Gothic horror comprises a beloved section of scary movies and fiction. The term “gothic” (when not referring to an older Germanic culture or Middle Age architecture) involves an element of brooding fear and supernatural forces as well as the theme of the past creeping in on the present. Gothic horror can be pretty easy to recognize with its decaying castles and crypts, accompanied by shadowy and claustrophobic environments. You might be thinking that you’ve seen a couple of films like this, and you’re probably right — gothic horror is a popular genre, but we’re here to talk about the best gothic horror of the 80s and 90s.

The gothic horror genre came about back in 1764 with Horace Warpol’s work A Gothic Story, which then inspired gothic works by Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley. Many gothic works involve a kind of psychological war between the past and the present and between life and death. This kind of conflict is easy to relate to and so gothic horror has remained popular since its debut with Warpol.

Gothic horror had a great run in the 80s and 90s, with its style even seeping into action movies like The Crow and Blade. From Johnny Depp portraying Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow to Winona Ryder acting in a shadowy adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, there are plenty of gothic horror classics to dig into between these two decades. Here are just some of the best gothic horror movies of the 80s and 90s.

8 The Bride

Jennifer Beals in The Bride
Columbia Pictures

This underrated 1985 gothic horror film tells an alternative version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In The Bride, Baron Charles Frankenstein, portrayed by Sting, creates a woman named Eva, played by Jennifer Beals, as the monster’s bride. Meanwhile, the monster, believed to be killed in an accident, escapes to the countryside.

Although the film started with a good setup and included some great gothic sets, The Bride was heavily criticized at the time and became a commercial failure. However, The Bride stands as a great representation of gothic horror movies in the '80s and deserves a reevaluation.

7 Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Anthony Hopkins in Bram Stokers Dracula
Columbia Pictures 

In 1992, director Francis Ford Coppola created one of the most beloved adaptations of Stoker’s 1897 novel with Bram Stoker's Dracula. Coppola made sure to combine the elements of gothic horror that had been explored up until that point with Gary Oldman, known for his role in the 1991 film JFK as Lee Harvey Oswald, as Count Dracula. Oldman portrayed a classic and unforgettable Dracula, acting alongside Winona Ryder as Mina Harker and Keanu Reeves as Johnathan Harker.

On Rotten Tomatoes, this Coppola film has a near 80% approval rate with mostly positive reviews. Many critics felt that this 90s film rescued the story of Dracula from all of its previous corny interpretations. Roger Ebert admits that he loved the film for its exaggerated gothic style, saying that the Oscar-winning costumes and sets are “a grand opera run riot” filled with the gaslights and fogbound streets of Victorian London. If you like gothic horror, Coppola’s Dracula isn’t a movie to miss.

6 The Changeling

George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere in The Changeling
Pan-Canadian Films 

The 1980 Canadian gothic horror film The Changeling relays the account of a real haunting based on writer Russell Hunter’s experience. In the film, an NYC composer moves into an old mansion in Seattle, Washington, a place he quickly learns is haunted. The composer begins to see the apparition of a young boy and proceeds to investigate the haunting with his landlady. Together, they attempt to appease the ghost by solving the young boy’s murder.

The Changeling is an '80s classic that involves many of the gothic horror elements we’re looking for including the decrepit mansion, the hauntings, and the unfortunate and sometimes murderous deaths. Although somewhat divisive at the time, The Changeling has received heaps of praise ever since for its celebration of the gothic atmosphere.

5 Sleepy Hollow

Johnny Depp in Sleepy Hollow
Paramount Pictures 

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaborated in 1999 to develop this gothic adaptation of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Burton’s flick, simply called Sleepy Hollow, follows the story of NYC police constable Ichabod Crane and his investigation of the rash of murders in Sleepy Hollow. Of course, the murders in the community are rumored to be committed by the infamous headless horseman.

Related: The Best Gothic Movies of All Time

The film also stars Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman and Christina Ricci as Ichabod’s love interest. Sleepy Hollow integrates Burton’s stylistic talent for creepy and gothic sets and his ability to give the audience a good scare. Since its release, there has been praise for Burton’s artistic ability in this film as well as Depp’s convincing performance.

4 Interview with the Vampire

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire
Warner Bros. 

A famous gothic horror film and the source of inspiration for other vampire-based projects, Interview with the Vampire stars Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in an undead world. The movie illustrates the friendship between Lestat, an old vampire portrayed by Cruise, and Louis, played by Pitt, a young vampire who is just recently turned. Together, they turn Claudia, a ten-year-old girl, into a vampire. The chronicles of Lestat and Louis are later relayed to a reporter by Louis in an interview.

Director Neil Jordan’s Interview with a Vampire is based on Anne Rice’s 1976 novel of the same name. There is criticism that the film does not present the original story accurately, but Jordan does celebrate all the elements of gothic horror and ultimately won over Rice. According to Orlando Centennial, Oprah famously walked out of the film’s premiere saying, “I believe there are forces of light and darkness in the world, and I don't want to be a contributor to the force of darkness.”

3 The Name of the Rose

Sean Connery in The Name of the Rose
Columbia Pictures 

This Sean Connery flick came onto the big screen in 1986 after the success of Umberto Eco's great 1980 novel of the same name. While the movie could be classified as a historical mystery, there are some obvious indicators that this film also fits into gothic horror. In The Name of the Rose, Connery plays a Franciscan friar named William of Baskerville, who is summoned to investigate a murder at a creepy, old medieval abbey.

The film was praised for its gothic style elaborate, historically accurate design of the vast, caliginous monastery. Although The Name of the Rose found great success in Germany and parts of Europe, some American audiences struggled to follow the film (which attempted to condense the massive Eco epic into 131 minutes), and only $7 million of its $77.2 million box office came from the States. Despite mixed reactions, this Connery film is still a prominent representation of gothic horror in the 80s.

2 The Company of Wolves

Sarah Patterson and Micha Bergese in The Company of Wolves
ITC Entertainment

Before his work on Interview with a Vampire, Neil Jordan worked on the gothic fantasy The Company of Wolves about a young girl, Rosaleen, who dreams of living in a fairytale forest in the 18th century. There, the girl lives with her parents and her sister before her sister is attacked by wolves in the woods. The movie illustrates Rosaleen’s various hallucinogenic encounters in the woods in this dark, Freudian masterpiece.

Related: Great Horror Movies Set in the 19th Century Victorian Era

The Company of Wolves received thoughtful reviews about its feminist take on the original tale Little Red Riding Hood. Critic Roger Ebert calls it a “disturbing and stylish attempt to collect some of the nightmares that lie beneath the surface of Little Red Riding Hood.”

1 The Hunger

David Bowie in The Hunger
MGM Entertainment

Directed by Tony Scott, of Top Gun fame, this erotic, gothic horror film stars Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon, and we all know that any gothic horror that features David Bowie is well worth the watch. Upon its release, The Hunger was celebrated for its vibrant visuals, set design, haunting score, and makeup design, but was criticized at times for a loose story; in actuality, the film is more of a gothic tone poem about sex and death. The film follows a love triangle between the three stars. Deneuve and Bowie portray a vampire couple and Sarandon plays a doctor who specializes in sleep and aging.

Although reactions to this Tony Scott flick were initially mixed, The Hunger has developed a generous cult following. According to a review by Louder Sound, Stevie Nicks praised this moment in Bowie’s career, describing the film as “creepy, strange, and amazingly beautiful.”