Now that I have some kid-free time to watch them, I’ve been catching up on grown up TV and scary movies. I’ve been thinking of making October “horror month” running up to Halloween and wanted to focus on things I’ve never seen, so asked Google for help. Scrolling through “best horror movie” lists was kind of humbling–there are so many classics I’ve never seen–and inspiring. It was also a nice trip down memory lane, especially when I got to the 1990s lists. Maybe I need a night of favorites including some of these:

Arachnaphobia (Frank Marshall 1990): If you’re actually afraid of spiders, don’t watch this movie. You’ll never sleep again. If you’re okay with spiders, though, it’s a lot of fun. In fact, maybe I should show this to my kids. They’d probably think it was hilarious.

Stir of Echoes (David Koepp 1999): This movie should have been more popular. It came out the same year as The Sixth Sense and was totally overshadowed, but I liked Stir of Echoes more. The Sixth Sense was cuter and had the infamous twist ending (that I guessed 5 minutes in) but Stir of Echoes had a lot more mystery and tension throughout.

Stigmata (Rupert Wainright 1999): I’m a sucker for Catholic-themed horror. The Catholic church, with all its history and rich pageantry, is the exact opposite of what I grew up with. Catholic-themed horror always feels so exotic and occult to me, and Stigmata plays right into that with the plot and the rich visuals. Plus Patricia Arquette is great. 

Ravenous (Antonia Bird 1999): Ravenous is an interesting take on the wendigo. Even though the original wendigo stories come from the eastern U.S., the cannibalistic aspects moved west with soldiers as soldiers and pioneers, becoming wrapped up with fears about harsh winters and other dangers on the trail. The movie’s not overly complicated and not incredibly scary, but it’s nicely told and the actors are great. 

Dead Alive (Peter Jackson 1992): I had no idea this was a Peter Jackson movie until today. I guess I’ll add him to the list of great directors that started with cheap campy horror. It’s a comedy-horror classic, right up there with Evil Dead (the original and sequels) and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.

The Ninth Gate (Roman Polanski 1999): This was probably the first Polanski film I ever watched. Before I found out his wife was killed by the Manson family, before I found out he took advantage of a 13-year-old*. Which means this is the only Polanski film I enjoyed thoroughly, without having to worry about the director himself. And I did enjoy it. Polanski is great at creating atmosphere and creating deep and revealing moral dilemmas for his characters.

Candyman (Bernard Rose 1992): There are actually three of these, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them all. I’ve mentioned I go hot and cold with Clive Barker, and the 90s were definitely hot. He’s better known for Hellraiser, but Candyman was also a deep and interesting story. Tony Todd was great as the hero/villain Candyman.

Fans of 90s horror will noticed I skipped a few famous ones, like Seven, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Silence of the Lambs. I saw them. Everybody saw them. I just wanted to stop at a few less visited places on memory lane.

*I’ve read some interviews with that 13-year-old (all grown up now) and she seems to be okay that he still makes movies so I guess I feel okay watching them, but it’s still a weird time all around.