Content Warning: This article contains discussions/references of violence.
Much like the decade preceding it, the 90s were a defining era for music and music videos. New visual effects were being experimented with while artists were trying their best to execute the most surreal of visions to make their presence felt on MTV.
When it comes to disturbing music videos, the alternative rock and metal scene was dominated by many such instances of ghastly visuals. In fact, for bands like Tool, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson, creepy music videos became an effective marketing strategy that helped them to establish a place in their respective scenes.
Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65
While Italian group Eiffel 65's one-hit-wonder offers a healthy dose of nostalgia to anyone who grew up in the 90s, the video might be unexpectedly bizarre for some who would be repulsed by the outdated graphics. The blue-colored aliens known as Tukonians even seem to resemble the nightmarish antagonist Eustace's Bugle from Courage The Cowardly Dog.
The general plot of the video includes the aliens kidnapping the band-members, forcing them to perform the song on their home planet.
Prison Sex - Tool
Tool has had a history of creepy videos, and the highly controversial "Prison Sex" is no exception. Directed by the band's guitarist Adam Jones, the video makes use of stop-motion animation techniques to depict graphic scenes of violence and abuse on a doll surrounded by grotesque humanoid figures. These include a caterpillar with a human face and a figure that seems to be composed of decayed meat and feces.
The alt-metal track's lyrics aren't comforting, either, as they seem to recount a case of abuse from both the victim and the abuser's perspective.
Sex And Candy - Marcy Playground
Arachnophobes must absolutely skip the video for "Sex and Candy," a single from American alt-rock outfit Marcy Playground's self-titled album. The video was well-received for its surrealist Salvador Dali-like imagery, with some even drawing Freudian parallels.
The video begins with a pattern of psychedelic chequered hills. Lead singer John Wozniak's head pops out of one of these hills as he finds a spider approaching him. He's both amused and scared of the arachnid. "Sex and Candy" finally ends with Wozniak laying in a puddle for unexplained reasons.
Hunter - Björk
Björk is no stranger to absurdist music videos. "Hunter," for instance, finds the Icelandic musician turning into a 'techno-bear' of sorts. The visual starts off with close-up shots of a bald Björk eventually giving way to a cyberpunk nightmare. The quintessential 90s graphics further add to the terrifying aura of it all.
The visual effects were handled by Digital Domain, the American studio that also produced effects for many blockbusters of the decade, including Armageddon, Apollo 13, and Titanic.
No Surprises - Radiohead
Thom Yorke sings in a diving helmet that eventually gets filled with water. Despite the rising water levels, Yorke keeps on singing until he finally gives in. His face lays motionless until the water is drained out and he resumes singing.
No Surprises is easily one of Radiohead's most memorable music videos, and it would make for a triggering watch for those who fear water-related activities. Thom Yorke's constant expression of robotic melancholy act as another chilling element.
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
As the song's title suggests, "Black Hole Sun" takes place in a post-apocalyptic environment with the sun turning into a black hole, leading to mass destruction. Somehow, the inhabitants of a suburban neighborhood are unaffected by this cosmic event as they keep on staring at the sky with hair-raising grins pasted on their faces. They continue with their day-to-day activities with the same grins until the sun eventually swallows them all up.
As if that weren't enough, a few surreal shots come off as random scares. One can spot a Barbie doll getting barbecued, and, in another scene, two children are gleefully examining a cockroach under a magnifying glass.
The Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson has garnered an infamous reputation for the creepiest music videos. However, with "The Beautiful People," the band hit a disgusting all-time high with extremely haunting visuals.
The highlight of the video is, of course, the titular lead singer's prosthetic makeup along with a surgical metallic denture stuffed in his mouth. Crawling earthworms and spooky mannequins can also be seen throughout the video. With laboratory equipment strewn all over the dingy setting, the video gives off the aura of a classic torture-driven horror film.
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Just like Marilyn Manson's track, "Closer," too, seemed to be set in an evil scientist's laboratory. There are several controversial stills from the video, including a monkey tied to a crucifix and a beheaded pig. Images of human genitalia created further trouble with television airing.
Meanwhile, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor is found to be donning fetish gear while performing the song. Even though "Closer" was originally about self-hatred, its video and sexually charged chorus have turned it into a lust anthem of sorts.
Come To Daddy - Aphex Twin
British electronic producer Aphex Twin's breakout hit "Come To Daddy" makes for a scary watch courtesy of his distorted and warped face that's replicated on several children throughout the video.
The plot involves a dog urinating on a TV set that somehow unleashes a gang of ghostly children, all bearing Aphex Twin's grin. From that point onwards, the children start wreaking havoc all over the town until a sleek old man also pops out of the TV screen.
Breathe - The Prodigy
Set in a shoddy-looking, cramped apartment, "Breathe" plays around several phobias as The Prodigy's members seem to be encountering aural visions. One by one, several creature-related phobias are touched upon. So, the viewer can expect visuals of rats, alligators, crickets, and other sorts of bugs and insects.
If one squirms at the sight of such creatures, then this video would definitely be the stuff of nightmares. It eventually ended up winning the 1997 Viewer's Choice MTV VMA Award and the 1997 International Viewer's Choice Award for the MTV EMAs.