40 Best 1990s Horror Movies to Revisit for Timeless Scares

The 1990s were a strange time for cinema. 1990s horror movies reflect the changing sensibilities of an industry that was about to adopt more digital methods of creating films and more time-tested sensibilities. The result is a mix of scary movies that felt more classic in nature with others having a cutting-edge look with emerging special effects technologies. Well-known directors like Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro were cutting their teeth on horror features that surprisingly still stand up today.

We wanted to round up the best horror movies from the decade so we looked to Rotten Tomatoes to discover which movies of the era were well-received. Some rubbed critics the wrong way while pleasing audiences, others were critical darlings that many audiences have never seen, and others hit the sweet spot of being both commercial and critical hits. We’ve got a good variety of films here. Some of them you have likely enjoyed while others might have been flying below your radar. Find something creepy to watch today and take a look back at this very special time for genre cinema.

The Witches (1990)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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This classic adventure film based on Roald Dahl’s book is considerably scarier than other children-geared scary movies. Who could forget Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch? The scene with her taking off her skin is seared into our memory. If it’s been a minute since you’ve seen this classic, revisit it as it has aged extremely well!

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Can you figure out the twist before the big reveal in The Sixth Sense? If you have not seen this classic in a while, you’re going to love the strong performances by Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment. Reminder: the opening scenes of this movie are pretty graphic. This is a pretty iconic 1990s horror movie that you should definitely give a try if you have not yet.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Have you seen the movie that started it all? The 1992 film, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a campy romp. It would go on to inspire a smash hit series of the same name later. But, the original film, warts and all, is still worth a watch. It’s so aggressively 90s in its style and language that you really feel like you’ve gone back in time.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Do you like B-movies? The ultimate pulp crime drama meets horror movie hybrid, From Dusk Till Dawn has got it all. Vampires? Check! Epic shootouts? Check! Lots and lots of explosions? Check! You’ll see some old familiar faces in this one such as George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Danny Trejo, and Salma Hayek. Come for the star power, stay for the gruesome vampire fight scenes.

The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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This movie is one with serious ambitions that seem to get in the way of the overall narrative, The Devil’s Advocate is an effective blend of supernatural thrills and character exploration. The movie follows an aspiring defense lawyer (Keanu Reeves) who accepts a high-powered position at a New York law firm headed by a legal shark (Al Pacino). As Kevin moves up in the firm’s ranks, his wife(Charlize Theron), has several frightening, mystical experiences that begin to warp her sense of what’s real.

Funny Games (1997)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Prolific arthouse filmmaker, Michael Haneke turned his sights to audiences’ desire for violence and pain in the remarkable film Funny Games. It’s a home invasion horror film that finds two psychotic young men terrorizing an affluent family in their vacation home. It’s cold and unflinching and has a twist for the ages that can never and will never be replicated (unless you look to the 2007 remake of the film that was re-told shot-for-shot with English-speaking actors). You will be disgusted, horrified, and taking a deep look inward by the end of this stunning and poignant masterpiece.

The Addiction (1995)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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If you’ve got a soft spot for indie cinema, you will love the look and feel of The Addiction which feels like a horror movie inspired by John Cassavetes. It’s one of the many vampire movies to come out in the 1990s and in it, drug addiction is a metaphor for a thirst for human blood. Lili Taylor is director Abel Ferrara‘s central monster-junkie under the spell of master vamp Christopher Walken. It’s the journey and not the destination with this heady, philosophical, and clever 1990s horror movie.

Lost Highway (1997)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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In some David Lynch projects, you can sort of follow the thread but Lost Highway feels like a maddening descent into nightmare logic. It would be foolish for us to try and explain what this film is about but just know, that you’re treated to some truly terrifying imagery and sequences that will creep you out more than any hard-horror film. It’s artful, mysterious, and unusual in all the right ways. If you’ve enjoyed a Lynch film in the past, you have to take a ride down Lost Highway.

Cure (1997)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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This supernatural gem from the visionary director, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, begins with a series of murders, committed for seemingly no reason, at least that’s the opinion of the man who is investigating them. The murderers have no explanation for their violent acts after they commit them, even though they readily admit to their deeds. When he thinks he’s found a suspect, he is blocked by the suspect’s inability to remember where he is, the date, and anything about his past. The unflinching direction makes each murder so horrific to see.

