The 1990s marked an era in fashion, music, and, without a doubt, cinema. Horror movies were no different with some of the most iconic movies of this genre being released in this decade. In this article, we will list some of the most popular horror movies of the 1990s.
IT (TV Mini-Series) (1990)
The trope of the clown and circus has always been a popular go-to for all sorts of film genres. The narrative and imagery have even inspired other sectors of the entertainment industry, namely video games, mobile handset games, and even bingo rooms. A prime example is the Big Top Tombola by Virtue Fusion for those who like to play online bingo. This game uses iconography synonymous with the circus, such as a ringmaster and a strongman, and has the classic five reels/20 pay lines setup for avid slots fans. It’s clear that despite technological advancements and numerous cultural shifts, clowns and circuses remain a solid form of entertainment in the modern-day and that there remains a pertinent demand for clown-franchised gaming.
However, we all know that the clown and circus theme has especially been in vogue with the horror genre and has been used heavily by TV shows such as American Horror Story: Freak Show and the movie Terrifier. We also know that most audiences will be acquainted with scary clowns due to their experiences of either watching or reading IT. Originally a pageturner from the King of Horror, Stephen King, mainstream audiences were left disturbed in the early 1990s by the eerie performance of veteran Tim Curry as the antagonist Pennywise the clown in the IT mini-series, and the result was a smash-hit success for ABC.
The plot is as follows: three decades after the quiet city of Derry was terrorized by Pennywise, a petrifying clown, Michael Hanlon, the only one from a group of seven friends who didn’t leave town, feels his presence once again. The group, who had sworn to fight Pennywise if he ever returned, reunites for a deadly adventure.
The scariest clown of all time was resurrected in 2017 with the movie It Chapter One, a remake of the 1990 series and yet again, a major box office hit. The film gained a second installment in 2019, while plans for a third film are yet to be announced.
Source: Unsplash
Scream (1996)
The premise of this film is simple, yet effective enough: locals begin to receive calls from a stranger asking them questions about horror movies. Those who fail to answer, die.
Scream was unparalleled at the time of its release, posing as a tribute to the Giallos of the 1970s (an Italian term for the thriller/mystery genre) and the slashers from the 80s, in addition to being an ode to many other horror classics.
Ghostface, the masked villain, immediately became an icon in pop culture and the film franchise’s status as a Halloween classic remains strong to this day.
Source: Unsplash
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
In the era of fake news, it’s easy to doubt everything. Before the popularization of the internet and alternative information sources, however, almost anything was credible. Ask anyone that was around at the time of the release of The Blair Witch.
The premise was simple: three amateur filmmakers plunge into the woods of the state of Maryland to make a documentary about the legend of the Blair Witch and mysteriously disappear. A year later, a bag full of videotapes is found in the woods. The Blair Witch Project results from the compilation of those takes.
The marketing of this film was first of its kind in that it was widely suggested the contents of the film were real, which was further implied by the style in which the “documentary” had been filmed. The Blair Witch Project utilized hand-held cameras and a shaky, often unreliable view of the scenery, which further added to the effect that the footage was authentic. Of course, it wasn’t, but at the time, this marketing ploy sure helped to generate a buzz and ensured that the film made history in the horror genre. It’s still considered a milestone in cementing the “found footage” subgenre.
Source: Pixabay
Every horror fanatic should make it their priority to watch these classics as soon as possible. It’s imperative that we look back and appreciate the 90s game-changers as, without them, we wouldn’t have any of our contemporary horror classics.
