For years now, cult classics have been one of the most beloved types of films by the film community. A cult classic is a film that generally was not popular during its initial release, but grew in popularity over the years. A cult classic usually constitutes failure at the box office upon initial release or a film that was relatively obscure at the time. Cult classics typically garner a passionate fan base well after the film’s release, ready and willing to come to the defense when their favorite film is publicly criticized.
The 1990s have become a notorious decade for cult classics. Films from the ’90s have become famous examples of cult classics, such as Pulp Fiction, that have grown such a dedicated following over the years that it has become part of the mainstream. So many cult classics were unknowingly born in the ’90s, but not all of them get the recognition they deserve even now. There are still plenty of films that while they have acquired cult status over the years, still fly under the radar even as cult classics. Below are ten ’90s cult classics that still do not get enough credit:
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10 Drop Dead Fred (1991)
Working Title Films
If you have seen Drop Dead Fred, then you deserve an award because it truly feels like this film is never talked about. When a woman moves back home with her mother after leaving her womanizing husband, her world is turned upside down when she is revisited by her rambunctious childhood imaginary friend, Fred.
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This movie is genuinely so charming and heartfelt. Fred may be imaginary and ultra-chaotic, but he is the only person in the world who truly understands Elizabeth. He helps her to regain confidence in herself and put her needs first. No one else in her life was able to help her the way that Fred was able to.
9 Election (1999)
Paramount Pictures
Reese Witherspoon plays an over-achieving student politician named Tracy Flick while Matthew Broderick plays a high school teacher named Jim McCallister who is over his job in Election. Jim is irrationally irritated by Tracy’s eagerness to excel in school and persistence in winning the class president election.
In fact, he is so bothered by her determination that he convinces one of the jocks to run for class president instead. Watching Matthew Broderick at his wit’s end and going back and forth with Reese Witherspoon is endlessly entertaining. It has all the classic high school tropes but ramped up to over-the-top measures.
8 To Die For (1995)
Sony Pictures Releasing
Gus Van Sant’s To Die For follows a determined but naive aspiring television news anchor who decides to film a documentary about teenagers, but with an ulterior motive. Nicole Kidman plays the aspiring news anchor, Suzanne Stone, and she is willing to do quite literally anything to achieve her goal, no matter the consequences or the means necessary. To Die For is full of scandals, crimes, and lies, but even manages to incorporate subtle humor into it. It is similar to films like Promising Young Woman and Gone Girl, but perhaps even more entertaining despite the lack of attention it gets.
7 Dead Man (1995)
Miramax Films
Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man stars Johnny Depp as accountant William Blake, a man on the run after committing murder who meets a spiritual Native American man named Nobody who helps prepare William for his journey into the spiritual world.
Nobody believes that William is the reincarnation of the famous literary poet William Blake, which sets them off on their surreal journey to find the spirit world. It’s a thought-provoking, puzzling film that does not get brought up nearly enough. The journey that Nobody and William embark on is one of existential dread and brings up questions of life and death.
6 Office Space (1999)
20th Century Fox
Office Space is the perfect watch for anyone who had a bad day at work or dislikes the mundanity of their job. Three office workers who are fed up with their jobs decide to rebel against their greedy boss by conceiving a scheme to get fired, but instead one of them finds themselves on the fast track to promotion. While people do enjoy this movie, it doesn’t feel like enough people appreciate it or the sense of humor in it. The humor is so dry and sardonic, but it works perfectly for the plot of the movie.
5 Practical Magic (1998)
Warner Bros.
Two witch sisters, Sally and Gillian, who were raised by their eccentric aunts in a small town on the coast of Massachusetts face the prejudices of the close-minded townspeople and a curse that any man they fall in love with is ultimately doomed. Gillian (Nicole Kidman) decides to leave their coastal town and live life to the fullest, but in the process falls for a man named Jimmy.
Sally (Sandra Bullock) decides to stay and swears to only use magic in the most practical senses, yet still falls in love with and marries a man named Michael, and even has two daughters with him. One of the criticisms that Practical Magic faced when it was released was that it tried to blend too many genres. There are elements of dark comedy, fantasy, romance, and drama in the film, but it works for the characters and story the movie is trying to tell.
4 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
New Line Cinema
The film follow-up to the cult classic television show, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me delves into the last week of Laura Palmer’s life through her perspective. While the TV show started with her being dead and revolved around the mystery of how she died, the movie shows the last few frightening days of her life and how she even became involved with the strange entities of the Red Room, to begin with.
It wasn’t until the release of the 2017 continuation of the series, Twin Peaks: The Return, that many fans started to change their opinions of the film. The original show, while still strange and a bit creepy, had a warm color palette and a lighter sense of humor. FWWM had none of that. It was dark, depressing, and scary. Angelo Badalamenti’s soft score was replaced with a more sinister score that left a feeling of unease.
3 Natural Born Killers (1994)
Warner Bros.
Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson both give outstanding performances in Natural Born Killers. A man and a woman, both victims of traumatized childhoods, become lovers and psychopathic serial killers who become recklessly glorified by the media. Released almost 30 years ago, the depiction of America is still relevant today. Mallory (Lewis) and Mickey (Harrelson) are picked up by the tabloids as sweethearts and are pushed into the spotlight, despite being actual murderers.
Of course, there is also Wayne Gale, played perfectly by Robert Downey Jr, who is an over-the-top caricature of TV hosts who are hungry for any view-worthy content. Americans are drawn to things that perhaps should scare us, hence the popularity of true-crime documentaries and shows.
2 Buffalo ‘66 (1998)
Cinépix Film Properties
Buffalo ‘66 centers around a man named Billy recently let out of prison and is set to visit his parents with his soon-to-be wife, whom he does not actually have. To remedy this, Billy kidnaps a young woman at a dance studio and forces her to be his future bride for the occasion. However, Billy’s main goal is to go after the man who is responsible for his jail stint in the first place.
He just needs to bid farewell to his family before he does so, and his parents were under the impression he had a fiancé. Billy is ultimately left with a decision to kill the man he hates, or replace his hatred with the love he has needed his entire life. Buffalo ‘66 is funny, depressing, and a little bit unnerving, but definitely worth a watch.
1 True Romance (1993)
A pop-culture-obsessed nerd marries a call girl in Detroit, steals cocaine from her pimp, and then tries to sell it in Los Angeles. However, the mob happens to be the owners of the cocaine, so they track the two of them down to reclaim it. True Romance is best described as a rom-com, crime drama, and road-trip movie all rolled into one.
Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Patricia Arquette) have magnetic chemistry as they travel across the country and dodge the mob. Clarence and Alabama are destructive and chaotic, but it’s impossible not to root for them. With a script from Quentin Tarantino, it is both unhinged and a good time.
