The 90s!
Well - we’ve already covered the fervent whirlwind of the 70s - and the vivid nostalgia
of the 80s - so it makes sense that we dig up the dirt of the 90s - where horror cinema
tragically went to die, before being painstakingly resurrected in some of the most original and
creative efforts of the genre as a whole.
The 90s was an era of dichotomy.
In many ways it exemplified comfort - where horror cinema relied solely on the multiple
franchises that had carried them through from the trying times of the 80s - but on the flip
side to that, the true heroes of horror were trying their damndest to reinvent the wheel
- and figure out exactly how to scare us in ways never before seen in cinema.
So, I guess we better take a look.
Hello horror fans - what’s going on - and once again welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube - Top 5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Scariest Horror Movies From The 90s.
Roll the clip.
For the curious amongst you, that clip - of course - was from Jonathan Demme’s 1991
resounding psychological thriller - The Silence of the Lambs - featuring one of the best performances
in cinema, period - from the one and only Sir Anthony Hopkins - my man.
But it segues me neatly to an important point.
This list is almost impossible to do.
There are *so* many worthy horror films to make this list, that I rearranged it over
and over again before I was even remotely happy.
So, as expected - honorable mentions go to Silence of the Lambs, The Blair Witch Project,
Candyman, Cure, The Sixth Sense, Ringu, Event Horizon, Cape Fear - yeah, you get the picture.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Se7en, 1995
Phew.
Now, you may be of the constitution that a psychological neo-noir detective thriller
doesn’t deserve to stand tall and take its place amongst the greats of 90s horror cinema
- but I’d say that you’re mistaken, because David Fincher’s 1995 foray into the darker
spectrum of human emotion is one of the most horrifyingly accurate depictions of our innate
nature as individuals - and it’s in the implication of Se7en where this film truly
shines.
And while another cinematic classic of its ilk - The Silence of the Lambs - serves to
be the benchmark for psychology and crime in cinema - the thing that sets them apart
is that David Fincher’s Se7en is also wrapped up neatly with all the trimmings and trappings
of true horror.
Featuring some incredible career-defining performances from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman,
Se7en tells the tale of a serial killer obsessed with the seven deadly sins - a man named John
Doe - played with absolutely bone-chilling believability from Kevin Spacey, who serves
to complete the triangle in one of the best acting feats in horror cinema.
Pitt steps up to the plate as the wet-behind-the-ears detective David Mills - alongside the veteran,
seen-it-all-before William Somerset - played by Freeman, and the pair seemingly exemplify
the dichotomy of the 90s as they follow the breadcrumbs of the insanely perverse and mechanical
mind of Spacey’s John Doe.
Despite being a damn fine detective thriller - this film is grotesque, and I mean that
in a good way - with each scene painted like a picture in all it’s vivid gore - serving
to signpost the descent into Fincher’s eternal downpour in his cinematic metropolis of the
damned.
If you can’t tell - this film is fantastic - and the only reason it hits our Number 5
point - is that it isn’t *true* horror in the conventional sense.
Still though - that doesn’t make it any less horrifying.
What’s in the box.
Next up at Number 4 - Jacob’s Ladder, 1990
Ahhh.
Sheesh.
Guys, if you’ve ever seen this film - you’ll know exactly what kind of deep, dank depths
of despair we’re about to outline.
This film is bleak.
Like really, really, really - bleak - but once you manage to let it’s unsettling sense
of hopelessness and misery permeate it’s way from the screen and down into your soul
- Jacob’s Ladder truly is one of the finest horror flicks of the 1990s, and depending
on your outlook in life, believe it or not - this film is a true, rare moment of cathartic
fiction.
On top of that, it’s a scathing review of the horrors of the Vietnam War - so yeah,
it manages to cram in quite a lot.
Written and directed by Adrian Lyne, the man responsible for the awesome 1987 thriller
Fatal Attraction - as well as 1983’s Flashdance, of all things - Jacob’s Ladder is in direct
reference to the Biblical notion of the metaphysical meeting place between Heaven, Hell and Earth
- and first and foremost, it is a film about the true nature of death.
It stars Tim Robbins in perhaps one of his greatest performances of all time - as Jacob
Singer, an American combat medic, distraught over the death of his young son - who is trying
to regain some semblance of normality, whilst being beset upon by nightmarish visions and
violent dreams.
This film is intelligent in all the right places - and it makes a point without ever
trying to shove it down your throat.
Believe me, you will feel weird once the credits start to roll - but strangely enough, despite
that, it’s worth it.
Coming in at Number 3 - The Exorcist III, 1990
Sorry about that guys, but this film really is that scary.
And it also may be, perhaps - the most conventional horror movie on this list - and that’s rare
to say for a horror sequel of a sequel - to one of the greatest horror films of all time,
William Friedkin's The Exorcist.
I have to admit, I was pretty late to the gate in sinking my teeth into this film - and
despite its appearance, the third installment of the Exorcist - which directly ignores the
terrible 1977 Exorcist II - is one of the most surprising and downright terrifying entries
in 90s horror cinema.
And of course, who better to deliver that - than the author of the original 1971 novel
- William Peter Blatty.
