. From the Turtles’ radical slang to their humble beginnings, The 90s movie is able to navigate with such a strange premise in live action With some wickedly creative animatronic costumes. Even if it’s corny and painfully dated, the first of the 90s TMNT movies deserves recognition for just how far it managed to run with such a difficult assignment.

7

tremors

1990

Another B-many popular enough to inspire sequels, tremors is a unique creature feature with an incredible sense of bravado and panache. Starring Kevin Bacon, the movie revolves around a small southwestern town that comes under attack from a horde of terrifying creatures that haunt the earth. It’s up to Bacon’s Val, a handyman with a penchant for fighting tunneling horrors, to save his eccentric community.

Evoking the creature features of the 1950s, tremors Manages to expertly balance its horror with precise comedy. Even if its multi-million dollar budget and star power put it on the pricier side of the B-movie spectrum, the film is unapologetically rooted in the aesthetics and sensibilities of the genre. Although tremors can balance his scares and laughs a little too evenly, Being competent but never amazing in any categoryThe whole tremors Series wouldn’t have happened without fervent fan demand.

6

Al Mariachi

1992

Without knowing the history of Game Spy Kids And The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D Director Robert Rodriguez’s cinematic track record, one might be surprised to know that he was behind some of the bloodiest B-movies of the turn of the millennium. Enter al mariachi A Spanish-language neo-western that makes High Noon Shootout a bloody good time. Shot with a mostly lovable cast on an absolutely incredible budget, the film follows a drifting musician who is mistaken for a dangerous criminal.

Al Mariachi uses its deserted filming location to stage some gorgeous, sweeping cinematography and pulse-pounding firefights that earned every penny of its impressive box office run. The creative use of a guitar case as a weapon is pure Robert Rodriguez charm, and the unabashedly campy director manages to squeeze every drop of talent from his inexperienced cast to paint a highly entertaining story of love and deception. Even if the budget and Rodriguez’s inexperience form countless cracks on the finished product, it’s hard not to admire Al Mariachi.

5

Ricky-Oh: The Story of Ricky

1991

One of the most violent martial arts movies ever put to screen, Ricki-Oh: The Story of Ricki is a wonderful B-file that has to be seen to be believed. The story, as much as it is one, centers on the titular Ricky, an inexplicably superhumanly strong ruffian who is imprisoned in a deadly super-prison after taking revenge for his girlfriend’s murder. What follows is a bloody series of attempts on Ricky’s life as he draws the ire of various elements. In the prison, they all went down one by one.

The terrible deaths of Riki-Oh: The Story of Riki Alone are enough to carry it into the B-movie hall-of-fame, with realism thrown out the window as Ricky disassembles, breaks and snaps his opponents in increasingly creative ways. It’s hard not to fall in love with Ricky’s simply overpowered strength as he tears through his prison, surviving even the wildest threats, including a last-minute addition of a literally inhuman storm monster. The film’s English dub, nonsensical plot, and sheer brutality can be distracting at times, but as a B-movie, it’s almost unmatched.

4

From dusk till dawn

1996

Although he didn’t direct it, the fingerprints of infamous pulp action director Quentin Tarantino are all over it from dusk till dawn, Written and starred in at first, the George Clooney star vehicle seems like a run-of-the-mill crime movie, featuring two criminals on the run through the American Southwest who take a hapless family hostage during their botched escape. It’s not until 40 minutes in that the film suddenly shifts gears and becomes a vampire movie when the characters are trapped in a bloodthirsty strip bar secretly run by the creatures.

For the incredible carpet-pulling it is able to get over the viewers, From dusk till dawn is a legendary combination of horror, action and comedy with plenty of charm in every slot. From the cute cheap vampire costumes to the hilariously creative weapons in the game, including a revolver based on code, the film knows what it is and succeeds in a great fun action romp with flying colors. What’s going on? From dusk till dawn Eclipsing the following B-movies is some of its questionable sexual content, including One of the most egregious examples of Tarantino’s obsession with feet.

3

Night of the Living Dead

1990

Zombies and B-movies go hand-in-hand, and films like the 1990 version of Night of the Living Dead Prove that time and time again. A remake of George A. Romero’s legendary zombie movie of the same name that popularized the genre, Night of the Living Dead Makes a similar premise. In the midst of a deadly zombie outbreak, seven survivors manage to huddle together in a rural farmhouse, holding out against the slowly-advancing undead horde for as long as they can.

Unlike most remakes, Night of the Living Dead Plays things very close to the original, acting mostly as a modernized update of the 1968 classic with glorious 90s special effects. The characters also get a stronger pass in this iteration of the story, expanding on relationships and themes that were only hinted at in the predecessor. As well as Night of the Living Dead Is as old as a zombie movie classic, it stands on the shoulders of giants, and doesn’t rely on its own ideas enough to truly be one of the B-many greats.

2

Army of Darkness

1992

A direct sequel to Sam Raimi’s cult classic remake of his own film, evil dead 2, Army of Darkness Takes Ash Williams and the Deadites to a whole new world. I picked up where the previous film left off, Army of Darkness Ash falls into a gate that spits him out into the Middle Ages, having to argue with the superstitious people of the era as a time-lapsed survivor. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Deadites seem prolific in this age, forcing Ash to mount a resistance against the titular army of the undead.

took the creativity of Evil Dead In a daring setting far beyond his typical cabin in the woods, Army of Darkness Deserves credit for expanding the possibilities of not only the franchise, but B-horror movies as a whole. Jam-packed with just as much flagrantly fake blood and guts as the original, Army of Darkness It becomes decidedly more stupid with its violence, ascending to almost Tom and Jerry– Levels of slapstick humor that has yet to be surpassed. If it wasn’t for another zombie movie in the same year, Army of Darkness Could easily have a case as the biggest 90s B-movie.

1

Braindead

1992

These days, Peter Jackson is known for his groundbreaking work on the Lord of the Rings Movies. Tolkien fans are often shocked to learn that the director got his start crafting one of the most disturbingly violent zombie movies ever that has since ascended to the throne of 90s B-movie royalty. Enter mind, Marketed in North America as living dead, The film presents the gruesome tale of ​​a young, loving boy who desperately tries to keep his zombified mother safe in the midst of a deadly undead plague caused by the bite of a mysterious creature.

Braindead is the king of B-movie gore, managing to go over-the-top with his zombie maulings in a way that’s frankly unrealistic, but somehow still chilling to watch unfold. The humor and performances of Braindead are also terribly on point, wading in the bucket of blood with a skill that anchors the bloodbath in something tangible. Braindead Put Peter Jackson on the map for a very good reason, and to this day towers over all others B-movies From the 90s.