With its roots stemming from early 20th-century literature such as H.G. Wells’The Island of Dr. Moreau and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, body horror is characterized by gruesome body transformations and mutations. The genre rose to prominence in the world of cinema during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Utilizing innovative practical effects, body horror movies like The Fly, The Thing, and Hellraiser have since gone on to become considered classics within the horror genre.
As the ‘90s hit, technological advancements and the rise of CGI meant that many directors focused more on sleek and visually polished special effects. As a result, the body horror genre and its more physically tangible, visceral style witnessed a decline.
However, that’s not to say a number of classics of the genre weren’t released during the decade with some directors sticking to their roots and continuing to use practical effects and others skillfully combining them with the CGI of the moment. Below are the 10 best body horror movies of the ‘90s.
10 The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
Based on H.G Wells’ 1896 classic novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, is about a mysterious scientist who is conducting gruesome experiments involving human-animal hybrids, on a remote island. The story explores the ethical issues surrounding the science and notion of ‘playing God.’
The Island of Dr. Moreau Is Based on One of the Early Body Horror Novels
Following two previous adaptations of the novel, the 1996 version failed to live up to expectations, and while the story remains timeless, the execution was considered inferior to previous iterations, with the movie scoring only 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. While it had its fans, many critics were particularly disappointed in what they considered to be subpar acting from big names like Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer.
9 In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
No stranger to body horror, director John Carpenter is revered among fans of the genre for his ground-breaking work on the 1982 classic The Thing. This time around, with In The Mouth of Madness, the filmmaker pays homage to the works of H.P. Lovecraft in his exploration of insanity and the human condition.
In the Mouth of Madness Blurs The Lines Between Fiction and Reality
Following the story of an insurance investigator on the hunt for a missing author, the investigator finds himself in the peculiar town of Hobb’s End where the lines between reality and fiction blur as it becomes apparent the authors’ works are more than mere fantasy. Residents of the town gradually twist, contort, and morph into all manner of nightmarish forms, creating a chilling movie with a truly uncomfortable atmosphere.
8 Species (1995)
Despite its impressive cast of respected actors including Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, and Forest Whitaker, it’s advisable not to go into Species expecting a highly sophisticated display of fine art. Species is shlocky, over the top, and somewhat ridiculous, but it’s still a rollicking good time.
Species Is as Fun as It Is Silly
The plot revolves around a ragtag group of scientists on the hunt for an alien-human hybrid creature who is looking to seduce and mate with a human male companion and create a highly dangerous offspring. It throws in a few scares, a couple of laughs, and some solid CGI and practical special effects, resulting in a great source of entertainment for genre fans.
Stream on Fubo
7 Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992)
The original Tetsuo movie, The Iron Man, was released in 1989 and is widely considered one of the most important and influential Japanese horror movies ever made and a staple of any die-hard body horror fan’s collection. It’s not surprising, then, that a sequel was greenlit which arrived in the form of Tetsuo II: Body Hammer in 1992.
With Its Focus on the Fusion of Flesh and Metal, Tetsuo 2: Body Hammer Is the Quintessential Body Horror Movie
The movie focuses on a man whose body begins to slowly transform into a deadly weapon after he releases a huge surge of rage when his son is kidnapped. The film’s nightmarish imagery coupled with its exploration of the loss of bodily autonomy and the invasion of technology into human form makes it a must-see for those who enjoy the more intensely visceral aspects of the genre.
6 Body Melt (1994)
Combining clever satire with revolting body horror, Body Melt, is a fantastic Australian indie gem. It tells the story of a town that is introduced to free supplements pills, which just so happen to have some pretty extreme side effects. These side effects range from elongated tongues and exploding body parts to monstrous births and tentacle growths and much, much more!
Body Melt Is a Shocking Social Satire
The movie was praised for its schlocky B-Movie charm, its impressive and gruesome practical effects, and its satirization of extreme healthy living and the diet and supplement pill trend.
