Found footage, twist endings, and pure psychological dread - welcome to horror in 1999.
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is perhaps one of the most iconic horror films of 1999, known for its innovative found-footage style and minimalist approach to storytelling, and yes, I know this one gets debated a lot now.
Some people love it, some people think it’s just people shouting into a camera in the woods, but I still like it.
Also the marketing around it at the time was genuinely wild, like it felt half real if you were around for it.
It’s not really a “fun” rewatch though, but a film for its time for a few reasons. [The Blair Witch Project on IMDB]
The Sixth Sense
This is the one everyone remembers from that year, obviously.
Even outside the twist stuff, it’s just really controlled and quiet in a way that feels different from a lot of horror now, and while I don’t really revisit it often, but when I do I’m always surprised how restrained it is.
And yeah, the twist ending is still the ending. You already know what I mean. [The Sixth Sense on IMDB]
Audition
Takashi Miike's Audition is a Japanese horror film that shocked audiences with its disturbing imagery and psychological intensity, and this is one always feels like it belongs in its own category.
It starts off feeling almost normal, then slowly turns into something you probably weren’t mentally prepared for, and I still remember the first time watching it thinking it was going one way, and then it just doesn’t - uncomfortable, intense, and honestly not something I’d recommend casually to people unless I know exactly what they’re into.
But it’s also kind of unforgettable for that same reason. [Audition on IMDB]
Stir of Echoes
This is one I think gets overlooked a lot.
It came out around the same time as The Sixth Sense so it kind of got buried, which is a shame because it’s actually really solid.
There’s a nice slow build to it, and it has that slightly uneasy feeling running through it the whole time without overdoing anything.
A highly under appreciated horror movie. [Stir of Echoes on IMDB]
Ravenous
This one is just strange in a good way.
It doesn’t really sit neatly in one genre either, like a lot of horror to be fair - it’s horror, but also dark comedy, but also something else entirely at times.
It feels like a film that shouldn’t work on paper but somehow does anyway. [Ravenous on IMDB]
Stigmata
This is another one I don’t see mentioned much anymore.
It’s got that late 90s supernatural energy, and while I don’t think it’s brilliant, I do remember it being surprisingly watchable and quite unsettling in parts.
It’s one of those films I forget about, then randomly remember exists every few years. [Stigmata on IMDB]