Horror movies are tricky business. It's hard to genuinely scare the audience, as they know that what they're watching is not real. It takes exceptional filmmaking and acting to genuinely unnerve an audience and have them feel fear.
Also, filmmakers need to strike a delicate balance between topicality and universality. What scared audiences back in the day may not be nearly as scary today. Some horror movies from the 90s have aged exceptionally well and may forever remain timeless. Some, unfortunately, are stuck in the decade.
Not Well: Ring (1998)
Ring is an exceptional Japanese horror film. When it's not stuck in the 90s, that is. This is a very tautly-directed movie, full of some brilliant and iconic scares. However, much of it revolves around very '90s technology that just screams '90s. These include landline phones, answering machines, and of course VHS tapes. Taken as a product of its time, Ring is fantastic. But a product of its time it remains.
Timeless: Scream (1996)
By the mid-90s, the slasher genre was dying. All the best franchises had been well played out, and it seemed like no others were willing to take their places. Rather than creating another "slasher villain" in the vein of Jason or Freddy or Michael, Wes Craven decided to send up the slasher genre with Scream. It's a wonderful movie that expertly toes the line between tongue-in-cheek humor and genuine scares. It also helped popularize the "Scream Mask," which is still a hot Halloween piece to this day.
Not Well: Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Nearly everything about Bram Stoker's Dracula should have worked. Moderately large budget ($40 million), exceptional director (Francis Ford Coppola), and an outstanding cast (Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves). And yet the movie is somehow less than the sum of its parts. Style got in the way of substance, and Keanu Reeves is truly horrible as Jonathan Harker.
Timeless: The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs is an expertly filmed product that toes the line between thriller, detective story, and outright horror.
Much has been said about Anthony Hopkins's iconic portrayal of Hannibal Lecter, which remains one of the greatest acting performances in movie history. But it's also telling that the movie won the Big Five Academy Awards (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Actress) - only the third (and most recent) movie to do so. It's a masterpiece.
Not Well: Tremors (1990)
Tremors is a very popular horror-comedy, but it hasn't necessarily aged well. Much about this film does indeed work, including the unique setting, wonderful blending of horror and comedy, and the electrifying duo of Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward. But it's also a little corny, and the animatronic monsters look pretty goofy and artificial. Perhaps that's the point, as the movie sends up B-movies. But the fact remains.
Timeless: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Much has been written about The Blair Witch Project, and it remains one of the most divisive horror films ever made. Some hate its "boring" story and lack of traditional scares. Others love it for the same reasons. There's admittedly not much to The Blair Witch Project, aside from kids wandering around the woods and occasionally encountering something spooky. But it's a classic that redefined the horror genre and withstood the test of time. It could very well have been made in 2020 on a phone.
Not Well: Spawn (1997)
Spawn seemed generally well liked by children and teenagers of the '90s. But looking back, it is a truly terrible movie that reeks of the '90s.
Most of that boils down to the movie's visual effects, which were seemingly rendered on the cheapest '90s computer that the filmmakers could find. Even if they were passable in 1997 (which they weren't), the visual effects are truly dreadful today. They completely ruin what enjoyment viewers may have otherwise gotten from the rest of the movie.
Timeless: The Sixth Sense (1999)
Coming in right at the end of the 90s is The Sixth Sense, which is easily one of the most iconic horror films ever produced. Not much about this movie has been dated, and the scares remain just as effective today as they were back in 1999. Of course, everyone knows about the twist ending and the true identity of Bruce Willis's Malcolm Crowe. But that only speaks to the testament of its legacy. The Sixth Sense will forever remain a classic.
Not Well: It (1990)
It is technically a TV miniseries, but many people refer to it as a made-for-TV movie, including some fans, critics, and special effects supervisor Gene Warren Jr. But regardless of how it's classified, It is a horribly dated piece of entertainment. The acting is borderline atrocious (particularly from the adults for some reason - usually it's the other way around), and the filmmaking/visual effects are downright embarrassing at this point. Aside from Tim Curry, there's little to recommend about this adaptation.
Timeless: Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Just squeaking into the 1990s is Adrian Lyne's seminal horror film, Jacob's Ladder. Jacob's Ladder didn't do well back in 1990, grossing just $26 million. However, it has since made cult classic status thanks to its TV rounds and home video. The influential special effects still look spectacular, and the movie remains eerily unnerving and surreal. Absolutely nothing has been lost in the succeeding thirty years.