10 Winona Ryder movies every '90s kid is due to rewatch

Winona Ryder went from goth teen to two-time Oscar nominee across the 1990s, earning back-to-back nods for The Age of Innocence and Little Women while starring in Edward Scissorhands, Reality Bites, and Girl, Interrupted. Those ten films—from Mermaids to Alien Resurrection—are the ones every '90s kid is due to rewatch right now. Beetlejuice and Heathers made her famous, but Mental Floss argues the decade that followed is the one worth a second look.

Long before Joyce Byers on Stranger Things, Ryder was already a defining face of Hollywood romance, dark comedy, and prestige drama. For more throwback deep dives, browse our Nostalgia: Then & Now hub.

Key Takeaways

• Winona Ryder earned consecutive Oscar nominations for The Age of Innocence (1993) and Little Women (1994).
• Bram Stoker's Dracula posted the biggest U.S. gross on Mental Floss's 10-film rewatch list at $82.5 million domestic.
• Reality Bites helped send Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)" to No. 1 on the Hot 100 for three weeks in 1994.
• Girl, Interrupted shows the widest critics-vs-audiences Rotten Tomatoes gap on the list (53% vs. 84%).
• Lydia Deetz in Beetlejuice drew style cues from Cure fans, setting up Ryder's goth-to-prestige arc.

Which Winona Ryder '90s movies deserve a rewatch first?

Start with the early-decade hits that still feel fresh. Mermaids (1990), based on Patty Dann's novel, casts Ryder as Charlotte Flax, a Jewish teen turned Catholic zealot opposite Cher. Emily Lloyd was originally cast, then left; Richard Benjamin ultimately directed after Lasse Hallström and Frank Oz exited.

Ryder won National Board of Review Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe nomination. The film made $35.4 million domestic and sits at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of October 2026).

Edward Scissorhands (1990) followed the same year. Tim Burton cast Johnny Depp opposite then-girlfriend Ryder as Kim Boggs, the neighbor who narrates why it snows. The suburban fairy tale earned $56.4 million domestic and holds a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) goes back to the 1897 novel, with Ryder as Mina opposite Gary Oldman's count, Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. Ryder rescued the script and brought Francis Ford Coppola aboard.

It opened to $30.5 million, finished at $82.5 million domestic—the biggest U.S. gross on the list—and won three of four Oscar nominations (costume, makeup, sound effects editing). Critics gave it 69%.

Why did Winona Ryder's mid-'90s roles cement her Oscar era?

Martin Scorsese cast Ryder as May Welland in The Age of Innocence (1993) after meeting her in Los Angeles. Adapting Edith Wharton's Pulitzer-winning novel, the film earned Ryder a Golden Globe and her first Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actress). It made $32.3 million domestic and holds 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Reality Bites (1994), written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller, stars Ryder as Lelaina, a Houston valedictorian torn between Ethan Hawke's slacker musician and Stiller's TV producer. On August 6, 1994, Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)" made her the first unsigned act to top the Hot 100, staying three weeks. The movie made $21 million domestic (62% RT).

Little Women (1994) was the first big-screen Alcott adaptation since 1949, with Ryder as Jo March, Susan Sarandon as Marmee, and Claire Danes as Beth. Ryder took the part partly for Polly Klaas, a girl from her Petaluma hometown who was kidnapped and killed in 1993; she had offered a $200,000 reward and later dedicated the film to her. Gillian Armstrong's version earned Ryder a Best Actress Oscar nomination, made $50.1 million domestic, and sits at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes—second only to Greta Gerwig's among major adaptations.

How to Make an American Quilt (1995) casts Ryder as graduate student Finn Dodd opposite Ellen Burstyn, Anne Bancroft, and Maya Angelou. It finished with $23.6 million domestic; Rotten Tomatoes' 62% consensus credits Ryder's ensemble lead for holding the "patchwork" story together.

How did Beetlejuice set up Winona Ryder's lasting image?

Beetlejuice (1988) made Ryder a scene-stealer as Lydia Deetz—sullen photographer, pale makeup, flamboyant goth style—years before the '90s prestige run. The film grossed about $75 million against a reported $15 million budget and won an Academy Award for Best Makeup.

According to Mental Floss, character co-creator Larry Wilson shaped Lydia after attending a Cure concert and noticing the women's fashion in the crowd: black hair, eyeliner, and anti-establishment clothing modeled on Robert Smith's look. That template, plus Heathers, locked in the icon status Zoom TV still cites when ranking her pre-Stranger Things work.

What later '90s Winona Ryder films still hold up?

In The Crucible (1996), Ryder plays Abigail Williams opposite Daniel Day-Lewis, with Arthur Miller adapting his own play. Joan Allen earned an Oscar nomination as Elizabeth Proctor; Miller was nominated for the screenplay. Domestic gross was just $7.3 million—the smallest on the Mental Floss list—though it holds 72% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Alien Resurrection (1997) jumps 200 years past Alien 3. Ryder plays Annalee Call, the crew android, in a Joss Whedon-scripted entry directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Underwater shoots were hard on Ryder, who had nearly drowned as a child and asked for a body double she did not get. Critics gave it 55%, but it made $47.8 million in the U.S. and $161.4 million worldwide—second only to Dracula on the list.

Girl, Interrupted (1999) closes the decade. Ryder loved Susanna Kaysen's memoir enough to try buying the rights; producer Douglas Wick already had them, so she signed on as executive producer and chose James Mangold to direct. She plays Kaysen; Angelina Jolie won Best Supporting Actress as Lisa. It opened December 21, 1999, made $28.9 million domestic on a $40 million budget, and split Rotten Tomatoes 53% critics / 84% audiences—the widest gap on the rewatch list.

Put together, the arc is clear: Winona Ryder ruled the '90s by refusing one lane. Queue Mermaids through Girl, Interrupted, and the decade that made her still plays like appointment viewing.