During the 1990s, I spent many weekend afternoons and evenings in the delicious darkness of a movie theater sharing a bucket of bright yellow popcorn and a box of Milk Duds the size of a Buick with friends.
When given the option at the multiplex, I consistently chose thrillers over comedies, dramas, action, and even horror. My love for psychological suspense began in the mid-1980s when my mom sent me to Blockbuster to rent Wait Until Dark. Featuring a vulnerable and courageous Audrey Hepburn and a menacing Alan Arkin, this 1967 film had me on the edge of my family’s faux suede sofa, the hairs on the back of my neck at full attention.
My love for this genre deepened when I watched Glenn Close terrorize the philandering Michael Douglas and his family in Fatal Attraction. Though I’ve watched the 1987 classic about an extramarital fling gone horribly awry countless times, if I flip past it today, I’m compelled to see it through to its nail-biting conclusion.
The thing that made these movies scarier than typical slasher films and even zombie apocalypse flicks was the fact that the villains started off seeming like regular people. They took the form of friends, lovers, roommates, and neighbors. The good-natured protagonists were unable to sense anything sinister about them, and, in most cases, they invited these evil-doers into their orbit.
As much as these movies provided a delicious escape from reality, they also served as good reminders that danger can lurk in the most unexpected places and people—a message that lingered long after the ending credits rolled.
The nagging question: If it could happen to them, couldn’t it happen to me? haunts and fascinates me. It’s probably a large part of why I enjoy writing suspense novels.
The following are five iconic 1990s thriller films that deserve another viewing and served as inspiration for my new novel, The House on Cold Creek Lane.
This 1992 psychological thriller is based on John Lutz’s 1990 novel SWF Seeks Same, and will definitely encourage you to give potential roommates a thorough background check before offering them lodging.
In the film, Allison Jones, played by Bridget Fonda, places an ad for a new roommate after her boyfriend Sam (Steven Weber) cheats on her with his ex-wife. Finding Allison at her most vulnerable, Hedra Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh) swoops in and initially seems like just the sort of friend the brokenhearted Allison needs.
As time passes, audiences learn that low rent is a high-price to pay to live with the likes of Hedra, who takes over more than just the spare room.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
When pregnant Seattle housewife Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) is assaulted by her obstetrician and reports him, it sets in motion a chain of events that nearly costs her her family. Once her baby is born, Claire hires Peyton Flanders (Rebecca DeMornay) who seems like a modern day Mary Poppins. But the audience knows she’s the ultimate danger in pretty packaging.
As Peyton slowly infiltrates Claire’s family and destroys her world, the new mom blames herself despite recognizing that her problems coincided with the nanny’s arrival. Even Julianne Moore’s warning “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world” isn’t enough to stop the terror Peyton inflicts on the family.
This 1992 film will convince you that handling those 2 a.m. feedings yourself isn’t so bad after all.
A couple (Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith) attempting to renovate their dream home in the coveted San Francisco neighborhood take in a tenant who turns out to be far worse than any pest infestation.
At first it’s tough to tell if the renter, Carter Hayes, (played to devious delight by Michael Keaton, who sheds every bit of likability he earned in Mr. Mom), is manipulative or truly menacing. But he quickly reveals his true nature as he wrecks the couple’s property and then their lives.
Though the film was made more than 30 years ago, recent news stories regarding nightmarish squatter situations makes this feel terrifyingly timeless.
Laura (played Julia Roberts) fakes her own death to escape from her abusive husband (Patrick Bergin). Despite moving across the country and changing her name to Sara, she’s forced to ask that frightening, age-old question: Can you ever outrun your past?
Clues that Sara’s husband has found her are revealed in chilling ways in this slow burn thriller, based on a novel written by Nancy Price.
Illustrating just how far some people will go to get what they want, this 1991 film will have you rooting for Roberts from start to finish.
This 1994 film noir features Linda Fiorentino as Bridget Gregory, a smart and sexy con woman who convinces her doctor husband, Clay (Bill Pullman), to sell drugs for a massive payday. After an argument in which Clay slaps her, Bridget flees their Manhattan apartment with nearly a million dollars, leaving Clay on the hook with loan sharks.
As she settles in a small town and changes her name to Wendy Kroy (New York spelled backwards), Bridget finds a new mark named Mike (Peter Berg). After learning and exploiting his weak spots, she comes up with a plan to have him get rid of Clay and keep the cash for herself. Blinded by love, lust, and a desire to put a mistake behind him, Mike succumbs to her charms–with dire consequences.
Though she’s pure evil, Bridget is so strong and clever, you can’t help but want her to emerge victorious.
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