The 1990s were a glorious time. The generation that brought us horror films like Scream and Final Destination paved the way for future endeavors which hoped to tap into our most haunting nightmares. The ’90s were an ideal era for gore films as well, though audiences still had a few years before pictures like Saw drilled disturbing images into our minds that we have never been able to fully dispose of.
And then there is the gory teen horror sector with films like The Blair Witch Project distorting everyday reality and putting teen viewers in constant terror mode. These filmmakers seem to have no qualms about the age of their audience; everything blood, guts, and gore were shown in these films. And for some reason, audiences loved them. However, as the years have gone by, old viewers have forgotten all about the scenes that made them want to curl up under the covers. To give you a reminder of those mortifying times, here are ten 10 gory teen horror movies from the ’90s we all forgot about.
Idle Hands (1999)
Teen heartthrobs Devon Sawa and Jessica Alba teamed up with Seth Green, Elden Henson, and Vivica A. Fox in this strange yet disturbing movie. Idle Hands follows the unlikely story of what happens when one teenage boy’s right hand becomes rigged to kill. In true ’90s fashion, this film takes a more satirical route, lazy boy Anton Tobias hand do more atrocious things besides through axes as his friend’s heads. And if that weren’t enough, the teen’s friends manage to become the undead so that their zombie appearance continues to haunt Anton and his murderous right hand.
The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
This rated R sequel to Stephen King’s original Carrie horror tale takes on a ’90s grunge veneer. This time, it’s high school Rachel Lang that uses her telekinetic powers to get back at the high school bullies. The premise of The Rage: Carrie 2 is almost an exact replica of its 1976 predecessor but with slight comedic undertones built into the infrastructure. As Rachel wages war on her fellow classmates, viewers are subject to watch as she sends glass shards into the heart of her enemies.
Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)
When Leigh Ann Watson’s (Katie Holmes) becoming valedictorian is being sabotaged by a ruthless teacher, she takes matters into her own hands. Teaching Mrs. Tingle is less gore than it is a wayward horror teen film that is considered a miss by audiences, despite starring actors from Dawson’s Creek. Although, the stakes are heightened once Mrs. Tingle (Helen Mirren) proves that she isn’t willing to go down without a fight.
Halloween H20 (1998)
Jamie Lee Curtis returns in H20 Halloween: 20 Years Later. Under the assumed name Laurie Strode, now a dean of a northern private school, she must face Michael Myers once again as his 20-year vengeance comes full force.
But with her son’s life hanging in the balance, Laurie faces the serial killer head-on, with a rhythm of unprecedented courageousness. The sequel’s success still hides in the shadow of its predecessor, but this teen gory film is one that at least true to its genre.
The Faculty (1998)
Zeke Tyler (Josh Hartnett) become suspicious of their teachers in this eccentric horror sci-fi ’90s movie. Scream’s Kevin Williams took the helm of this project, which made audiences eager to see the outcome. It did pretty well considering it’s a story about high school students discovering their teachers are actually aliens from another planet. The otherwise impassive setting suddenly takes a thrilling turn as a group of six familiar faces (Usher and Elijah Wood to name a few) work together to destroy their teachers. It’s a surprisingly gruesome film and The Faculty is surely one that ’90s fans are willing to revisit.
Disturbing Behavior (1998)
Katie Holme stars again in another ’90s teen horror film, this time titled Disturbing Behavior. James Marsden takes a front row seat in the film, playing the lead as Steve Clark, who starts to notice the eerie behavior of his classmates. It’s not until he teams up with Rachel Wagner (holmes) and her crew that he realizes their Stepford-like behavior is coming from the town’s desire to perfect the teenagers’ behaviors. Through science and medical experiments, Steve and Rachael watch in horror as their friends are picked off one-by-one and remade into idealistic personas under the knife of Dr. Edgar Caldicott (Bruce Greenwood).
Urban Legend (1998)
The producers of I Know What You Did Last Summer decided to try their hand at another teenaged gory horror film with 1998s Urban Legends. This time, it’s famous headliners include names like Jared Ledo and Tara Reid to lure in the audience. Despite its cast and tempting plotline, the film didn’t really meet box office standards.
It’s a bit of stretch (they even say so in the film itself) when teenage students begin to discover that a serial killer has become a copycat to the most infamous urban legends. It’s still worth a watch, however, and you may begin to appreciate the film and its unsuspecting characters (albeit, in a more comical kind of way.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
I Know What You Did Last Summer had the most epic cast list known to teenage horror films. Starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Ryan Phillippe, not even a bad premie could keep viewers away. Thankfully, the story of four teenagers’ scheme to cover up a hit and run bode well with its intended audience. They are taken on a spin when the presumed dead victim comes back to haunt the group by leaving them terrifying messages indicating they “know what you did last summer.” The victim turned serial killer hunts them down individually as the group tries to rid of the hook-wielding maniac.
Campfire Tales (1997)
Campfire Tales is an anthology series that tells individual folklore made famous as campfire stories. A group of teenagers gather around their own pit and indulge in urban legends as a source of entertainment. But once they get back home, they realize that they themselves are in their own horror story. This ’90s movie is rampant with uncongenial plots like raunchy scenes mixed with disturbing gory sights. It’s not really a bad film, but one that adults nowadays might question what made them love this movie to begin with.
Fear (1996)
Director James Foley turned the word Fear into an all-too-real film starring Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon. David (Wahlberg) is the perfect boyfriend: charming, handsome, with a good head on his shoulders. Nicole (Witherspoon) is smitten and instantly falls in love.
However, her love turns to fear when David’s true dark demeanor begins to rise. Soon, she’s living in a teenage nightmare, as David’s obsession over her has Nicole running for her life.
