The ’90s brought us grunge rock, chokers, Beanie Babies, slap bracelets, and hacky sacks, but do you know what this marvelously cynical decade should also be known for? Horror films that made us pee our pants. They were just that good. Traditional teen slasher movies were suddenly being replaced with academy-award-winning horror films. This genre had been previously unheard of, and independent movie makers started pushing the boundaries of what horror movies could be. The nineties gave rise to psychological thrillers (The Sixth Sense) and low-budget faux documentaries (The Blair Witch Project) that had us busting out the holy water and sitting at the edge of our seats (no blood and guts required).
Ready for a trip down memory lane (without getting chased)? Here are 10 of the best ’90s horror movies that you wish you could forget.
10. Scream
I was a teenager in the ’90s, so I can still remember everyone’s reaction to Scream right after it came out in 1996. To say it was “well-received” would be downplaying it. Wes Craven hit the nail on the head with this creatively gruesome, high school slasher film that touches on (and subverts) all of the genre’s cliches. For those who have been living under a rock, Scream is about a teenage girl who is terrorized by a killer with a penchant for horror films only a year after her mother’s murder. It’s a heavy storyline for sure, yet Wes Craven manages to sneak in some much-needed comedic relief in the form of the lovable cop, Dewey Riley, and a conniving news reporter, Gale Weathers. Seriously, this movie has it all.
9. Misery
Ever since I watched Misery, released in 1990, I haven’t been able to see actress Kathy Bates as anyone other than someone’s demented “number one fan.” If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about. Based upon a novel by Stephen King, Kathy Bates gives an Academy Award-winning performance as Annie Wilkes. Wilkes is a crazy fan who kidnaps and tortures her favorite author, forcing him to write new books specifically for her. What happens when he doesn’t comply? Let’s just say the outcome isn’t pretty, so watch at your own risk.
8. The Sixth Sense
Screenwriter and producer M. Night Shyamalan is definitely known for his hit or misses in Hollywood, but I think we can all agree that The Sixth Sense definitely takes the cake for having the best surprise ending of the decade. At first glance, the storyline seems fairly straightforward: a boy who communicates with spirits seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist. Everything is not as it seems, however, and the entire movie proves to be a masterpiece in writing, directing, and acting.
7. Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia is definitely not the film to watch if you actually have arachnophobia, but it’s a must-see if you don’t mind watching a group of killer, South American spiders take over a small California town. With this film, director and producer Frank Marshall proved that not all horror films need to be R-rated to fit into the genre (or to be enjoyed). Although the main character is a small town doctor with a fear of spiders (played by actor Jeff Daniels), the highlight of the movie is definitely John Goodman’s hilarious portrayal of the town’s cocky, ignorant exterminator.
6. The Blair Witch Project
Given the fact that I went to the same high school as the guys who wrote this, I’ve always been a big fan of The Blair Witch Project. It was the first low-budget “found-footage horror” movie of its time. Famously shot for only $60,000, The Blair Witch Project made bank during opening weekend when it brought in $1,512,054 at the box-office. The idea of basing an entire movie on recovered camera footage was pretty groundbreaking in 1999. It tricked many into believing it might actually be real. Although there have been many copycats since its release, no one can recreate the excitement of the original.
5. The Silence Of The Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs, released in 1991, will forever be a horror classic that all true fans of the genre can quote at whim. The film features not one, but two psychotic villains: Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, and Buffalo Bill, who enjoys stripping women of their skin. It’s rare that a horror movie scores big at the Academy Awards, but this film took home Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay, respectively. Seriously, it’s just that good.
4. Candyman
Candyman was released way back in 1992, and I’m pretty sure I watched it at every sleepover I ever went to (after we played “Bloody Mary,” of course). The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster’s myth. From there, a series of murders ensues. Candyman is a grisly revenge tale spurred on by years of racial injustice — steeped in folklore and mythology. Although it probably could have been done better today, it’s still hella terrifying.
3. Se7en
Se7en, released in 1995, is a neo-noir crime thriller that pits homicide detectives Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman against a diabolical serial killer who murders his victims in horrific ways that mirror the seven deadly sins. It’s dark, it’s disturbing, and the entire film is chillingly realistic. There aren’t many movies that make me forget that I’m looking at Brad Pitt, but this is one of them. The final scene of this movie involves a mysterious box that will be burned into your brain forever.
2. Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The cast of Bram Stroker’s Dracula reads like a “who’s who” of ’90s-Hollywood, with big names like Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, and Cary Elwes (just to name a few). With a cast like that, and a director like Francis Ford Coppola, is it any wonder that this movie remains a horror cult classic to this day? Although the film took a beating back in 1992, its visual expression of immortality, lust, and psychological madness is nothing short of creative genius.
1. Interview With The Vampire
Yes, the 1990s was full of vampire flicks, but Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, based upon the novel by Anne Rice, was BY FAR the best of them all. While training his new minion, Louis, a vampire named Lestat (played by Tom Cruise) tells his epic life story of love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger. The entire movie focuses on the transformation from human to immortal monster, and all the loss and grief it inevitably brings. It’s terrifying, sad, and emotionally charged the whole way through.
