10 Cult Classics From the ’90s That Aged Poorly

A cult classic movie is quite literally one that has developed a cult following. Often, the movie didn’t perform well at the box office when it was released; sometimes, it was even panned by critics. But years, even decades later, the film is looked back on fondly, especially by a passionate group of fans who have created a unique subculture and will discuss everything positive about the movie with anyone who will listen.

However, some ‘90s cult classics didn’t quite evolve with the times, even if they remain highly regarded by their fanbases. These movies pushed the envelope when they were released, but now, 30+ years later, they seem slightly problematic, some more so than others. That doesn’t mean fans like them any less, but it raises eyebrows when measured by today’s socially accepted norms.

10 ‘Dazed and Confused’ (1993)

Directed by Richard Linklater

A movie that highlights everything negative and borderline illegal about teenage life, from hazing to drug use and gun violence, Dazed and Confused became a surprise cult classic for Gen X. The movie portrays so many things that are frowned upon today due to the ever-changing sociocultural climate. None of those things were right back in the ‘90s either, but they weren’t viewed with the same lens as they are today.

In the 2020s, with the drug crisis, deaths by hazing, and the gun law debate, Dazed and Confused would have hit too close to home. The star-studded cast includes everyone from Matthew McConaughey (yes, it’s the movie from which his signature phrase “Alright, alright, alright” originates) to Ben Affleck, Jason London, Joey Lauren Adams, and Milla Jovovich, adding to its appeal. Although quite puzzling and often outright off-putting, the coming-of-age comedy remains one of the defining ones of the ‘90s.

9 ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’ (1991)

Directed by Stephen Herek

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead didn’t age too poorly since a remake was released in April 2024. Still, some aspects of the coming-of-age black comedy don’t quite sit right. The premise is about a 17-year-old teen who takes over caring for her siblings when the elderly babysitter their parents hired for the summer suddenly dies. Rather than call the police and give the woman the dignity she deserves, much less adhere to her parent’s rules, the rebellious Sue Ellen “Swell” Crandell (Christina Applegate) uses the opportunity to prove that she’s mature and can handle it.

That part of the premise is wonderful, showing how a typically irresponsible teen steps up to the plate. But leaving parents in the dark, ignoring a dead woman, and potentially putting four young kids in a dangerous situation is not the type of lesson to pass on to impressionable kids. Of course, the movie is still downright hilarious, and the elderly babysitter was a bit of a tyrant anyway. Nonetheless, Swell resorting to everything from stealing to lying about her age does not make her an admirable role model.

8 ‘Natural Born Killers’ (1994)

Directed by Oliver Stone

A movie about a pair of adults who went through traumatic childhoods, became mass murderers, and are glorified by the media hits a little too close to home. Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) make a sport out of killing and enjoy spreading their names around so they can take the credit. It’s all fiction, but the idea of this pair senselessly murdering so many people while status-hungry members of the media capitalize on them to raise their professional profiles is insensitive to anyone who has family that has been a victim of killers.

Loved by audiences but hated by critics, Natural Born Killers is violent, over-the-top, and far too real, even allegedly inspiring real-life crimes. The couple in Natural Born Killers might seem innocent but are anything but, which is even more terrifying. The movie ends with the pair getting away with everything they have done, making it even more frustrating. Most troubling is the attention paid to how the media sensationalizes violent crimes, a growing issue in today’s climate.

7 ‘Son in Law’ (1993)

Directed by Steve Rash

There’s so much wrong about Son in Law, though it is admittedly a funny movie about meeting in-laws. First, it stereotypically depicts Becca (Carla Gugino), a young woman from a farm town, as feeling the need to change her identity in order to fit in with the Los Angeles crowd once she attends school. Conversely, it also depicts her friend Crawl (Pauly Shore) as a hapless idiot who doesn’t understand how to do simple chores.

Fans took issue with the way
Son in Law
tried to portray the concept of tolerance that is typically reserved for things like race and sexual identity.

The entire premise is also built on a lie, with Becca and Crawl fooling her family, pretending they are engaged when they’re not. The movie was also promoted as a parody of the American Gothic painting, further perpetuating stereotypes and tarnishing a historical piece of art. What fans really took issue with, however, was the way Son in Law tried to portray the concept of tolerance that is typically reserved for things like race and sexual identity with the simplistic comparison of farm girl vs. city guy.

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6 ‘Chasing Amy’ (1997)

Directed by Kevin Smith

Fans don’t particularly like how Chasing Amy focuses on a lesbian woman who attracts the attention of a straight man and ends up sleeping with him despite her clear sexuality. While relationships and feelings of love can be complicated, it seemed like a plotline that cheapened an otherwise progressive storyline at the time.

