The 1990’s
was my generational decade of discovery, and it’s the decade I think back to
with the most fondness when it comes to Horror movies. This was a time of
transition, when horror was starting to become self-aware, and a subject of
parody. However, this was also the age in which less conventional human
monsters took center stage. Thus, it was both an age of maturing, while also paying
tribute to the fun, care free monster movies of the past. As such, my favorite
movies from this decade range from tongue-in-cheek camp, to serious and
gripping. I’m not trying to make any kind of official best of 90’s countdown, I
just want to highlight my personal favorite horror movies that the decade had
to offer. You’ll forgive me if some big titles like “Silence of the Lambs” or
“Scream” don’t make it on my countdown, which isn’t to say their bad either,
just not quiet in the ball park of my personal favorites.
#10 “The People Under the Stairs” (1991)
Kicking off my list is something of a guilty pleasure from director Wes Craven. When a young boy breaks into the home of a greedy and unfeeling landlord, disturbed secrets begin to unravel, including people imprisoned under the stairs, and a little girl who’s likewise being held captive by her deranged parents. Thus, it becomes an exciting cat and mouse game for the two kids to escape a house full of booby traps, and outwit the vileness home owners. Whenever I think of the late great Wes Craven, “The People Under the Stairs” is one of the first titles that comes to mind. It’s not perfect, but undeniably one of his most unique offerings, as well as exciting, and even has it’s share of socially conscious subtext at the center. Beyond that, I’ve always been a fan of kids going on a spooky adventure in a memorable setting. Both the kids are easy to cheer for, with the girl Alice being exceptionally lovable, and the lead boy is played by a young Brandon Quintin Adams before his more famous child-role in “The Sandlot”.
#9 “Deep Blue Sea” (1999)
In a deep Ocean facility, we follow a group of people who are trapped, but
escaping isn’t the only thing the group needs to accomplish, as they also need to
find a way to kill 4 super intelligent tiger sharks that are trying to escape
into the ocean, and are picking the team off one at a time. The plots almost
like a mix of “Jurassic Park”, “Poseidon” and “Jaws”, and
the result is a simple, yet extremely fun monster movie. It’s not on the same
high caliber as “Jaws”, but not every movie needs to be, and with all
the cheesy B animal attack movies that saturated the decade … “Deep Blue Sea”
is the one I’ve always enjoyed the most. The characters are admittedly stock,
yet great in their respected tropes, especially this awesome African American cook
who kills a shark by saying “You ate my Bird!” Then there’s Samuel L. Jackson,
who gets the funniest “Oh shoot, I didn’t that coming” death sequence ever. The
underwater base offers many cool locations for action sequences, the sharks are
pretty menacing, and we even have some refreshing twists to old, monster movie
clichés. If I was flipping through channels on some afternoon with nothing to
do, and I came across this film, I would definitely put that remote down to
finish it.
#8 “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997)
A
small group of graduates have big plans ahead, but life takes a sudden dark
turn when they seem to have accidently killed someone on the road while driving
at night. Shaken from the incident, they try to cover up the accident and move
on with their lives … which is impossible for any of them. After a year, these
young adults are completely different from who they were, and what’s worse …
some mysterious foe knows their dark secret. Following after the success of Wes
Cravens “Scream” came a number of teen horror films, and “I Know What
You Did Last Summer” was obviously part of the fad. I know this isn't a
popular opinion, but if I'm being honest with myself ... I genuinely preferred “I
Know What You Did Last Summer” over the more famous "Scream",
as I just found the characters more interesting, the mystery more exciting, and
the vileness fisherman to be more intimidating. There’s some white knocked cat
and mouse chases on display, and for once, I genuinely wanted to see the
characters make it out alive.
