'Lost Highway' and 7 Other Best Thrillers From the 90s, Ranked by IMDb

The thrillers of the 1990s are associated with tangled plots, a disturbing atmosphere, and a blurring of the lines between reality and paranoia.

It was a unique time for the genre when filmmakers were free from past conventions but not yet constrained by future digital technologies and boldly experimented with form and content.

8. 'Sleeping with the Enemy', 1991

IMDb Score: 6.3/10

Laura married Martin, a successful financier. From the outside, their marriage seems like a dream come true, but behind closed doors, Laura endures abuse and humiliation.

One day, the couple went on a nighttime yacht cruise. The boat is caught in a storm, and Laura is thrown overboard. Martin was unaware that Laura, who had always been afraid of water, had secretly learned to swim.

Thus, Laura manages to escape. She starts a new life in the quiet outback, finds true love, and works through her traumas. However, after discovering his wife's deception, Martin plots cruel revenge.

7. 'Kiss the Girls', 1997

IMDb Score: 6.6/10

Forensic psychologist Alex's niece, Naomi, goes missing. Alex suspects that a serial killer known as Casanova, who operates on campus, is responsible for her disappearance.

The criminal kidnaps young, talented women, holds them captive, and then brutally murders them, hanging their bodies from trees.

One day, Kate, a promising medical school graduate, falls into the maniac's clutches but manages to escape. After recovering, she joins Alex's investigation.

6. 'The Bone Collector', 1999

IMDb Score: 6.7/10

The body of a woman is found in an abandoned NYC subway tunnel. While en route to the scene, criminologist Lincoln is seriously injured and awakens paralyzed.

Meanwhile, rookie police officer Amelia responds to a call about a frozen hand discovered under rocks near the train tracks. A killer has also left a series of messages for the police nearby.

Lincoln suspects that a serial killer is operating in the city and invites Amelia to join his team of investigators. Amelia realizes that, with each crime, the killer is adapting a chapter from the terrifying book The Bone Collector.

5. 'Basic Instinct', 1992

IMDb Score: 7.1/10

Detective Nick Curran investigates the murder of a rock star – he was brutally stabbed to death with an ice pick during sex. His former lover, writer Catherine, becomes the prime suspect.

Curran finds descriptions of a similar crime in her novels and discovers that some of her former girlfriends are killers. During their meetings, an unhealthy attraction awakens between the two.

Catherine subtly manipulates Curran by delving into his past, and he willingly accepts this unhealthy union.

4. 'The Devil's Advocate', 1997

IMDb Score: 7.5/10

Kevin, a small-town lawyer, secures acquittals for even the most hardened criminals. His fame reaches New York, where John, the head of a major law firm, offers him an enviable position, wealth, and a new home.

Kevin and his wife, Mary Ann, move into their new home. Immediately, paranormal events and mysterious coincidences begin to occur: witnesses at trial become speechless, employees die, and Mary Ann gradually goes mad.

Meanwhile, Kevin ignores his frightened wife's intuition, indulging in sinful pleasures and cultivating his ego.

3. 'Lost Highway', 1997

IMDb Score: 7.6/10

Fred Madison, a saxophonist who plays jazz in a nightclub, suspects his wife, Renee, of infidelity and experiences disturbing dreams.

Later, Renee begins finding envelopes containing videotapes on the porch. The tapes contain footage of both the exterior and interior of the couple's home.

Although the police find nothing suspicious, the family's fears gradually reach a breaking point. The contents of the next tape will shatter their world forever and set the stage for a different story altogether.

2. 'Primal Fear', 1996

IMDb Score: 7.7/10

Aaron, an orphan and acolyte at a Chicago church, is accused of murdering an archbishop and faces the death penalty. Experienced defense attorney Martin takes on this high-profile case.

While speaking with his client, Martin realizes that Aaron either has a split personality or is obsessed with something, but proving his insanity in court will be nearly impossible.

The case becomes further complicated by revelations of corruption involving the district attorney and the murdered archbishop.

1. 'The Game', 1997

IMDb Score: 7.7/10

For his 48th birthday, wealthy financier Nicholas Van Orton receives a gift from his younger brother, Conrad: participation in a certain game.

Since the date is significant – their father jumped out a window on his 48th birthday – and Conrad has been involved in dubious schemes and addictions for years, Nicholas expects nothing good from the gift.

However, even he could not have imagined the extent to which the game would turn his life into a nightmare, blurring the lines between reality and lie.