Sometimes movies are so surprisingly successful it’s scary. Though many blockbusters these days are action movies or superhero movies, horror movies still get plenty of box-office love. And because so many horror movies can be made on shoestring budgets, the profit margin on a major hit can really make everyone involved scream with joy.
Definitions of the horror genre vary. Does there need to be gore? Can aliens can join in without it becoming sci-fi? We stuck to a broad, traditional approach that cuts across categories. Our list includes tons of scares, lots of twists, loads of screaming and, of course, plenty of carnage.
These are the most successful horror films of all time, ranked by net profit.
Bottom Line: Saw
Shawnee Smith in the infamous reverse beartrap from “Saw.” Lionsgate / IMDB
This movie was the directorial debut of the powerhouse James Wan, who would go on to direct a ton of profitable and popular movies and establish “The Conjuring” universe.
This 2004 film, however, put him on the map. With stars Cary Elwes and Danny Glover, it delivered horror, gore and scares on multiple levels. Plus, it did so with a just over $1 million budget, which made its overall net profits skyrocket.
“Saw” would go onto inspire its own gore-filled franchise.
Bottom Line: Happy Death Day
“Happy Death Day” was the surprise hit of 2017. Universal Pictures / IMDB
“Happy Death Day” is what happens when “Groundhog Day” is crossed with a slasher flick.
In “Happy Death Day,” a college student (Jessica Rothe) is murdered on the way to a party, only to wake up in her bed, having gone back in time to repeat the day. And be murdered, over and over again.
Comedy-horror movies are difficult to pull off, but when they work, they can make bank. “Happy Death Day” was the surprise hit of 2017, grossing over $120 million on a tiny $4.8 million budget.
Bottom Line: The First Purge
Rotimi Paul as Skeletor in “The First Purge.” Universal Pictures / IMDB
“The First Purge” is the fourth film in the “Purge” franchise and serves as a prequel, detailing the events that occurred to create the murder-happy 12-hour span of lawlessness known as the purge.
The film focuses on an alternate 2014, where the New Founding Fathers of America is the new party in power. As an experiment, they decide to make Staten Island a place where, for 12 hours, all citizens can do whatever evil deeds they want. Those who stay are given $5,000. Those who participate are rewarded even more — should they survive.
Smartly marketed on the Fourth of July with satirical movie posters, “The First Purge” performed extraordinarily well at the box office, making over 10 times its budget.
Bottom Line: The Exorcism of Emily Rose
“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” was inspired by the real-life story of Anneliese Mitchel, a young German woman with epileptic psychosis who underwent Catholic exorcisms for 10 months. She died from starvation. Screen Gems / IMDB
A horror film “inspired by true events” or “based on a true story” intrigues plenty of thrillseekers. This feature used that same tactic, loosely basing this story on a real-life story of Anneliese Michel, a young German woman with epileptic psychosis who claimed to be possessed by multiple powerful demons.
Two Catholic priests attempted multiple unsuccessful excruciatingly long exorcisms for 10 months and were eventually charged with negligent homicide after the girl died from starvation.
This story recounts the court cases of the priests and rehashes some of the creepy craziness they unleashed. But like many movies, it takes some creative liberties. Those creative liberties paid off at the box office.
Bottom Line: Insidious: Chapter 2
Patrick Wilson and Ty Simpkins in “Insidious: Chapter 2.” Matt Kennedy/Film District / IMDB
Like so many other movies on this list, this is a sequel. In the horror world, when you find a formula that seems to resonate with people, it’s not a terrible idea to stick with it. At least that’s what the filmmakers behind the “Insidious” franchise seemed to believe with their sequel.
James Wan, the same director behind the gruesome “Saw” and the creepy (and commercially successful) “The Conjuring 2,” added his particular flair for freakiness to this movie. And it worked really well, especially considering the small budget, which, of course, meant even more overall net profit.
Bottom Line: Interview with the Vampire
Brad Pitt and a young Kirsten Dunst in “Interview with the Vampire.” Warner Bros. / IMDB
Today, “Interview with the Vampire” is a kind-of-cheesy movie that’s good campy fun. But when it came out in 1994, “Interview” was disturbing enough to cause people to walk out of the theater, including Oprah Winfrey, who also considered canceling an upcoming interview with Tom Cruise.
“I believe there are forces of light and darkness in the world, and I don’t want to be a contributor to the force of darkness,” Winfrey said. That statement is almost as melodramatic as “Interview.”
“Interview” was a big-budget picture that made roughly three times its budget back at theaters. For those hoping for more Anne Rice adaptations, AMC purchased the rights to “The Vampire Chronicles” and the “The Lives of the Mayfair Witches” series for a rumored $30 million to $40 million.
