1995 - The horror continues
I don't consider Se7en a horror movie, never have. I guess it would be #1 on this list if you did, but since this is my list I'm going in a different direction. 1995 has better original ideas but it is still trying to get horror fans into seats by bringing back old characters or remaking earlier hits.
Hands down my favorite horror movie of 1995 was The Prophecy. First-time director Gregory Widen(writer of Highlander, Backdraft, and The Prophecy) is gifted with a wonderful cast in this religious horror movie. Christopher Walken is perfect in his role as Gabriel. Check it out on tubi, Peacock, or VUDUfree.
Blurb - At the scene of a bizarre murder, L.A. homicide detective Thomas Dagget discovers a lethal heavenly prophecy now being fulfilled on earth. In his fight to stop the forces of evil, he finds an unlikely ally in an elementary school teacher.
5 years after directing Nightbreed, Clive Barker returns to the chair to give us Lord of Illusions. I didn't see this movie when it came out, but I did make time for it in 2021. It's always fun to see Sam from Quantum Leap play a not so wholesome character. I'm a sucker for Famke Janssen, and I love when movies cast actors against type, so Daniel Von Bargen is a treat as the bad guy Nix. You can stream it on tubi.
Blurb - A private detective gets more than he bargains for when he encounters Philip Swan, a performer whose amazing illusions captivate the world, but they are not really what everyone thinks.
The director of Cocktail teamed up with the writer of The Golden Child to give us Natasha Henstridge's first role in Species. Her debut is enough to get her on any list, but this movie is fun, scary, and every man's dream turned on its head. Check it out on tubi.
Blurb - A group of scientists try to track down and trap a killer alien seductress before she successfully mates with a human.
Tales from the Crypt released Demon Knight on Friday the 13th, looking to tie this and future releases with the scary date. Billy Zane claims this is his favorite movie performance. This is a rent/buy to own video.
Blurb - A man on the run is hunted by a demon known as the Collector.
Fear of a Black Hat director tackles horror in the projects with his 2nd film, Tales from the Hood. This was his tribute to the original Tales from the Crypt movie and paid homage to the anthology horror films of the 60s & 70s. Another one you have to rent/buy to check out.
Blurb - A funeral director tells four strange tales of horror with an African American focus to three drug dealers he traps in his place of business.
Halloween the Curse of Michael Myers's biggest claim to fame is it is Paul Rudd's film debut. Another note of interest, Donald Pleasence passed away just before re-shoots. This would end up not being as important since the director edited out many of his scenes. If you feel like you need to see this, you can stream it on Pluto.
Blurb - Six years after Michael Myers last terrorized Haddonfield, he returns there in pursuit of his niece, Jamie Lloyd, who has escaped with her newborn child, for which Michael and a mysterious cult have sinister plans.
The writer of the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre returns to his roots to direct The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Matthew McConaughey & Renee Zellweger star in this low-budget re-imagining of the original film. You can stream it on HBOmax.
Blurb - A group of teenagers get into a car crash in the Texas woods on prom night, and then wander into an old farmhouse that is home to Leatherface (Robert Jacks) and his insane family of cannibalistic psychopaths.
TV movie director Bill Condon enters the world of horror with the sequel Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. The original Candyman director originally wanted to make the sequel about urban legends, and not include Candyman, but his idea was rejected by the studio. He was allowed to pen a script, but it too was rejected and Bill Condon came in. You can stream it on Prime and Paramount+.
Blurb - The Candyman arrives in New Orleans and sets his sights on a young woman whose family was ruined by the immortal killer years before.
Coming off the brilliant In the Mouth of Madness, John Carpenter takes a remake with Village of the Damned. He made this to fulfill a contractual obligation, and it was not a passion project. He was supposed to remake The Creature from the Black Lagoon for Universal after this, but the movie bombed at the box office which killed the project. This is the last movie Christopher Reeves filmed before his horse-riding accident. It's a rent/ buy to stream.
Blurb - A small town's women give birth to unfriendly alien children posing as humans.
I'm thinking this was supposed to be a remake of Blackula from the 70s, but Vampire in Brooklyn is missing the heart and soul of the Blaxploitation film. Eddie Murphy made this movie to end his contractual relationship with Paramount and to get them to release the rights to the Nutty Professor to him. He was a big fan of Wes Craven's work and requested him to direct. In future interviews, Craven would imply Murphy did not take direction well. You can watch it on HULU.
Blurb - A ship docks in Brooklyn with all its crew dead, but someone gets off and the killing continues on land. A Caribbean vampire is searching for a specific woman, half-human half-vampire. Rita is the detective investigating the many killings.
Nine non-horror movies that I loved from 1995.