There's nothing like a good scary movie. With horror being one of the more malleable genres of film--a debatable notion for sure, given the power of this specific form of visual entertainment--it's able to do more than just elicit a base emotional response. Though, even if that wasn't the case, we'd still enjoy being frightened by people wearing masks holding large knives.

Horror is inherently capable of providing a unique blend of escapism and reflective commentary. The thrilling roller coaster that acts as a vehicle to deliver a societal truth; in more recent years Jordan Peel's Get Out has been an excellent example of this. Horror can also facilitate the means to revel in our baser instincts. Sex, drugs and rock and roll interlaced with violence. It can even provide mental benefits by relieving stress and anxiety. A good scare apparently does the body good.

And when it comes to scares, it's hard to ignore the resurgence of horror in the 1990s. From slashers to alien invasions and even the beginning of Japanese horror going mainstream in the United States, it was surely a decade to remember for the genre. And as much as we enjoyed watching the latest iteration of a popular franchise or an obscure film that eventually became a cult classic years ago, not all horror is created equal. A sentiment we're sure our readers will understand once they've read our list below.

20. The Faculty (1998)

A lot can be said about The Faculty. It isn't scary or unique--it copies several sci-fi/horror films, including Invasion of the Body Snatchers--and is oftentimes corny. That said, it sure is a lot of fun to watch. The cast of characters are interesting enough to overcome some of their stereotypical trappings. Body horror and situational drama made some scenes feel creepier than one would expect. There's also plenty of comedic moments, some of which were intentional. Essentially, The Faculty is a good popcorn flick that is better than it has any right to be.

19. Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)

Tremors 2 has to be one of the best "straight-to-video" sequels ever created. Despite having a smaller budget, missing castmates (Kevin Bacon and Reba McEntire didn't reprise their roles), and filming woes that almost resulted in a cancellation, the movie was a hit. It offered fans a solid follow up with great creature designs and practical effects. It also sported an entertaining cast of characters; you can't help but cheer on the scrappy band of survivors lead by Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) as they battle Shriekers--the mutated versions of the first film's worm-like Graboids.

18. Tales From the Hood (1995)

This horror anthology film is a little rough around the edges, with many of its underlying themes are delivered in blunt fashion. That said, each segment still managed to present societal issues in interesting ways; while it's obvious that the "Rogue Cop Revelation'' story focused on police brutality, having justice manifest as a ghoulish apparition was certainly a take. The end result; a campy, yet compelling horror movie with themes that continue to be relevant.

17. Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (1995)

Demon Knight is a guilty pleasure. A silly affair filled with gore, lewd jokes and the kind of nudity that was all too common in '80s horror that somehow, still entertains. Most of the characters aren't likable but you still want them to survive. Or at the very least, die in the most over-the-top ways possible. The monsters are decent enough, though Billy Zane's depiction of The Collector is wonderfully unhinged. And of course, the best bit is final girl Jeryline (Jada Pinkett-Smith). Demon Knight offered fans one of the first Black women to survive a horror film as a lead in a cast that's predominantly white.

16. Event Horizon (1997)

Event Horizon flopped at the box office. It wasn't well received critically either. That said, it became a cult classic with its home release. As a late night rental, it's a great movie. There are plenty of thrills and the premise--about a crew finding a ship that had accidentally teleported into hell--is intriguing. And while it does borrow from other films, the meshing of different parts worked well in creating a spooky atmosphere/haunted house vibe in space.

15. Body Snatchers (1993)

There have been several film adaptations of Jack Finney's novel, The Body Snatchers. All of them proved to be creepy in one way or another. The 1993 film, Body Snatchers offered a bit of hope by hinting at a future where an alien invasion was halted by a few courageous individuals. In that way it isn't as terrifying as its predecessor. The ending does linger in the mind though. Considering that there was no way to know if we really won; show emotion to the wrong person and you might end up being replaced with a doppelganger. A terrible way to go.

14. Candyman (1992)

The original Candyman is a haunting experience. As kids, we knew it wasn't real. And at the same time, wouldn't berate each other for deciding not to call on his name. Tony Todd was that convincing.

Candyman has its problems. The poor pacing, certain portrayals of Black people (to be seen as "other" and not normal), and a fumbling of themes hinders its position on this list. That said, Candyman does more good than bad. It's easily one of the better horror movies of the 90's.

13. Dead Alive (1992)

Peter Jackson's Dead Alive is one of the best zombie movies ever. So it makes sense that it would land on our best horror movies list. Offering a ridiculous amount of blood and gore, Dead Alive isn't for the squeamish. For those of us who can keep our lunches down during a viewing, there's plenty of comedic moments, wild encounters and one of the biggest, most grotesque zombies in all of filmdom. Dead Alive is worth checking out is our point!

12. Tremors (1990)

Tremors, like its sequel, is a bunch of fun waiting to happen. The premise is simple. You have a dark-ish comedy about giant worms that terrorize a desort town. That notion is elevated thanks to practical effects and a quirky/charismatic cast that's easy to root for. There are some laugh out loud moments. The movie also had some decent scares thanks to the realistic looking Graboids; think of the Sarlacc from Return of the Jedi but smaller, numerous and somehow more deadly. It's no wonder why Tremors became a cult classic that spawned six sequels.

