The '90s was a decade known for epic dramas and goofy but beloved comedies. However, the '90s also produced a slew of bone-chilling movies like Sleepy Hollow, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in addition to many other horror masterpieces.
These films relied less upon endless sequels and unoriginal ideas and opted instead for unique, creative approaches as international horror became more popular and films within the genre were increasingly lauded and awarded. Horror movie fans delight, for it’s time to indulge in all things creepy, cynical, uncanny, gory, and terrifying with a look at a few of the best horror films from the '90s.
Updated on July 31st, 2023 by Federico Furzan: To keep this article fresh and relevant by adding more information and entries, this article has been updated with additional content.
15 Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998)
This '90s horror movie list wouldn’t be complete without a classic Scooby-Doo movie, and the Mystery Gang is at it again in this tale-thumping tale of zombies and curses in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.
Fred Jones, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake, Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, and Scooby-Doo visit a remote island with a dark, twisted secret. After solving the same old case and unmasking a fake fiend, Daphne dreams of finding a real monster. However, the Mystery Gang finds more than they bargained for when they visit Zombie Island in one of the most delightful and genuinely creepy films from the Scooby-Doo franchise.
14 Audition (1999)
Proceed with caution, this 1999 Japanese horror/thriller film is difficult to stomach. Based on the 1997 novel by Ryu Murakami, Takashi Miike's Audition follows a lonely widower named Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), who stages an audition for a fake movie with the hopes of finding a new wife.
When he meets Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), he is drawn to her beauty and mystery. However, he soon discovers that she isn’t as innocent as she appears to be. Asami is a jealous and vindictive wife, who violently turns on her new man after he wrongs her. She brutally tortures him and leaves him wishing he was dead, much like the previous men in her life. Audition helped usher in a wave of incredibly violent and gory films that became known as "torture porn" to genre fans.
13 Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
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Wes Craven truly did something remarkable when he first conceived a continuation of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Wes Craven's New Nightmare was a film that was like no other, and it could still be part of the finished franchise.
The film relied on the meta aspect of real fear being so powerful that demons from the screen can transcend and cross over to the real world. Wes Craven's New Nightmare followed actress Heather Langemkamp, who played Nancy in the original Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Freddy Krueger sets his sights on Langenkamp's son as his new vessel so he could be as real as the nightmares he used against his victims, furthering the horror movie slasher's dark legacy.
12 Candyman (1992)
While researching local myths and legends, graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) learns about the legend of the Candyman (Tony Todd), a knife-wielding maniac believed to be responsible for a recent murder. Legend says that when you speak "Candyman" five times in front of a mirror, he will return and murder his summoner.
When a mysterious man begins stalking Helen, she believes the ghost story may be real. In addition to the original 1992 classic, Candyman was remade in 2021, with both films exploring racial prejudice and gentrification in unique and horrific ways. The original Candyman also kicked off its own franchise of sequels that further explored the man behind the legend and the tragic history of his dark transformation as well.
11 Scream (1996)
Most people will recognize the classic black and white mask of Ghostface from this 1996 satirical slasher/horror/mystery film about a teenage girl terrorized by a killer. Wes Craven's meta-thriller Scream
The film combined black comedy, “whodunit” mystery, and all the gore of a typical slasher to mock recent horror clichés found in classic films like Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and ANightmare on Elm Street (1984). Scream sparked a movie franchise that's still as alive as the legacy of killers whose obsession with horror proved to be a bit too dangerous to themselves and everyone around them.
10 Stephen King's It (1990)
An entire generation of movie lovers developed an intense fear of clowns after viewing the 1990 ABC TV movie that adapted Stephen King's iconic horror novel It. Tommy Lee Wallace adapted the bestselling novel as a two-part mini-series called Stephen King's It.
While the TV adaptation is definitely a product of the early '90s, it still stands as an intense psychological horror limited series. The 1990 horror masterpiece features a brilliant performance by the legendary Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown, a sadistic shapeshifter who targets children in the dark town of Derry, Maine. The book and TV adaptation were both so popular with fans that a new adaptation in 2017 broke horror movie records.
9 Interview with the Vampire (1994)
1994's Interview with the Vampire stars notable names like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Kirsten Dunst in one of her earliest performances. This 1994 American gothic horror film (based on the classic novel by Anne Rice) featured an interview with vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Pitt).
He recounted the events of the past two hundred years since he had been turned by the evil vampire known as Lestat, the main character of Anne Rice's extended book series. Louis recalled tales of cruel betrayals and his struggle living with an unquenchable thirst for blood as he traveled the world to try and find a place for himself. Interview with the Vampire is romantic and sensual but ultimately terrifying.
