Um, is that the Top 11 highest grossing horror movies of all time? Yes, 11. If you have been a patron of the Top 10 lists here at Geek Vibes Nation, you know our limits. Yet, once a horror enthusiast creeps into the upper echelon of money-making terror, there is a tad bit of controversy. It could be so polarizing that we won’t even provide a spoiler. You must read the list. That is why we do this and agonize over the priority.
Most horror franchises throughout history have stood the test of time (e.g., Scream, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw).
Yet, consider the sole film throughout its theatrical run up until people are no longer purchasing the download, DVD, VHS, or hell, even a Betamax (look it up, kids).
Use your imagination. Consider the magical aspects that make cash registers ring and moviegoers shrill…and go back for more. This list may surprise you, or just scare you out of you, whichever comes first.
Here are the Top 10…eh, 11 highest grossing horror movies of all time.
AUTHOR’S MEMO: What do you consider sheer terror? What does “horror” mean to you? Would it surprise you to know that “horror” and “terror” are not the same thing? Even in the movie world, those two terms are considered synonyms–only, they’re not.
- Terror means “intense, sharp, overbearing fear.”
- Horror means “an exhausting and painful feeling caused by something frightful; a shuddering fear.”
To say it another way, people feel terror because they experienced horror. What scares you? Is there something that forces you to experience a crippling sense of dread? Do you notice when you go to the theater, the jump scares to the most damage?
That’s a “sharp” pain in your soul; that’s terror. But why? You went to a “horror movie” that causes you to be afraid of whatever is coming around the corner. Oh, even though zombies come around the corner, there’s nothing too terrorizing about them.
With that in mind, on with the show…
11. Annabelle: Creation ($305M)
What is it about ceramic puppets that scare the living crap out of people? Ever since Anthony Hopkins was a puppet master and got possessed with the soul of the marionette (yeah, it’s a jacked-up film), it’s been a thing for people to enjoy…going to the cardiologist to check on the heart attack they thought they experienced.
Annabelle is a fantastic plastic doll who gets a little persnickety from time-to-time. This sequel delves into how she became the satanic, ceramic doll from hell she is. (So cute too.) To add to the massive haul at the box office — and that 2000% take over budget — critics liked this horror movie. It’s a triple crown winner — profit, profitable, and not panned. Yahtzee!
10. The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist ($310M)
This is the signature film of a full multiverse based on the same name. The Warrens carried this film, The Conjuring isn’t as scary as a blood bath or some slasher cutting up a bunch of camp girls, but if an entire franchise is worth naming a series of horror flicks, this sequel must make this list. By the way, this was when everyone took James Wan seriously — fans, critics, and production houses. Yet, another reason for a 10-film franchise, and still counting.
9. The Conjuring ($320M)
And no, that’s not made up. They are back-to-back. This is the one that started it all for James Wan. En route to a colossal $2.1 billion, The Conjuring franchise has kept fans coming back for more shrieks, jump scares, and sinister sightings for more than a decade. There’s more proof of his reign later in this list.
But suffice to say, he found the Warrens’ story before anyone else did and has made a large profit off it. Consider this about those real-life soothsayers: The movie cost $20 million and Wan turned that into a 1,595% profit. That’s not just “profit.” It’s quite literally a killing!
8. Se7en ($327M)
Se7en was, without fail, one of the darkest and most surprising criminal thriller movies ever made. In fact, this was an atypical horror movie — big stars, brilliant performances, believable plot. However, being the noir spectacle this marvelous film became, it carried all the other hallmarks of a “horror” movie — gore, jump scares, the feeling of dread, gore, terror with scenes, and did we mention gore?!
While Se7en didn’t redefine or resurrect the horror genre like what James Wan and Ari Aster would get ready to do, this created a fresh approach to what a Rated-R movie with intense fear can do to fans and the box office. (A 990% profit didn’t hurt either.)
7. A Quiet Place ($334M)
If John Krasinski’s idea didn’t restore your faith that Hollywood is indeed not out of original ideas, you still watch films on laserdisc and projection television, allegedly. There were only 25 lines of voiced dialogue. That’s it. Yes, if you were fluent in ASL, this was your jam, but after we caught wind of the creatures, everyone tried signing. This was one of those films where you begged people not to spoil it and suggested the theatre experience was the only way to enjoy it. And if someone told you that, thank them again. This film was just that good.
