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Survey: Gen Z shuns horror movies

October 29, 2024

Almost half of Gen Z (48 per cent) in the UK are too scared to watch horror films, while 77 per cent just don’t like the genre, according to a survey by research and insights agency, Perspectus Global. But, overall, 60 per cent of Brits say they love a good horror flick, with over 40s being the biggest horror fans (45 per cent).

The survey has also revealed the best loved horror film is 1973’s The Exorcist, picking up a third of the votes. The Exorcist was directed by William Friedkin and stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair. When initially released, the graphic scenes led to many viewers fainting – and some cinemas in America had ambulances on call because of the constant collapsing and vomiting from viewers. It was banned in parts of the UK and, despite being shown in cinemas, it was not allowed to be distributed on video until 1999 because it was thought that children would seek it out.

Next on the list were the 1978 film Halloween (24 per cent), Hitchcock’s classic Psycho (24 per cent) and The Shining (also 24 per cent).

Also in the top ten of favourite frights were A Nightmare on Elm Street (22 per cent), Scream (17 per cent), Saw (17 per cent) and the original ‘video nasty’ The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (15 per cent).

Most of the top films were classics but the most modern movie which scored highly on the list was A Quiet Place which picked up 11 per cent of the vote.

“Despite younger generations not being keen, horror movies are still enjoyed by six in ten Brits,” commented Jon Horsley, from Perspectus Global who commissioned the research. “And despite a host of modern horror films having been released in recent years, it was great to see the classics, like The Exorcist and Halloween remain our favourites, even half a century after they were made.”

Britain’s Top 30 Horror Films:

  1. The Exorcist (1973)   33%
  2. Halloween (1978)   24%
  3. Psycho (1960)    24%
  4. The Shining (1980)   24%
  5. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 22%
  6. Scream (1996)    17%
  7. Saw (2004)    17%
  8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) 15%
  9. The Sixth Sense (1999)   12%
  10. The Ring (2002)    12%
  11. A Quiet Place (2018)   11%
  12. Paranormal Activity (2009)  10%
  13. Child’s Play (1988)   10%
  14. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)   10%
  15. 28 Days Later (2002)   9%
  16. Night of the Living Dead (1968)  9%
  17. Smile (2022)    9%
  18. The Thing (1982)   9%
  19. The Blair Witch Project (1999)  9%
  20. Hellraiser (1987)   8%
  21. Pet Cematary (1989)   7%
  22. Get Out (2017)    6%
  23. Talk to Me (2022)   6%
  24. The Descent (2005)   5%
  25. The Witch (2015)   4%
  26. Midsommar (2019)   4%
  27. Barbarian (2022)   4%
  28. Hereditary (2018)   4%
  29. The Babadook (2014)   3%
  30. Malignant (2021)   3%

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