8 Ravenous (1999)
1999's Ravenous surprised fans when it was released due to the uncomfortable content and graphic imagery. Thankfully, the impressive performances and fantastic production still allowed the unique horror to stand out on it's own. Ravenous tells the story of a team of rescuers in the 19th century United States.
They encounter a mysterious man who ctells a terrifying story of cannibalism. However, everything changes when the group discover that the man is actually the hungry cannibal and they are all in danger of becoming his next meal. When it comes to films that are unexpectedly gory, Ravenous might sit near the top. The cast ensemble was alsi incredibly impressive and featured names like Robert Carlyle, Guy Pearce, David Arquette, Jeremy Davies, John Spencer and Neal McDonough.
7 Misery (1990)
Another hit horror in the '90s was based on a classic Stephen King novel, Misery. The film followed novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan), who goes through an unexpected ordeal after finishing his last novel. After a serious car crash, Paul is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who claims to be his biggest fan.
She takes Paul to her remote cabin to recover. When Annie discovers that Paul plans on killing her favorite character in his latest novel, her obsession takes a dark and violent turn. For her twisted portrayal of Annie Wilkes, Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
6 The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Sixth Sense was M. Night Shyamalan’s third feature film, but it was the first to turn the twist-loving filmmaker into a household name. Written and directed by Shyamalan, this ghost film followed child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) as he councelled a young patient following a tragic moment in his own life.
Crowe's patient Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) had a number of behavioral problems that he eventually revealed was because he could see ghosts. Dr. Crowe tried to help Cole discover the truth behind his supernatural abilities and learned a dark secret in the process. The Sixth Sense earned Shyamalan critical acclaim and immediately put him out there as a master of suspense, while also building the relationship between director and star that would continue in films like Unbreakable and Glass.
5 Event Horizon (1997)
Underrated sci-fi horror film Event Horizon flopped at the box office, but it developed a cult following that speaks to the long-lasting quality of the sci-fi horror. The film followed a rescue crew on a mission in space to investigate a mysteriously abandoned spaceship.
Event Horizon is very unsettling, unexpectedly violent, and it features an idea of Hell that will forever remain in viewer's minds. It was even so horrifying and traumatic that the studio removed huge chunks from the film and lost the footage. While those parts of the film would have further increased Event Horizon's terror, the film still stands due to its fantastic desgin and excellent cast which includes Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne.
4 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Fan of found footage documentary-style horror movies have probably seen or heard of its popular progenitor, The Blair Witch Project. While it wasn't the first, The Blair Witch Project undoubtedly kickstarted a new wave of similar projects that flooded the market and expanded the subgenre.
Three film students travel to a small town to collect footage about a local legend called The Blair Witch. They soon discover that things are not what they seem as they headed into the woods. The Blair Witch Project made this low-budget filmmaking style incredibly popular because the film was an international sensation. It sparked a series of Blair Witch movies including the documentary Curse of the Blair Witch which was broadcast in companion with the film's release.
3 Ringu (1998)
The importance of Hideo Nakata's Ringu to the horror genre is indisputable. This was the film that gave strength to the rise J-Horror/Japanese Horror and made it popular among Western audiences who were definitely seeking something different after years of repetivei sequels and franchises.
Ringu tells the story of a reporter solving the mystery of a deadly videotape that will kill anyone who watches its unnerving footage seven days later. Ringu iis incredibly influential, but it's also one of the scariest and most organic horror experiences of that decade. It's success and popularity with Western audiences led to the American remake The Ring in 2002, which terrified a whole new audience and led to a sequel that tried to further explore the legend of the mysterious killer tape.
2 Se7en (1995)
David Fincher's masterpiece Se7en was released in 1995, and audeinces were surprised by the tense thriller that also proved to be incredibly horrific that it crossed over the boundaries of the genre to become a full-blown horror. It followed a couple of detectives investigating a series of murders associated with the seven capital sins.
Se7en stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as the two men forced to deal with the unimaginable evil of a serial killer who used the "Seven Deadly Sins" to target his victims and justify his killings. The atmosphere of the film and the haunting mystery over the killer's murders kept viewers on the edge of thier seats. The shocking finale remained with fans long after the credits roll, making Se7en one of the most surprising hits of the '90s.
1 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs featured excellent direction and incredible performances from the legendary Sir Anthony Hopkins. He played imprisoned psychopath Dr. Hannibal Lecter alongside Jodie Foster, who played an FBI agent in charge of solving a serial killer mystery with the help of Lecter.
Both Hopkins and Foster won an Oscar for Best Actor and Best Actress. In addition, the film won several other Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Director for the incredible Jonathan Demme. In 1992, The Silence of the Lambs became the third film in cinema history to win the “Big Five” Oscars, joining the ranks with It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The Silence of the Lambs still ranks at the top of its genre.
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