Now, this film was Blatty’s second ever pop in the director’s chair - which is impressive
in itself, and you should definitely check out his first attempt - 1980’s The Ninth
Configuration - because it’s awesome - but what he managed to do here - was take the
original Exorcist - and somehow give it a sense of horrifying charm.
Which feels a little bit weird to say.
Now, listen - you can’t compare the two films at all.
William Friedkin’s horror onslaught is rightfully one of the best films in the genre - but what
Blatty managed to do with The Exorcist III is somehow encapsulate the cat-and-mouse serial
killer trope that the late 80s and 90s exemplified - whilst simultaneously capturing the original
terrifying spirit of Pazuzu - stick it all in a mental asylum, buzz it in an ice-cold
blender - and then let it play out in a chilling portrayal of what happens when you try and
interrogate the devil.
This film is really, really good.
Give it a watch, you won’t be disappointed.
Swinging in at Number 2 - In The Mouth Of Madness, 1994
Now, I’m not entirely sure if we could do this list without rightfully placing John
Carpenter’s final entry in his Apocalypse Trilogy firmly near the top, and I’m fairly
happy with sticking it in at Number 2 - because like I said, this list is difficult guys - the
90s is just filled with too many memories.
Deservedly though, In The Mouth Of Madness somehow managed to maintain itself as a wholeheartedly
unique and original entry - whilst the rest of horror cinema was scrambling to jam itself
into some kind of franchise in an awkward attempt to stay relevant.
You see, John Carpenter was brave enough to take the old gods and cosmic horrors of Lovecraft
- and put them all in a dazzling, psychological horror show - which is probably why this film
kind of went under the radar, and never truly got the cinematic credit it deserved.
In The Mouth Of Madness stars the resounding Sam Neill as John Trent - an insurance investigator
tasked with tracking down one of the world's most famous horror novelists - Sutter Cane
- who’s latest book has caused a number of his readers to experience some rather strange
psychological happenings, to say the least.
As in hallmark with Carpenter’s work - In The Mouth of Madness features some of the
most grotesquely entertaining physical effects in horror - an incredible tight yet never-forced
narrative - all pinned together by a resounding performance from Sam Neill.
Yeah, In The Mouth of Madness has to be here.
After all, do you read Sutter Cane?
And finally - coming in at our Number 1 spot - Scream, 1996
And - I kind of get the feeling that while some of you may disagree about this Number
1 placement - no other film exemplifies 90s horror than the slasher flick that reinvented
the slasher wheel - Wes Craven’s Scream - a film so damn good that it kicked off an
entire tirade of horror goodness that we’re still reaping the benefits from today.
And the reason that Scream also takes our number 1 spot - is because it happily pays
its horror dues - giving credit to all its slasher forefathers in an incredibly intelligent
and entertaining manner.
This film was *made* for horror fans - and Wes Craven knew that - because the 90s were
a time when media was slowly picking up the pace - and we all wanted to talk about how
much we knew about horror cinema, or drop a few knowledge bombs at a Halloween house
party about the terrifying tropes that had paved the way thus far in the genre.
But guess what?
The Ghostface Killer already knew it all - and all we could do is stare wide eyed in terror.
I love Scream.
It’s just a fantastically entertaining horror film, that doesn’t once ever manage to take
itself too seriously - yet always manages to deliver on it’s insightful and captivating
motivation - to keep us on the edge of our seats - and scare us witless exactly when
it matters.
The 1990s were the decade of the teen slasher - I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend,
Halloween H20 - Cherry Falls, The Faculty - but every single one of them falls short
when compared to Scream.
If you haven’t seen Wes Craven’s Slasher masterpiece - stop what you’re doing and
go and watch it right now, and thankfully as well - it created some pretty damn good
sequels, Scream 3 being a rare honorable mention.
I can’t say much more guys.
It’s the 90s.
It’s Scream.
They’re the same thing.
Well - there we have it horror fans - our list for the Top 5 Scariest Horror Movies
From The 90s.
What did you guys think?
I know for sure that they’ll be more entries for this particular list - so why don’t
you let me know your thoughts down in the comment box below.
Before we depart though, let’s take a quick look at some of your more resounding remarks
from over the past few days.
First up - Hance Harmon says --
Jack: The bearded badass of Scare-dom.
---- Awwwww.
Dude, that’s so nice.
Actually - Hance, would you mind if I stick that on my resume?
That sounds like a pretty dope reference.
Next up - E.C Sherman says --
Ok Jack - at some point you *must* talk about Local 58.
It’s a YouTube ARG that has a ton of hidden lore behind it.
Believe me, watch Contingency.
It's up your alley.
--- Well, E.C Sherman - thank you for the heads up!
I haven’t heard of Local 58 - but I’ll be sure to check it out.
The last time I slipped down an ARG rabbit hole though I was drawing maps of a desert
in Nevada at 3 AM….
Well.
I guess it comes with the territory.
On that note horror fans - that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video - cheers for
sticking around all the way until the end.
If you were a fan of this video - make sure to hit that thumbs up button, as well as that
subscribe bell - and we’ll be seeing you in the next one.
As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5
Scary Videos, and until next time, you take it easy.