In 1994, films like Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, and Léon: The Professional dominated the industry and remain to this day some of the finest works in cinema history.
As such, having all of these films released in such a short amount of time effectively buried plenty of other great works of art below the towering cultural influence.
Let’s take a look at some of the greatest overlooked movies of 1994.
Ed Wood
One of auteur filmmaker Tim Burton’s finest works, Ed Wood is an unconventional biopic about an unconventional filmmaker. Johnny Depp plays the title character, who throughout the course of his life was able to overcome an extraordinary lack of talent and skill behind the camera thanks to his incredible passion and work ethic. Ed Wood’s close friendship with aging film star Bella Lugosi often aided him in getting his projects off the ground. Burton’s film examines Wood’s passion for cinema as well as his more than tumultuous personal life.
Burton’s signature quirky sensibilities, combined with a tour de force performance by Johnny Depp, make for one of the most inventive biopics of all time. Key supporting performers in the film include the late, great Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Bill Murray, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
The Hudsucker Proxy
‘The Hudsucker Proxy’Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Joel and Ethan Coen are interesting filmmakers to talk about because, on one hand, their films like No Country for Old Men or Fargo are landmark classics that will be remembered forever. And on the other hand, there are films of theirs that, despite their quality still being near that level, never seemed to gain that kind of traction. Enter The Hudsucker Proxy.
Tim Robbins plays an endlessly hopeful, yet simple businessman who finds himself the head of a manufacturing company that is trying to pull off an elaborate stockholder scam. The film contains the Coen Brothers' signature sense of humor dialed up to 11 with fantastical production design and energetic attention to period details. The film integrates large, classical orchestral pieces into its score, and its overall tone provides one of soft comfort. It’s not one to miss.
In the Mouth of Madness
‘In the Mouth of Madness’Credit: New Line Cinema
John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness, like the vast majority of his films, took a long time to get its flowers, even amongst his most devoted fans. To this day it remains more of a cult film than anything else, but it remains one of his most fascinating concepts, and an incredibly substantive genre film.
Sam Neil plays an insurance investigator who starts looking into the disappearance of a famous horror writer whose books seem to make readers go homicidal at the drop of a hat.
An obvious riff on Stephen King, despite being an entirely original film, the commentary on obsession with media and the power an artist can feel in these moments is truly fascinating, and is blended with the more horror-oriented genre sequences beautifully. The film maintains a stunning fall mood that pairs perfectly with an overcast autumn afternoon. Make this one a priority this October.
Serial Mom
‘Serial Mom’Credit: Universal Pictures
Filmmaker John Waters is known for his transgressive, often provocative works in the dark comedy genre. While his prideful obsession with “filth” is mostly absent from Serial Mom, it still examines its subject matter with a great deal of seriously effective dark comedy.
Kathleen Turner plays Beverly, a housewife who, after becoming obsessed with true crime, starts killing people in her community who she feels have wronged her. The film’s examination of how the public engages with true crime, and murder in particular, turned out to be rather prophetic. The film predates the infamous O.J. Simpson trial by only a year, and the way the public reacted to that media frenzy mirrors the “satire” of the film a little too closely.
Crumb
‘Crumb’Credit: Sony Pictures Classics, The Criterion Collection
Crumb is a documentary that chronicles the life, works, and views of the artist Robert Crumb, who is hailed as a trailblazer in the world of comic art. The creator of works like Keep on Truckin' and Fritz the Cat, Crumb’s eccentric personality and life story make him a more than fascinating subject for a documentary film.
The film wisely conducts interviews with Crumb’s family members, including his mother and his brothers, as well as various ex-partners to ensure that as a viewer you soak in the full breadth of perceptions people in his life have for him. Not to say that the focus isn’t still on the man’s psyche, because it most definitely is. But, if you’re looking for a true deep dive on all of the ins and outs of an artist, and not just the sanitized, embellished stories, look no further than Crumb.
Honorable Mentions
These are films that only didn’t make the cut for the sake of time, but should absolutely still be checked out.
- Quiz Show
- Heavenly Creatures
- The Last Seduction
- Hoop Dreams
- Four Weddings and a Funeral
- Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
