10 Best Horror Movies of the 90s
Apart from being the best decade in the history of the world (so far), the 90s was an absolute stonker for horror.
Whether it was breathing new life into the Teen Slasher or breaking new ground with Found Footage, some of the most established directors of the genre made their best work circa 1990.
The late Wes Craven put his postmodern stamp on slashers with New Nightmare (1994), and then dropped his masterpiece just two years later in Scream (1996); which saw everyone dressing up as Ghost-face for Halloween. Other horror auteurs such as Sam Raimi and John Carpenter continued to scare us silly with their contributions to the creep charts, while Jonathan Demme put horror/thriller back on the map when Silence of the Lambs (1991) dominated the Oscars.
There was never a better time to be alive and terrified than the 1990s (cue perfect segue into 90s horror countdown list).
10. Arachnophobia (1990)
A creature feature with enough legs to make you incredibly itchy, Frank Marshall’s creepy horror comedy follows a deadly, undiscovered South American spider which finds itself in the idyllic town of Canaima.
The story centres on former urbanites, Ross (Jeff Daniels) and Molly (Harley Jane Kozak) Jennings, who are blissfully unaware that a new breed of deadly house spiders are about to hatch. Soon these little critters are in every crevice waiting to inject their deadly toxin into the next townie they find.
Marshall certainly learnt well from his esteemed colleague Spielberg by creating a family-friendly fright-fest that traps you in its web and injects litres of horror-comedy into your veins.
9. Mister Frost (1990)
Philippe Setbon’s psychological horror went totally under the radar when it was released, but perfect performances from Jeff Goldblum and Kathy Baker have awarded it cult status in later years. This semi-unheard-of film focuses on a serial killer (Goldblum), admitted to a mental asylum. He doesn’t utter a word until Dr. Day (Baker) comes along, and he admits that he is the devil and must be murdered. Simple jump cuts and the effective use of lighting makes for a tense and unnerving watch, and as the story reaches its unbearable conclusion, you are left feeling uneasy and in need of a cuddle.
