Can you name more than a couple of movies you’re excited to see in 2026? Nope.
Now consider the theatrical releases of 1996: Titanic, Sling Blade, Jerry Maguire, Scream, Broken Arrow, Happy Gilmore, Bottle Rocket, The Craft, Mission: Impossible, The Rock, Independence Day, Trainspotting, Tin Cup, Swingers, Space Jam—and that’s only a partial list that doesn’t even include The Cable Guy.
You’re probably thinking, “Oh, great, another think piece about how great the ’90s were.” First: How dare you accuse me of thinking. Second: 1996 wasn’t all blockbusters and cult darlings; some flicks rode the jagged edge of so-bad-they’re-good-for-a-laugh.
Here are eight ’96ers to stream with a sixer of Zima.
Bio-Dome (streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV): Pauly Shore had already starred in major studio hits like Encino Man, Son in Law and Jury Duty, but Bio-Dome was the final farce before the fall of The Wiez. Dim bros Squirrel (Shore) and Stubs (Stephen Baldwin, pre-Jesus) stumble into an experimental sealed bio-dome project, trashing environmental science 30 years ahead of our own government. At the very least, Bio-Dome marked the first screen appearance of Tenacious D (Jack Black and Kyle Gass), so there’s that.
Lawmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (Tubi, Roku Channel): The Lawnmower Man, the 1992 original, made decent box-office money, but Lawmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (sub-subtitled Jobe’s War) didn’t arrive until 1996—they did not spend the extra time retaining the cast, developing CGI effects, or scripting a coherent story. LM2 also couldn’t match the pulpy intensity of 1995’s wave of “cyberpunk” movies like Hackers, Johnny Mnemonic or even The Net. But, props to Matt Frewer’s capital-A Acting.
Down Periscope (Prime Video): The plot of military comedy Down Periscope mirrors the film’s production: a ragtag submarine crew deployed on a doomed, impossible mission. With the exception of future Pete Hegseth inspiration Rob Schneider, the cast (including Bruce Dern, William H. Macy, Rip Torn, Toby Huss and film newbie Patton Oswalt) survived this mess just fine, as did Grammer’s ego. Somehow, Down Periscope bested Steve Martin’s slightly less terrible Sgt. Bilko, released the same month in 1996.
Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (Pluto TV): As with Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, released the same year, Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy couldn’t quite replicate that cult-comedy TV magic on the big screen—but it’s still a funny (and prescient) KITH oddity. Brain Candy refers to Gleemonex, a new antidepressant drug that works so well, it puts users into a coma, hallucinating their happiest memory on a perma-loop. (Sign. Me. Up.) Because they’re smarter than us, Canada reveres Brain Candy.
Barb Wire (YouTube): Likely inspired by 1995’s Tank Girl movie, Barb Wire attempted to bring another comic-book character to life—unfortunately, Pamela Anderson was no Lori Petty. Or at least she wasn’t allowed to be: Anderson showed some comic talent in later roles, but her Barb Wire is a dead-serious, dead-eyed battlebot cinched into leather BDSM gear straight out of a Mötley Crüe video. Even dumber, Barb Wire is set during Civil War II of 2017 America, which we all know is a decade-ish too early.
The Phantom (YouTube): The Rocketeer and The Shadow didn’t fare well commercially in the ’90s, but that didn’t stop Paramount from launching its own retro, superhero-adjacent reboot of 1930s comic strip The Phantom. Like Indiana Jones equipped with an unforgiving purple bodysuit and toothless one-liners, Billy Zane tussles with overacting baddies (including James Remar and Treat Williams) in the jungle over chrome skulls that look like leftover accessories from Barb Wire’s motorcycle. Pure, moldy cheese.
Tales From the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood (YouTube): Former Saturday Night Live star—and current Exhibit A that conservative comedy doesn’t work—Dennis Miller stuck a fork (or fang) in his short film career with Bordello of Blood. Miller plays a detective hired by a blonde bombshell (Erika Eleniak) to find her missing brother (Corey Feldman), who we learn is being held captive in a vampire bordello by a redheaded bombshell (Angie Everhart). Blood, boobs and a hair-metal soundtrack ensue—and yet, meh.
Kazaam (Disney+): You might remember 1996’s Kazaam, starring Shaquille O’Neal as a genie, as Shazaam, starring Sinbad as a genie. But Shazaam never happened, despite many swearing they remember it as a real 1990s movie and arguing about it on internet message boards for years. Allow me to set the record straight: Shazam!, the perceived 2019 DC superhero movie starring Zachary Levi, was never real, nor was its alleged 2023 sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Meet me on Reddit to argue further.
