The original version of this article was written by Jess Bacon.Since the 1980s, Winona Ryder has been at the forefront of genre-defining movies and TV shows, from Beetlejuice to Stranger Things. After her feature film debut in Lucas in 1986, the actress was cast in Tim Burton’s horror comedy, Beetlejuice, the movie that catapulted her to superstardom. She would spend the next five years starring in hit after hit and working for some of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
In more recent years, Ryder was introduced to a whole new audience for her role as Joyce Byers in Stranger Things. With that Netflix series finally coming to an end after its iconic nine-year run, what better time to dive deep into the Ryder canon and rank the actress’s 10 greatest roles? Read on to learn more about them and use the guide below to find out where to stream them on platforms likeNetflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
10. Mermaids (1990)
If you like the idea of Cher playing the mother of Ryder and a then nine-year-old Christina Ricci, as well as flirting with Bob Hoskins, you’ll want to check out Mermaids. A lovely movie about the bonds between mothers and daughters, the film will appeal to fans of everything from Steel Magnolias to Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird.
The plot is a little on the absurd side, with Ryder’s angsty 15-year-old at one point becoming obsessed with Catholicism, but the scenes involving the three actresses together are a pure joy. The performance earned Ryder her first nomination at the Golden Globes.
9. Night on Earth (1991)
Ryder was already an established A-lister by 1991, but Night on Earth confirmed her place as a Gen X icon. If you like the offbeat humour of indie legend director Jim Jarmusch’s other anthology movies, Coffee and Cigarettes and Mystery Train, this will be right up your alley.
Appearing in the first of the movie's three taxi-set segments, Ryder plays the impossibly cool, bubblegum-blowing, aviator-wearing driver who picks up a Hollywood casting director (the great Gena Rowlands) en route to LAX.
8. Little Women (1994)
If you were a fan of Greta Gerwig’s recent take on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, we highly recommend going back to this 1994 version from Gillian Armstrong. Ryder received her only Oscar nomination for Lead Actress for her performance as Jo (the role later played by Saoirse Ronan)—alongside Trini Alvarado, Kirsten Dunst and Claire Danes as the other March sisters.
It’s a beautiful adaptation that, similar to Gerwig’s movie, makes for lovely festive viewing. It even features a young Christian Bale as Laurie, the role which would eventually be played by Timothée Chalamet in 2019.
7. Age of Innocence (1993)
Ryder had to make do with a supporting role in Age of Innocence, but it was enough to secure her a first nomination at the Oscars and a win at the Golden Globes. At the time of release, fans of director Martin Scorsese’s gangster movies didn’t quite know what to make of the movie’s luscious period detail, but it’s only grown in reputation as the years go by. If you’re a fan of epic romance with incredible production design (think Howard’s End, Remains of the Day), this is one you’ll want to seek out.
Ryder plays May Wellend, the prim and proper side of the movie’s central love triangle. Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer are both brilliant in admittedly juicier roles, but Ryder still manages to stand out.
6. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Ryder’s peerless, early ‘90s run reached a cinematic high point with 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola’s exquisite and wonderfully horny adaptation of the seminal text. Not for the first time, Ryder was cast as the ingenue: she plays Mina Harker, the fiancée of Jonathan Harker (Keanu) and the object of Gary Oldman’s flamboyant Dracula’s desires.
This is a movie that devotees of gothic horror and practical effects (think Frankenstein or the more recent Nosferatu) will want to sink their fangs into.
5. Stranger Things (2016-2025)
One of the reasons why Stranger Things is so successful is how lovingly it homages all things '80s. We’re talking the Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter era, so if you’re a fan of E.T. or The Thing, you’ll probably love it.
Ryder’s casting was a huge part of all that. The actress’s mere presence as Joyce Byers, the fretful mother of Will, whose disappearance in Season 1 sets the story in motion, gives the whole project a stamp of ‘80s authenticity.
4. Reality Bites (1994)
Coming off the back of working with Jarmusch, Coppola and Scorsese, Reality Bites solidified Ryder’s transition into maturer roles and boasted one of her finest performances. This movie is also the first thing that Ben Stiller ever directed, so if you’re a fan of Stiller’s or of ‘90s era Ethan Hawke (like Before Sunset), this is one you should check out.
It’s another movie in the Ryder canon that finds the actress embroiled in a love triangle—this time between Hawke’s floundering guitarist and Stiller’s hotshot TV executive. It’s a wonderful time capsule.
3. Heathers (1998)
Heathers has a reputation as a cult classic, but it’s far more unhinged than you might think – it’s probably best to expect something more like Heavenly Creatures than Clueless. Either way, the film is an absolute blast.
Ryder gives an awesome performance as Veronika, a member of a popular high school clique who accidentally murders the head of the posse with the help of her sketchy boyfriend (a perfectly cast Christian Slater). It only gets weirder from there.
2. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Edward Scissorhands made Johnny Depp a star, but it’s the chemistry between him and Ryder (they were dating IRL at the time) that made Tim Burton’s masterpiece an instant classic. Those who’re fond of Burton’s gothic aesthetic (recently back in style thanks to Wednesday) should get ready to treat themselves to his most beautifully realised project.
Donning a long blonde wig over her signature black bob, Ryder lights up the screen with her performance—the shot of her dancing in the falling ice is one of the most beautiful in ‘90s cinema.
1. Beetlejuice (1988)
Having to choose between Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice for the top spot was particularly tough—either one could take the position on another day—but there’s just something about Ryder’s performance in the latter, and not least the way she dances and mimes the Banana Boat Song for the grand finale.
This is a movie that any fan of Burton’s, or of practical effects, or of Michael Keaton (think their Batman collaborations), and of course, Ryder, will absolutely adore: a riot of a movie that deserves its reputation as a modern classic.
