Box Office Killers: 5 Classic Horrors That Raked in 100X Their Budgets
These genre’s gems were not only beloved but also commercially successful.
Horrors are obviously one of the most demanded movie genres, as people love to get their nerves shaken by the scary tales. However, we’d dare to say you didn’t know these horror gems were so successful at the box office they earned 100 times their budgets.
Here are 5 such hits of the genre, now available online for streaming.
1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Where to watch: Prime
First comes one of the most influential horror films, as it’s the origin of both modern slashers and found-footage movies. It follows a group of young people, who fall victim to a family of cannibals on their way to visit an old homestead, and was such a banger at the time that it made $30.9 million against a budget estimated between $80K and $140K.
2. Halloween (1978)
Where to watch: Prime, Apple TV+
John Carpenter’s slasher, earning the whole $70 million worldwide, focused on a mental patient, Michael Myers, accused of murdering his sister on Halloween night when he was a child. Later, he escapes the psychiatry and returns to his hometown with an idea to perform his bloody revenge, which promises a nail-biting roller coaster of the movie.
3. Friday the 13th (1980)
The $60M classic horror, following the trends set by the previous movies, tells a story about teenage camp counselors trying to re-open an abandoned summer campsite with a tragic past. However, their mission will presumably never end, as they are getting murdered one by one by a mysterious killer, to the audience’s growing shock.
4. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Where to watch: Netflix , Hulu
The movie trope of the found footage reaches its apotheosis here, as we follow three student filmmakers, who hike into the hills to film a documentary about a notorious local myth known as the Blair Witch. It was a back-then sensation, grossing $248.6 million worldwide off a budget under $1 million and gaining exceptional critics’ praise.
5. Paranormal Activity (2007)
James Blum, the producer of such horror franchises as Insidious (2010–2023), The Purge (2013–2021) and Halloween (2018-2022), also created this chiling movie series, which started with great success 17 years ago. It focused on a young couple, who get tormented by supernatural creatures living inside their new house. The movie earned $194.2M against the total budget of $230K, allowing Blum to continue the franchise.