There are a surprising number of horror movies that beat the odds by outdoing themselves at the box office. Some horror films are guaranteed to be huge successes — so much so that even the remakes of these horror films become successful. The Conjuring had a $20 million budget and a large promotional campaign leading up to its release, while The Texas Chain Saw Massacre had a low budget, but promoting it as a true story anticipated higher box office expectations.

There are also horror movies that were expected to fail abysmally and did, such as The Hills Have Eyes Part II, which closed production early because of the lack of funds. When the film was released, it was only for a short time in select theaters. However, the horror movies that outperformed the box office expectations are perhaps the most satisfying. These films are often low-budget movies that strike gold at the box office, surpassing all initial predictions.

10 Psycho (1960)

Directed By Alfred Hitchcock

Psycho is one of the best horror movies of all time, with an iconic impact that shaped the genre into what it is today. The film’s budget was under a million dollars, but more importantly, Alfred Hitchcock was very particular about promoting Psycho. Hitchcock was the only party to promote the film, and critics were not allowed advanced screenings. Despite Hitchcock’s rigidity, Psycho defied all box office expectations and became a legacy horror movie.

9 Friday The 13th (1980)

Directed By Sean S. Cunningham

Friday the 13th is one of the most successful horror franchises ever, making it a small shock to learn that the film was originally independent. Even after Paramount Pictures acquired it, the studio still did not expect it to become the phenomenon it is now. Paramount only spent half a million dollars promoting the movie, but it went on to spawn several sequels. More recently, a Friday the 13th prequel titled Crystal Lake is in production.

8 The Evil Dead (1981)

Directed By Sam Raimi

While The Evil Dead surpassed box office expectations, it did not do so right away. Sam Raimi revealed on Bobbie Wygant’s show that the budget was only $375 thousand, and he had to campaign to raise a portion of that money. The Evil Dead was a surprising success internationally, making over five times the initial budget in profits. Furthermore, The Evil Dead eventually garnered a wider audience in theaters despite the initial low profits from the first weekend.

7 The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Directed By Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez

The Blair Witch Project is one of the best examples of horror films that defied all expectations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the budget was just over $200 thousand, but the film grossed hundreds of millions. It was initially a selection at the Sundance Film Festival before expanding to select theaters and then spreading across the United States. While it was almost entirely marketed on the Internet, it was the Sundance appearance that ultimately changed T he Blair Witch Project‘s trajectory.

6 Saw (2004)

Directed By James Wan

Another horror movie largely considered to have been a box office hit because of the Sundance Film Festival is the original Saw. Saw was never supposed to be released in theaters until the film was previewed at Sundance, prompting production company Lionsgate to endure a theatrical release instead. Now, there are more than 10 Saw movies and a potential TV show in the works, according to Deadline.

5 Paranormal Activity (2007)

Directed By Oren Peli

Paranormal Activity had a budget of $15 thousand, making it extremely shocking that it garnered hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Paramount eventually acquired the film after it screened at a couple of movie festivals, which led to additional screenings and eventually a worldwide release. Now, there are seven Paranormal Activity movies altogether.

4 The Purge (2013)

Directed By James DeMonaco

The Purge is another film that surprised many when it ended up establishing a franchise. The Purge had a small budget, and James DeMonaco did not even know if it would be released at all or what the release plan would look like because it had not initially been responded to well. In the end, The Purge made almost $100 million. The movie now has several sequels, with its most recent being The Forever Purge, released in 2021.

3 Get Out (2017)

Directed By Jordan Peele

Get Out was one of the most profitable movies of 2017, breaking many records as Jordan Peele’s directorial debut. Get Out was not necessarily expected to perform poorly, but the almost immediate massive success was still a surprise. Get Out made $100 million in only its third week, with its viewership only increasing, which is not something that typically occurs with theatrical horror releases. Since Get Out, Peele has directed or written several other successful movies, including Us and Nope.

2 Smile (2022)

Directed By Parker Finn

Smile is another hit that was not expected to do well at all, given that it was only supposed to be released on Paramount Plus. However, advanced screenings proved that the film was worth a shot in theaters, and Smile ended up being very successful, grossing over $200 million. Smile 2 was recently released in theaters, and there are now fervent discussions about Smile 3.

1 Terrifier 3 (2024)

Directed By Damien Leone

Terrifier 3 is the most recent example of a horror movie that surpassed box office expectations. Initially, Terrifier 3 was expected to fail financially, with a disappointing projected opening weekend. However, in a surprising twist, Terrifier 3 made almost $20 million in its opening weekend, when it was initially projected to only make $10 million. It is an impressive achievement, especially when the movie went up against Joker: Folie à Deux.

Source: Bobbie Wygant’s show, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline

• 	Psycho	Friday the 13th	The Evil Dead (1981)	The Blair Witch Project	Saw	Paranormal Activity	The Purge	Get Out	Smile	Terrifier 3
  Director	Alfred Hitchcock	Sean S. Cunningham	Sam Raimi	Eduardo Sánchez, Daniel Myrick	James Wan	Oren Peli	James DeMonaco	Jordan Peele	Parker Finn	Damien Leone
  Release Date	1960-09-08	1980-05-09	1981-10-15	1999-07-30	2004-10-01	2009-10-16	2013-06-07	2017-02-24	2022-09-30	2024-10-11
  Cast	Janet Leigh, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles	Peter Brouwer, Harry Crosby, Robbi Morgan, Jeannine Taylor, Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, Kevin Bacon	Theresa Tilly, Richard DeManincor, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Ivan Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi	Michael C. Williams, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard	Leigh Whannell, Ken Leung, Monica Potter, Danny Glover, Cary Elwes	Amber Armstrong, Ashley Palmer, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs, Katie Featherston	Adelaide Kane, Edwin Hodge, Lena Headey, Ethan Hawke, Max Burkholder	Jeronimo Spinx, Lyle Brocato, Caleb Landry Jones, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Marcus Henderson, Betty Gabriel, Daniel Kaluuya, Catherine Keener, Erika Alexander, Allison Williams	Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kal Penn, Rob Morgan, Robin Weigert, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey	Marie Maser, Peter Mitchell, Joe Falcone, Corrine Kelly, Lisa Marie Falcone, Kellen Raffaelo, Luciana VanDette, Mason Mecartea, Alexa Blair Robertson, Margaret Anne Florence, Elliott Fullam, Antonella Rose, Krsy Fox, Alex Ross, Stephen Cofield Jr., Kailey Hyman, Jon Abrahams, Lauren LaVera, Samantha Scaffidi, David Howard Thornton, Bradley Stryker, Clint Howard, Jason Patric, Bryce Johnson, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Savini, Chris Jericho
  Rating	R	R	NC-17	R	R	R	R	R	R	Not Rated
  Runtime	109 minutes	95 minutes	85 Minutes	81 minutes	103 Minutes	86 minutes	85 minutes	1 hour, 44 minutes	115 minutes	125 Minutes