Lord of Illusions (1995)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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A private detective gets more than he bargains for when he encounters Philip Swan, a performer whose amazing illusions captivate the world, but they are not really what everyone thinks. This entry from Clive Barker was not as well-received as other classics of his making but it’s intriguing nonetheless. Horror meets film noir in this strange movie that fascinates as much as it confounds.

Cemetery Man (1995)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Comedy and horror mingle together in this B-movie that produces as many frights as it does laughs. There is a surreal sort of dream logic going on in this film that can frustrate viewers looking for narrative clarity and catharsis. Rupert Everett plays Francesco, a cemetery man, who must kill the dead a second time as they erupt from the graves that he tends. It’s a weird one but it’s not without its virtues!

Raising Cain (1992)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Is it Brian DePalma’s best film? No. But, John Lithgow gives such a stunning performance as a person with a split personality that you won’t be able to turn away. The oncologist wife of a prominent child psychologist suspects her husband has an unhealthy scientific obsession with their child. Unaware of what or who is really going on inside his head, she’s in for a wild ride of discovery.

Tremors (1990)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one. This film is a throwback to 1950s creature features in the truest sense. It plays on all the old tropes but feels fresh thanks to the humor injected into the film’s dialogue. This one will make you jump a few times but it’s better to think of as an adventure rather than a strict horror movie.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Reality and fantasy meet in unsettling ways in this installment of the long-running horror series, which finds director Wes Craven and actors Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund all portraying themselves. It’s a meta take on the horror genre and this film series as well. It’s still also very scary and takes some truly unexpected and clever turns. If you thought all of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels were bad, think again! This one’s a winner.

RELATED: From Not so Scary to Terrifying: 25 Horror Movies to Watch with Your Tween

Body Snatchers (1993)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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While this might not be the most enjoyable adaption of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, it is an unsettling one that slowly takes its hold. The film centers on a teenage girl and her father discovering alien clones are replacing humans on a remote US military base in Alabama. Yes, they find that plant-like alien beings are possessing the bodies of folks on the base. Can they stop it from happening to them?

Army of Darkness (1992)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Films from the Evil Dead franchise are an acquired taste but if you find campy horror and over-the-top scenarios delicious, you will likely find Army of Darkness to be a treat. It’s geared more like an action movie and that makes it a departure from other films in this series. Evil Dead star, Ash (Bruce Campbell) is transported to the 1300s where he must battle an army of the dead to return home. It’s a wild ride worth taking.

The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Italian horror movie legend, Dario Argento directs this fascinating movie about a police detective who falls under hallucinatory spells while trying to capture the sadistic man who raped her. The film is horrifying in its depiction of trauma and how sexual violence causes pain both physically and psychologically.

Stir of Echoes (1999)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Say what you will about Stir of Echoes, but Kevin Bacon is amazing in it. His performance makes this film so watchable and very suspenseful. Bacon’s character is put into a trance by his sister-in-law and when he awakes he finds that he can communicate with the dead. He becomes convinced that a girl named Samantha needs his help. In his attempt to discover the truth about her, he finds himself in a very dangerous situation.

The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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When young Fool (Brandon Adams) breaks into the home of his family’s greedy and aloof landlords, he discovers a disturbing scenario where incestuous adult siblings have mutilated a number of boys and kept them imprisoned under stairs in their large, creepy house. It’s like a haunted house that comes to life but worse! This is a departure for Wes Craven and a fascinating one at that. Fans of his other films definitely should give this one some attention.

The Frighteners (1997)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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This entry from Peter Jackson is not going to be for everyone. At the time, it was heralded for its cutting-edge special effects but they have not aged as well as practical effects from horror movies this decade. In addition to that, the movie is uneven and tonally inconsistent. That does not mean it’s not worth your time! The film follows an “exorcist” who is not all he’s cracked up to be. The small town in which he resides suddenly feels full of the undead and they all want to talk to him.

