If there is one genre that reliably draws people to the cinema time and time again, it’s horror.
From its humble beginnings in France — with the first horror movie ever made, The House of the Devil, in 1896 — to blockbuster fright fests of modern-day, horror continues to be one of the leading film classifications.
In fact, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best horror movies of all time, ranked by their popularity at the worldwide box office.
1. It (2017)
Placing at number one with a landslide sum of $993,036,600 AUD at the box office is the remake of the adapted Stephen King novel, It.
Based on only the first half of the novel, the movie tells of seven children who are terrorised by a shapeshifting demon, Pennywise — the dancing clown.
2. The Exorcist (1973)
Probably the scariest movie of all time (according to me), The Exorcist follows the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her mother’s attempt to rescue her through an exorcism conducted by two priests.
The film made $624,504,510 AUD at the global box office — which if were released in this day and age, would have gazumped the competition.
3. Annabelle: Creation (2017)
The prequel to Annabelle (2014) followed the origin story of the demonic doll, Annabelle. The film garnered $433,149,120 AUD on a budget of just $21,232,800 AUD.
4. Split (2017)
Split was the second film in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy and its release at the box office in 2016 saw it rake in $393,686,920 AUD at the global box office.
In Split, Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with 23 different personalities, abducts and keeps three teenage girls in his basement for unknown reasons.
As Kevin’s therapist delves deeper into his mysterious disorder, the girls must find ways to escape before a new and sinister 24th personality reveals itself.
5. Halloween (2018)
The sequel to the original Halloween from 1978, Halloween starring Jamie Lee Curtis (once again) was a huge box office success. The film took in $360,944,340 AUD at the worldwide box office on a budget of $14,156,290 AUD.
6. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Another “no thank you” for people who scare easily, The Blair Witch Project was allegedly based on a true story about three student filmmakers who disappeared while making a film about the Blair Witch.
In 1999, the film was a revolution and made approx $346,797,500 million AUD at the worldwide box office. The craziest thing of all? It was made on a budget of just $84,948 AUD.
7. Get Out (2017)
The most recent addition to the list, Get Out made $318,638,250 AUD at the global box office. Made on a budget of $5,665,120 AUD (which is actually a lot for a horror movie), the film followed Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a young African-American man who uncovers a disturbing secret when he meets the family of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams).
8. Paranormal Activity (2007)
In 2007, Paranormal Activity made approx $273,214,660 AUD off a budget of just $21,234.
Styled as a documentary (which is truly what makes it worse), a young couple (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat) are haunted by a supernatural presence in their home.
The couple then set up a camera to document what is haunting them and the results are terrifying.
9. Saw (2004)
With the worldwide box office drawing in $145,892,393 AUD, the first Saw film was the third-most profitable horror film of all time.
On a budget of $1,699,404 AUD, the film was a popular addition to the genre and followed photographer Adam Stanheight (Leigh Whannell) and oncologist Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) after they regain consciousness while chained to pipes at either end of a filthy bathroom.
As the two men realise they’ve been trapped by a sadistic serial killer nicknamed “Jigsaw”, they must complete his perverse puzzle to live.