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The nineties doesn’t get enough credit for producing great movies using mostly practical effects. Before CGI completely took over and before horror franchises started chasing remakes, Hollywood leaned hard into monster features. These movies were loud, slimy, practical-effects heavy, and gloriously weird. They blended science fiction with horror and sprinkled in just enough weirdness to keep everything fun. For people who grew up in that era or anyone looking to rediscover what made nineties genre films special, the creature wave of that decade is a goldmine. Here are the creature feature films that shaped nineties horror and still hold up today.

The Frighteners

Peter Jackson mixed supernatural humor with creature-driven visuals to create one of the most distinct horror films of the decade. Starring Michael J. Fox, The Frighteners blends ghostly antics with a darker story involving a chilling spirit serial killer. The Grim Reaper-inspired antagonist is one of the reasons this film qualifies as a creature feature. Jackson’s early experimentation with effects would eventually lead to the groundbreaking visuals seen in Middle Earth.

The Faculty

This was Invasion of the Body Snatchers for the MTV generation. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Kevin Williamson at the height of his teen horror streak, The Faculty is a stylish mashup of alien invasion, high school stereotypes, and paranoia. The creature effects still look great, especially when the parasite reveals its true form. It is fast, fun, and smarter than its reputation suggests.

In the Mouth of Madness

John Carpenter delivered one of his strangest and most unsettling films with this cosmic horror descent into madness. While it leans more into psychological terror than traditional creature attacks, the monstrosities that appear throughout the film help cement it as a defining nineties creature entry. The crawling abominations, distorted townsfolk, and twisted realities all feel like something ripped straight out of an artist’s nightmare. The movie carries a creeping sense of dread that grows with every scene.

Anaconda

Sometimes all you want is a giant snake eating people one by one, and Anaconda delivered exactly that. It never pretended to be anything more than a jungle adventure with a hungry monster. The cast is stacked with stars who had no business sharing a movie with a giant CGI snake, which is part of the charm. Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, and Owen Wilson make the whole thing a uniquely nineties time capsule. The snake may look dated today, but the movie’s rhythm is still pure fun.

Deep Rising

Deep Rising is what happens when you mix ocean horror with tongue-in-cheek action energy. Treat Williams and Famke Janssen lead a group trapped aboard a luxury cruise ship that has been turned into a buffet for a massive tentacled creature. The results are messy, comedic, and surprisingly creative. The creature design, especially the half-digested victims, is unforgettable. This is one of the most underrated monster movies of its decade.

Mimic

Guillermo del Toro’s early work gave us exactly the kind of paranoia-filled, insect-fueled nightmare you would expect from a filmmaker who would later win Oscars. Mimic tells the story of genetically engineered bugs that evolve beyond anything scientists anticipated. What makes the movie memorable is not only its shadow-soaked tension but also the way it captures the fear of science gone wrong. The human-sized Judas breed creatures remain some of the most chilling monster designs of the decade, and the subway setting still feels claustrophobic.

Species

The nineties loved their seductive aliens, and Species is one of the most iconic examples. Natasha Henstridge became an instant sci-fi star as the sexy hybrid creature Sil, who is trying to breed before her evolution spirals out of control. Species blends body horror with a surprisingly sleek look. Even the transformation scenes still carry weight because of the practical effects. As a creature feature, it hits the sweet spot between horror and glossy blockbuster energy.

The Relic

The Relic belongs on the shelf of creature features that refused to hold back. Set inside the Chicago Field Museum, it follows a monstrous predator known as the Kothoga, which hunts anyone unlucky enough to be trapped inside during a gala event. The atmosphere is dark and heavy, the effects are gruesome, and the creature is still one of Stan Winston’s most overlooked designs. It hits all the beats of a classic museum massacre thriller.

Bad Moon

Werewolf movies were scarce in the nineties, but Bad Moon delivered a strong entry with a unique angle. The story is told partly from the perspective of a loyal family dog that senses the danger hiding within the man who just moved in with them. The creature effects are practical and impressive, giving the werewolf a more animalistic feel compared to other genre films of the time. It may not be as mainstream as other titles on this list, but it deserves far more recognition.

Sphere

Sphere brought together an all-star cast and a psychological take on alien encounters. What begins as a deep-sea mission slowly transforms into a study of fear as a mysterious extraterrestrial artifact manipulates the crew. While the movie focuses more on tension than creature battles, the manifestations created by the sphere qualify as pure creature feature material. The jellyfish attacks and underwater horrors still hold up well, making it an overlooked gem from 1998.

These movies helped define what a creature feature looked like in the nineties. They were experimental and often stranger than anything being released today. If you love practical effects, weird creatures, and that unmistakable nineties energy, every film on this list is worth revisiting.