If anyone says that the 1990s was a bad decade for horror, we can honestly say that they have no idea what they're talking about. Sure, it was a simpler time in cinema, but filmmakers were experimenting with new technologies and blending genres like never before, and a new crop of actors was birthed out of blood and jump scares.
This is the decade that gave horror its only Best Picture Oscar, when Wes Craven reinvented the genre with Scream, and when found footage was introduced to mainstream audiences. The ‘90s was not a bad decade for horror, and the following films are some even more compelling reasons. These are the best ‘90s horror films available to stream right now on Prime.
10 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs follows FBI agent Clarice Starling as she joins the task force trying to capture Buffalo Bill, a serial killer preying on young women. Starling’s job is to interview Hannibal Lecter, a former psychiatrist who’s been imprisoned for cannibalism, and who might hold the clues that could help the FBI catch the killer. The problem is that Lecter has plans of his own.
The Only Winner of the Best Picture Academy Award in the Horror Genre
The legacy of The Silence of the Lambs is unmatched. Jonathan Demme’s execution of horror tropes follows studio rules, but in the end, what felt like a grounded thriller was actually a pure horror experience. It won the Big Five at the Oscars (the last film to achieve this), and it put horror on the map during times when the genre was reportedly weaker than it had been in the ‘80s.
9 Stir of Echoes (1999)
- Release Date
- September 10, 1999
Stir of Echoes is the story of Tom Witzky, the leader of a family who just moved to a tight-knit neighborhood in Chicago. Tom and Maggie go to a party, and an intoxicated Tom gets hypnotized. He starts seeing things that are not there, as if a door had been opened in his mind. When he starts paying attention, he realizes there’s a ghost in his new home and it’s looking for payback.
The Underrated Ghost Film of 1999
While Stir of Echoes is one of the most interesting horror movies of the ‘90s, it falls second to the year’s most important scary movie, The Sixth Sense. Regardless, the film starring Kevin Bacon is a solid ghost movie with truly frightening moments and a performance by Kevin Bacon that might overshadow every other thing he’s ever done in Hollywood.
10 Classic '90s Shows You Can Binge on Netflix
If you're feeling nostalgic and looking for a '90s binge on Netflix, there's something for everyone to enjoy.
8 The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
- Release Date
- March 11, 1999
- Director
- Katt Shea
- Cast
- Emily Bergl , Jason London , Dylan Bruno , J. Smith-Cameron , Amy Irving , Zachery Ty Bryan
In The Rage: Carrie 2, Rachel Lang is trying to find justice in high school. Her best friend has just committed suicide, and Rachel suspects it had to do with the school jock having dumped her and used her for sex. She also finds out that she has telekinetic powers and this may be related to her biological parents. When the popular people at school try to trick Rachel, they find out it’s not good to mess with Carrie White’s half-sister.
An Extremely Underrated Sequel
We don’t give The Rage: Carrie 2 enough credit, and it’s a shame. The film is exactly what you'd expect from a modern sequel to the 1976 classic by Brian De Palma. It’s campy, but the story is pretty interesting as it focuses on a multilayered lead character who's easy to engage with. It’s very underrated, especially considering it was released as the century was about to turn, and horror rules were starting to be rewritten for newer audiences.
7 The Last Broadcast (1998)
The Last Broadcast
- Release Date
- October 23, 1998
- Director
- Stefan Avalos , Lance Weiler
- Cast
- David Beard , Lance Weiler , Stefan Avalos , Jim Seward , Rein Clabbers , Michele Pulaski , Tom Brunt , Mark Rublee
- Main Genre
- Horror
The Last Broadcast is a mockumentary that tries to explain mysterious events that took place when two filmmakers decided to record their web series live from the Pine Barrens and they were savagely attacked. David Leigh tries his best to put the pieces of the puzzle together and solve a crime that has supernatural tones to it, as the crime scene is where the Jersey Devil supposedly resides.
The film was a great experiment back in the day, and it paved the way for found footage films and their microbudgets that allowed new filmmakers to do horror without spending millions. It cost $900 and made $4 million in home video sales, and while critics weren’t enamored, it proved that a film could provide scares with minimum effort but lots of smart narrative choices.
6 Army of Darkness (1992)
- Release Date
- February 19, 1993
Army of Darkness follows Ash Williams, the star of the Evil Dead franchise, as he’s accidentally taken to the Middle Ages. Now in medieval times, Ash must find a way to get his hands on the Necronomicon and do some reciting to return to the present. The problem is that, once again, he will have to battle against the undead.
