Hardware (1990)

The head of a cyborg reactivates, rebuilds itself, and goes on a violent rampage in a space marine's girlfriend's apartment.

Hardware answers the age-old question:  what it would be like if Blade Runner was set entirely within someone's high-rise apartment? 

Also, a killer robot slaughters everyone. 

And there's also this extremely creepy neighbor who spies on the main character having sex and says some of the most disgusting shit this side of a porno film. 

And it has Burglekutt from Willow.

Night of the Living Dead (1990)

When the unburied dead return to life and seek human victims, seven refugees shelter in a house in the Pennsylvanian countryside.

Tom Savini takes the director's chair, to helm this remake of his buddy George's seminial zombie classic.

Is it sacrilege to call this better than the original?  I dont' know, and I don't care.  I watch this one way more often, and that's all I needed to make the decision on which film to include on this list.

Barbara is no longer a worthless, whimpering piece of dead weight.  Is it at the expense of the main male lead, now played by Tony Todd?  Eh, I don't think so.  There's room for two heroes.

Also, the gore and violence levels have been ratcheted up a level or ten.  Which shouldn't be surprising, considering the eras the two films were released in.

It's also significantly scarier.  No offense to the original, but it ain't gonna keep you up at night.  This one has a much better shot at that.

Either way, both films deserve a space in every horror fan's collection.  It's just a shame this one gets overlooked so often.

Misery (1990)

After a famous author is rescued from a car crash by a fan of his novels, he comes to realize that the care he is receiving is only the beginning of a nightmare of captivity and abuse.

Another Stephen King joint!

This is another story that has a serious claim at being the greatest thing that King has ever written.  And Rob Reiner kills the adaptation, thanks mostly to the performances by the two leads.  James Caan is great as writer Paul Sheldon, delivering arguably his best performance since the original Godfather.

But Kathy Bates... I mean, come on.  Her performance speaks for itself.  How many films in the history of the genre have won an Academy Award for best performance by a lead actress?  This and... nothing else?  Ever?  Does Natalie Portman in The Black Swan even count?