1995: Best/Favorite Horror Films of Each Year

This is the sixth entry in a series that I am doing on the best, or at least my favorite, live-action horror films of each year. We are now in the second half of the 1990s decade. This series includes a winning film along with up to five or so honorable mentions for each year. I also throw in some of what I call “tangential bonus films” that incorporate horror elements but, in my view at least, do not primarily fit within the horror genre. These tangential bonus films are thus not actually horror films per se, but are films that should be enjoyed by horror fans for their comedic or other use of horror elements and subject matter.

Overall, 1995 was a good and competitive year in horror, and it was perhaps another step up in quality compared to the previous few years. Because of the top six structure, I actually had to leave off a few films that in other years might have made the cut. And as per usual, there were some obvious choices for 1995 that horror fans would expect to see on here, as these films regularly make appearances on best of the decade lists. I picked out six of my favorite horror films from 1995, and of course they all come recommended. I also bent my own rules and included three entries in the category of the tangential bonus film. I recommend all of those as well, as films that are a better classification fit with other genres though they certainly incorporate some horror elements, and would be of interest to a horror audience. A common theme amongst several of the horror films on this list are the serial killer theme. The middle and late 1990s had a lot of serial killer movies, and given my particular proclivity for them, you can expect to see several of them on the remaining lists for the 1990s decade. But it is not just all serial killers all the time here. We also get the inclusion of a couple movies that incorporate magical or religious supernatural elements. Those themes are definitely not my comfort zone and not my tastes when it comes to horror, but these entries are the more noteworthy for that reason.

As always, horror is one of the truly underappreciated film genres, and the 1990s as a decade is one of the underappreciated eras within horror film. That decade is often thought of as a bit of a ‘dark ages’ situation between the numerous horror classics of the 1970s and 1980s and the modern revival of the genre and the dominance of highbrow, artsy, or ‘elevated’ horror films during the late 2000s and especially during the 2010s. That reason, and that we are now culturally in a bit of a 1990s nostalgia period, is why I wanted to start in the 1990s and proceed through the decade year by year. There were quite a few quality horror films that came out during the 1990s that are worth rediscovering. So whether you are a horror fan, or just looking for a hit of that sweet 1990s nostalgia, I hope you enjoy this list. Previous horror lists for 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994 are available, so check those out as well.

Winner: Seven

MPAA Rating: R

Yes, it is the movie where Brad Pitt says “what’s in the booooxx!?!”.

But in all seriousness, Seven is simply one of the best movies of the entire 1990s decade regardless of genre. Seven is another one of these movies, like Silence of the Lambs, where because it is a well made and highly critically acclaimed movie, people like to try to pretend that this is not a horror movie. They throw labels at it like “psychological thriller” and “crime thriller”. Here is a hot take for you: I do not believe in ‘thriller’ as a real genre classification. ‘Thriller’ is a plot device or narrative style. It is not a genre classification. The same goes with, say, action or mystery. These are labels that only work with a hyphenate: action-drama, or sci-fi action, etc. They only work with a hyphenate or as the adjective because they are describing the style being used within a larger film genre or the topical subject matter. Many ‘thriller’ films are actually just horror films, or at least horror adjacent, because that is Hollywood’s euphemism for prestige horror films that do not contain supernatural elements. So yes, Seven does have the ‘psychological’ and ‘crime’ ‘thriller’ elements because it is a gory serial killer type horror movie.

The plot for Seven is actually quite straightforward. Brad Pitt plays a new homicide detective that is partnered with an older homicide detective (played by Morgan Freeman), and the two investigate a series of murders, by a serial killer, with the deaths each corresponding to one of the seven deadly sins. I do not want to delve into the plot and ending too much in case there are any readers that have somehow not seen this film. As I said, the premise for the film is actually quite simple, but the beauty and greatness of the film is in its near flawless execution.

Every aspect of this film is phenomenal. All of the acting performances are strong. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are of course solid as the two leads, but we even get strong supporting performances from Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, and even John C. McGinley. Seven was directed by David Fincher. And while, I somewhat hate his first film, Alien 3, from back in 1992, Seven truly is his first great movie. And it is the first of numerous great films directed by David Fincher, including 1999’s Fight Club, 2007’s Zodiac, 2010’s The Social Network, and 2014’s Gone Girl. While Seven was nominated for one Academy Award, for best film editing, I of course believe this film was snubbed and should have been nominated for many other categories as well.

