Redbox Users Claim ‘The Exorcist’ Is the Scariest Movie Ever Made

After surveying a sample of users, Redbox gathered various data points about the horror genre as we head into October. According to their data, The Exorcist is the scariest film users have ever seen.

Check out the data compiled from 1,200 users below.

Scariest Movie Ever Seen, Ranked Top 5

1. The Exorcist
2. The Silence of the Lambs
3. The Ring
4. The Shining
5. Saw

Favorite Family-Friendly Halloween Movie, Ranked Top 5

1. Hocus Pocus
2. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
3. Beetlejuice
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
5. Hotel Transylvania

What makes the above data even more interesting is that both The Exorcist and Hocus Pocus are celebrating seminal anniversaries this year. The Exorcist is enjoying its 45th anniversary, while Hocus Pocus is enjoying its 25th anniversary.

Other interesting data points collected from the survey include:

• Staying home and watching a scary movie (37 percent) edged out trick or treating (31 percent) as respondents’ favorite way to spend Halloween, while, understandably, parents with children at home prefer trick or treating (53 percent) over watching a scary movie (26 percent).

• When watching scary movies, most responders (41 percent) prefer to have their significant other with them.

• When given the option to choose popcorn or Halloween candy as their favorite snack while watching a scary movie, popcorn was the clear winner for 72 percent of responders.

The first film in the Exorcist franchise might still reign supreme when it comes to horrifying experiences, but this year saw a setback in the continued adventures of the series. After two seasons, FOX’s The Exorcist was canceled.

Hocus Pocus, on the other hand, is arguably more popular now than ever. As many horror films aim to push the genre into darker and more horrifying directions, fewer family-friendly films are seeing release each year that feature creepy subject matter.

The film is regularly screened in theaters for special events when it gets closer to October, as well as the film being broadcast on television. This year, Freeform will be celebrating the film all month long, while fans can enjoy a marathon of screenings on October 31st.

A variety of reports have emerged that a reboot or reimagining of the film could be happening, with the novel Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel having debuted earlier this year which tells the story of the original film, as well as its characters’ continued adventures.

Are you surprised by the data collected by this survey? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!