Night of the Living Dead (1990)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Night of the Living Dead doesn’t quite reinvent the original film’s narrative, but its sleek action and amplified gore turn it into a worthy horror movie. In this zombie flick, the recently deceased are rising from the grave as flesh-hungry zombies. Fleeing the undead horde, a small group of survivors takes shelter in a farmhouse and do their best to survive. Be sure to watch the original first if you have not seen this one. It’s a great follow-up but it lacks the magic of the original.

Wolf (1994)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Anchored by performances from Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer, Wolf tells the story of an aging book editor who finds himself full of life and vigor after being attacked by a wolf in Vermont. As he struggles with his professional life, he finds himself drawn to his colleague’s daughter. Is the romance a match made in heaven or will his increasingly violent urges jeopardize everything? You’ll have to watch to find out!

Cube (1997)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Without remembering how they got there, several strangers awaken in a prison of cubic cells, some of them booby-trapped and dangerous. As they work to escape, they realize that they have to rely on one another to do so and not everyone is telling the whole truth. It’s a killer premise that this horror movie cleverly makes the most of. If this one has flown under your radar, give it a shot!

Mimic (1997)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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The first Guillermo del Toro movie on this list but not the last (or his best), Mimic is a creature feature of sorts that finds an evolutionary biologist and researches trying to save a city from an unusual plague. What starts out as a cockroach infestation quickly escalates into something much more sinister and evolved than the scientists have ever encountered.

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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A gothic, romantic tale, Interview with the Vampire follows Louis, a tortured vampire who tries to shake off his sinister maker for a different, more human life. He is tricked into turning a young girl into a vampire which starts a domino effect of terrible things befalling him and his “family.” This is not a super scary movie but it is an atmospheric and clever one. For 1990s horror movies, there sure are a lot of vampire films!

Habit (1996)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Set in a gritty New York City, alcoholic Sam meets up with a mysterious woman who marks him and controls his will. As his world unravels into madness he slowly figures out what is happening and has to figure out what to do. It’s a very stylish vampire movie that’s not told like any other. The film is written, directed, and stars Larry Fessenden who has since become an indie horror icon.

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Mourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam War veteran (Tim Robbins) tries to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death. The structure of the movie and the onslaught of imagery audiences are treated to make this film a dizzying and affecting watch. You have to have nerves of steel to get through this horror movie without getting freaked out!

Poison (1991)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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If you’ve been searching for a quirky queer horror movie, look no further than Todd Haynes‘ 1991 masterpiece Poison. The film is told in three parts and while it doesn’t read as horror right off the bat, it gets very creepy very quickly as the three tales unwind and seem to comment on one another. The three stories the movie follows are “Hero,” about a boy who kills his father; “Horror,” black-and-white sci-fi; and “Homo,” set in prison. It’s hot, creepy, campy, and sinister all at the same time.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Francis Ford Coppola‘s vision of Bram Stoker’s Dracula rescues the character from decades of campy interpretations and features some terrific performances on top of that. Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, and Keanu Reeves round out this all-star cast. This film follows Stoker’s book pretty faithfully and tells the story of Count Dracula traveling to England to seduce his barrister, Jonathan Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray and inflict terror in the foreign land.

Dead Alive (1992)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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If you like your horror movies with a side of absurdity, meet Dead Alive. It’s one of Peter Jackson’s earlier films and you can tell he is having a ball making this ridiculous romp. The film follows a lovestruck teen whose mother becomes a zombie. While he tries to keep her and others safe by locking her in the basement, mom repeatedly escapes, turning many of the family’s neighbors into the walking dead as well. You’ll laugh as much as you’ll be grossed out!

Ringu (1998)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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After her niece is found dead along with three friends after watching a supposedly cursed videotape, reporter Reiko Asakawa sets out to investigate. Along with her ex-husband, Ryuji, Reiko finds the tape, watches it, and promptly receives a phone call informing her that she’ll die in a week. The film inspired the English-language remake that became a huge hit. If you’ve never seen the original, you’re in for a treat!

