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).

[Governor Dinwiddie]

I don't know about best, but it's one of the scariest. It was based on true events. And the Bible tells us that demonic possession is a fact. The only truly, truly scary horror movies are the plausible ones like The Exorcist. The rest are basically fairy tales.

As the Bible reminds:

'For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." — Ephesians 6:12

 

[RedMonqey]

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

(Snicker, Snicker!)

[cincinnati65]

I didn't realize how scarring The Shining was until I watch Ready Player One over the summer. In case you missed it, the movie is chock full of pop culture references and The Shining figured prominently in those.

There was one character that hadn't seen The Shining that kept stumbling into different "events" -- the elevator, the twins, Room 237, the hedge maze, and the typed pages all were included.

"Getting" the references as they were occurring made me realize just how much these things were burned into my memory.

[sparklite2]

I agree, but it has to be the version before subliminals were taken out.

[Bringbackthedraft]

#1 winner of all the Dracula movies, “DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT”.

[Bishop_Malachi]

Yep...best horror movie of all time.

I recall seeing it when I was in graduate school at the student center. A bunch of college kids got drunk and went to go see it. At various points in the movie, they would jointly poke fun ad the scary moments...up until the final exorcism began. From that point, you couldn’t hammer a nail up anyone’s sphincter in the whole audience. The final scene was literally heckle-proof.

[Joe 6-pack]

Blair Witch was pretty scary at the time, but has not held up well. It was perhaps the first seriously successful online viral marketing campaign. Widespread web access was still pretty new, and the site was pretty convincing, like something a local researcher or historical society would put together. The invention of the entire myth and local lore was brilliant including even news clips of the local sheriff discussing the disappearance of the kids, photos of old documents, etc. Anybody who explored the site before the movie, would have had a much more founded fear (albeit, one founded in fiction).

Too many movies since have tried to capitalize on the shaky footage gimmick, and now it's just annoying.

[Wilderness Conservative]

Exorcist shmexorcist. I got your horror right here.

[DiogenesLamp]

I agree too.

[cherry]

“The Thing” with Kurt Russell is way way up there...better than the Exorcist.

[Junior_G]

Agree

[BipolarBob]

I was thinking of her as I was going down the posts.

[Magnum44]

[Mariner]

Do not neglect The Ring.

And Nightmare on Elm Street was one very scary movie.

And Phantasm.

[Simon Green]

I agree, but it has to be the version before subliminals were taken out.

Blink, and you’ll be glad you missed this:

[TBall]

Scared me more than any other movie. I was in the sixth grade and watched it on TV back in 1979.

[farming pharmer]

The original black & white ‘Night of the Living Dead’ scared the piss out of me when I was 12 years old. I was watching it on ‘The Ghoul’ at 1a.m. around 1978 or so.

[windowdude]

Something about the “Paranormal Activities” movies sent a tingle up my spine. Anything that involves messing with me while I’m asleep freaks me out.

[wardaddy]

Yes

It still scares kids

[SeekAndFind]

THE OMEN ( first version starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick ).