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The 1990s was a decade of midnight movies so out there that some consider them brilliant and others too eccentric for their liking. The cult film experience attracts a different audience – those more open to unique sensibilities and portrayals of unconventional satire and controversial ideologies.
The characters in cult films are often highly exaggerated individuals who don’t really depict what most humans are like but who many have probably wanted or envisioned to be. The 90s had a wide array of beloved cult films, but a few favorites like The Big Lebowski,Office Space, and Reservoir Dogs defined the decade.
Updated on June 16, 2023, by David Caballero:
1990s cinema remains highly influential among modern audiences. The decade was crucial for independent filmmaking, elevating it into the mainstream and birthing many modern cult classics that critics and audiences still favor. And while not all have the same pedigree as The Big Lebowski, they are still important parts of ’90s history, contributing to its continued legacy as one of the defining decades in American film history.
10 ‘Jawbreaker’ (1999)
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Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayhart, and Judy Greer star in the dark teen comedy Jawbreaker. The plot follows three popular girls who accidentally murder their classmate. Covering the crime, they are blackmailed by an unpopular student to make her one of them, or she’ll rat them out to the police.
Heavily inspired by another beloved cult classic, 1988’s Heathers, Jawbreaker is a deliciously wicked take on the classic teen genre. Supported by a stellar, star-making performance from Rose McGowan, Jawbreaker is among the campiest films from the 90s, a scathing takedown of the high school social system, and a worthy companion to other generation-defining teen movies like Clueless and Mean Girls.
9 ‘Fight Club’ (1999)
A man called the Narrator is unfulfilled by his mundane life and suffers from chronic insomnia. He begins to attend support groups as an impostor (Edward Norton) who pretends to suffer from diseases, where he meets another impostor, Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter). While on the flight back from a business trip, he meets a soap salesman Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), and his life changes.
David Fincher‘s Fight Club has since been adapted to video games and influenced film scores and scenes; it now ranks as one of the most referenced films in pop culture. It’s also famous for its now-iconic line, “The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.”
8 ‘Cruel Intentions’ (1999)
The erotic teen drama Cruel Intentions stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Philippe, and Reese Witherspoon. The plot follows Sebastian and Kathryn, two scheming and manipulative step-siblings in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The two conduct a bet about whether Sebastian can seduce a virginal new student at their school; however, things get complicated when he develops feelings for her.
Though Cruel Intentions received mixed reviews, the film has long been regarded as a cult classic. The three lead performers received critical praise, and the film is now considered among the best teen movies of the 1990s. A Cruel Intentions TV series based on the film will premiere on Prime Video, although there’s no set date for its debut.
7 ‘Office Space’ (1999)
Office Space follows Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston), a lethargic programmer at Initech. Two business consultants, Bob Slydell (John C. McGinley) and Bob Porter (Paul Wilson), are brought in to help Initech downsize. While Peter charms the consultants with his rebellious behavior, his two colleagues, Michael (David Herman) and Samir (Ajay Naidu), are mistreated. Later, Peter agrees to help Michael and Samir plot revenge against the Bobs by infecting the company’s accounting system with a computer virus.
Despite the film’s disappointing domestic gross of $12 million against a $10 million budget, the movie quickly gained a cult status and following. Actors Gary Cole (who played Bill Lumbergh) and Jennifer Aniston (who played Joanna) still get many impressions and lines thrown at them (according to Entertainment Weekly). Ron Livingston believes the film resonates because it encourages audiences “to prioritize your happiness” (via Today).
6 ‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998)
Los Angeles slacker and bowling enthusiast Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) gets assaulted by two men when he is mistaken for a millionaire who bears the same name as him, Jeffrey “The Big” Lebowski (David Huddleston). After learning that the millionaire was their intended victim because he owes their boss, porn kingpin Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazzara) money and that Lebowski’s trophy wife is kidnapped, Lebowski pays The Dude to bring the ransom to Jackie. As if the situation isn’t messy enough, all hell breaks loose when one of The Dude’s friends and bowling buddies, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), hatches a plot to keep the ransom money.