#7 “Ringu” (1998)
It’s the urban legend of a cursed
video tape, one that will kill anyone within a week of watching it. A young
reporter soon fears that both her life, and the lives of her family are in
danger, so she and her ex-husband set off on a supernatural detective case to
lift the curse, while unraveling its dark secrets. Most big horror movies of
the 90’s, even the best ones still feel like products of their time, but “Ringu”
is an exception, as it genuinely feels like something that could have come from
any decade ... that is with the slight exception of VHS tapes, those really
aren’t around anymore. What really sets this film apart is it’s slow-building
suspense, and eerie mood. It’s far more subtle than most other films of this
sort, and lets the spooky content quietly sneak up on you. Granted, the
American remake may entertain you more, but the original just feels scarier to
experience, and you just can’t deny the originality of the film. It’s method of
combining supernatural elements with the anxieties of modern technology is
still very innovative, and honestly quiet frightening to experience as long as
you’re in the right mind set.
#6 “Misery” (1990)
When the secluded Annie Wilkes rescues her favorite author in the world from a car accident, she treats him with care while he recovers in her privet farm land. Unfortunately, her obsession of him quickly turns this into a hostage situation, as she refuses to let him leave her house, and dose every cruel thing you could do to keep him their indefinitely.
She straps him to a bed, breaks his legs, shoots down
police officers investigating the aria, and all while claiming that she loves
him more than life itself. Based on the novel of the same name by Steven King, “Misery”
is one of his greatest book-to-screen adaptations to date. It’s also a special
case in which less is more, as this simple premise is perfectly executed as one
of the most suspenseful and thrilling pictures of the decade. Kathy Bates is
downright chilling in the part of the overly obsessive fan, winning her the
Academy Award for best actress in a leading role. What really makes her so
scary is her constant changing mood ... at one point she can seem like the
kindest lady on the planet, then before you know it, she’s the most unstable
and threatening person that you’d never want to be left alone with. Along with
a solid performance from the victim Author played by James Kaun, and a tight
direction from Rob
Reiner, “Misery” proves that you don’t need anything supernatural, or
overly violent to be a griping horror experience.
#5 “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996)
Now here’s a wild horror movie that doesn’t aim for scares, it just busts loose and has fun. With the combined talents of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, you can’t go wrong. The movie begins with a slightly series tone as we follow two criminals who have taken a family hostage, and are aiming to sneak out of the country.
Once they venture into Mexico, the
group stops at a bar that just happens to be full of vampires, and that’s when
things get really crazy, and off the wall entertaining. It may sound like a dumb
film, which it certainly is, but that’s the point, this isn’t a movie that’s
meant to be taken seriously, it’s all B movie fun. If you’re a monster movie
buff, you have to check this film out, because it has everything ... creative
vampire action, monster transformations, memorable characters, no shortage of
cool ways to see vampires die, and there’s this one dance involving the Oh so
attractive Salma Hayek that’s worth the price of admission alone. This film
also marks the film debut of George Clooney, and it’s without a doubt one of
the most entertaining performances of his carrier. This is a movie where you
need to just let loose, kick back and have a wild time, because it breaks all
the conventional rules, and kicks some serious ass!
#4 “Wes Cravens New Nightmare” (1994)
This is the seventh entry in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series, and a rare sequel that I honestly think out matches the original. This film actually steps outside of the horror universe, focusing on the actual film crew and actors as their making a new “Nightmare on Elm Street” film. Heather Langenkamp plays herself, while also playing the role of Nancy.
During production of the
film, lots of strange things start to happen to her and she begins to wonder if
the character of Freddy Krueger is actually coming to life, or maybe she’s
going insane after staring in so many of these Freddy films. It’s an
interesting study of how acting in a horror film can leave a twisted impact on
the actors or the crew involved. Rather than focusing on a cast of disposable
characters, all the attention is on Heather Langenkamp who carries this film
beautifully. The character of Freddy Krueger has also never been more
frightening or more interesting then as portrayed in this film. His makeup is
much scarier, and the dream sequences are haunting spectacles. While the
original “Nightmare on Elm Street” is obviously a classic, I personally
think that its seventh sequel “New Nightmare” is far superior, and one of the greatest horror movie sequels ever made.
