Summary
The ’90s were a time of great and specialized horror movies, especially ones that incorporated elements of fantasy. The best titles from this decade include somehorror movies that changed the rules foreverbut cannot be classified as fantasy; the killer and their means are strictly realistic and could technically happen in real life. However, alongside the advent of game-changing thrillers likeScreamandThe Silence of the Lambs,a particular brand of fantasy horror was developed throughout the 1990s.
One of the most influential developments in this regard was the release of some ofTim Burton’s best horror movies, as the director established himself and his signature aesthetic in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Other fantasy horror filmmakers leveraged Burton’s tastes or did something completely different in the production of horror book adaptations, including somegreat Roald Dahl movie adaptations.The 1990s became a time of creepy monsters, crafty outcasts, and classic gothic aesthetics,spearheaded by several key movies.
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Interview with the Vampire
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The Blair Witch Project
Cast
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 horror film that follows three film students who venture into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland. As they document their search for the Blair Witch legend, strange and unsettling events unfold. Presented as found footage, the film is directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, and it pioneered the found footage genre in mainstream cinema.
The Blair Witch Projectpopularized the found footage horror format and spawned its own franchise, although none of the subsequentBlair Witchproperties have lived up to the original.The Blair Witch Projectdoes not feature the most overt fantasy elementsof some other horror movies; a better way to describe it would be that it teases the supernatural. It effectively leverages the Lovecraftian horror trope of hiding the monster from the audience and increasing the terror through fear of the unknown.
The pseudo-documentary’s muted tones and grainy quality are a new and satisfying spin on the goth tastes of the decade.It skillfully uses the premise of the main characters looking into the Blair Witch legend to imply that the Blair Witch is real after all,as they begin to disappear one by one, as the cast does in many other horror movies. The cliffhanger ending is forever ambiguous and creepy; the filmmakers also truly committed to it being"real,“with the actors' IMDB profiles listing them as missing.
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Found footage horror has exploded in popularity during the last two decades in a similar way to slashers' popularity during the 80s and 90s.
Based on Anne Rice’s 1976 novel, Interview with the Vampire tells the story of two vampires, Lestat and Louis, and their complicated relationship after Lestat turns Louis in 1791. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt star as Lestat and Louis respectively, with a cast that includes Kirsten Dunst as Claudia, the two men’s young charge who Lestat also turns in an attempt to keep a disillusioned Louis from leaving. Christian Slayter rounds out the cast as Daniel Molloy, a reporter to who Louis tells his story in the mid-1990s.
Interview with the Vampirealso features some Lovecraftian elements concerning how Lestat disappears from Louis' testimony and reappears at the very end of the movie. The actors hired to play the main duo, as well as Claudia and Armand, capture all that is disturbing about their personalities and lives. Framed by his present-day interview,Louis relates the ethical and psychological complexities of his life as a vampire,including his dysfunctional relationships with Lestat and Claudia.
How theInterview with the Vampiremovie has aged is complicated by the rebootTV show’s even stronger ratings. The movie is a relic of a different era of filmmaking, demonstrating an outdated approach and dialogue, as well as a slightly poorer quality of technology. However, it is still a classic of the vampire genre with performances that surprised people with how good they were at the time.
2020’sThe Witches’weaknesses illustrate what worked about the first adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel, also possibly proving that it is amovie Burton should have directed. While the new adaptation ofThe Witcheshas a strong cast and a different setting that works even better for the story, the special effects and lighthearted tone are to its detriment.The witches' features being rendered through CGI only makes them look more comedic,while the story makes light of Dahl’s original ending.
This original adaptation is more simplistic, which allows the story to better emphasize its disturbing premise.
On the other hand,1990’sThe Witchesends with Luke being returned to his human form,which perhaps undoes Dahl’s story, but at least doesn’t gloss over the tragedy of a boy spending his life as a mouse. The witches are created with more practical effects with computer effects being used sparingly, which is even better. This original adaptation is more disturbing, which allows the story to better emphasize its themes.
