SURVEY SAYS: Favorite Scary Movie 2015

And it’s time for our Favorite Scary Movie survey 2015.

This year, responding readers bumped “Psycho” out of the top spot, but we’ll get to what replaced it later.

Slightly more than 3% of readers said they have no favorite scary movie. The following movies on the list received no votes:

• Cape Fear
• Carrie
• Dawn of the Dead
• Night of the Living Dead
• Nightmare on Elm Street
• Paranormal Activity
• The Blair Witch Project
• The Evil Dead

The movies listed represented the original movie (not a remake) and any sequels to the original. The movies with the least amount of votes included American Werewolf in London, Frankenstein, Rosemary’s Baby, Seven, Stephen King’s “It”, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Ring. Alien, Aliens, Hocus Pocus, Saw and The Omen received about 3% of votes each.

Among the top picks, Psycho fell from the top spot to tie for fourth place with Jaws and Wait Until Dark. Tied for third place were Halloween, Silence of the Lambs and The Exorcist. The Birds came in No. 2. And the new winner for Favorite Scary Movie among NewsDash readers is The Shining.

The list of “other” responses included:

• Something Wicked This Way Comes
• The Last House on the Left
• Truth
• Dumb and Dumber—The reader commented that the scary part is someone made this movie.
• Don’t Look Now
• Poltergeist
• The Bride of Frankenstein
• Contagion
• The Notebook
• Christine
• Cujo

Some of these choices were explained in comments left by readers. “This was such a disgustingly scary movie that after I saw it, I didn't ever want to see a scary movie again. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards.” (about Last House on the Left) “Nothing is as scary as a biased ‘journalist’ in full denial mode. I'd rather spend time with Damien than with Dan.” (about Truth) “Chick flicks terrify me because they give my significant other ideas....” (about The Notebook) Several readers expressed distaste for scary movies and there was discussion of how the definition of ‘scary’ seems to have changed with filmmakers. Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who said: “I think the Presidential Debates are scarier.”

Verbatim 

I really hate scary movies!

This was such a disgustingly scary movie that after I saw it, I didn't ever want to see a scary movie again. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards. I can read scary books but I stay away from scary movies.

Nothing is as scary as a biased "journalist" in full denial mode. I'd rather spend time with Damien than with Dan.

The real Top Movie made in Germany in the 1960s or 1970s was I believe called "The Haunting." I still remember a scene where two young women were scared and holding each other in their bed when the light went on in the room and one of the girls screamed and looked to the switch at the door while holding on to the other girl. Standing at the switch was the other girl.

Really this should be called the first move that scared the living daylights out of you, because as you get older they have less and less impact. I watched the Exorcist on TV when my parents explicitly told me not too, so I put a blanket over the TV so they wouldn't realize I had the TV on and turned the sound down low. That meant my face was about 8 inches from the screen as her head spun around, and it freaked me out for a solid week. No other movie compares for me. Happy Halloween!

The ones filmed in black & white are the scariest!

I do not like scary movies except if based off Steven King Books or Alfred Hitchcock movies.

I think the Presidential Debates are scarier.

Verbatim (cont.) 

Boring!

For a movie to be really thought of as scary, it has to be scary the tenth time you watch it, when you know what is going to happen, not just the first time when you might be taken by surprise. That is what makes Hitchcock the true master. He made scary situations out of seemingly ordinary ones, not relying on pure gore or violence to instill fear.

"They don't make them like they used to."

Oddly enough, the do make me laugh sometimes.

Chick flicks terrify me because they give my significant other ideas....

I'm not a fan of scary movies and I have not seen any on the list. Christine was as close to a scary movie as I had a desire to see. I'm also not a fan of the dark side of Halloween and prefer the celebration of All Hallow's Eve and All Saints Day.

I don't like scary movies--they scare me!

Really scary movies stick with you for a long time. I watched this movie many, many, years ago and still don't like St. Bernards. The movie Birds did the same thing, but birds are much smaller and not as scary.

It's the suspense of not knowing what will happen next that is scary.

NOTE: Responses reflect the opinions of individual readers and not necessarily the stance of Asset International or its affiliates.