I am a horror fan. Always have been. Always will be. I grew up on a steady diet of late night horror films in the bygone era of Friday and/or Saturday night horror hosts. I wanted to write a blog about my Top 10 Horror Films, but I had far too many favorites to choose from. Therefore, I plan to do a series of blogs dealing with specific decades. Now we're looking at the 1990s.
The 1990s were my prime movie-going years. The Baltimore Film Club was in full swing, and I usually saw between 120 and 198 films a year in the theater. Strangely, few horror films of the period stuck with me -- even the straight to video ones. The films just couldn't live up to the high standards set by the 'seventies and the 'eighties. Most critics who list the best horror films of the decade place The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en at the top. However, as I explained on my other lists, I do not include crime films in the horror genre unless they have a supernatural aspect.
Numbering this list also proved very difficult to me. Usually, the films I like most are the ones I watch most frequently. Repeat-ability is a big factor for me. However, on this list, I have found myself rating the films more on initial impact.
Ash, the amazing Bruce Campbell, finds himself transported back into the middle ages where he must battle the evil dead and find the Nerconomicon to return to his own time.
This third entry into the Evil Dead franchise finds our much put upon but resourceful hero sent back in time in this demented variant of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The film could have used a higher budget. The effects are cheesy at times, but the humor more than compensates. A truly enjoyable horror comedy.
An angsty teenager, played Gabrille Anwar, lives on a military base with her defense contractor father and evil stepmother. Soon she realizes that people around her are being duplicated by an alien life form, but she has a difficult time getting anyone to believe her.
This is the third great version of the classic sci-fi novel by Jack Finney. It isn't quite as good as the 1956 version directed by Don Siegel and written by Daniel Mainwaring or the 1977 version directed by Philip Kaufman and written by W.D. Richter. but it is a sturdy and exciting retelling. I am not a fan of all of Abel Ferrara's work, but he hits a home run with this version. And it still holds up. If you have a free night, I would recommend a Body Snatchers triple feature. (The masochists among you could go all the way and throw in the execrable 2007 version The Invasion.)
Three film students making a documentary about a legendary witch disappear in a Maryland forest. Their footage is later found and reveals their doom.
Nowadays there is a tendency among horror fans to look down their nose at this found footage film. They tend to dismiss it as gimmicky. They complain that all of its power was derived from false rumors that it was real footage. However, I think most of the disparaging remarks are a result of embarrassment. This was a film that really frightened audiences upon its initial release, and I think people hate to admit it.
I saw this film on the week of its release at a packed theater at the Loews White Marsh. Rarely have I seen a film grab an audience like this one. It had them by the throat throughout. It had me, too, and I knew it wasn't real. I heard about the film long before its release from the owner of a post-production facility in New York, who was raving about it. Still, I thought it worked beautifully. The first time. Personally, I don't think it holds up to repeated viewing. However, I have to give the film its due.
A mysterious body draws a would-be priest, Elias Koteas, who is now a homicide detective, into a second war between angels.
Count me in whenever you have Christopher Walken playing the arch angel Gabriel gone rogue. His quirky persona perfectly fits the role of the sardonic killer angel. Elias Koteas is also good as a priest who lost his faith. Eric Stoltz, Amanda Plummer, Adam Goldberg and Virginia Madsen fill out some nice supporting roles. We even get Viggo Mortensen as Satan. Who could ask for anything more?
The residents of an isolated Nevada desert town find themselves battling large underground monsters.
This is one of my favorite monster movies, and, considering all of the sequels, other folks must feel the same way. The practical effects are pretty good and the film certainly provides the requisite thrills. However, it is the sharp writing and amiable performances that set this film above the competition. The film has a great sense of place. You definitely get the small town vibe where everyone knows way too much about each other. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, two handymen looking to get out, have an easy-going vibe, and Michael Gross and Reba McIntyre are great fun as a heavily-armed survivalist couple.
A talented but obscure defense attorney from the South, Keanu Reeves, finds himself recruited by a powerful New York law firm only to discover that the senior partner, Al Pacino, is the devil himself.
