1990-1999

1992: In a decade in which the horror genre is characterised by a never ending series of tired and hackneyed slasher sequels and during a largely barren period as far as new ideas for horror movies are concerned the genre films become increasingly more knowing and ironic. Peter Jackson takes gore to a new level for comic effect and releases Brain Dead. Elswhere looking back rather than forward for inspiration Francis Ford Coppola releases his own version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It is a box office if not always a critical success and draws heavily on Hammer’s visual style.

1994: Driven on by the success of Coppola’s Dracula (1992) British Shakespearean actor Kenneth Brannagh releases hi version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt appear in the movie version of Anne Rice’s goth classic Interview With The Vampire.

1996: Wes Craven launches his new slasher franchise with Scream. The film has it’s tongue partly in it’s cheek with many knowing references to horror movie history and laughs mixed in with the scares.

1997: Producers rush out a film of I know What You Did Last Summer to cash in on the success of Scream. This slasher movie will spawn two less successful sequels.

1998: In Japan Hideo Nakatu releases Ringu.

1999: James Fermann leaves his post as head of the BBFC. There will now be a softening of stance towards explicit content and over the next few years many ’video nasties’ will be certified and finally released in the UK. After a decade bereft of new ideas in the genre a low budget movie shot on a handheld camera becomes a worldwide phenomenon. Costing an initial $35,000 dollars, The Blair Witch Project grosses $248 million dollars worldwide. The improvised scenes and documentary feel of the film generate an atmosphere of terrifying realism and the film goes on to become the most successful independent film of all time.