When Hollywood transitioned from the '80s to the '90s, technology was a huge participant when the rules were changed. Suddenly, horror wasn't as important as "looking good" in science fiction, and plots tended to be put aside for the sake of a better "look and feel."

Regardless, they're far from being bad films. They're survivors of an era where special effects could be the main character and these didn't have the greatest budgets. As some of these show, sometimes it's not about the budget size, but how you actually use that size.