A some point in his career, possibly around the time of Scarface, Al Pacino stopped being an actor and became AL PACINO (all caps.) That's a good thing. There's nothing I enjoy more than watching him turn the amp up to eleven in a role that gives him enough elbow room to do so. This is one of those roles. Al Pacino playing the Devil. Count me in. Keanu Reeves is good, too. I contend that he's best playing clueless characters trying to figure out what the hell is going on. This is definitely one of those cases.
Is the movie scary? No, but it does a good job of showing the temptations and allurements of the devil and the world.
The ancient Transylvania count seeks fresh blood, and the reincarnation of his lost love, in turn-of-the-century London in the adaptation of the classic horror novel.
Aaarrgghhh. On one hand there's so much to love about this film. The art direction is fabulous. Coppola gives the film a rich. old-Hollywood fairy-tale look. It is definitely the work of a confident, self-assured filmmaker. The film also boasts some excellent performances. Gary Oldman does a great job as the titular vampire, particularly in the older incarnation. Anthony Hopkins is obviously having a blast chewing up the scenery as Van Helsing. Sadly, however, we are also given the woefully miscast Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves. Period films are not their strength, unless the period is the 'eighties. (Stranger Things, anyone?)
The greatest sin, however, comes with the script. Why must they try to redeem one of literature's greatest villains? The irony, of course, is that they give this film, which strays far from the original story, the official title of Bran Stoker's Dracula. Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, or even James V. Hart's Dracula would have been more appropriate.
Quibbles aside, I believe the film holds up. It has more re-watch-ability than most of the films on this list.
Teenagers are stalked by a killer who adheres to "the rules" of horror films.
Personally, I thought the slasher genre was thoroughly exhausted by the end of the 1970s. After a while I began tuning the slasher films out entirely because they relied too heavily on a few overplayed tropes. Kevin Williamson managed to breathe new life into the sub-genre by taking on the tropes headfirst. The witty, self-referential script benefited from a good cast and the skilled hand of veteran horror director Wes Craven at the helm. Easily one of the best horror films of the decade, but I have little use for the obligatory sequels.
Homicide Detective John Hobbes, Denzel Washington, watches the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese, Elias Koteas, only to be plagued by a series of copycat murders afterwards. Hobbes soon discovers that Reese was inhabited by a demonic entity who can switch between human hosts via touch. Now the demon wants revenge....
A excellent horror film that plays like a police thriller. The quality of the writing and the excellent cast elevates the material. Denzel Washington provides a certain gravitas often lacking in films of the genre. Definitely one of the best films about spiritual warfare!
A child psychologist, Bruce Willis, who has relationship issues of his own, tries to help a youngster, Haley Joel Osment, who claims to be able to see dead people.
The Sixth Sense is a taut, suspenseful ghost story anchored by a gigantic plot twist, which I will not relate here for the benefit of the two or three people who haven't seen the film yet. Days after originally seeing the film in the theater, I saw it again to make sure the entire film was true to the twist. It was, and I was impressed. Sadly, like some other films on this list, The Sixth Sense doesn't really lend itself to repeated viewings. Once you know the twist, its power diminishes considerably. Still, I am including this film at the top of the list because of its cleverness and the punch it packs initially. That said, I doubt I will ever watch it again, unless I am seeing it with someone who had never saw it before.