But then the story continues with one character accusing another male of using macho sexual banter to mask the fact that he’s actually gay and in love with his friend. The whole thing is just uncomfortable, confusing, and often nonsensical. Sure, Kevin Smith said real-life situations inspired the story, but the concept of a straight male falling for a lesbian woman would be considered outdated and reductive today. The ’90s produced some of the best LGBTQ+ movies of all time, further adding fuel to Chasing Amy‘s criticism.

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5 ‘Kids’ (1995)

Directed by Larry Clark

A group of hedonist teenagers living in New York and engaging in sexual acts and drug use? This sounds like a risqué storyline, and indeed, it was back in the ‘90s when Kids debuted. The movie has a star-studded cast of then-newcomers that includes Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, and Rosario Dawson. But the depiction of underage sex, including the rape of a 12-year-old girl, shoplifting, and casual attitudes towards unprotected sex and venereal diseases, is tasteless.

Even when it originally came out,
Kids
was considered deeply provocative and depicted the absolute worst aspects of teen life.

The graphic discussions of sexual acts and STDs, the bullying of gay characters, and the focus on young virginal girls are absolutely icky. It’s a wonder Kids has become a cult classic. But even when it originally came out, Kids was considered deeply provocative and depicted the absolute worst aspects of teen life. Today, while teens still engage in rebellious behavior, a lot of the attitudes toward that behavior have completely changed.

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4 ‘Billy Madison’ (1995)

Directed by Tamra Davis

Billy Madison highlights everything that’s wrong with white privilege, an issue that is as prevalent today as it was back then. Billy (Adam Sandler) is the son of a wealthy businessman who is given the chance to redo all of school, from kindergarten to high school, to prove to his coddling father that he is up to the task of taking over the company. While Billy is endearing, even smart, it’s clear he has no business running a Fortune 500 company.

Indeed, by the end, he recognizes his inadequacy and hands the company over to a more worthy successor. But the fact that daddy would give his lazy, uneducated son a business that’s worth millions, potentially billions, and employs likely thousands who rely on its success when there are others far more suited to the job is the grossest example of nepotism. The concept would turn people off today if it weren’t taken for the satire it was supposed to be. Despite aging poorly, Billy Madison remains one of Adam Sandler’s funniest movies, even if it also remains as frustrating.

3 ‘It’s Pat: The Movie’ (1994)

Directed by Adam Bernstein

Pat (Julia Sweeney) started as a recurring character on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, and they became so popular that a movie was made about them. But the entire schtick for Pat is that they were an androgynous person whose gender is never made clear. No one knows if Pat is a woman or a man, and despite every effort by people to get them to reveal a pronoun or hint at gender, they always find a clever way around it.

Simply speaking, Pat’s identity would not be something to mock or scrutinize, which would effectively deem the entire premise useless.

It’s easy to see why It’s Pat: The Movie wouldn’t fly in today’s landscape where pronouns are so crucial, gender is accepted on a spectrum, and non-binary would be the term to describe Pat. Simply speaking, no one would care so much about finding out what gender Pat was born or as today, and their identity would not be something to mock or scrutinize, which would effectively deem the entire premise useless.

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2 ‘The Boondock Saints’ (1999)

Directed by Troy Duffy

Released at the end of the decade, The Boondock Saints is a vigilante action thriller about two Irish brothers who kill two members of the Russian mafia and decide to go on a rampage, becoming vigilantes. Despite being vicious killers, Connor (Sean Patrick Flannery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) are considered heroes because they killed bad people. Instead of being punished for their crimes, they are set free, leading them to believe that God is sending them a message to keep doing what they’re doing.

Using religion and the idea of killing people who “deserve it” is a dangerous thought process to promote in today’s highly volatile climate. Aside from critics calling the movie everything from juvenile to gratuitously violent, The Boondock Saints set out to glorify vigilante killers most excessively, earning it an infamous reputation that it seems to take pride in.

1 ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ (1998)

Directed by Terry Gilliam

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a massive ad for drug use, glorifying and sensationalizing it to a level that would make others want to emulate the characters rather than see the dangers. The plot centers around Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro), who travel through the Mojave Desert while high on drugs. They continue to take various psychoactive substances, pick up a hitchhiker and gamble while under the influence, among other things.

The movie, which bombed at the box office before becoming a comedy cult classic, is about excess. It becomes almost too much as the pair partake in dangerous levels of drugs yet don’t seem to feel any of the negative impacts, only fun and exciting ones. Considering the drug problem today and how many people die from an overdose, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,a movie that makes excessive drug use look “cool,” just wouldn’t fly today.

NEXT: 10 Cult Classics That Defined the ’90s