Edward Scissorhands
From director Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands follows the titular character, an artificial human created by an inventor, who has scissor blades instead of fingers. After his creator’s death, Edward is taken in by a normal suburban family and becomes attracted to the family’s teenage daughter, Kim Boggs. Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder star as Edward and Kim.
Edward Scissorhandsis a strange cult classic that derives horror from some of the typical hallmarks of the genre. It is based around a Frankensteinian scenario which leads to some death and gore. However,Edward Scissorhandsis also frightening because of how it depicts collective mentality,conformity, and cruelty towards outcasts. Edward is fawned over as the newest attraction in the cut-and-paste suburban setting, but the residents turn on him and his friends in an instant when someone more"normal"accuses him of a crime.
Edward Scissorhandsalso arguably established Burton’s signature style. The director became known for his swirling candy-coated worlds of unique monsters and strong Halloween vibes, seen again only a few years later inThe Nightmare Before Christmas. In the case ofEdward Scissorhands,Edward’s black-and-white palette and dangerous-looking prosthetics contrast with the bright plastic suburbs,creating a setting that evokes both disgust and intrigue.
Army of Darkness
The third film in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy, Army of Darkness, is a horror comedy film that sees Bruce Campbell return to the role of Ash Williams. Sucked out of his timeline and tossed to 1300 A.D., Ash is found and thrown in a pit after he is believed to be a spy against King Arthur. After proving himself and slaying a supernatural Deadite creature, Ash is freed and told to return home; he must find the Necronomicon and dance with the dead again.
Army of Darknessis certainly an over-the-top and maybe even cringey horror movie,but it lands in a good place as far as"so bad it’s good"goes. Amid the gore-fest of zombies and medieval warfare are some genuinely good aspects, including the exaggerated performance of the lead actor and some technical work. It is sometimes not considered thebest movie in theEvil Deadseriesor even Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, but has become a cult classic through its strangely enjoyable elements.
Army of Darknessis perhaps less of a horror movie, as it is also classified as a comedy and has fewer genuinely terrifying moments.Army of Darkness’alternate endings, and which one was ultimately used in the theatrical cut, showcase an understanding of what makes the movie work.The scenario of Ash accidentally traveling to post-apocalyptic London wasn’t favoredin service of a wacky adventure of quotable one-liners that is just heaps of fun.
Sleepy Hollow
Sleepy Hollow is a supernatural horror thriller by director Tim Burton and Starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. Based on the original tale by Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow follows constable Ichabod Crane as he is sent to the titular northern New York town to investigate a series of beheadings. However, the scholarly Crane’s foe is a supernatural being that cannot be explained - The Headless Horseman.
Burton and Depp started the 90s withEdward Scissorhands, and they finished it withSleepy Hollow —in those 10 years, the careers of both creatives had been completely transformed. However,something ofEdward ScissorhandsandThe Nightmare Before Christmasis present inSleepy Hollow,with Burton’s style perfectly applying to Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The movie fleshes out the basic plot to comprise a full movie which has become another favorite of Burton fans.
Developing more complicated backstories for a short story that would only be a short film in its own right is risky, but the campy, old-school horror ofSleepy Hollowwas well-received. It is all shadowy monsters and bright red blood, with the main cast playing into the theatrics of the whole thing.Burton fine-tuned this format later withSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,which has the benefit of a more substantial story as its source material.
Sleepy Hollow: 10 Ways Why It’s Tim Burton’s Best Film
From gory kills to the eery gothic setting, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow provides a lot of content that makes it a contender for his best movie.
The Craft
The Craft is a 1996 teen horror movie starring Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk, and Rachel True. The Andrew Fleming-directed film focuses on a group of outcasts at an LA high school who practice witchcraft and create their own coven. The film received mixed reviews but was a surprise hit at the box office for Columbia.
Like some other offbeat fantasy movies,The Craftwasn’t well-reviewed when it first came out and bombed at the box office, but has since become a beloved cult classic.The movie works with some mature themes as the main character and her new friends experience serious mental health conditions, poverty, and racism. However, they create power for themselves by practicing witchcraft; Nancy, Bonnie, and Rochelle are already practitioners when Sarah arrives at the school, and they invite her into their group.
