Best Horror Movies From Every Year of the 1990s

In 1991, horror reached new heights of appraisal when The Silence of the Lambs was released. This tense horror crime thriller was directed by the late Jonathan Demme and starred two-time Academy Award winners Jodie Foster and Sir Anthony Hopkins. It’s a chilling story about an FBI trainee, determined to prove herself as she plays an intense mind game with a brilliant incarcerated serial killer to get his help tracking down another murderer before he kills his next captive victim.

Today, it’s the most acclaimed horror film of all time, winning all five major Academy Awards in the 1992 ceremony, including the coveted Best Picture, making it the only horror movie to do so. It’s a powerfully crafted story, with everything about it, from the directing, writing, editing, and especially the performances, firing on all cylinders to create a truly memorable masterpiece. This is undeniably the best of 91 and one that defined the decade. There’s honestly no mention of horror in the 90s without talking about this one.

3

‘Army of Darkness’ (1992)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Ending his blood-soaked trilogy on a spectacular high note in 1992, Sam Raimi‘s conclusion to his original Evil Dead films, Army of Darkness, is the one many fans today consider to be their favorite. Returning to his iconic, scene-chewing role, B-movie legend Bruce Campbell shines as the chosen one, Ash Williams, who goes on a medieval adventure back in time to save the world from the dreaded forces conjured up by the Necronomicon.

A rousing cult classic with exciting action, wonderful fantasy elements, and hilarious comedy, Army of Darkness is one of the most enjoyable viewing experiences that the early ’90s had to offer. It’s simply a blast from start to finish, featuring so many quotable lines and crowd-pleasing moments that they get better with every rewatch. While it’s not the scariest horror film of the decade, it’s still an essential and fun watch that truly every fan of this decade needs to see.

4

‘Fire in the Sky’ (1993)

Directed by Robert Lieberman

Next comes one of the scariest, unique, and most underappreciated horror movies of the decade, Fire in the Sky, the 1993 sci-fi horror biopic directed by Robert Lieberman. Based on an alleged real-life incident, it tells the chilling tale of an Arizona logger, Travis Walton (D.B. Sweeney), who, for five days, was abducted and experimented on by extraterrestrials.

It’s a truly gripping and intense story with a great mix of horror and drama that sadly doesn’t get brought up as much when talking about this cinematic decade. While not the most perfectly made film, it has an emotional story that’s enough to get invested and has an underrated, award-deserving performance by Robert Patrick, who’s easily the heart of the film. But what really makes this one deserve a place here is its shocking experimentation scene near the conclusion, which is easily one of the most unsettling moments in horror history. Overall, Fire in the Sky isn’t the most spectacular of the decade, but deserves a mention and definitely stands as the best horror flick of ’93.

5

‘In the Mouth of Madness’ (1994)

Directed by John Carpenter

From visionary horror filmmaker John Carpenter comes one of his most beloved and mesmerizing cult classics, In the Mouth of Madness, the 1994 lovecraftian fantasy horror thriller starring Sam Neill and Jürgen Prochnow. A wild and mind-bending tale, it follows an insurance investigator as he loses his grip on reality in a bizarre small town while investigating the strange disappearance of a renowned horror author.

This one will keep you on your toes and leave you sleeping with the lights on at night. In the Mouth of Madness is truly an unforgettable watching experience, a frightening tale with bizarre, creative imagery and eerie suspense. It’s backed by a captivating performance by Sam Neill, fresh off the success of his Jurassic Park fame, and here he truly steals the show as the slowly unraveling protagonist. Overall, In the Mouth of Madness is one of Carpenter’s all-time greats and one of his most compelling films of the decade. Though it was initially a flop upon release, it’s undeniably gained a strong cult following in the years since.

6

‘Tales from the Hood’ (1995)

Directed by Rusty Cundieff

Although it was a pretty stellar decade, unfortunately, 1995 will go down as one of the weaker years in horror history. It’s a time marked by extreme lows, especially for the slasher subgenre, as it saw the release of duds like Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, and the absolute atrocity that was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. But through the darkness of this year came a unique anthology horror film that, although mixed at the time, has since developed a growing cult following. That is Rusty Cundieff’s Tales from the Hood.

