My Favorite ’90s Horror Movies
By: Emily Ruth Verona
I love movies. I have always loved them. At a very early age my heart was cleaved in two, with half of my devotion going to books and half to movies. I’ve always valued them in equal measure. In college, I started out as a Creative Writing major. Then one weekend during my first semester in 2008, I went to see a theater screening of the 1980 classic The Shining. Those elevator doors up on that big screen. The angle of the camera making them feel enormous. The color palette with that deep, dark red. The drama of it all. I went back to school on Monday and added a second major to my course of study: Cinema Studies. Many thought it an odd fit. As far as any of my professors could recall, I was the only student they’d ever had who double majored in Creative Writing and Cinema Studies. For me, it felt natural. My perfect harmony.
As for my favorite genre, well, I love them all…but horror has always been special to me. It was probably being raised on the spooky 90’s kid show Are You Afraid of the Dark? that sealed it. There’s something dynamic about being a ’90s kid. Times were changing. The internet and cell phones were on the rise. This makes movies from this time of special interest to me, especially horror movies where so much is dependent on contacting the outside world because there is a slasher on the loose or ghost haunting or curse looming. These movies don’t fit into the 1970s/1980s world of horror, but they don’t belong in the 2000s either. It’s a weird little pocket of time, one stamped with nostalgia for me. So, without further ado, let’s look at some of my favorite horror movies to come out in the 1990s.
“Candyman” (1992)
I’m ashamed to admit it, but this is one of two films on this list that I saw for the first time as an adult. The others I saw as a kid in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Tony Todd is absolutely incredible in this movie. He has such gravitas. Such presence. Bees come out of that man’s mouth. Bees! And this was in the years of practical effects, so no CGI. It’s said that the actor was paid $1,000 per bee sting for the ordeal. He was stung 27 times.
“Jurassic Park” (1993)
Technically, this isn’t a horror movie but no ’90s kid knows a bigger thrill than the scene with the raptors in the kitchen. It is iconic and for many future horror fans, the first truly tense live-action film we ever saw. It was definitely the first live-action film I can remember watching. It’s also the first time I ever heard the term Vegetarian (something I would later become). Plus, that little venomous Dilophosaurus was terrifying.
“The Good Son” (1993)
Who can forget Elijah Wood’s big blue eyes? There was also this phenomenon in the 1990s where all the houses in movies were huge and cozy and gorgeous, and the house in this movie was certainly one of them. It’s a fascinating film, especially given how young I must have been when I saw it for the first time. I had never seen the “evil kid” trope before and the pairing of McCauley Culkin and Elijah Wood is just incredible. I remember sitting on the edge of my seat the first time I watched it, dreading what little Henry would do next.
“Scream” (1996)
This movie changed the game. It was the clever, meta spin that horror needed for a fresh direction. It’s funny, scary, and self-referential in ways that have given us some of the best one-liners around. “What’s your favorite scary movie?” Plus, I legitimately felt seen by Randy’s obsession with movies. The scene where he yells “turn around, Jamie!” when he’s the one who should be turning around is genius.
“Sleepy Hollow” (1999)
In my opinion, this is Tim Burton’s dark side at its best. The movie is atmospheric in the most gorgeously gothic ways. The vibes are spot on, the characters are compelling, and Christina Ricci is perfection as Katrina Van Tassel. The effects hold up well over time and the film as a whole feels less digital than some of his later work.
“The Blair Witch Project” (1999)
I didn’t see The Blair Witch Project until I was in my 30s, but I did see the impact it had on the found-footage genre long before that. It’s seminal and I cannot exclude it here. Of course, by the time I watched this movie I knew all the iconic moments—that haunting ending—but there’s an authenticity to the low-budget way it was shot that remains captivating. It really feels like lost footage.
“Final Destination” (2000)
Okay, yes, this movie wasn’t released in the ’90s—but it was made in the ’90s. It came out in March 2000. For me, Final Destination has always felt like the last horror movie of that era. The closing of a chapter. It’s moody in the most classic ’90s way (just look at Clear’s whole vibe—she does metalwork in her garage!) This film also features my favorite horror icon cameo. Tony Todd plays the mortician, which brings this list back around to the top with Candyman. See what I did there?