#3 “Sleepy Hollow” (1999)
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is one of the most classic ghost stories of all time, and has been retold in several new ways throughout the ages. The 1999 version directed by Tim Burton probably has the least to do with Washington Irving’s novel, but it’s the first one that comes to mind whenever I think of the Headless Horseman.
This version plays like a supernatural detective case, and captures the look
and feel of a 60’s Hammer Horror film. When the monstrous headless horseman
awakens from his grave, it goes on a killing spree throughout the town of
Sleepy Hollow. All the murders get the attention of Ichabod Crane, played
brilliantly by Johnny Depp, who’s on a mission to solve the mystery of the
resurrected Headless Horseman. For an extremely over the top and violent film,
it sure has all the stuff I love in a good thriller. Every time I watch it, I’m
blown away by its haunting atmosphere, and it’s visually a marvel to look at.
Tim Burton’s direction gives it a creepy yet magical dream like quality. The
cast fill their respected roles very well, and the Headless Horseman is one of
the most thrilling movie monsters of all time. While this obviously isn’t a
movie for everyone, I personally think it’s one of Tim Burton’s best films, and
his first true horror flick.
#2 “The Sixth Sense” (1999)
Now we come to a very special Horror film, one that will scare you to death, but also pull at your heart strings all the way. The story revolves around a young boy with an abnormal ability to see the spirits of dead people. Every encounter with these ghosts is the stuff of nightmares, but the real horror comes from their back stories. We soon learn that these spirits were all victims of untimely deaths.
By communicating with the young boy, these lost
souls will have the chance to be given proper closure and move on. The most
terrifying aspects of the film come into play when we learn just how tragic and
disturbing the events of their deaths were. For example, there’s a subplot
revolving around the spirit of a dead girl, who was secretly poisoned, and
killed by her wicked mother. This alone is more terrifying than anything
supernatural related that I’ve ever seen in a horror film. Just the thought of
this horrible woman slowly killing her child without the father knowing is one
of the most frightening concepts you can possibly imagine. This for me is what
other horror movies lack, and that’s “REAL LIFE HORROR”. It’s a movie that
covers issues of pain, remorse, sorrow, regret, loss, things that are very sad,
and emotional. It’s more than just an exciting scary movie, it feels deep and
meaningful. “The Sixth Sense” has all the makings and style of a classic
Hollywood picture, yet it’s packed with all the chills and atmosphere of a
modern horror movie. With standout performances, especially from the young
Haley Joel Osment, and a twisted, original ghost story make this every bit as
haunting as it is poetic.
Before I
reveal my number one favorite, here are some quick honorable mentions …
Anaconda (1997)
The
Silence of the Lambs
(1991)
Tremors (1990)
Scream (1996)
Arachnophobia (1990)
Okay, so this film is obviously more of a fun action-adventure film, but it is still a remake of one of Universals most classic monster movies ... “The Mummy” from 1934, so I say it counts. The adventure takes place in Egypt and follows a team of explorers who accidentally unearth a mummy, whose evil curse spreads across the land like a plague.
Boris Karloff’s original film will always be a classic, but this mummy is the most unforgettable, and a very personal favorite of mine. This was one of the very first horror ... anything, that I’ve ever experienced, and it’s this film that actually paved the way for me discover other horror films like the ones I previously mentioned on my list. The creature itself is one of my favorite modern day movie villains, and a testament to the wonders of both special and practical effects. I love how the mummy changes his appearance in every scene, as he slowly becomes more human, that way the film can surprise us with something new each time our hero’s face him. The characters are also very likable in their own clichéd action hero ways. While a lot of the film can be regarded as campy, it’s still not without some subtly scary moments, and creepy sound effects. It may not be pure horror, but it’s still my personal favorite genera offering of the decade, and still stands as one of my favorite entertainment movies all these years later.
Thanks for
reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy the movies you love!
Happy Halloween!
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