The movie walks the line between justifying revenge and being a cautionary tale about corrupting powers. It follows the trajectory of a more typical horror movie when the initially supportive friendship is perverted as the original trio turns on Sarah.The Craftdemonstrates a lot of complex relationships and themesthrough the lens of a teen witch movie with some fun and crazy effects.
Hocus Pocus
Hocus Pocus tells the story of the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy on Halloween. When the witches threaten to take over the town of Salem, Massachusetts, it’s up to Max, sister Dani, and friend Alison to stop them with the help of Thackery Binx, one of the Sandersons' victims trapped in the immortal body of black cat.
Hocus Pocusis timeless— the Sanderson sisters are as hilarious now as they were when they first appeared on-screen 30 years ago. It is also more a comedy than a true horror but still bears the hallmarks of the genre. The present-day heroes are affected by events from centuries earlier and find supernatural villains they don’t understand closing in on them. Luckily, they pick up an informative animal sidekick along the way.
People return to this movie every year, as they will never tire of the iconic witch trio’s antics.
Hocus Pocusis brimming with Halloween spirit, featuring almost all the most popular iconography associated with the holiday. It may not be an Oscar winner, but it is a perfect holiday romp, with wacky villains, plenty of theatrics, and a forgone happy ending. People return to this movie every year, as they will never tire of the iconic witch trio’s antics.
The Crow
The Crow, directed by Alex Proyas, follows Eric Draven, portrayed by Brandon Lee, as he returns from the dead to avenge his and his fiancée’s tragic murders. Set in a moody, atmospheric cityscape, the film blends elements of supernatural and action as Draven seeks retribution against the criminals responsible.
The first movie under the titleThe Crowis still the best of its franchise, setting the bar for the upcoming reboot to live up to.Brandon Lee’s final movie is a haunting and stylistic adventure that none of the sequels were able to match. It is almost universally agreed thatThe Crow’s success is largely due to Lee’s performance as the coldblooded and electric Eric Draven, a man who undertakes a thrilling revenge mission but also cannot escape his own grief.
The Crowis highly praised for its style,leaning into different pop culture trends of the 1990s. Eric’s look is moderately reminiscent ofEdward Scissorhands, even if the character is completely different. However, the movie demonstrates a stronger influence of grunge and punk-rock than Burton’s filmography. It comes to a bittersweet ending: Eric returns to his late fiancé’s grave and dies again, while his surrogate daughter Sarah remembers them both.
The Scariest Movie From Each Year In The ’90s, Ranked
From terrifying Stephen King adaptations to Wes Craven’s meta-slasher hit Scream, the ’90s were a groundbreaking decade for horror cinema.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Henry Selick directs The Nightmare Before Christmas, a stop-motion fairytale from the mind of Tim Burton. Jack Skellington is the king of Halloween and one of Halloweentown’s most beloved citizens, but he longs for something more. When he stumbles across a magical door that leads him to discover Christmas, he makes it his mission to replace Santa Claus and bring festive cheer to his perpetually spooky hamlet.
The Nightmare Before Christmaswas not directed by Burton, as many mistakenly believe, but his collaborator Henry Selick. The movie showcases all the conventions of Burton’s artistic style becausethe basic story and some of the concept art were drawn up by Burton while he was still working for Disney.The company rejected the movie and only returned to it after Burton had seen success elsewhere and was therefore too busy with other projects to direct.
The Nightmare Before Christmasremains a fan favorite; like many cherished horror movies, its plot is mildly redundant as Jack creates easily avoidable problems through his own ego. This serves as a vehicle for iconic designs and musical numbers, as well as an expression of loneliness and discontentment. It doesn’t have the classic jump scares of some of its contemporaries, butThe Nightmare Before Christmaswill always be regarded as a staple of 1990s fantasy horror,showing what damage a powerful being can do on a whim.