Other notable stars in the film include Steve Buscemi, Sam Elliott, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, and more. Despite receiving mixed reviews upon its original release, The Big Lebowski has since become a surprising cult classic.
5 ‘Trainspotting’ (1996)
Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) is a heroin addict living with his parents in Edinburgh. He partakes in regular heroin use with his friends, Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Spud (Ewen Bremner), and their dealer, “Mother Superior” (Peter Mullan). Danny Boyle‘s Trainspotting shows the troubles of heroin addiction while living in Edinburgh’s poverty.
Trainspotting was a critical success, grossing over $72 million worldwide. Regarding the criticism for glamorizing drug use, producer Andrew Macdonald defended the film by stating they “were determined to show why people took drugs” and “had to show that it was fun and that it was awful.” Despite its controversy, Trainspotting has frequently been regarded as a favorite cult classic and one of the all-time best British dark comedies.
4 ‘The Crow’ (1994)
The night before his wedding, Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his fiancé Shelley Webster (Sofia Shinas) are violated and murdered by a violent inner-city gang. One year after their deaths, a crow taps on Eric’s gravestone, which causes Eric to rise from his grave. The crow would become Eric’s guide on his quest to take revenge on the perpetrators responsible for their deaths. In his quest, he tracks down the gang members and murders them before eventually facing the head gangster Top Dollar (Michael Wincott), to complete his gruesome mission.
The Crow left a legacy as a cult classic and a reminder of Brandon Lee’s last and most prominent acting role. Lee tragically passed when he was accidentally shot on set just three days before the completion of the shoot. The blistering and moody yet heartfelt storyline gravitated many toward the film. The Crow has a story, style, and substance.
3 ‘Clerks’ (1994)
Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran), a clerk at Quick Stop Groceries in New Jersey, gets called into work on his day off to cover another employee’s shift. Next to Quick Stop Groceries is a video rental store, RST Video, where Randal (Jeff Anderson) works. As Dante complains about working on his day off, Randal, a slacker, abandons his job at the video store and accompanies Dante to the grocery store instead. The two pass the time while discussing movies, sex, relationships, and difficult customers.
Despite being a low-budget film of approximately $260,000, Clerks grossed $3 million. The film is often commended for its realism and memorable characters. Clerks is among the most significant indie efforts of the 1990s; the movie launched an unlikely trilogy and became a staple of Gen X pop culture.
2 ‘Dazed and Confused’ (1993)
Dazed and Confused is a coming-of-age film that follows a group of rowdy teenagers in Austin, Texas, celebrating their last day of high school. The graduating class of Lee High School heads to a pool hall called the Emporium for a graduation party. While the seniors prepare for their annual “hazing” of the freshmen, the juniors distance themselves from the seniors to avoid being their victims. Soon, the Emporium is filled with drinks, marijuana, and harmless flirts.
The movie encapsulated the American culture so accurately that it has become an integral part of it. Not only was it a memorable film, but the memorable cast hugely helped make it the cult classic it is today. Dazed and Confused‘s cast includes some major stars, including Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Renée Zellweger, and Adam Goldberg. To this day, Matthew McConaughey is still highly associated with the catchphrase “Alright, alright, alright,” a line he came up with for his character, David Wooderson.
1 ‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)
In Tarantino’s feature-length debut, he wrote and directed a crime film called Reservoir Dogs. The film focuses on a group of six unrelated criminals who refer to each other by their assigned colors; Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), Mr. Blue (Edward Bunker), and Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino). The six criminals carry out a diamond heist, but things don’t go as expected, and their story is filled with gunshots, death, and betrayal.
Reservoir Dogs hugely impacted the art of independent filmmaking, especially shown through the film’s carefully curated dialogue, storyline, and cast members. It launched Tarantino’s film career, setting the stage for his 1994 critical and commercial success, Pulp Fiction.