As I said at the top, Seven is simply one of the best films of the entire decade, not just one of the best horror films of the decade. It is truly essential viewing for anyone that wants to explore 1990s cinema. Oh and this is also casually Brad Pitt’s third appearance on these annual horror lists in as many years, following 1993’s Kalifornia and 1994’s Interview with the Vampire. It is perhaps unfortunate for us horror fans that Pitt would largely move away from the genre as he became more famous. But sadly that is a familiar story for famous actors.

Honorable Mention: Copycat

MPAA Rating: R

After the amazing commercial and critical success of Silence of the Lambs back in 1991–remember that it won all of the Academy Awards–a lot of serial killer movies got the green light from Hollywood. For better or worse, that became a feature of 1990s cinema throughout the decade. Fortunately for us horror fans, there were a number of good ones over the course of the decade, but even several good ones here in 1995. The aforementioned Seven is of course the pinnacle for the year, but a film like Copycat here is another solid entry into that subgenre from this same year. All of the post-Silence of the Lambs films emphasized different angles of what made that film so spectacular. To its credit, Copycat actually leans into the female lead angle and literally doubles down on it. Copycat gives us two female leads in the form of a psychiatrist played by Sigourney Weaver and police detective played by Holly Hunter. Sigourney Weaver is of course a horror icon for her role as the lead and final girl Ellen Ripley in 1979’s Alien.

As for the plot, Weaver’s Dr. Helen Hudson gives a lecture on serial killer psychology at a university and is attacked by one (played wonderfully by Harry Connick Jr.) in the bathroom following the lecture. She is able to escape and he is arrested and imprisoned. She develops extreme agoraphobia afterwards to the point where she is terrified to even leave her apartment. While reading about a series of murders in her local San Francisco she contacts the local police to inform them that they should be treating these as the work of a serial killer rather than as separate crimes. In working with the police to find the killer, they realize that this serial killer is actually a copycat killer of not just one earlier serial killer but actually switches the modus operandi to copying multiple other serial killers, making it that much more difficult to catch him. Our killer also has a particular obsession with Weaver’s character.

I think the film could have been improved by further examination of the psychological dimensions of the copycat killer. But that is really the only significant issue that I have with this film. Like with other 1990s movies, some of the computer technology featured in the film is a bit bonkers, but in a way that adds to the 1990s aesthetic and charm of the film. Overall, this is a quality entry into the subgenre and features notable performances by both Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter in the lead roles.

Honorable Mention: Mute Witness

MPAA Rating: R

Each year there are at least a few big budget horror (or horror adjacent) films produced. Some of them are good and I have included several of them on my annual horror lists thus far, and of course some of them are not good. There are also myriad independent and low budget horror movies produced every year, and amazingly some of them are actually good. Some are merely good in a qualified sense of: it is good for what it is. But the great ones somehow transcend their budget limitations and get regarded by horror fans as the underappreciated wonders that they truly are. Mute Witness falls into this category. Mute Witness barely made over one million dollars worldwide, and is completely forgotten by a mainstream film audience. However, if you have seen this movie, then you love this movie. It truly earns that label of one of the best horror movies that you have never seen.

The film is set in Moscow and features a mostly Russian cast. For the plot, a small group of American filmmakers are shooting a horror film in Russia. The story centers around make-up and special effects artist named Billy (played wonderfully by Marina Zudina) who late one night after shooting on the film has ended for the day, stumbles across some of the Russian crewmembers shooting their own pornographic snuff film wherein they actually kill a prostitute. This leads to a wonderfully tense and suspenseful cat-and-mouse sequence where Billy tries to evade the killers and escape the building. That sequence is spectacular and is one of the true highlights of the film. When police arrive she tries to convince them that a murder has occurred, but communication is difficult because she is a mute. Plus, the murderous Russian crewmembers have been able to cover their tracks and convince the police officers that she was just confused by movie tricks, fake blood, and similar practical effects. We learn that the crewmembers were working for an organized criminal organization led by a person known as the Reaper (an amazing cameo by Obi Wan Kenobi himself, Sir Alec Guinness), and the crewmembers are directed to eliminate the witness and recover a computer disc containing incriminating information that they believe she has. This sets in motion another wonderful sequence of these criminals breaking into Billy’s apartment trying to kill her. One brilliant dimension here that adds to the tension is that she is, again, a mute, and she has to try to call the police while these guys are actively breaking into the apartment and she is trying to convey to the Russian phone operator via a computerized voice in English what the emergency is. It is a brilliant sequence that just adds to the tension. I do not want to spoil the ending since I know that most people have not seen this one, but the film resolves itself in a satisfying way.