Stream on AMC+
5 Bride of Re-Animator (1990)
Loosely based on the serialized story Herbert West–Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft, Bride of Re-Animator is the sequel to 1985’s cult classic Re-Animator. This time around Dr. Herbet West and Dr. Cain return to continue their twisted corpse reanimation experiments as they seek to create the perfect woman using various dismembered body parts. All the while, the reanimated, disembodied head of DR. Carl Hill, from the original movie, is out for revenge on the doctors.
A Respectable Sequel to One of the Genre’s Most Celebrated Movies
While failing to reach the critical success of the first movie, it has more than enough humor, horror, and gross-out special effects to keep fans of the original satisfied. Despite middling reviews, it has since gone on to achieve cult status among fans of horror comedy and body horror.
Stream on AppleTV
4 Event Horizon (1997)
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Laurence Fishburne, Event Horizon is a sci-fi horror that follows a group of astronauts as they investigate a spaceship that has mysteriously reappeared several years after it was reported missing. It turns out the ship had been transported to another dimension and returned, bringing with it a malevolent entity intent on destroying all those in its path.
Despite Mixed Reviews, Event Horizon Is Now Considered a Cult Classic
Blending sci-fi with supernatural horror, the film was praised for its intense atmosphere and visual effects. However, it failed to impress some critics who accused the movie of relying on style over substance, pointing out the basic and cliché-ridden plotline. Nevertheless, the movie has since garnered a strong cult following who appreciate its splatterings of intense violence and grotesque body horror elements brought to life masterfully through a combination of practical effects and CGI.
3 Dead Alive (1992)
Now one of Hollywood’s most successful and celebrated directors, Peter Jackson started off making low-budget ultra-violent horror movies in his home country of New Zealand. His third feature film, Dead Alive (aka Braindead) is about a young man who is bitten by a monkey-rat creature and begins to transform into a zombie.
Dead Alive is One of the World’s Goriest Films
Never taking itself too seriously, and at times even slipping into the realms of slapstick and absurdity, Dead Alive is crammed full of impressive practical effects as viewers witness hundreds of residents getting infected by the young man. As the town becomes overrun by these flesh-eating zombies, carnage ensues, resulting in arguably the bloodiest movie ever made.
2 eXistenZ (1999)
eXistenZ is an exhilarating trip into the unknown as audiences bear witness to a game designer being hunted down by a relentless assassin inside the confines of a virtual reality of her own creation. With frequent comparisons to The Matrix, it incorporates similar themes and takes them in an altogether stranger direction with a movie that combines an intricate, thought-provoking narrative with some of cinema’s most horrifying body horror effects.
Existenz Forces Viewers to Constantly Question What They Believe to Be True
By using a virtual reality setting, viewers are challenged to reevaluate their perceptions as they grapple with the shifting nature of the truth within the confines of Cronenberg’s mind-bending reality. With Cronenberg’s twisted imagination able to run amuck, critics were impressed by the unconventional story, special effects, and acting, and it earned him the Silver Bear Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.
1 Cronos (1993)
Before the Oscar wins and international fame, director Guillermo Del Toro was working on his debut movie, Omnivore, a stop-motion sci-fi picture. Unfortunately, the studio was burglarized and vandalized resulting in the destruction of movie sets and over 100 puppets to be used in the film. Following the blow, Del Torro decided to try his hand at live-action and Cronos was unleashed onto the world in 1993.
A Master of His Craft
Managing to be gory and terrifying as well as charming and full of intelligent religious subtext, the horror fantasy tells the story of a man who stumbles across an ancient scarab-like device which grants him eternal light. Not all is as it seems, though, as he develops a taste for blood and begins to undergo a series of grotesque transformations.
The movie’s visual effects are jaw-dropping which is hardly surprising considering Del Toro studied special effects under the legendary Dick Smith and spent 10 years as a special-effects make-up designer.
Stream on Hulu
