Sinister Cinema: The 90's

I'll be totally honest with you - after the chilling 60's, the sinister 70's, and the outrageous 80's, the 90's are a bit...underwhelming. Sure there are standout classics (I think the top 5 of my list is pretty nifty). But overall, this was a decade that dabbled too much in style and lacked substance. You'll notice my list is shy a few blockbusters (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, the ubiquitous Child's Play franchise). I'm also omitting plenty of obscure movies that I simply don't care to see (Ravenous, Thesis). Although the decade wasn't a total wash, the postmodern, iconoclastic obsession shared by many filmmakers makes it a messy, inconsistent era in horror.

1990's

15.) Tremors (1990): By golly, I don't care a lick what anybody says - this is a fun, fabulous movie. At a time when horror flicks were getting a little too artsy for their own good, Tremors came along and reminded us of the silly, unpretentious B-movies that are too easily ignored.

14.) Sleepy Hollow (1999): I'm probably alone in this, but I think Tim Burton's retelling of Sleepy Hollow is one of his best films - a great horror-adventure yarn. It's a zippy little thing, distinctive from much of Hollywood horror cinema. You'll giggle at Johnny Depp's goofy squeamishness, everything will be hunky-dory, and then bam! the ending comes with a gruesome gothic gravitas. This is what fun horror feels like. Give it a shot.

13.) Ginger Snaps (1998): Not since Carrie has puberty been so imaginatively and frighteningly interpreted. This is, probably, the best werewolf movie in recent memory. Let that sink in for a minute. We're 20 years on and nothing else has come close to being this smart, slick, and scary.

12.) The Last Broadcast (1998): Here's another one of those less-I-say-the-better movies, but trust me when I tell you - this is a found footage flick executed with near perfection. The ending is lacking, but everything else is bold, paving the way for a slew of other movies in this subgenre.

11.) Night of the Living Dead (1990): Directed by the Gretzky of gore Tom Savini, this remake of Romero's 1968 classic is astonishingly fresh. It's more than just an update - it's a remodeling from the ground up, with characters fleshed out and the pacing aligned with contemporary standards. It's like a great new cast breathing life into a Broadway mainstay. While it's not as groundbreaking or contemplative as Romero's films, Savini transforms the dead into popcorn fun, yet still retains their otherworldly horror. It's a delicate but satisfying balance.

10.) Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994): After what felt like hundreds of sequels and knock-offs, Wes Craven came back to give audiences one more great ride. This was arguably the first meta-movie in the genre, and though Craven himself would continue this trend with the ever-popular Scream a few years later, New Nightmare got there first. And you know what? It gets bonus points for rescuing Freddy and making him scary again.

9.) Candyman (1992): It took me a long time to finally see this one, and now that I have, I understand why so many people herald it as a masterpiece. Touching on primal fears and centered on a ghastly urban legend (one that I'd heard myself as a kid), it's a surreal and seductive experience.

8.) Misery (1990): Thanks again to Stephen King for providing so much monstrous material for filmmakers to use. This time around it's a familiar tale - a fan's obsession with an artist. James Caan gives one of the best performances of his career, but we all know Kathy Bates steals the show. Behind the camera is a surprisingly adept Rob Reiner, who navigates the rocky terrain with old school finesse.

7.) Se7en (1995): While this certainly leans toward the thriller genre more than I'd prefer, David Fincher's uncompromising Se7en is brutal, shocking, and is everything a good horror movie should be. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are incredible, but the real star is the plot, which twists and turns like every classic murder mystery. Yes, we all know the ending. But everything leading up to it is just as deliciously dreadful.

6.) From Dusk Till Dawn (1996): We open on a pair of bank robbers kidnapping a polite family. And from there on out...? Well, I won't spoil it. But this is one of the craziest horror flicks ever made. There's a seismic shift somewhere in the middle that you either love or hate. Me? I love it. The whole thing is a grimy grindhouse throwback, written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Is it a little silly? Sure. But it's also a true original.

5.) Cape Fear (1991): Leave it to Martin Scorsese to make one of the most dastardly thrilling films of the 90's. Populated by an incomparable cast and shot with enthusiastic cinematography, Cape Fear is classic in every sense of the word. I often insist that our best horror movies tiptoe dangerously close to comedy, flirting with a macabre or morose humor. Thankfully, De Niro's vicious performance does just this, and sets the tone for much of the movie. Overall, I think this is Scorsese's most underrated project.