Except for Sir Alec Guinness in a cameo role, I doubt a Western audience would be familiar with any of the rest of the cast, as again it is a majority Russian cast. The true standout acting performance in Mute Witness is Marina Zudina as our lead Billy Hughes, and it is all the more amazing given that she plays a mute character and thus says nothing throughout the entire film. The acting performance is all the more standout for being only a physical performance. Like with many great horror films, there are layers to the horror. Sure, witnessing a murder and having those murderers try to hunt you down and kill you as well is terrifying. The other horror of the film is the layer of discomfort whenever you are in a foreign country, do not know many people, and do not speak the language. That additional layer of dramatic tension is utilized throughout the film to great success, and that is on top of the further layer of already having communication limitations by being mute.

Honorable Mention: Lord of Illusions

MPAA Rating: R

With a story centered around magical cults, Lord of Illusions is really not the type of movie that I normally go for. However, this one works for me and is an enjoyable watch overall. Part of this comes down to writer-director Clive Barker. This is an adaptation of his own short story entitled The Last Illusion. He has written many works but has only ever directed three films. These are the wonderful Hellraiser from 1987, the head-scratchingly bizarre Nightbreed from 1990, and of course 1995’s Lord of Illusions. Barker wrote this story as a neo-noir of a private detective investigating an insurance fraud case getting drawn into uncovering this magical cult and the violence between the members and former members as they try to revive their deceased leader.

Scott Bakula stars here in what might be his only horror movie. At the very least, it is a rare horror turn for Bakula. He plays our private detective Harry D’Amour. The other truly memorable face is that of Famke Janssen as Dorothea Swann, the wife of Kevin J. O’Conner’s illusionist Philip Swann. Janssen is simply stunning in this movie, and this was the same year that she appeared as Xenia Onatopp in the James Bond film Goldeneye. Kevin J. O’Conner and Daniel von Bargen are also quite good here as character actors. The acting throughout the film is fine, but is not the real highlight. The real highlights for this film are the visuals, the production design, and the practical effects. The neo-noir angle to the narrative definitely draws the viewer into the story with a familiar everyman type of character in Harry D’Amour that they can relate to. But magical or supernatural horror can get ridiculous if it does not look good and look believable. The visuals and the practical effects really sell the viewer on the story, and make the film work better than it would otherwise.

In sum, Lord of Illusions is likely the type of horror movie that will appeal more to genre enthusiasts than it will a general audience. Film critics might want to dismiss this one as schlocky B-movie horror. But if this is B-movie horror, then it is one of the best versions of it that I have ever seen. Plus, Scott Bakula and Famke Janssen are always a pleasure to watch, even if the romantic angle between their characters seems forced.

Honorable Mention: Citizen X

MPAA Rating: R

While all of the six horror films on this list are quality films in their own right, what makes Citizen X unique is that it is actually based in reality, and a relatively recent reality at that. The story of Citizen X is the decade long investigation to capture perhaps the most prolific serial killer in the Soviet Union. Andrei Chikatilo is believed to have killed over fifty people between 1978 and 1990 in the Rostov region of southern Russia. He was eventually arrested and confessed to the murders in 1990. He was convicted, and then eventually executed by the Russian government in 1994. That means that Citizen X was timely, having come out less than five years after he was arrested, and only one year after he was executed. The film is based on the 1993 book The Killer Department written by Robert Cullen.

