10 Underappreciated 90s Thrillers You Must Watch

Thriller as a genre has given us some of the best and most recognisable films in history and has been ever present throughout cinema. From the master of the genre in Hitchcock to the contemporary auteurs such as David Fincher and European master Dario Argento, thrillers ensure that edge of your seat escapism remains a cornerstone of film.

The best thrillers offer tension and can build suspense through nothing more than a setting, a shot, a particular cut or through soundtrack. They often build toward an uncertain climax, keeping viewers hooked through character development, narrative twists and red-herring plot elements.

A clear genre in its own right, thriller often transcends to being a certain feeling or atmosphere a film might emanate. This lends itself well to cross-over films, the traits of the thriller genre can run through horror, sci-fi, romance and comedy as well as other primary genres and gives dimensions to a film which can lift it to new levels and new audiences.

However, it is certainly a genre where films, even truly great ones, can be lost or forgotten, remaining unfairly in obscurity. The 90s in particular was a very strong decade for the genre, and as such more films were released that decade that have not had the lasting appreciation they deserve.

Some were memorably big films at the time of release and have subsequently fallen out of focus, others just never quite made it on to the radars of audiences. But all deserve more attention...

Arlington Road is not a joyful film to watch - it’s more a test of nerves, but that is precisely where its quality lies. It’s a pre-9/11 terrorism film with obvious reflections of the Oklahoma City bombing and a focus on domestic terrorism and the internal resistance to government.

The plot concerns Michael Farraday, played by Jeff Bridges, an American History teacher, specialising in terrorism. We learn his wife was killed in the line of duty for the FBI and all of this builds a foundation for Michael to be a very paranoid man. When Oliver Lang, played by Tim Robbins, moves in to the neighbourhood he seems to fit the suburban profile, an architectural engineer with a young family. Michael senses something isn’t right and we learn very quickly that Lang hides some very dark secrets.

Ultimately, the film is not quite as smart as it thinks and it does sometimes fall on the wrong side of the melodrama line. Despite this and its initial negative reviews, it is absolutely saved by its twists and scenes of nail-biting tension.

Tim Robbins is particularly strong, relishing the wild eyed intensity he brings to the role. Joan Cusack as his wife is also interesting, she’s all sweetness and friendliness but with a clear malevolence behind that. Bridges has a difficult job here but does it well, playing the paranoid father without overselling the performance.

It seems to have disappeared from focus in the last decade, but it’s well worth a revisit.