11. Night of the Living Dead (1990)

The Night of the Living Dead remake is a solid zombie film. While it doesn't live up to certain aspects of the original, there were some improvements. Most came by way of a bigger budget. Better pacing and acting were welcome changes. The zombies were scarier thanks to Tom Savini's special make-up effects. Even the musical score had improved.

Night of the Living Dead wouldn't have the same cultural impact as the first of course. This remake made it more modern though. It also marked Tony Todd's first role in a horror movie. That alone is worth praising.

10. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

We aren't sure if people had grown tired of Freddy's shenanigans or if they were confused with his appearance in theaters after Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. We do know that Wes Craven's New Nightmare didn't do well at the box office. It's a shame considering how well it does at revamping its villain, pulling out of the movies into the real world.

Having Freddy invade the real world is a novel idea. Pondering what we'd do if he was real is a fun, if not somewhat morbid pastime. Seeing him depicted in this way added to that fear; Freddy would certainly kill us all. What's more, New Nightmare gave a glimpse at Wes Craven's thoughts on horror at the time, as he leaned into a meta storyline. It definitely served as a form of template for what would become the Scream franchise.

9. Ringu (The Ring) (1998)

The Japanese supernatural horror film, Ringu was terrifying upon release. A ghost story that drips with dread--who wouldn't be afraid if they were told they'd die in three days by an evil spirit? And that's before finding out how a cursed person died. Bodies contorted in horrific ways. It's enough to make you want to swear off all strange VHS tapes.

Ringu was a hit, of course. It spawned sequels, Western remakes, even a television show. Its influence was felt all over. And for good reason. Ringu was a great horror film.

8. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

From Dusk Till Dawn is another cult classic/guilty pleasure. Gritty and vulgar with over the top violence--it offers a grindhouse experience of sorts. All of the characters are fully realized though, thanks to a lengthy start that feels like its own film. This portion is eventually mashed together with its vampiric other half. What we get is a wild misadventure for our crew that goes from bad to worse in a manner that's not exactly like Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (in terms of playing with the audience's expectations) but close. The set up ultimately works, leading to one entertaining vampire movie.

7. Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Speaking of 90s vampire movies, not many are as memorable as Interview with the Vampire. It offered moviegoers a realistic depiction of the undead curse and how one bite can destroy several lives. This is especially true of Kirsten Dunst's Claudia who was forced to live in a child's body even though her mind continues to age.

Interview with the Vampire is one of the best vampire films of all time. That's probably why no one has tried to remake it, sans the upcoming AMC series.

6. The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense is arguably M. Night Shyamalan's best movie. It features notable scares, a few gut wrenching scenes and one of the greatest twists ever. The cast was amazing as well; thanks Haley Joel Osment, the words "I see dead people" have been etched into our collective minds. Basically, The Sixth Sense raised the bar on ghost stories.

5. Misery (1990)

Misery is a thriller that's hard to watch at times. James Caan and Kathy Bates both do an amazing job portraying an tortured novelist Paul Sheldon and crazed fan Annie Wilkes respectively. It's their acting that drives home the film's foreboding atmosphere. That at any moment things can go from bad to downright horrible for Paul while in Annie's "care".

Misery is a great movie that should be watched by fans at least once to see Bates taking her first steps into horror.

4. The People Under the Stairs (1991)

The People Under the Stairs is a horror comedy that's more disturbing than funny. A Black kid being trapped inside a house of white cannibals living in LA is a wild concept. There is a reason for the madness though. Namely to provide an interesting look at gentrification and classism. And well, to scare the audience whenever possible.

People living in walls (and under the stairs), bodies being carved up, child abuse. Again, the movie is disturbing. It's also a creepy vibe that's worth watching when the lights go out.

3. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project had an incredible influence on horror, going so far as to help create a new subgenre called Found Footage. The idea was that you (the viewer) stumbled onto tapes depicting the last moments of some missing campers. There isn't any movie magic like a haunting score or cinematic angles. It's supposed to be real footage.

Conceptually, The Blair Witch Project worked well. The marketing led some to believe that the cast were really hunted and murdered by some supernatural force. Beyond that though, the movie itself was scary. Especially if you suspended disbelief and imagined what it would be like if you found these tapes while searching for the lost cast members.

2. Scream (1996)

It would be hard to deny the success of Wes Craven's hit slasher. Cleverly playing on the tropes associated with the genre, Scream was able to carve its own bloody path. The result is a unique mix of self-awareness and absurdity; the likelihood that a serial killer and their victims will all adhere to some arbitrary list of movie-based rules while engaging in a life or death struggle is unthinkable. And yet it happens to a comical degree.

Somehow, Craven was able to create a film about the things that scare us (in films) and then proceeded to scare us with that information. It's no wonder that Scream was a resounding success.

1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs is the best 90s horror movie for several reasons. Sporting an amazing cast--Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal Lecter is pure nightmare fuel--a tension filled plot, and gruesome deaths, there's plenty to like here; it went on to win several awards including an Oscar for Best Picture.

All that said, Silence of the Lambs isn't without its issues. Some of its depictions and characterizations, namely of Buffalo Bill, were deemed poor by the LGBTQ+ community; though director Jonathan Demme has stated that Bill isn't supposed to be transgender or gay, he has acknowledged how harmful Bill's character was and how he failed to properly convey those things in the film.