Five 90s Horror Classics to Binge Watch During Christmas Break This Year

Do You Like Scary Movies?
Photo by: N.B./Dimension Films, via YouTube.

Looking for a totally rad way to spend Christmas Break? Why not host a 90s Horror Movie Marathon with your pals this holiday season? If you grew up in the 90s, then you already know that there are many iconic horror flicks that came out during the decade, but did you have a chance to watch them all? If you're a 90s kid (or a late 80s kid, for that matter), you are probably familiar with these titles, but you might've missed out on actually seeing them.

Whether you've watched these iconic 90s Horror Flicks or not, a holiday rewatch with friends is definitely a great way to have a ton of fun this holiday season!

1. Scream (1996) - Directed by Wes Craven, Scream was an instant classic, and a cultural icon of the 90s. In fact, I bet if you were to see a "Scream Mask" today, you'd immediately identify it as the mask used for the movie, whether or not you've actually seen Scream. Many say Scream as the revitalization of the slasher flick, and with good reason - it breathed new life into the genre, and traded in a lot of the over-the-top gore of 80s slasher flicks for a suspenseful build-up, which would become synonymous with horror in the 90s.
   
   High School student Casey receives a flirty phone call from an unknown caller, who asks her what her favorite scary movie is. The call quickly turns sour when the creepy caller gets agitated with her answers, and reveals that he's holding her boyfriend Steve hostage. When Casey answers a Horror Movie trivia question incorrectly, the creepy caller murders Steve, and when she refuses to answer any more questions, a masked killer (wearing what's now known as the iconic "Scream Mask"), Ghostface, kills her.
   
   After her parents find her murdered, the sleepy little town realizes that no one is safe from this sadistic sociopath, who goes on an epic killing spree across the town.
   
   Fun Fact: Did you know that "The Scream Mask" was sold at Halloween retailers before the movie came out? Someone from the production saw the Ghostface mask, and Wes Craven liked it so much, that he insisted on buying the rights to use that mask from the Halloween mask and costume company, Fun World. Funny enough, the mask itself is actually based on the iconic painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch.
   
   
2. The Blair Witch Project (1999) - No 90s Horror Movie list would be complete without The Blair Witch Project. The film was downright groundbreaking, and though many have tried to replicate its style and success, the "found film footage" format has never been executed so perfectly as it was in this film. The film cost only $60,000 to make, and it raked in over $248 million dollars at the box office, so it's no surprise that movie studios were itching to recapture the film. If you grew up in the 90s, you might remember The Blair Witch Project "going viral", as many who saw the movie believed it was actual, real found footage due to the way the movie was shot and produced.
   
   The story follows three film students, Mike, Heather, and Josh, as they set out into the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland to film a documentary about "the Blair Witch", the focus of one of the towns most popular local ghost stories. The trio interviews all sorts of local characters about the Witch, before heading into the woods to find some answers, and that's when creepy things start to happen.
   
   They visit a graveyard where they find seven cairns (small stacks of rocks), and they set up camp nearby. Overnight, they hear twigs breaking and other creepy noises, and when they emerge from their tent in the morning, they find three cairns placed around their tent, which unnerves the trio. One of the students disappears, and things start unraveling from there. It seems that they haven't found the Blair Witch - the Blair Witch has found them.
   
   
3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Did you know that The Silence of the Lambs is one of the only horror films to ever win an Academy Award? And deservedly so - the movie was absolutely riveting, and it was a psychological thriller that remains iconic to this day.
   
   In the film, FBI Trainee Clarice Starling is plucked from the ranks, and asked to join the FBI's prestigious Behavioral Science Unit, and from there, she's assigned to interview Hannibal Lecter, a former psychiatrist who was incarcerated after it was discovered that he was a cannibalistic serial killer. The FBI is hunting another serial killer at the time, Buffalo Bill, and they believe that Lecter's insights can lead to his capture.
   
   From there, Starling develops a rapport with Lecter, and works with him to track down Buffalo Bill, and even promises him a prison transfer (which her boss has OK'd, but has no intention of honoring). The suspense builds, and there's eventually an epic showdown between Clarice and Buffalo Bill, and you'll definitely be on the edge of your set for the entire film.
   
   
4. The Sixth Sense (1999) - While this one might not be filled with blood and gore, it is definitely a psychological thriller that will have you completely engrossed from start to finish (even if your friend totally spoils the twist ending for you). The movie starts off with Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, getting shot by a former patient, Vincent, who suffered from hallucinations, and is angry at Crowe for "not curing him". After his recovery, Dr. Crowe is tasked with helping creepy little kid Cole Sear, who reminds him greatly of Vincent, and Crowe becomes determined to help this boy, and make up for any shortcomings he may have had with Vincent's treatment.
   
   After a bit of prying, Cole reveals to Dr. Crowe (in what's now become an iconic line) - "I see dead people." - and he explains that he sees ghosts that are still walking around, unaware that they have passed. At first, the doctor believes that Cole is delusional, but upon re-listening to the tapes from Vincent's sessions, he can now hear the voices that spoke to Vincent, and he now believes Cole, and is determined to help him.
   
   He works with the boy, and after suggesting to Cole that he find a purpose to use his gift for, things start to turn around for the boy quite dramatically. I won't spoil the ending for you, as it is quite the twist (in case you haven't yet seen it), but it's a big one, that's for sure. The Sixth Sense was director M. Night Shyamalan's break out film, and the director became synonymous with twist endings after its debut.
5. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) - What happens when a group of college kids accidentally run over a guy, then dispose of the body to hide their crimes, and then make a pact to never speak of it again? Nothing good - that's what. Especially if the guy wasn't actually dead when you tossed him into the ocean.
   
   In I Know What You Did Last Summer, two couples - Julie & Ray, and Helen & Barry, do just that - they hit a pedestrian driving home from a 4th of July Party, and after panicking, instead of calling for help, the group decides to toss the man's body into the sea to dispose of it, and then they make a pack to never talk of it again...heavy stuff. During their panicked freak out before disposing of the believed-to-be-dead body, their friend Max stops by, thinking that they need help, but Julie reassures him all is well, and he is on his way.
   
   A year later, Julie receives a letter in the mail that simply states "I know what you did last Summer!" and is rightfully terrified, and despite the fact that the group hasn't really spoken at all since what happened, she reaches out to Helen about it, who of course tells Barry, who confronts Max, thinking he's the one who sent the letter. Max is later killed by an unseen figure, and that's when things start to get crazy.
   
   There's mysteries, there's murder, and all sorts of dramatic build up - this one is definitely a nail biter!

What's Your Favorite 90s Horror Movie? Let Us Know in the Comments Below!