A Risky But Effective Shift
The third film in the Evil Dead franchise counted more than $10 million in budget, and Sam Raimi was pretty much allowed to experiment any way they wanted. Army of Darkness is superb in regard to the execution of horror and comedy, led by a spotless Bruce Campbell who was better than ever in the role that shot him into horror stardom. The makeup effects in this one are brilliant.
5 Idle Hands (1999)
- Release Date
- April 30, 1999
- Director
- Rodman Flender
In Idle Hands, Anton is a lazy teenager who only likes to get stoned every day and hasn’t realized his parents have been brutally killed. When he finally finds out, he tells his stoner friends, and when they realize Anton may be behind the murders, his hand, which has life of its own, kills them. It gets even crazier.
A Good Enough Mix of Comedy and Horror
Idle Hands is a good enough blend of comedy and horror starring Devon Sawa, a teenage idol from the ‘90s that does his best effort at physical comedy. The result is a weird horror film with impressive makeup effects and stoner humor back when it wasn’t very popular. Sadly, the reception by critics wasn’t very good, but in retrospect, it’s much better than what its box office performance showed: it earned $4.2 million from a $25 million budget.
4 Cube (1997)
- Release Date
- September 11, 1998
- Cast
- Nicole de Boer , David Hewlett , Andrew Miller , Julian Richings , Maurice Dean Wint
Vincenzo Natali’s Cube is a horror sci-fi movie that sheds off all its logic in favor of its execution: the film tells the story of five strangers who find themselves trapped in cube-shaped rooms. Each wall has a hatch that opens to another room, and whenever they try to move, a deadly trap is triggered.
A Solid Indie Horror Movie
A Canadian production, Cube was one of the most notable horror films of 1997. Although it launched an entire franchise, the original film remains the most relevant take on the surreal horror genre with enough of a philosophical touch to make its conclusion more interesting. It only cost a little over $500,000 but it made $9 million from theatrical runs and home video sales.
3 Troll 2 (1990)
- Release Date
- October 12, 1990
- Director
- Claudio Fragasso
Troll 2 is the 1990 horror classic that complies with every rule in the book of movies that are so bad they’re actually good. Yes, you’re wondering why we added this to the list, but in terms of horror entertainment, there’s nothing more fun than this story about the Waits family going to Nilbog on vacation and finding some vegan monsters trying to turn humans into plants for personal consumption.
A Classic of Its Kind
Troll 2 is the Plan 9 of modern cinema. It has a collection of memorable moments that’ll make you thank us for recommending it to you. Many thought that the ‘80s were exclusive to this kind of movie but the Claudio Fragasso’s film proved they were all wrong. The only thing scary in Troll 2 are the performances, and if you dig it, make sure to also watch the documentary about Troll 2, Best Worst Movie.
7 Biggest Movie Franchises That Started in the ‘90s and Are Still Going Strong
These '90s movie franchises pointed toward a future of endless sequels, reboots, and shared universes that excite audiences even today.
2 Species (1995)
- Release Date
- July 7, 1995
Species follows a group of scientists who receive a message from outer space that includes DNA and instructions on how to build an alien-human hybrid. For some reason, they do, and out comes Sil, a beautiful and lethal extraterrestrial who just wants to mate and breed an alien species that could exterminate humans.
The Femme Fatale We Needed
Species was the highest-grossing horror film of 1995, and it made barely $110 million, which proves that this year wasn’t exactly great for horror. Nevertheless, it made enough to launch a franchise. In retrospect, it’s apt for fans of the Alien franchise, as Sil heavily resembles the Xenomorph, and the monster in Species was also designed by Alien franchise collaborator, H.R. Giger.
1 Diabolique (1996)
Diabolique follows Mia and Nicole, a wife and the mistress of a man who find out that Guy is having a relationship with both. Tired of his violent and abusive behavior, the women devise a plan to murder him. When they do, and cover their tracks, Guy’s body disappears and the women become paranoid: either someone knows about what they did or Guy’s ghost is haunting them.
Another Truly Underrated Horror Remake
The film isn’t widely known among the best horror thrillers of 1990s, but it was a time when remakes were strongly rejected by everyone. Diabolique is based on the French film of 1955, and while it’s not as good as the original, it’s not bad at all. The performances by Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani are decent, and the final reveal is actually nightmare-inducing.
Comments
Post a Comment