4.) The Sixth Sense (1999): Yes, it was a surprise blockbuster. Yes, audiences adored and overhyped it. Yes, it left a legacy of hokey twist endings and paltry imitations in its wake. But if you allow the smoke to clear, it's easy to see how brilliant The Sixth Sense actually is. In the wrong hands, it could've been a fairly conventional ghost story with a gimmicky finale. But thanks to M. Night Shyamalan's keen eye and meditative tone, the film becomes so much more. It's an examination of human frailty, one that uses the innocence of youth to expose the atrocities of adulthood. The scares are pretty tame by today's standards, but they manage to get under your skin and linger for days. Plenty of great horror films were released at the decade's end (just look at the next two entries on this list), and this one stands just as tall as its peers. Twist ending aside, it is tragic and terrifying.

3.) Audition (1999): Woof. This is an intense one. It's not for the faint of heart. Even as a person who actively seeks out this stuff, I gotta say - proceed with caution. This is one of the most jarring, overwhelming, nauseating experiences I've ever had with a horror movie. It's a bit of a long con, suckering you in with a weepy opening followed by a somewhat playful first act. But when the hammer drops, it is swift and merciless. This is a Japanese movie made by the eccentric Takashi Miike, and his unique style inhabits every frame. He does a phenomenal job smoothing out the tonal transitions, and keeps the pace on an ever forward trajectory. But like I said before, this is a grueling watch. I can't think of this movie without imagining needles, black rubber gloves, and bowls of vomit. Yeah. It's a bit in the vain of early 00's "torture porn," but it's bolstered by an incredible plot, imaginative cinematography, and multilayered performances. Audition will leave you absolutely breathless. If you're brave enough to put it on in the first place.

2.) The Blair Witch Project (1999): My family went on a camping trip when I was 9, and I remember bundling up in a sleeping bag, the commercials for Blair Witch running an endless loop in my brain, plaguing my dreams. That's right - just the commercials freaked me out. For a kid like me, suckered into the inventive viral marketing, I was convinced a witch was going to attack our camp and haul me off to a dilapidated stone cabin to eat me. But childhood fears aside, this is a horrifying film. Following in the footsteps of The Last Broadcast, The Blair Witch Project takes the humble found footage format and cemented it to the horror landscape. And while this movie is stylistically innovative, particularly in its revival of Lewtonesque minimalism, its biggest accomplishment is its raw emotion. This is a project of pathos, with a heavy emphasis on each protagonist's fear and regret. It's a painful experience, made even more so by the unnervingly natural performances on display. I'd say this is one of my top 10 all-time favorite horror films. If you've forgotten how great it is, put it on and experience the tearful terror all over again.

1.) The Silence of the Lambs (1991): For the first time so far in Sinister Cinema, I'm actually giving the top slot to the critical darling. And you know why? Because, for the first time, it really deserves it. In my opinion, The Silence of the Lambs is up there with The Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Citizen Kane as one of the best movies ever made. It's a powerhouse horror film, and the checklist of cinematic perfection can easily be checked off: Artful direction? Check. Dynamic performances? Check. Riveting script? Check. Masterful cinematography? Check. A memorable soundtrack, purposeful pacing, and effective editing? Checks to all of the above. I could go into detail describing how awesome it is (shall I compare thee to a summer's day?), but you've all seen it, so my recap would be redundant. Instead, I'll just tell you about my first viewing. I was 13, and rented it from Blockbuster on a Friday night. My parents didn't know I picked it, and would've killed me if they'd found out. So I waited until everyone had gone to bed and fallen asleep. Then I crept downstairs around 1am, and popped in the tape. I kept the volume low (I didn't want to risk waking anyone up), so I had to sit real close to the TV in order to hear. The room was pitch black, illuminated only by the ghastly flickers of the screen. The sound of my own labored breathing was the loudest thing in the house. Among other things, The Silence of the Lambs is notable for its intense facial close-ups; every time Hannibal Lecter's face appeared, it felt like he was staring right into me. It was...nightmarish. Yet also amazing. Which, to me, sounds like one of the best horror films ever made. For once, the academy got it right - winning the "big 5" Oscars was the adulation this film deserved. Gosh, it's great whenever horror gets a win like that.