Honorable Mention:
Candyman, 1992. The haunting Philip Glass score sets the tone for this really effective horror film based on a book by Clive Barker. This film hovered right below the Top 10. Jacob's Ladder, 1990. I saw this film on a number of other lists. I don't consider it a horror movie, just a horrible movie. I think I walked out of it in the theater. Misery, 1990. Doesn't quite fit into my criterion for a horror film. Flatliners, 1990. Good idea, but a little too slick and Brat Packy for my taste. Superior to the recent sequel. It, 1990. I originally liked this TV mini-series based on the Stephen King novel, especially Tim Curry's performance, but the film doesn't hold up. Really cornball compared to the recent version. Stir of Echoes, 1999. Kevin Bacon delivers in a pretty good ghost story based on the novel by the fabulous Richard Matheson. Innocent Blood, 1992. I have always been a sucker for both modern vampire and mob films. Therefore this one was a natural, but I dock it a few points because of John Landis' involvement. (I still remember Vic Murrow!) Needful Things, 1993. An often overlooked Stephen King adaptation with good performances by Max Von Sydow and Ed Harris. Wolf, 1994. This is what happens when a group of A-Listers go slumming to make a werewolf movie. Interesting, but not entirely effective. Lord of Illusions, 1995. I like this film better than Clive Barker's earlier directorial effort Hellraiser. The Rapture, 1991. Not quite a horror, but this film, written and directed by Michael Tolkin and starring Mimi Rogers, offers an interesting take on the Biblical End Times.
Other Lists:
The 1990s were my prime movie-going years. The Baltimore Film Club was in full swing, and I usually saw between 120 and 198 films a year in the theater. Strangely, few horror films of the period stuck with me -- even the straight to video ones. The films just couldn't live up to the high standards set by the 'seventies and the 'eighties. Most critics who list the best horror films of the decade place The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en at the top. However, as I explained on my other lists, I do not include crime films in the horror genre unless they have a supernatural aspect.
Numbering this list also proved very difficult to me. Usually, the films I like most are the ones I watch most frequently. Repeat-ability is a big factor for me. However, on this list, I have found myself rating the films more on initial impact.
10, ARMY OF DARKNESS, 1992
Directed by Sam Raimi
Written by Sam Raimi and Ivan Raimi
Ash, the amazing Bruce Campbell, finds himself transported back into the middle ages where he must battle the evil dead and find the Nerconomicon to return to his own time.
This third entry into the Evil Dead franchise finds our much put upon but resourceful hero sent back in time in this demented variant of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The film could have used a higher budget. The effects are cheesy at times, but the humor more than compensates. A truly enjoyable horror comedy.
9. BODY SNATCHERS, 1993
Directed by Abel Ferrara
Screen story by Raymond Cistheri and Larry Cohen.
Screenplay by Stuart Gordon & Dennis Paoli and Nicolas St. John
Novel by Jack Finney
An angsty teenager, played Gabrille Anwar, lives on a military base with her defense contractor father and evil stepmother. Soon she realizes that people around her are being duplicated by an alien life form, but she has a difficult time getting anyone to believe her.
This is the third great version of the classic sci-fi novel by Jack Finney. It isn't quite as good as the 1956 version directed by Don Siegel and written by Daniel Mainwaring or the 1977 version directed by Philip Kaufman and written by W.D. Richter. but it is a sturdy and exciting retelling. I am not a fan of all of Abel Ferrara's work, but he hits a home run with this version. And it still holds up. If you have a free night, I would recommend a Body Snatchers triple feature. (The masochists among you could go all the way and throw in the execrable 2007 version The Invasion.)
8. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, 1999
Written & Directed by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez
Three film students making a documentary about a legendary witch disappear in a Maryland forest. Their footage is later found and reveals their doom.
Nowadays there is a tendency among horror fans to look down their nose at this found footage film. They tend to dismiss it as gimmicky. They complain that all of its power was derived from false rumors that it was real footage. However, I think most of the disparaging remarks are a result of embarrassment. This was a film that really frightened audiences upon its initial release, and I think people hate to admit it.
I saw this film on the week of its release at a packed theater at the Loews White Marsh. Rarely have I seen a film grab an audience like this one. It had them by the throat throughout. It had me, too, and I knew it wasn't real. I heard about the film long before its release from the owner of a post-production facility in New York, who was raving about it. Still, I thought it worked beautifully. The first time. Personally, I don't think it holds up to repeated viewing. However, I have to give the film its due.
7. THE PROPHECY, 1995
Written and Directed by Gregory Widen
A mysterious body draws a would-be priest, Elias Koteas, who is now a homicide detective, into a second war between angels.
