More than half way through 2019 and it is time once again to look back. This time we are going to take a look at 1999, we covered 1989, so now…20 years ago.
Some people say the 1990s were a bad decade for horror. Sure, it is coming off the slasherfest and sequelfest that was the 1980s, possibly the greatest decade for horror. So many great movies and franchises got their start in the 80s and sputtered out near the end of the decade, and the beginning of the 90s.
The 90s didn’t get off to a bad start, with movies like Candyman or Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The middle of the decade things changed as the familiar faces of horror were now gone, or holding on for dear life. I think of the 1990s as the 80s hangover period. But, towards the end of the decade, movies because a little more inventive and some leaned on the coming millennium and the coming end of the world. Which, didn’t happen.
It is time to look back at the final year of the 1990s and rank the Top 10 Horror films of 1999.
These will be based on, you guessed it, the IMDB.com rankings, just like the 1989 list. For those wondering, sure, we can do a 2009 and 1979 list.
So, here we go…
10. House on Haunted Hill 5.6
A millionaire with theatrical tendencies, Stephen Price (Geoffrey Rush) invites a number of people to stay in a vast creepy building that used to be an insane asylum. Stephen, accompanied by his bitter wife, Evelyn (Famke Janssen), offers a million dollars to anyone who can stay the whole night without leaving out of fear. When Stephen and Evelyn become trapped with their guests, they quickly realize that the house really is haunted — and the spirits dwelling within are very angry.
9. The End of Days 5.8
A private security guard finds himself caught up in an apocalyptic conflict. The Devil’s only chance of getting out of his eternal prison is to mate with a chosen girl in the last hour of the millennium, and the guard finds himself having to protect the woman from an enemy in whom he does not even believe.
8. Stigmata 6.2
A young woman with no strong religious beliefs, Frankie Paige (Patricia Arquette) begins having strange and violent experiences, showing signs of the wounds that Jesus received when crucified. When the Vatican gets word of Frankie’s situation, a high-ranking cardinal (Jonathan Pryce) requests that the Rev. Andrew Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne) investigate her case. Soon Kiernan realizes that very sinister forces are at work, and tries to rescue Frankie from the entity that is plaguing her.
7. Idle Hands 6.2
When slacker teen Anton Tobias (Devon Sawa) has his right hand possessed by a demonic force, he finds that his life gets a lot more interesting. While Anton himself is an amiable guy, his hand proves to be an appendage of death, killing his two best buddies, Pnub (Elden Henson) and Mick (Seth Green), who return to life as wisecracking zombies. In addition to murdering those closest to him, Anton’s evil hand significantly hinders his chances with lovely neighbor Molly (Jessica Alba).
6. The Blair Witch Project 6.5
Found video footage tells the tale of three film students (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams) who’ve traveled to a small town to collect documentary footage about the Blair Witch, a legendary local murderer. Over the course of several days, the students interview townspeople and gather clues to support the tale’s veracity. But the project takes a frightening turn when the students lose their way in the woods and begin hearing horrific noises.
5. The Ninth Gate 6.7
Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) specializes in tracking down rare and exotic volumes for collectors. Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) has recently acquired a seventeenth-century satanic text called The Nine Gates- a legendary book written by Satan himself. With The Nine Gates in his possession, Corso soon finds himself at the center of strange and violent goings-on. Not only is his apartment ransacked, it appears that he is being shadowed ferociously by others determined to regain the book.
4. Stir of Echoes 7.0
Blue-collar family man Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) scoffs at supernatural phenomena — until he lets his wife’s sister, Lisa (Illeana Douglas), put him into a hypnotic trance. Upon waking, Tom realizes he has a psychic connection with his son, Jake (Zachary David Cope). He also has alarming hallucinations of a missing teenage neighbor named Samantha (Jennifer Morrison). Tom, convinced his visions will lead him to the girl, begins a desperate search that puts him into a life-threatening situation.
3. Audition 7.2
This disturbing Japanese thriller follows Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), a widower who decides to start dating again. Aided by a film-producer friend (Jun Kunimura), Aoyama uses auditions for a fake production to function as a dating service. When Aoyama becomes intrigued by the withdrawn, gorgeous Asami (Eihi Shiina), they begin a relationship. However, he begins to realize that Asami isn’t as reserved as she appears to be, leading to gradually increased tension and a harrowing climax.
2. Sleepy Hollow 7.3
Set in 1799, “Sleepy Hollow” is based on Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Faithful to the dreamy custom-bound world that Irving paints in his story, the film mixes horror, fantasy and romance and features an extraordinary cast of characters that dabble in the supernatural.
1.The Sixth Sense 8.1
Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth about Cole’s supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something unexplainable.
So, that is the list based off IMDB.com scores. I am sure many would argue, I know some do not think the Sixth Sense is a horror film. But, it is 100% a horror film. I personally would have the Blair Witch Project ranked higher. It was groundbreaking, not to mention it was scary when it was released. Another thing, 1999 looks like it was a damn good year for horror.
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