Citizen X is a television movie that was produced by HBO. As such, while it likely did not have the budget for the spectacular production design of a film like Seven, Citizen X is effective in its austerity and reservation. The film was shot in Hungary. Having been to neither Hungary nor Rostov, I cannot compare how accurately the one conveys the other, though the film does have an appropriately Eastern European look and feel to it. A strength of the film is also the star power it brings given a television movie budget. Stephen Rea portrays our police detective Viktor Burakov. Donald Sutherland plays the Soviet/Russian military officer overseeing the Rostov region. Jeffrey DeMunn plays our serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. Max von Sydow plays a criminal psychiatrist. And Joss Ackland has a somewhat smaller role but is no less wonderful as our Soviet government official maintaining adherence to official ideology. Here that adherence to ideology means that there are no serial killers in the Soviet Union, because serial murder is a product of bourgeois decadence. And then, if there were a serial killer, it cannot be someone who is a member of the Communist Party, but instead must be the deviants like the homosexuals. As I said, it is a pretty great cast for a television movie. However, Sutherland was the big winner when it came to awards season as he picked up both Emmy and Golden Globe wins for his role in Citizen X. It is noteworthy that Jeffrey DeMunn was also nominated in the same Emmy category for his role as the killer.

Overall, while nowhere near as flashy as other serial killer films, Citizen X is actually probably the better for it, as the reality based story is more effective in its grounded and austere presentation. There is also the dual horror of the film, which also produces a more complex story. Sure, there is of course the horror of the serial killer himself. However, another layer of drama, or if you will another layer of horror, is that of the bureaucratic and ideological obstruction to truth. Here that is shown through the Soviet bureaucratic administration and formal adherence to Soviet ideology. However, in truth, that is not unique to the Soviet Union. Bureaucratic corruption hinders governance and service delivery in the United States as well. And adherence to ideology is dangerous in every context because it prevents people from seeing or considering ideas that might seem obvious to an outsider (or at least someone whose vision is not distorted in such a manner).

Honorable Mention: The Prophecy

MPAA Rating: R

As I have said in the past, I am usually not a huge fan of magical or religious horror, but occasionally there are a few movies that work well enough to overcome my general disposition. For example, The Exorcist III was one such movie and that is why I included it on the 1990 list. On the magical side, I already talked about Lord of Illusions from this same year. But 1995 also gave us one of the best religious horror movies of the decade in The Prophecy.

For the plot, apparently there is a second war in heaven between the angels that has been going on for millennia and is at a deadlock. The angel Gabriel (played by Christopher Walken), one of the leaders of the rebellious angels, is determined to recover the soul of a particularly nefarious American military officer who he believes will tip the balance of power in his favor. A loyal angel (played by Eric Stoltz) is able to get the soul before the man is buried and tries to hide it from Gabriel by passing it to a human host. Police detective Thomas Dagget (played by Elias Koteas) quit the seminary years earlier because of a divine vision of this war between the angels, and is brought into the plot following the bodies and carnage that come as a result of Gabriel’s quest. Virginia Madsen plays a schoolteacher for the girl that is carrying this evil soul. Toward the end, even Lucifer (played wonderfully by Viggo Mortensen) enters the story to assist with the effort to stop Gabriel, fearing that if Gabriel were successful then Heaven would become a second Hell.

For the type of film that this is, the cast and the production design and special effects are quite good. Virginia Madsen was of course great in Candyman back in 1992. Elias Koteas is one of those wonderful and underappreciated character actors that I have loved in everything that I have seen him in. Readers of my lists might remember or might be surprised to learn that he has actually been in two superhero movies that made my decade lists. He played Casey Jones in 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and he played the corrupt cop in 2009’s Defendor. Elias Koteas is one of those actors that I wish was more famous than he is because he is great in everything. Believe it or not, the actually surprisingly memorable and standout performance of the movie though comes from Viggo Mortensen. His Lucifer is only on screen in a few scenes for like five minutes and he almost steals the movie. Seriously, watch him in this scene with Virginia Madsen. Always take WatchMojo lists with a grain of salt, but they actually put Viggo Mortensen’s Lucifer in The Prophecy as the best depiction of the devil/Satan ever in cinema. And again, regular readers might remember that we also saw Viggo Mortensen back on the 1990 list for the film The Reflecting Skin.

In sum, topically this type of movie is definitely not my forte. But overall, The Prophecy works.

