Do You Agree? ‘Exorcist’ Ranked Greatest Horror Movie Of All-Time

Study Finds ^ | 10/31/18 | Ben Renner

[Simon Green]

Happy Halloween! With Michael Myers returning to the big screen just in time for his favorite holiday this year, it’s as good a time as ever to poll Americans on their most beloved horror movies of all-time. A new survey finds that despite the many heart-pounding fright flicks that have spooked moviegoers in recent years, you’ll have to turn back the clock for the scariest films ever.

The survey of 2,000 American adults, commissioned by video streaming service Vudu, had few surprises. Americans agreed that the most horrifying film ever created was The Exorcist, followed by the first iterations of Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Rounding out the top five, perhaps unexpectedly for some, was the 2013 haunted house nightmare The Conjuring — the only horror film made in the past 30 years to make the top five.

Meanwhile, when it came to the most popular horror villain, it was no surprise either that the man who sets out to haunt nightmares, Freddy Krueger, of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, took the top spot. Michael Myers from Halloween came in second, followed by Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th), Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs) and Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

[JBW1949]

“The Omen” is right up there also...Good call...

[Simon Green]

Maybe if one is Catholic. But no otherwise.

Why would one have to be Catholic to find the film horrific?

[Billthedrill]

Rosemary’s Baby makes my top five, but I wouldn’t rank it above The Exorcist.

[Bob434]

Pet Detective #1

[GSWarrior]

Hits closer to home, I guess.

[Salvavida]

Agree. Why? Because it had truth in it: demonic manifestation, and not just fantasy.

[stinkerpot65]

Scariest book: The Shining

Scariest movie: When a Stranger Calls

[Simon Green]

“Blair Witch Project” ranks right up there...

I’ll have to disagree on that one. I found the film largely boring and the shaky cam annoying.

[P-Marlowe]

Young Frankenstein. #1.

The Burbs. #2

[afterhoursarmory]

Nope. “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” all the way...

[trebb]

It probably affected me more than any other - was just shy of 21 when it came out and I almost reverted to jumping on my bed from a distance so nothing underneath could grab me....

[RedMonqey]

I think "Rosemary's Baby would give "The Exorcist" a run for it's money.

There's no cheap "Bugga Bugga" moments like the slasher in a mask movies just a general feeling of evil waiting til the big moment her baby is revealed in all it's horror.

I like "The Omen" as well.

These movies plus "The Birds" and "Psycho" hold up really well over the years while the Jason and Michael Myers movies look trite with the "gotcha" scenes replacing the tension of a well written script that Alfred Hitchcock did so well for so long.

For kitsch, I really like The Fearless Vampire Hunters"

Sharon Tate was so beautiful.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Alien! #1, Sci-Fi Horror.

[albie]

Original “It” is pretty darned scary. Psycho is a big favorite but would agree that Exorcist is #1 because I still have trouble sitting thru it.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

The Exorcist has everything that a good horror movie should have. First, its well written and well acted. That is a baseline. But it is realistic enough to scare people. People could imagine it happening. The only other movie that comes to mind that terrorized people as much — or perhaps more — than The Exorcist is Jaws. Jaws created the same deep level of fear in people on a mass scale that The Exorcist did.

[Simon Green]

Perhaps, but Nightmare on Elm Street was highly ranked, and I doubt many people believe in Freddy Krueger.

[DFG]

Psycho is #1

[EURASLEEP]

Anything with Barbara Steisand in it tops my list of horror flicks.

[IYAS9YAS]

I’ll have to disagree on that one. I found the film largely boring and the shaky cam annoying.

Agreed. It's the only film where I should have taken a Dramamine before watching it. I've never felt so motion sick in my life.

[LostPassword]

The first was scary. But even when you know what’s coming, the sequel is more horrifying.

#1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwqz2TPv3y8