4 Cult Classic 1989 Horror Movies That Actually Kept ’90s Kids Awake At Night

1989 was a big year for movies. Landmark films like Tim Burton’s Batman and When Harry Met Sally would define the superhero and rom-com genres, respectively, with Burton’s take on The Dark Knight shaping blockbusters for the decades to come. No matter the genre, audiences had multiple reasons to come to the cinema, and there was seemingly something for everyone. This was especially true for horror fans, with the end of the decade bringing some of the genre’s darkest.

These four movies stand as some of the strongest horror films of 1989. They’re both surreal and strange, filled with gory practical effects that still hold up. For the ’90s kids who watched them, they caused nightmares. Today, they remain just as terrifying as they were back then, maybe even more so.

4. Intruder

First things first: if you took a glance at this movie’s cast and are expecting Bruce Campbell to have a large role here, prepare to be disappointed, as he only appears in the last few minutes. Intruder is worth staying for, however, as it’s one of the eeriest slashers out there. Made on a budget of just $130,000, the film focuses on a group of teens being stalked in a supermarket by an unknown killer. Intruder makes full use of its setting, transforming a grocery store into a dismal, claustrophobic environment.

The location also allows for some gruesome kills, such as in the film’s infamous bandsaw scene. Besides Campbell’s cameo, horror fans will note appearances from Evil Dead director Sam Raimi and his brother, Ted, both longtime collaborators with Intruder director Scott Spiegel. If you’re looking for an underrated, gory slasher, check this one out.

3. Parents

Bob Balaban’s Parents plays out like David Lynch directing an episode of Goosebumps. The film centers on Michael, a young boy who comes to suspect his parents are involved in acts of murder and cannibalism. Parents uses this set-up to riff on the classical image of the American family, and the result is something both comedic and disturbing to watch. There’s something so unsettling about telling this story through the eyes of a child, especially one as troubled as Michael. As the viewer, you question how much of the film is real, and how much is just childhood paranoia. If you were a kid and happened to watch this one, chances are you were scared of your own parents for a little while.

2. Society

If Parents made you afraid of Mom and Dad, then Brian Yuzna’s Society gave you yet another reason to be weary of your own family (or maybe just rich ones). Before Yuzna would become known for his work on the Re-Animator series, Society served as the filmmaker’s directorial debut, and it’s every bit as grotesque as his movies that followed. Society focuses on Bill, a teen who grows suspicious that his rich family has been hosting murderous orgies. Like Parents, Society comes with a heavy dose of social commentary, but where the former was more interested in satirizing the family unit, Society acts as an allegory on class.

Bill’s investigation into the truth leads him to one of cinema’s most infamous body-horror sequences, courtesy of visual effects artist Screaming Mad George. Spoiler alert: there’s a whole lot of naked people fusing together. But for as bizarre as this movie gets in its final twenty minutes, it’s still frighteningly relevant. It deserves a watch just as much for its themes as its amazing practical effects.

1. Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary has often been lauded as Stephen King’s scariest novel. It only makes sense then that the book’s first (and best) film adaptation would be just as frightening. With a screenplay written by King himself, Mary Lambert’s Pet Sematary follows his novel closely, centering on Louis Creed and his family, who move to the small town of Rudlow, Maine. When the Creed’s cat, Church, is killed, neighbor Jud Crandall introduces Louis to the Pet Sematary, an animal graveyard with an ability to raise the dead.

“Sometime dead is better,” Jud warns Louis, a line that’s become iconic and indeed rings true, as both Church, and later Louis’ son, Gage, are resurrected as murderous versions of themselves. When it comes to identifying what’s so scary about Pet Sematary, many scenes can be cited. Whether it’s Church’s glowing eyes, Gage slashing Jud’s ankle, or the flashback scenes of Zelda, the film got under the skin of many, and it continues to stand out amongst King’s many adaptations.

What do you think of these movies? Do you have another horror favorite from ’89? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!