Count me in whenever you have Christopher Walken playing the arch angel Gabriel gone rogue. His quirky persona perfectly fits the role of the sardonic killer angel. Elias Koteas is also good as a priest who lost his faith. Eric Stoltz, Amanda Plummer, Adam Goldberg and Virginia Madsen fill out some nice supporting roles. We even get Viggo Mortensen as Satan. Who could ask for anything more?
6. TREMORS, 1990
Directed by Ron Underwood
Story by S.S. Wilson & Brent Maddock & Ron Underwood
Screenplay by S.S. Wilson & Brent Maddock
The residents of an isolated Nevada desert town find themselves battling large underground monsters.
This is one of my favorite monster movies, and, considering all of the sequels, other folks must feel the same way. The practical effects are pretty good and the film certainly provides the requisite thrills. However, it is the sharp writing and amiable performances that set this film above the competition. The film has a great sense of place. You definitely get the small town vibe where everyone knows way too much about each other. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, two handymen looking to get out, have an easy-going vibe, and Michael Gross and Reba McIntyre are great fun as a heavily-armed survivalist couple.
5. THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, 1997
Directed by Taylor Hackford
Novel by Andrew Neiderman
Screenplay by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy
A talented but obscure defense attorney from the South, Keanu Reeves, finds himself recruited by a powerful New York law firm only to discover that the senior partner, Al Pacino, is the devil himself.
A some point in his career, possibly around the time of Scarface, Al Pacino stopped being an actor and became AL PACINO (all caps.) That's a good thing. There's nothing I enjoy more than watching him turn the amp up to eleven in a role that gives him enough elbow room to do so. This is one of those roles. Al Pacino playing the Devil. Count me in. Keanu Reeves is good, too. I contend that he's best playing clueless characters trying to figure out what the hell is going on. This is definitely one of those cases.
Is the movie scary? No, but it does a good job of showing the temptations and allurements of the devil and the world.
4. BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, 1992
Based on the novel by Bram Stoker.
The ancient Transylvania count seeks fresh blood, and the reincarnation of his lost love, in turn-of-the-century London in the adaptation of the classic horror novel.
Aaarrgghhh. On one hand there's so much to love about this film. The art direction is fabulous. Coppola gives the film a rich. old-Hollywood fairy-tale look. It is definitely the work of a confident, self-assured filmmaker. The film also boasts some excellent performances. Gary Oldman does a great job as the titular vampire, particularly in the older incarnation. Anthony Hopkins is obviously having a blast chewing up the scenery as Van Helsing. Sadly, however, we are also given the woefully miscast Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves. Period films are not their strength, unless the period is the 'eighties. (Stranger Things, anyone?)
The greatest sin, however, comes with the script. Why must they try to redeem one of literature's greatest villains? The irony, of course, is that they give this film, which strays far from the original story, the official title of Bran Stoker's Dracula. Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, or even James V. Hart's Dracula would have been more appropriate.
Quibbles aside, I believe the film holds up. It has more re-watch-ability than most of the films on this list.
3. SCREAM, 1996
Teenagers are stalked by a killer who adheres to "the rules" of horror films.
Personally, I thought the slasher genre was thoroughly exhausted by the end of the 1970s. After a while I began tuning the slasher films out entirely because they relied too heavily on a few overplayed tropes. Kevin Williamson managed to breathe new life into the sub-genre by taking on the tropes headfirst. The witty, self-referential script benefited from a good cast and the skilled hand of veteran horror director Wes Craven at the helm. Easily one of the best horror films of the decade, but I have little use for the obligatory sequels.
2. FALLEN, 1998
Directed by Gregory Hoblit
Screenplay by Nicholas Kazan
Homicide Detective John Hobbes, Denzel Washington, watches the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese, Elias Koteas, only to be plagued by a series of copycat murders afterwards. Hobbes soon discovers that Reese was inhabited by a demonic entity who can switch between human hosts via touch. Now the demon wants revenge....
