Summary
- Psychological thrillers of the 1990s delve into the darkest aspects of human psychology, tackling topics that may be offensive to some viewers.
- These films aim to create a lingering sense of horror by exploring real-world themes and relatable relationships, rather than relying on supernatural elements.
- The best psychological thrillers of the 1990s deliver deeply disturbing surprises, with movies like "Hideaway," "The Bone Collector," and "Sleeping With The Enemy" standing out as some of the most interesting and disturbing examples.
Many of the best psychological thriller movies of the 1990s examine the darkest inner thoughts and impulses of humanity. Not for the faint of heart, this genre and era are known for tackling topics and investigating cases that could be highly offensive to contemporary viewers. While many 1990s thrillers should definitely come with a trigger warning, this is also precisely why certain audiences are drawn to these disturbing films.
If the best psychological thrillers of any decade have anything in common, it is that they aim to incept the type of horror that lingers inside viewers' minds. Instead of supernatural, mystical, futuristic, or other such unreal factors, psychological thrillers find horror in mystery, crime, and other social realities. With the horror firmly rooted in real-world themes and relatable relationships, the movies in this genre tend to have the most deeply disturbing surprises in store for viewers. While psychological thrillers remain popular today, the genre saw its peak in the 1990s, though some of these movies were certainly better than others.
20 Hideaway (1995)
Hatch Harrison (Jeff Goldblum) is brought back to life two hours after dying in a car accident. As he gets horrifying visions, the unexplained events he sees are revealed to be the effects of his psychic connection with a serial killer. Hatch can also cause the visions by cutting himself. The catch is that the killer also sees through Hatch's eyes every time this happens. One of the most interesting psychological thrillers of the 1990s, Hideaway follows Hatch as he explores the possibilities of his new powers, seemingly granted by the tentacled being of light he saw during his near-death experience.
19 The Bone Collector (1999)
Detective Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) suffers a terrible accident that leaves him bound to his bed. Meanwhile, NYPD officer Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) discovers a corpse hidden in a Civil War railroad bed, which Rhyme deduces to be a staged crime scene. Impressed by Donaghy's instincts, Rhyme takes the reluctant patrol officer under his wing to find an active killer, with Donaghy crawling through places Rhyme can't go, and Rhyme interpreting clues that allow Donaghy to get closer and closer to their target. If the plot seems familiar, The Bone Collector is one of many movies inspired by The Silence of the Lambs.
18 Sleeping With The Enemy (1991)
One of the best psychological thrillers of the 1990s, Sleeping with the Enemy is based on the Nancy Price novel of the same name and was a monumental box office success. Julia Roberts plays Laura Burney, a woman who is physically, psychologically, and sexually abused by her husband Martin (Patrick Bergin). During a sailing trip with their neighbor, Laura uses an unexpected storm to disappear and fake her death. She escapes her abusive spouse to assume a new identity in a different town as Sara Waters. However, it's not that easy to shake off her obsessive, abusive ex-husband.
17 Kiss The Girls (1997)
Morgan Freeman plays forensic psychologist Alex Cross in Kiss the Girls, adapted from a series of novels by James Patterson. After the Washington D.C. detective finds out that his niece Naomi (Gina Ravera) is missing, he's informed by fellow detective Nick Ruskin (Cary Elwes) that she's one of many young women who've recently vanished. Cross goes to Durham, North Carolina, to investigate the cases. After one of the kidnapped women, Dr. Kate McTiernan (Ashley Judd), manages to escape, she partners with Cross to save the other girls. Judd and Freeman's performances are what makes Kiss the Girls one of the best psychological thrillers of the 1990s.
16 Single White Female (1992)
When software designer Allie (Bridget Fonda) finds out that her fiancée Sam Rawson (Steven Weber) cheated on her, she throws him out of their apartment. After posting an ad looking for someone to share her home with, she finds the ideal new roommate in Hedy (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and the two form a friendship. Soon, Hedy turns overprotective of Allie, and even begins to copy her appearance. When Allie and Sam reconcile, they find out who Hedy really is. Single White Female is one of the most influential psychological thrillers of the 1990s and features a terrific performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh.
15 Malice (1993)
Written by Aaron Sorkin, Malice follows university professor Andy Safian (Bill Pullman) and his wife, art teacher Tracy Safian (Nicole Kidman), who are restoring an old Victorian house as their home. When Dr. Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin) impresses Andy by saving the life of a student attacked by a serial rapist, Andy allows Jed to rent out a room on their third floor. However, this puts a strain on their marriage as Tracy has no love for the arrogant doctor. An underrated 1990s psychological horror with a magnificent twist, Malice is also one of the best thrillers involving husbands and wives.
14 Flatliners (1990)
With its perfect campfire horror premise alone, the original Flatliners deserves a place among the best psychological thrillers of the 1990s. In the movie, Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin, and Oliver Platt play medical students who help each other experience the afterlife. One by one, they deliberately put each other in a state of clinical death, and then bring each other back in order to tell the tale of everything they experienced outside the world of the living. Flatliners is great for viewers who like psychological thrillers with a sci-fi twist.
13 Arlington Road (1999)
What makes Arlington Road one of the best psychological thrillers of the 1990s is that it is inspired by events from the decade, in particular the paranoia caused by the rise of the American militia movement. History professor Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges), whose wife was killed in a standoff similar to the Ruby Ridge siege, lives with his son in Virginia. When Michael takes an injured boy to the hospital, the boy's parents, Oliver (Tim Robbins) and Cheryl Lang (Joan Cusack), turn out to be their neighbors. Slowly, Michael finds clues suggesting the couple may be terrorists. Arlington Road is known for having one of the most famous twist endings.
12 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
David Lynch's Twin Peaks prequel film is a dark and disturbing look into the last days of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), the homecoming queen whose death is investigated by FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) on the show. Even among the best psychological thrillers of the '90s, few features are as disturbing as Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. At the same time, Lynch's bold move of fleshing out the character whose death drove his pivotal series paid off in droves. Comionate, arguably feminist, and absolutely horrific all at once, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is Lynch's unsung masterpiece.
11 Cape Fear (1991)
A remake of the 1962 movie of the same name, Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear stars Nick Nolte as Sam Bowden, a lawyer who happily lives with his wife and daughter until the release of Sam's former client, convicted rapist Max Cady (Robert De Niro). Sam deliberately threw Max's case to put him in prison, knowing that the illiterate criminal would be none the wiser. Shortly after Max's release, however, Sam realizes the man may not be so simple-minded after all. One of the greatest psychological thrillers of the 1990s, Cape Fear is the seventh of the many Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro movies produced during their 50-year partnership.