Misery (1990)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Anchored by excellent performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates, Misery is a taut horror thriller that finds a writer held captive by his most adoring fan. Or is she? The marketing tagline for the film is “Paul Sheldon used to write for a living. Now, he’s writing to stay alive.” That should tip you off that you’re in for a wild ride. Your legs will never fully recover after seeing this horror movie.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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There are some issues with Sleepy Hollow, chief among them, there’s not enough Christina Ricci in it! Although she stars opposite Johnny Depp, her performance is fantastic and leaves you really wanting more. This horror movie is a retelling of the curse of Sleepy Hollow with a headless horseman on the loose decapitating the town’s citizens and causing chaos. It’s not the scariest 1990s horror movie on this list but it’s one of the most stylish.

Cronos (1993)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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As charming as it is clever and stylish, Cronos was a bold feature debut from auteur, Guillermo del Toro. The premise of the film is a simple one. An antique dealer stumbles on a mysterious device designed to provide its owner with eternal life after it resurfaces four hundred years later. The promise of the scarab is followed by a trail of destruction in its path. This horror movie should be seen by any lover of cinema because it’s truly one of the most artful films on this list.

Se7en (1995)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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In this gritty crime drama two detectives: Somerset and Mills search for a killer obsessed with the seven deadly sins. Each deadly sin motivates a murderer to reveal each victim committed the sin in their life. It is one of the 1990s horror movies with the most wicked twist that you’ll ever see. This one is not for the faint of heart so feel free to pace yourself and pause as needed.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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A film that inspired about a million more found footage scary movies, The Blair Witch Project was a groundbreaking film. An indie that was made on a shoestring budget, Blair Witch proved a huge commercial success. The film worked due to a marketing gimmick that convinced some that the footage they were watching was real. The film finds a young trio of filmmakers documenting a mysterious local legend, the Blair Witch who is said to haunt a forest. The filmmakers venture to find her and she finds them instead.

Audition (1999)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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One of the most unnerving scary movies on this list, Audition is a Japanese import that finds a widower screening potential new wives only to discover that the woman he most wants to be with is not who she appears. This movie is so incredibly tense that you will find yourself wishing for horrible things to happen simply to defuse the tension.

Scream (1996)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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A teen horror movie about teen scary movies, Scream stands out among a slew of 90s horror films that were released at the time. While this film is not as atmospherically frightening as others on this list, it does an excellent job of planting breadcrumbs to keep viewers guessing about who might be the masked killer who is terrorizing a bunch of high schoolers. If you live for a twist, how have you not seen this yet?

Candyman (1992)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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Candyman was a controversial film when it was released in the 1990s, viewed by many as demonizing residents of community housing in Chicago. Black scholars have recently taken a second look at this film to explore why it feels both exploitive and also revelatory.

If you have not seen the excellent documentary, Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, you should give it a try. Candyman‘s cultural impact and its lasting legacy are discussed with great care. Candyman is a supernatural horror film that follows a skeptical grad student who summons a murderous entity with a hook for a hand.

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The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Best 1990s Horror Movies
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One of the very few horror movies to win Best Picture at The Academy Awards, The Silence of the Lambs is a slick film with amazing performances from the entire cast but particularly from Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins who both took home Oscars for Best Actor and Actress. You likely know the premise but it involves a rookie FBI agent who works with a cannibal psychologist to solve a particularly gruesome set of crimes. It’s truly one of the best scary movies on this list that you should check out if you’ve avoided it.

What did you think of these amazing 1990s horror movies? We hope you found this list to be comprehensive. We did our best to include both popular and underrated movies for you to discover. If you liked this list, and want to find even more great movies, take a look at the best movies of the 2000s below!

Make Movie Night Extra Special with the Best Movies of the 2000s!

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Road movies often feel like a slog but 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine was a breath of fresh air that captured some of the best performances from Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette along with breakout star Abigail Breslin. The family embarks on a trip in a VW bus to California to support their youngest member Olive (Breslin) to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine competition. Remarkably funny and heartfelt, it’s one of the most endearing and best movies of the 2000s.

The Pianist (2002)

20 best movies of the 2000s
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As beautiful and poetic as it is horrifying, The Pianist tells the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman a concert pianist who tries to survive life in a Jewish ghetto in Warsaw. It’s one of the best movies of the 2000s based on a true story. Actor Adrien Brody has never been better in this riveting WWII drama.

