Best in horror/thriller 1990-1999 list. The top 50 underrated films of the 90s. With hindsight, the 90s was the last golden period of originality in Hollywood.
Franchises and sequels had yet to truly dominate, old-school New Hollywood filmmakers were still very much active, and quality, well-written films which didn’t rely on an onslaught of CGI to wow audiences were the order of the day. With so much going on in that decade, and so many quality films vying for attention, it’s only natural that some have fallen by the wayside, or didn’t get the widespread recognition they deserved. The 50 best films of the ’90s. Few talk about the ’90s as a filmmaking renaissance on par with the late ’60s and early ’70s, but for many of the film critics at The A.V.
Club, it was the decade when we were coming of age as cinephiles and writers, and we remember it with considerable affection. Those ’70s warhorses like Martin Scorsese and Robert Altman posted some of the strongest work of their careers, and an exciting new generation of filmmakers—Quentin Tarantino, Joel and Ethan Coen, Wong Kar-Wai, Olivier Assayas, David Fincher, and Wes Anderson among them—were staking out territory of their own. Presented over three days—with two 20-film lists, then a separate one for the top 10—our Top 50 survey was conducted in an effort to reflect group consensus and individual passion, with the disclaimer that all such lists have a degree of arbitrariness that can’t be avoided. (On Thursday, we’ll run a supplemental list of orphans, also-rans, and personal favorites that will undoubtedly be quirkier.) 50.
100 Greatest Movies of the 1990s.