10 Horror Movies From The ’90s That Can Still Scare Us

The 1990s weren’t known for having the most iconic horror movies, but the decade did bless us with a few scary titles that can hold their own in the horror space. Several of the most unsettling films from this time are still disturbing today, even though we know what kind of terrifying scenes and scares are coming.

From slasher movies to documentary-style films to stories based on best-selling novels, there were several frightening movies released in the 1990s that can still scare us today. Keep reading to find out which titles made our list!

10 The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project is one of the most iconic horror movies of all time and one of the defining films of the 1990s. It may not have been the first, but it did solidify the found footage subgenre which, as of this writing, has yet to disappear from public interest.

It follows the story of three students who travel into the woods of Maryland to investigate a local legend known as the Blair Witch and record their findings. The three students disappear in the woods but their recordings are discovered and watched a year later. Although a work of fiction, this documentary-style film still seems so real at times that it makes the hairs stand on end.

9 Scream (1996)

There were a few iconic slasher movies in the 1990s, but the deconstructive and medium-aware Scream was arguably the most popular. Released in 1996, the film tells the tale of a girl named Sidney whose mom is murdered. As more murders start to occur, she begins to investigate and filter through the suspects around her to find the killer.

Although Scream is sometimes regarded as more of a mystery than a horror, it still has a few moments throughout that make us jump, even though we know they’re coming.

8 Candyman (1992)

Candyman is nearly 30 years old but it remains one of the creepiest films of the 1990s. It centers on a woman who explores the legendary Candyman myth, the film features a number of confronting scenes that gave nightmares to an entire generation. The myth claims that by saying “Candyman” five times into a mirror, one can summon the figure who will kill them with the hook that he has in place of his right arm.

A “spiritual sequel” to Candyman is set to hit cinemas in 2020, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele of Get Out and Us fame.

7 Misery (1990)

Stephen King is one of the most prolific horror authors of all time, having penned tales like Gerald’s Game and Pet Sematary, both of which got cinematic adaptations as recently as last year. The film adaptation of his novel Misery is one of the most chilling projects of the 1990s and still unsettles us to this day.

Misery tells the story of a best-selling author who is rescued by his biggest fan after he gets into a car accident. But he soon learns that she’s obsessed and unstable and is actually keeping him prisoner rather than keeping him safe.

6 Arachnophobia (1990)

If you have no fear of spiders, then Arachnophobia might seem like a pretty harmless film. But for anybody who is creeped out by spiders, this movie will haunt your dreams. The spiders featured in the film are not only scary to look at, but are also powerful enough to cause a series of deaths.

There have been several spider-themed horror and thriller movies over the years, including 2002’s schlocky Eight-Legged Freaks. But Arachnophobia remains one of the most disturbing, particularly for those viewers who actually have arachnophobia.

5 I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

Another one of the most popular slasher films from the 1990s is I Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Ryan Phillippe. It focuses on four teenagers who accidentally hit a man while driving recklessly and then dispose of his body.

When they start receiving notes saying ‘I know what you did last summer’, it becomes clear that their secret crime isn’t a secret at all. The film features a villain who carries a hook and several moments that will make you jump.

4 The Exorcist III (1990)

The original Exorcist film, released in 1973, will always be one of the most iconic horror movies in history. Although the follow-up films are nowhere near as legendary, they’re still quite scary at times.  The Exorcist III was released in 1990, and while it doesn’t pack the same punch as the first movie, it’s still the kind of film you should watch with the lights on.

This time, the story follows a police lieutenant who discovers that a hospitalized patient, who looks eerily like a priest who died during an exorcism, is claiming to be a known serial killer that has been dead for 15 years.

3 Ring (1998)

The 2002 film The Ring has gone down in history as being one of the scariest tales of the early 2000s. But many viewers don’t realize that it’s actually based on a 1998 Japanese film simply called Ring, or Ringu. The film follows the same story of a videotape that kills people who watch it seven days later.

It was a huge commercial success in Japan and inspired a number of Western remakes, each centering around the similar story of a vengeful spirit who creates the videotape to wreak havoc on the world.

2 The Sixth Sense (1999)

Although often thought of as more of a drama/thriller than a horror movie, The Sixth Sense has enough shocking moments to give us the chills. Not only does the film show us several disturbing scenes, but it also contains a clever twist that makes the film worth watching, even if you’re not a fan of ghosts.

The Sixth Sense tells the story of a child psychologist called Malcolm who begins working with a young boy called Cole who has some social issues. Cole then confides in Malcolm, telling him that he can see dead people.

1 Stephen King’s It (1990)

Several projects have been inspired by It, the 1986 horror novel by Stephen King, including the 1990 film Stephen King’s It. The story is about a group of preteens that battle a demon disguised as a clown. After 30 years, the demon returns to their home town and they must kill it once and for all.

A two-part remake of the story was released in 2017, with the sequel, It Chapter Two, being released in 2019. Both versions of Pennywise the Dancing Clown have since become some of pop culture’s most recognizable villains, although there will always be a special place in our nightmares for Tim Curry’s iconic performance.

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