6. Hannibal ($350M)
Silence of the Lambs is quintessential film that causes terror. No one left this film early and gasped at all the right spots. (Night vision, anyone? Grandiose crucifixion in jail?) See, you’re smiling because you know it’s true. People tried to recreate Thomas Harris’ books’ screenplay magic, but Red Dragon didn’t do it for folks.
Then, Hannibal arrived. Hopkins was back. And Foster was not. But Ridley Scott made this movie! While the acting, screenplay, and story weren’t as strong, the horror and action were stepped up a few notches. And then, there was the dining scene with someone’s brain with a nice bechamel sauce.
5. The Nun ($363M)
Mr. Warren, why in the black and white hell did you have to paint that picture?! Of course, James Wan is back. And this time, he went for all the sacrilege he could muster. Valak was 100% sardonic force in SAS shoes (or, whatever they wear in the Convent).
Few have made a mark on their genre better than macabre storyteller James Wan. The Nun may not have “wowed” people in the theaters as much, but it was still profitable at 1650% above budget. Say what you will, but there is a formula to making horror these days — just tell a good story. The audience will reward you for it. And so did Miss Nasty in the painting.
4. The Exorcist ($428M)
Younger horror fans can watch The Exorcist and wonder what was all the hubbub. In the early 1970s, movies this dark, eerie, and straight-up evil did not exist. William Friedkin did something no one had done before–not Fisher, Corman, or even that Hitchcock guy. When Linda Blair hurled her green pea soup on the priest or came down the stairs backwards. Bent over. Like a gymnast. Who lives in hell! That was it.
Did you know nine people connected to the movie died during production?! Linda Blair actually had a mental breakdown because of how close to the abyss this film became.
When you hear this OG horror film scared the hell out of people, that is a suitable time to say “literally.” Movie houses called the paramedics for folk sitting in their seats screaming uncontrollably. It stopped being a movie, and that’s when the ish got real. For dozens of reasons, this horror movie is still the gold standard for the genre. Oh yeah, if that $428M was adjusted gross for today, The Exorcist would have made $1.04 billion. “GOLD” standard, indeed.
3. It: Chapter Two ($468M)
After 27 years, the losers came back to Derry to find Pennywise because…well, they’re stupid. This movie deserved a remake and a sequel because it was never a movie the first time. As berserk and agonizing Tim Curry made Pennywise on a TV series, the movie was able to get into the mythos of Pennywise. (I mean, the evil spirit was here before mankind.)
The rain. The gutter. The balloon. And instant coulrophobia for anyone who watches. Bill Skarsgård did for the shapeshifting spirit that Stephen King did for horror books. Everything the first chapter did, the second increased everything–terror, outlandish gore, and a deep dive into King’s iconic work.
2. Jaws ($482M)
Annnnd, welcome to the reason this Top 10 list has 11 in it. Yes, Jaws. Folks may be groaning, moaning, and smashing their monitors because no way a movie about a shark was a “horror” film. To wit, I suggest, “Are you effin’ serious?!”
Steven Spielberg’s direction and John Williams’ menacing and terrorizing score made Jaws into a horror movie unlike any other. The victims were plenty. The blood was ample. And the slasher was on a mission. You will need a bigger boat because this shark “will swallow ya’ whole.” Oh, the damn trailer ends with “See it. Before you go swimming.”
This movie throttled beach tourism for more than a decade. Yes, people stayed at home and would barely visit poolside because no one wanted to be in the water! It is considered as one of the 100 best movies of all time, and that’s why this austere and crippling film is here. And will always be. This was horror. Period!
1. It ($701M)
The master of horror does it again — at the box office. The Andy Muschetti-helmed reboot not only fans gleeful with terror with a $327.4 M global opening weekend, but the man himself who said he “wasn’t prepared for how good IT was.” Why can’t all remakes do this?!
Stephen King is a notoriously harsh critic of his own work, but to get that kind of praise about Pennywise was resume fodder for life (or death, depending on how you look at it). This movie surprised everyone from the fans to the production company. The TV series starring the great Tim Curry was shockingly scary at the time, but this film turned the volume knob to 11. What a terrific ride.
Eventually, the hubbub faded away but for a certified horror movie to get almost 75% to the magical $1B threshold (a 2,000% profit margin)?! It’s clear horror is here to stay.
Featured Image Credit: Josh Weiner via Warner Bros./Hoya Productions
All numbers provided by Box Office Mojo/IMDB
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.