Tangential Bonus 1: Dolores Claiborne

MPAA Rating: R

I agonized about what the genre classification is for this movie, because I really wanted to include it on the list proper. I debated whether it is more of a darker drama or if it crosses into being a dramatic horror type of movie. Ultimately I have to say that it is more of a drama, but like with most Stephen King stories, it has elements of horror sprinkled in there. And yes, this movie is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name from 1992. I wanted to include this film here at least in the tangential section because I love this movie, and because it is underappreciated and somewhat forgotten. I cannot include all of the great King adaptations because some of them like The Shawshank Redemption from 1994 are not really horror at all, even though I love them and plus it is already famous. Dolores Claiborne was number seven on my favorite Stephen King films list and I talked a bunch about this movie over there, so I would direct you over there for more of a film breakdown. I will say though that my opinion of this film has only improved and if I were to do that list again nowadays I might even put it higher than number seven. This was of course Kathy Bates’ second King role after 1990’s Misery which of course was my pick for best horror movie of that year. Bates crushes it again, and I say she was snubbed for not even being nominated for an Oscar for this one, especially after she won for Misery.

Tangential Bonus 2: The Last Supper

MPAA Rating: R

The Last Supper is another one of those movies that is borderline for me. It premiered in 1995 but did not get a wider release until 1996. But more importantly, this one was a struggle in the sense of whether to call it a horror movie or not. Tonally it is played as lighter and almost a comedy, but the story is particularly horrifying given how close to reality it is these days with the state of popular discourse. The short version of the plot is this friend group of liberal graduate students decide to kill off conservatives and other right-wingers at their weekly dinner parties out of some deluded moral righteousness about supposedly stopping evil people before they do evil things (i.e. the tired hypothetical of killing baby Hitler). Of course their arrogance blinds them to the reality that people could make the same argument in favor of killing them. In short, the film is basically just cancel culture incarnate but like twenty years before cancel culture was a thing. So in that sense, the film is way ahead of its time. The hypocrisy of the whole thing is staggering, as it is in real life with cancel culture. It is a bunch of pseudo-intellectual liberals killing people they do not like, and it is noteworthy especially for me coming from an academic background (hence the name of the blog) that these characters that fancy themselves as intellectuals offer minimal in the way of actual argument to their guests for why they think they are incorrect. The characters embody the same smugness that people do these days in that they view other people as incapable of reason or changing with new information. That, or these smug types resort to violence because really do not have a sound philosophical argument to convey, which might actually be worse. Again, this film is great but also frustrating because of sadly how close it is to reality these days. Cameron Diaz is probably the only actor among the friend group that a mainstream audience would recognize. However, there is some fantastic and memorable casting for their right-wing guests, including Ron Perlman, Bill Paxton, Mark Harmon, Charles Durning, and Jason Alexander.

Tangential Bonus 3: Casper

MPAA Rating: PG

And yes, I decided to bend my own rules here to include a third tangential movie. The first two are somewhat heavy in terms of their subject matter, so let us close out with just a good family oriented ghost movie. Casper is of course based on the classic animated character. This is a movie that I grew up with as a child in the 1990s and have loved it ever since. Seriously, watch this movie as an adult and it generally holds up. While the film largely stays within family friendly territory, you do get a considerable range of emotion throughout. For example, one rather dark and sad moment is when Casper recounts to Christina Ricci’s character how he died. So while this film is certainly family friendly it does not avoid the elephant in the room when it comes to ghost characters of the mortality question. Instead, it acknowledges that question and takes it in the direction that all good family movies should as a means of affirming the bonds of family and the importance of family relationships. The bigger names in this movie are of course Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci as our central father and daughter characters. Ricci is of course familiar to horror and 1990s enthusiasts for being Wednesday Addams in the 1991 and 1993 Addams Family movies. But Monty Python alumnus Eric Idle is actually in Casper in a fun supporting villain role. I also love that they have Devon Sawa come in at the end of the movie as the corporeal version of Casper. That is an iconic moment for 1990s kids, especially with the “can I keep you?” line. In my view, Sawa will always be Junior Floyd from Little Giants, but he had numerous memorable appearances during the decade, and Casper is certainly one of them.