Image credit: DreamWorks Distribution, Warner Bros., BBC, Artisan Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Allegro Films, Republic Pictures, New Line Cinema, Full Moon Entertainment
Here are some of the best, yet underrated, 90s horror films that deserve a second look – or perhaps a first viewing for the uninitiated.
1. The Haunting (1999) Eleanor Vance (Lili Taylor) is part of a team invited by Dr. Marrow (Liam Neeson) to Hill House for a study on insomnia. Sleeplessness in a haunted house – what could go wrong?
It turns out Hill House has a dark past involving a textile baron who built the mansion for his wife and daughter, both of whom met tragic ends. As the guests settle in, things start to get creepy. Eleanor begins to feel a strange connection to the house, hearing voices and seeing figures.
2. House on Haunted Hill (1999) In a modern retelling of the 1959 classic, this one involves an eccentric millionaire named Steven Price (Geoffrey Rush) who invites a group of strangers to a haunted asylum, offering a million bucks to anyone who can stay the night. One by one, the guests begin to experience disturbing visions and nightmarish figures.
Sara (Ali Larter) and Eddie (Taye Diggs) team up to find a way out but encounter a whole lot of obstacles like self-operating surgical rooms and decaying ghosts.
3. Stir of Echoes (1999) In "Stir of Echoes," Kevin Bacon plays Tom, a man who gets hypnotized as a party trick and then starts seeing a young girl's ghost. Turns out, this ghost is pretty vocal about how she met her tragic end. Tom becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, tearing apart his house to find clues. His wife grows increasingly concerned as he uncovers some unsettling truths.
4. Witchboard 2: The Devil's Doorway (1993) Paige (Ami Dolenz) moves into a loft that's got some, well, baggage. She finds an Ouija board – cue ominous music – and starts dabbling. Turns out the board is a hotline to the spirit of the loft's previous tenant, who reveals she's been murdered. Soon enough, Paige becomes increasingly obsessed with solving this cold case, not realizing she's becoming a conduit for malevolent forces.
There's a lot of freaky stuff like objects moving on their own and messages appearing on mirrors.
5. Castle Freak (1995) John Reilly inherits a 12th-century Italian castle and takes his wife and blind daughter there, hoping to rebuild their lives after a tragic accident. What they don't know is that there's already a "tenant," and he's not the welcoming type. We're talking about a freakish, monstrous man locked away and forgotten in the castle's dungeons.
This film is a horrific family drama unfolded in a castle where you'd least want to be a guest.
6. The Amityville Curse (1990) A group of friends buy an old house in Amityville to turn it into a dream home. But we all know that "dream home" and "Amityville" don't mix. The house used to be a rectory, and the clergy who lived there before weren't exactly saints. As soon as the group moves in, things get wonky: apparitions, eerie sounds, and downright disturbing occurrences.
What's even more unsettling is that the house seems to focus its energy on one of the friends, leading her to act in increasingly bizarre ways.
7. Ghostwatch (1992) What happens when a TV crew decides to do a live broadcast from a haunted house? Absolute mayhem, that's what. This British TV movie follows a fictional crew documenting the "most haunted house in Britain."
From ghostly apparitions appearing behind the hosts to creepy, whispered voices picked up on the audio, it's one eerie moment after another. And when things take a darker turn, not everyone makes it out to give the sign-off.
8. The Fear (1995) In this lesser-known '90s gem, a group of people gather for a weekend therapy retreat led by a psychologist who's using a unique prop: Morty, a wooden mannequin. The mannequin is creepy on its own, but it turns out to be more than just unsettling to look at; it's a vessel for something dark.
As attendees confront their deepest fears and secrets, strange and terrifying events unfold in the house. One by one, they experience visions and nightmarish scenarios tied to their personal traumas, and it soon becomes clear that the house – or perhaps Morty – is amplifying their fears into real-life horrors.
9. In the Mouth of Madness (1994) This John Carpenter film throws you right into the fire from the get-go. Insurance investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is looking into the disappearance of horror author Sutter Cane. His search leads him to a town that should not exist, according to any map.
Things quickly spiral out of control with monstrous transformations, and reality itself bending in impossible ways.
