90s Horror Indie Film’s Great Meta Revolution

Cine Bijou examines the films that inspired the meta horror revolution of 1990s horror.

In the early ’90s horror found itself at a crossroads. Art shifted from big hair, bright colors, and loud rock to more reflective moods. Meanwhile, horror fans found themselves grappling with franchise fatigue as video shelves were overloaded with too many formulaic slashers. As box office returns dwindled, studios sought fresh blood to splatter across the genre.

Indie filmmakers revitalized horror by deconstructing its tropes leading to emergence of meta-horror; films that not only scared audiences but delved into the mechanics behind the scares. Meta- horror will find itself the subject of discussion in the upcoming documentary exploring 90s horror, ‘In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994‘. Here, we explore key indie films that ignited this movement and paved the way for self-aware horror.

GRAB YOUR ‘POPCORN’

‘Popcorn’ released in 1991, is a modern amalgamation of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ with ‘The Abominable Dr Phibes’; both centred around a disfigured killer lurking in the shadows, hellbent on murderous revenge. This marked the directorial debut by Mark Herrier an actor from two MASH* episodes and two Porky’s sequels. The script, by Alan Ormsby (who co-directed with Herrier) was based on a story by Mitchell Smith. It features a Lon Chaney-like killer targeting college students at a horror-movie marathon in an abandoned theater.

Maggie (Jill Schoelen), the film’s final girl has nightmares of a murderous filmmaker who might be back for revenge. Indeed ‘Popcorn’, like ‘Scream ‘five years later, pays tribute to classic horror through the eyes of film-loving students relishing debates about the genre.

As the killer targets the student cinephiles at their horror-thon, the film humorously nods to the showmanship of 50s horror. In particular, it pays homage to filmmaker William Castle, renowned for his entertaining cine-gimmicks in B movies.

PAYING HOMAGE TO A CINEMA SHOWMAN

In “Popcorn,” Castle’s showmanship is evident in fictional titles like “Mosquito,” featuring giant mosquitos in Project-O Vision, and “The Stench,” which uses Aroma-Roma to nauseate audiences. These are reminiscent of infamous Castle titles ‘House on Haunted Hill’ in Emerg-O and ‘13 Ghosts’ gimmick Illusion-O. It’s affectionate fun pokery with Ormsby and Herrier combining gnarly kills, and comedic fun. At the same time they affectionally honour a lost legacy of cinema showmanship.

Two years later, Joe Dante and Charlie Haas would pay their own homage with the larger studio production ‘Matinee’. In contrast to ‘Popcorn,’ that celebrates a genre through the eyes of a younger generation, Dante and Haas capture a specific moment in time with their film. Herrier and Ormsby wrap their love letter to classic horror in the plot devise of films like; ‘Prom Night’, ‘Terror Train’ and ‘Sleepaway Camp’. This multilevel analysis of a genre disguised as a comedic slasher opened the meta door for horror. However, it wasn’t only one. That same year another film expressed equal affection celebrating horror cliches and tropes.

THERE’S SOMETHING OUT THERE

While still a high school senior, Rolfe Kanefsky had already written the script for ‘There’s Nothing Out There’. By age 20, with support from his parents, Victor Kanefsky and Alice Glenn, he secured the funds and directed the film. It’s a classic tale of horny college kids spending spring break at a cabin in the woods next to a placid lake. Its sense of fun was so evident that Troma legend Lloyd Kaufman helped with the distribution.

Like any slasher horror, there’s plenty of the usual antics including; excess drinking, skinny dipping and some bare naked frolics. The only one not enjoying himself is Mike, an obsessed horror nerd likening the trip to a horror film. He points out key identifiers from the genre incessantly insisting the trip is a risky and deadly venture.

Mike might be annoying, but he’s right; lurking outside, killing his friends is a monster resembling a freakish cross between a Krite from Critters and a boogen. It’s up to Mike to save the day using his knowledge of horror to rescue as many of his friends as he can. Predictably many end up being this monster’s all you can eat buffet.

RISE OF THE 90s HORROR NERDS

Kanefsky’s script is loaded with obvious horror clichés; nudity, sex, a remote cabin, more sex with smooth pop music, and gnarly kills courtesy of the film’s creature. The genre’s examination comes not from these obvious inclusions but through its hero, Mike, who, on reflection, feels very familiar. Even if it wasn’t a direct inspiration, Mike still paved the way for the creation by Kevin Williamson of ‘Scream’s’ go to horror nerd Randy Meeks (played by Jamie Kennedy). Both are dry, sardonic, yet likable horror nerd archetypes. These 90s Horror nerds are walking encyclopedias of the genre yet are wildly different.

Randy provides commentary and insight applying them to the events guiding the franchise’s final girl. However, Mike applies his knowledge to be the final boy of the film, and expresses frustration when ignored. His sarcastic replies and disdain for the other players make it easy to side with Mike. Kanefsky displays evident disdain for characters ignoring the rules as nods to the horror conventions. We might roll our eyes at characters following strange noises in the woods, indulging in late-night skinny dipping, or uttering lines like “I’ll be right back” only to be the first to die. However, these clichés are part of what makes the genre so entertaining.

OUTCOME OF THE 90S HORROR REVOLUTION

‘Popcorn’ and ‘There’s Nothing Out There’ are the most obvious examples of deep delving meta horror that preceded the ‘Scream’ franchise. They established the foundation for introspective and intelligent horror that is both insightful and entertaining, seamlessly weaving in references without feeling forced. Although the concept of meta horror did not begin with these two films, Tom Holland had previously paid tribute to the gothic horror of the fifties and sixties with ‘Fright Night’, and Joe Dante had ventured into meta territory with the zany follow-up to his Christmas hit, ‘Gremlins 2’. However, ‘Popcorn’ and ‘There’s Nothing Out There’ effectively widened the door, and ushered in the era of meta in 90s horror, and beyond.

Both films created that introspective meta template and others followed: ‘Wes Craven’s New Nightmare’, John Carpenter’s ‘In the Mouth of Madness’, with the ‘Scream’ franchise then taking the meta-verse into the next century; Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright created the ultimate love letter to George Romero with ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard’s lead us to – you guessed it – ‘The Cabin in the Woods’. ‘Scream’ and its sequels clearly demonstrate exceptional quality in paying homage to the genre with both style and scares.

They deserve significant credit for bringing the meta-verse into the mainstream and captivating a larger audience. It’s worth noting, however, the impact of two small independent films – ‘Popcorn’ and ‘There’s Nothing Out There’ in revamping horror for the audiences during the genre’s lost decade.

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