90’s Movie With All-Star Cast Was Supposed To Be A Comedy, But Fans Say It Scarred Them for Life

Trauma in a comedy? Welcome to Burton's world of dark humor

Jesse

• Published in News
• September 8, 2024

The 90s were a simpler time when you could binge-watch a movie without pausing every five minutes to check your phone. Back then, movies didn’t just entertain—they had the power to traumatize you for life.

You might be thinking of classics like Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands, both brought to life by the brilliantly bizarre mind of Tim Burton. But wait, there’s one particular Burton flick from the 90s that takes the cake: Mars Attacks! 

It’s a movie with a cast so stellar that you’d expect it to be nothing short of a comedy masterpiece.

And it is. Sort of.

Packed with A-listers like Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, and even Sarah Jessica Parker, Mars Attacks was set up to be an all-out riot. 

Oh, did I mention it also features Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox, Jack Black, and Natalie Portman? Yeah, the gang’s all there. It's like Burton threw a Hollywood party and said, "Everyone, come on over! We’re making a movie about aliens!"

With such a star-studded lineup, you'd think this 1996 ‘comedy’ would leave you rolling in laughter, right? Well, for some viewers, it did quite the opposite. Instead of being in stitches, many left the theater…well, a little traumatized. 

Funny how a movie about wacky Martians with cruel senses of humor can leave you with nightmares. Oh, Burton, you sneaky genius.

Sure, they look like they're here for a comedy, but those brainy Martians pack a punch that'll mess with your head…literally

For the uninitiated, Mars Attacks is Burton’s love letter to B-movie sci-fi from the 50s. The film follows Earth’s invasion by Martians, who, let’s be honest, are absolute jerks. 

With their skeletal faces and helium-induced voices, these aliens shoot first and never ask questions. They're here to destroy, mock, and vaporize humanity, all with maniacal glee. 

Yet despite the campy premise, the film manages to hit some unsettlingly dark notes—especially if you were a kid watching this in the 90s. Take it from some poor soul on Letterboxd who racked up 1,000 likes for their confession: “It is insane that I was allowed to see this in a theater at the age of 10.”

People have been reminiscing on platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), with some reflecting on the dark, unsettling moments in the film. One user vividly recalled the scene where Jack Black’s character, an unlucky soldier, meets a disturbingly swift end while his parents watch in horror. 

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For a movie that should have been a lighthearted romp, that scene certainly gave more than a few kids (and adults) nightmares.

Dark and disturbing moments aside, people still love this film. Redditors rave about it, calling it both hilarious and horrifying in equal measure. 

It’s the kind of movie that you can’t help but admire for its audacity, even if it left you questioning your childhood sanity. So, whether you’re in it for the nostalgia, the cast, or just to see what all the fuss was about, Mars Attacks is definitely worth a watch. Just, you know, maybe don’t let the kids sit in on this one.

Jesse