Donnie Darko (2001)

20 of the Best Movies of the 2000s
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A mysterious and arty movie that plays like a horror film in most regards, Donnie Darko follows the title character, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who narrowly escapes death only to be haunted by visions of a man in a creepy rabbit suit. The visions of the man grow increasingly captivating for the teen and they drive him to commit a series of crimes. It’s one of the most enigmatic and best movies of the 2000s that truly holds up.

Erin Brockovich (2000)

Erin Brokovich tells the real-life story of a woman who is down on her luck and pleads with her attorney to employ her at his law firm. He does. While looking through real estate files, she discovers a medical file in the mix and realizes that something is not right. She uncovers a cover-up of contaminated water that is causing illness in the community. Julia Roberts really fires on all cylinders in one of the best movies of the 2000s.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

20 of the Best Movies of the 2000s

Mulholland Drive is one of the movies to watch if you want to understand how dream logic can inform the structure of a narrative film. To try and describe the plot of this film would be a disservice as no two people will see it the same way. Beautiful, disarming, puzzling, and chilling, Mulholland Drive is a movie that defies convention while playing into it. 

Billy Elliot (2000)

20 of the Best Movies of the 2000s

We’re not certain how this coming-of-age dance drama manages to lodge itself so deeply in your heart but it has stuck with audiences for decades. The film follows a young boy from a working-class family in Northern England who discovers a passion for dance. As he grows up and gets serious about the art, he is torn between pursuing dance or appealing to his disintegrating family. It’s one of the best movies of the 2000s to watch that reminds you to always follow your dreams.

Oceans Eleven (2001)

Director Steven Soderbergh dominated in the early 2000s, directing some 16 films that premiered over those ten years. Not one but two of his movies make our list of the best movies of the 2000s! Oceans Eleven was a huge commercial and critical success. The film tells the story of 11 criminals who plot an ambitious heist that includes robbing three Las Vegas Casinos. There are so many A-list stars in the movie that it iridescently glows. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, and many more all star in this caper!

Barbershop (2002)

One of the most endlessly quotable and best movies of the 2000s was delivered in 2002 with Barbershop. The day-in-the-life movie finds lovable characters like Calvin (Ice Cube), Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), and Terri (Eve) in a barbershop on the South Side of Chicago. While the movie is ridiculously fun it is also told with plenty of heart and soul. If you’ve never had the pleasure, give this winner a try.

Oldboy (2003)

One of the best-known directors hailing from South Korea, Park Chan-Wook served audiences some masterful revenge films throughout his career. One of the most beloved, Oldboy, premiered in 2003 to warm reviews in the US. The movie follows a man who is kidnapped and held captive for 15 years. After his release, he has five days to find his captor and exact his revenge. It’s a gory, tense, and genuinely funny movie that takes audiences on one wild ride.

Happy Feet (2006)

Happy Feet is an animated feature that was met with universal acclaim when it premiered in 2006. It’s one of the few movies to win Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards that was not made by Disney! Singing and dancing penguins, lovable characters, and catchy tunes make it one of the best movies of the 2000s that you can share with your kids today!

RELATED: 40 Classic Movies to Watch If You Love the Art of Film

The Ring (2002)

20 of the Best Movies of the 2000s

There have been several American remakes of Japanese horror movies but none have been as popular or as successful as The Ring. The opening sequence of this film is so terrifying that you might need to sleep with the lights on for a few nights after! The film tells the story of a journalist who investigates a mysterious VHS tape (with some very freaky visuals). Seven days after the tape is watched, the viewer(s) die. It’s one of the few horror movies to rank among the best movies of the 2000s.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Another one of the best movies of the 2000s to watch for tons of fun is My Big Fat Greek Wedding which was a sleeper hit following its premiere and it became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time! It’s full of laughs and plenty of heart. Nia Vardalos is absolutely on fire in the movie, which she also wrote. It’s one that will never let you down!