A excellent horror film that plays like a police thriller. The quality of the writing and the excellent cast elevates the material. Denzel Washington provides a certain gravitas often lacking in films of the genre. Definitely one of the best films about spiritual warfare!
1. THE SIXTH SENSE, 1999
Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
A child psychologist, Bruce Willis, who has relationship issues of his own, tries to help a youngster, Haley Joel Osment, who claims to be able to see dead people.
The Sixth Sense is a taut, suspenseful ghost story anchored by a gigantic plot twist, which I will not relate here for the benefit of the two or three people who haven't seen the film yet. Days after originally seeing the film in the theater, I saw it again to make sure the entire film was true to the twist. It was, and I was impressed. Sadly, like some other films on this list, The Sixth Sense doesn't really lend itself to repeated viewings. Once you know the twist, its power diminishes considerably. Still, I am including this film at the top of the list because of its cleverness and the punch it packs initially. That said, I doubt I will ever watch it again, unless I am seeing it with someone who had never saw it before.
Candyman, 1992. The haunting Philip Glass score sets the tone for this really effective horror film based on a book by Clive Barker. This film hovered right below the Top 10. Jacob's Ladder, 1990. I saw this film on a number of other lists. I don't consider it a horror movie, just a horrible movie. I think I walked out of it in the theater. Misery, 1990. Doesn't quite fit into my criterion for a horror film. Flatliners, 1990. Good idea, but a little too slick and Brat Packy for my taste. Superior to the recent sequel. It, 1990. I originally liked this TV mini-series based on the Stephen King novel, especially Tim Curry's performance, but the film doesn't hold up. Really cornball compared to the recent version. Stir of Echoes, 1999. Kevin Bacon delivers in a pretty good ghost story based on the novel by the fabulous Richard Matheson. Innocent Blood, 1992. I have always been a sucker for both modern vampire and mob films. Therefore this one was a natural, but I dock it a few points because of John Landis' involvement. (I still remember Vic Murrow!) Needful Things, 1993. An often overlooked Stephen King adaptation with good performances by Max Von Sydow and Ed Harris. Wolf, 1994. This is what happens when a group of A-Listers go slumming to make a werewolf movie. Interesting, but not entirely effective. Lord of Illusions, 1995. I like this film better than Clive Barker's earlier directorial effort Hellraiser. The Rapture, 1991. Not quite a horror, but this film, written and directed by Michael Tolkin and starring Mimi Rogers, offers an interesting take on the Biblical End Times.
Other Lists:
Top 10 Comedies of the 2000s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1990s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1980s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1970s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1960s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1950s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1940s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1930s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2010s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2000s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1990s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1980s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1970s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1960s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1950s
Top 15 Horror Films of the 1930s and 1940s
My 10 Favorite James Bonds Films
My 10 Favorite Faith Based Films
My 10 Favorite Laurel & Hardy Shorts
Top 10 Comedies of the 1990s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1980s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1970s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1960s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1950s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1940s
Top 10 Comedies of the 1930s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2010s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 2000s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1990s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1980s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1970s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1960s
Top 10 Horror Films of the 1950s
Top 15 Horror Films of the 1930s and 1940s
My 10 Favorite James Bonds Films
My 10 Favorite Faith Based Films
My 10 Favorite Laurel & Hardy Shorts
The 10 Worst Films I Paid To See!
My 5 Favorite Westerns
7 Guy Films
20 Films, or Confessions of a Misspent Youth
The Marx Brothers Films Ranked
The Chaplin Mutual Shorts Ranked
Beatles Albums Ranked
My 20 Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Least Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Favorite Rolling Stones Albums
My 5 Favorite Dylan Albums
My 5 Favorite Westerns
7 Guy Films
20 Films, or Confessions of a Misspent Youth
The Marx Brothers Films Ranked
The Chaplin Mutual Shorts Ranked
Beatles Albums Ranked
My 20 Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Least Favorite Beatles Songs
My 5 Favorite Rolling Stones Albums
My 5 Favorite Dylan Albums
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