This powerful collection of stories is enough to terrify but also move anyone emotionally from beginning to end. It has five eerily and unsettling segments. Each of them is unique and talks about hard issues facing the African American community, not being afraid to so heavy and disturbing subject matter. It’s an overall powerful film that shows a lot of creativity and passion behind it. It’s one of the shining lights of 1995 and one that certainly fans of horror can all appreciate.

7

‘Scream’ (1996)

Directed by Wes Craven

Slashers were at quite a low point in the early and mid-90s. Franchise fatigue and oversaturation were greatly hurting the subgenre, and many audiences were becoming too aware of its clichés. Then, in 1996, an unexpected miracle happened. Directed by the legendary Wes Craven and written by the talented Kevin Williams, Scream is the monumental game-changer that saved slashers from the brink. Starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox, it’s a thrilling tale about follows a small group in a California town as they try to figure out who is dressing up and going around killing people in ways eerily reminiscent of slasher films.

Scream came along to reguvenate the subgenre, keeping it going well into the modern age. It was brilliantly self-aware, adding a wonderful mix of dark comedy and humor, which added something new and fun to the slasher formula. The writing is fantastic, the scares are iconic, and the characters are oh-so memorable. Truly, this is a must-watch for horror fans that shows no signs of dwindling in popularity. It represents some of the best that horror cinema offered in the 1990s.

Scream

Release Date

December 20, 1996

Runtime

112 minutes

8

‘Cube’ (1997)

Directed by Vincenzo Natali

Paving the way for escape room-type movies was Cube, the 1997 indie sci-fi horror thriller directed by Vincenzo Natali. A claustrophobic tale with endless suspense and dread, the story follows a group of random strangers as they must learn to work together in order to survive when they mysteriously wake up in a cube-like maze with endless rooms full of deadly traps.

This highly underrated cult classic is truly spectacular, and it’s so nightmarish and nail-biting that it’ll have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. It’s a wonderfully unique tale that explores human behavior and whether people can truly work together in such an extreme situation. The acting is all-around spectacular, and each actor really nails their character down, even those with less screen time. It’s an overall intense and gripping horror film that, although flown under most people’s radars when released, has since become one of the ’90s biggest horror highlights.

Cube

Release Date

September 11, 1998

Runtime

90 minutes

9

‘Ringu’ (1998)

Directed by Hideo Nakata

Hailing from Japan, Ringu is a 1998 supernatural horror classic directed by Hideo Nakata. A deeply unsettling tale with endless dread and horrifying concepts, its story tells of a journalist who, after looking into the bizarre death of her niece, comes across a disturbing curse videotape showing a ghostly woman who kills whoever watches the tape after a week.

Ringu is a non-stop terror flick that gets more unsettling and paranoia-inducing with every rewatch. It’s full of iconic imagery that came to define horror in the late ’90s, like the memorable moment when the ghost Sadako (Rie Ino’O) slowly crawls out of a television screen. This is honestly one of the scariest horror movies of all time.

Ringu

Release Date

January 31, 1998

Runtime

95 Minutes

10

‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Finally, closing this incredible decade with one last game-changing masterpiece is The Sixth Sense, the 1998 supernatural horror drama and the best film of director M. Night Shyamalan. Starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, it’s a riveting tale about a struggling psychologist who finds redemption while helping a young troubled boy with an eerie ability to talk to the dead.

While there definitely was some stiff competition in 1999 with so many great films like The Ninth Gate, Sleepy Hollow, Audition, and the landmark found footage flick The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense stands above those others for being a truly compelling and marvelous story. It’s more than just a horror film as it has gripping drama and a lot of heart, making it an excellent watch from start to finish. It ended the decade off strong, and even today, is always looked on fondly as one of the most essential films of the genre.

NEXT: The Best Horror Movies From Every Year of the 1980s