Dancer In the Dark (2000)

One of the most haunting and original movie musicals you will ever see comes from Lars von Trier who wrote and directed Dancer in the Dark. The film stars Bjork who gives one of the most heartbreaking performances ever put to film.

She plays Selma, a single mother, who travels to the US from Eastern Europe for work and to support her son. She works in a factory but that opportunity begins to fade as her failing eyesight makes it impossible for her to perform her duties. What will she do to survive? It’s unlike any musical you have ever seen as it is not all happy songs and chorus numbers (although there are some to be enjoyed). It’s one of the most original and best movies of the 2000s.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)

We can admit that we have not seen a ton of Romanian cinema but 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days has stuck with us for decades now. The film won the prestigious  Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for its minimalist style that feels almost like a documentary. The film follows two college roommates as they try and secure an illegal abortion in 1987. They meet a man called Mr. Bebe who performs the operations illegally only to find themselves in a messy, tense, and uncomfortable situation. The tension is so thick in this movie that you will be hard-pressed to find a horror film that can hold you as captive as this drama does.

It’s one of the best movies of the 2000s, but you don’t need to take our word for it! The BBC ranked 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days at 14 among its list of the 100 best movies of the 21st century.

Legally Blonde (2001)

20 of the Best Movies of the 2000s
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Bend… and snap! We’ve shared some prestige dramas with you on this list but one of our very favorite movies of all time bowed in 2001. Legally Blonde stars Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a young woman who seems to have it all. After her relationship falls apart, she decides that a degree from Harvard Law School will help win back her Mr. Right. This movie is so stupid-fun that it’s now considered a classic and one of the best movies of the 2000s.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

The unexpected hit of the 2000s, The Devil Wears Prada finds Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, and Mery Streep all in the same film. The performances, especially that of Streep and Blunt (the film launched her career in America), are remarkable and made the movie a must-see when it premiered in 2006.

Hathaway plays a recent college graduate who takes a job in the fashion industry as an assistant to the domineering and cold Miranda Priestly (Streep) who she struggles to please. It’s an exhilarating character study and commentary on the world of high fashion. It’s one of the best movies of the 2000s that you can watch a thousand times and never tire of!

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

20 of the Best Movies of the 2000s
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Two rugged cowboys fall in love while tending to a herd of sheep and embark on, what will become, a lifetime of wanting to return to the same mountain they fell in love on. In this challenging movie of queer love in a time of hate, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger are at the top of their games. It felt revolutionary to see the two Hollywood leads portray gay characters in one of the best movies of the 2000s.

Amélie (2001)

20 of the Best Movies of the 2000s

Audrey Tautou dazzled audiences as the titular character in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie. The film follows a young woman with an active imagination who creates fantastical worlds and scenarios for the people around her to live out. Inventive and wholly original this movie is unlike any you have ever seen. It’s one of the best movies of the 2000s told with romance at its core.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

20 of the Best Movies of the 2000s
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One of the Coen Brothers’ finest, No Country for Old Men tells the story of three different men whose paths intersect after a hunter, Llewelyn (Josh Brolin), finds over a million dollars in the desert following a drug deal gone wrong. The hunter soon becomes the hunted as a man named Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is tasked with recovering the fortune. Brutal, tense, and insightful this slick film is one of the best movies of the 2000s and will be remembered as one of the finest of the 21st century.

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There Will Be Blood (2007)

Filmed in the desert at the exact same time as No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood feels like a cosmic cousin to No Country for Old Men as both tell the stories of aging men confronting a changing world. In There Will Be Blood, Daniel Day Lewis gives a fascinating and chilling performance as Daniel Plainview, who plays a greedy oil man who will stop at nothing to suck the California land he prospects dry of oil. It’s a masterpiece of cinema that mines the darkest aspects of those persuing the “American dream.”

There you go! What did you think of our picks for the best movies of the 2000s? The decade was marked by a ton of mediocre films which makes them really special ones truly stand out. From auteur cinema like Mulholland Drive and No Country for Old Men to campy delights like Legally Blonde, there was no shortage of movies from the early aughts to suit every taste. If you somehow missed the movies on this list or want to revisit them, you absolutely should as it will be very much worthwhile!

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