UK's favourite Halloween horror movie revealed - but many Brits too scared to watch

The Exorcist has been voted the greatest horror movie of all time, a poll has found, but almost half of young people are too afraid to watch scary films.

The Exorcist, starring Max von Sydow, made some people faint and vomit in 1973. It was also banned in parts of the UK.

A third of film fans said it is the best horror, pipping Halloween, which starred Jamie Lee Curtis, Psycho and The Shining. Also in the top 20 were A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

A Quiet Place, out in 2018, was the newest movie on the list. But 48% of Brits aged 12 to 27 said they are too scared to watch horror films and 77% do not like the genre. Overall, 60% of people love scary flicks, with over-40s the biggest fans at 45%.

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The survey of 2,000 movie lovers was by research agency Perspectus Global. The firm’s Jon Horsley said: “Despite younger generations not being keen, horror movies are still enjoyed by six in 10 Brits.

“Despite a host of modern horror films having been released, it was great to see classics like The Exorcist and Halloween remain our favourites.”

Some 43% watch horrors with a partner for security, 21% hide behind a pillow and 16% scream at jump scares.

Top 20 spooky flicks

The Exorcist (1973) 33%

Halloween (1978) 24%

Psycho (1960) 24%

The Shining (1980) 24%

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 22%

Scream (1996) 17%

Saw (2004) 17%

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) 15%

The Sixth Sense (1999) 12%

The Ring (2002) 12%

A Quiet Place (2018) 11%

Paranormal Activity (2009) 10%

Child’s Play (1988) 10%

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) 10%

28 Days Later (2002) 9%

Night of the Living Dead (1968) 9%

Smile (2022) 9%

The Thing (1982) 9%

The Blair Witch Project (1999) 9%

Hellraiser (1987) 8%

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