The 10 Highest-Grossing Horror Movies Of All Time (and Where Obsession & Backrooms Rank)

Before It: Chapter Two there was, of course, It. Also directed by Andy Muschietti, It adapted the first half of Stephen King’s bestseller. The film changed the book setting from the ‘50s to the ‘80s, partially to tap into the ‘80s nostalgia that was awoken by Stranger Things, but also to enable the sequel to take place in the modern day. 

Focusing on the Losers Club as young teens, It managed to be both a coming-of-age story and also incredibly scary. Stepping into the shoes of the Pennywise from the mini series, played impeccably by Tim Curry, was no mean feat and yet Bill Skarsgård managed to craft a clown to give a new generation nightmares. The young cast are all exceptional and the whole film channels that ‘80s Amblin movie vibe, which enabled It to gross a staggering $719.7 million upon release. Not only is It the highest-grossing horror movie, it’s also the 150th highest-grossing film of all-time.

When it was released in 1999. The Sixth Sense was an instant phenomenon. Just like Obsession, it was one of those films that everyone was telling everyone else to go and watch. As such, The Sixth Sense took a jaw-dropping $672.8 million at the box-office.

The feature debut of M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense joins Bruce Willis’ child psychologist as he begins working with new client Cole. The young boy claims to be able to see dead people, and although initially sceptical, the therapist soon starts to see the world differently. Featuring one of the greatest twists in horror history, at least some of that huge box-office would have been repeat viewers trying to pick up all the clues they missed the first time around. 

Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend has been adapted a few times, but the most successful attempt came in 2007. Starring Will Smith, I Am Legend sees the actor roaming around the wasteland of devastating disease, as virologist Robert Neville. The last immune human in New York, with only his dog for company, Robert must try to create a cure.

Featuring a fun spin on the vampire, and a lot of emotional devastation, I Am Legend is an apocalypse movie full of hope and horror. The combination of the killer story and the star power of Will Smith saw I Am Legend conquer the box-office with an impressive $585.4 million. 

While World War Z is viewed by many as more of an action flick, it is very much a zombie apocalypse movie. Based on the novel by author Max Brooks, the movie sets aside the super slow zombies created by George A. Romero and instead speeds them up to a monstrous degree.

Starring Brad Pitt, the plot sees his character, Gerry Lane, called out of retirement to traverse the globe in search of patient zero in the hopes of finding a cure for the deadly virus. Released during June 2013, World War Z became a big summer blockbuster, raking in $540.4 million.

The Conjuring: Last Rites might have had some of the weakest reviews across The Conjuring series, but the box-office does not reflect that. The final total for The Conjuring: Last Rites’ stands at just shy of half a billion - $499.2 million. Several of the films within the wider Conjuring universe fall within the top 30 highest-grossing horrors, but Last Rites takes the title of cinematic universe champion.

The Conjuring series is great, primarily due to the partnership of Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as paranormal investigating couple, the Warrens. With the pair so beloved, it makes sense that the film billed as their swan song drew viewers in, all ready to pay their respects to the spooky spouses. 

Jaws is the movie that made a household name of the now legendary director, Steven Spielberg. Set around the 4th July holiday, Jaws sees the small town of Amity Island come under attack from a man-eating shark. An absolute classic, Jaws made several generations afraid to step into the sea, and despite being over 50 years old, still has the power to unnerve fresh audiences.

As a true cinema classic, Jaws has found its way onto the big screen many times over the years, enabling it to accumulate $490.7 million.

Curry Barker’s Obsession is the 2026 film that just won’t die. Released on 15th May, Obsession remains in cinemas across the UK, with many cinemas still having a full day's worth of screenings. This is almost unheard of for a horror film and a testament to the ingeniousness of the movie. The plot sees lovelorn Bear wish that his crush Nikki will love him more than anyone else. He gets his wish, but as time draws on, it becomes clear that Nikki isn’t quite herself and Bear soon finds himself living in a nightmare of his own creation.

Obsession has amassed $488.6 million to date, and has just broken into the top 450 highest grossing movies of all time. If that wasn’t enough, Obsession is now the highest-grossing original horror of the 2020s, taking the mantle from 2025’s Sinners, and the most successful movie ever made for less than $1M.

The second part of director Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of the Stephen King classic, It: Chapter Two currently sits as the seventh highest-grossing horror movie. After the first movie performed so well (more on that later), it is no surprise that audiences flocked to the cinema to see how the story ended.

This time the story took place in the present day with the Losers Club now all grown up. After a spate of deaths and disappearances begin, Derry remainer Mike summons the rest of the old gang back, their mission to take down Pennywise the Clown once and for all. It: Chapter Two omits a couple of major plot strands from the book in favour of bringing the younger versions of the characters back through flashbacks. It does however, remain a fun jump scare packed sequel that took $473.1 million at the box-office. 

Although the original Beetlejuice only made $74.8 million at the box-office, its sequel, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice took a mighty $452 million. The main reason for this disparity is that during the 36 year gap between films, Beetlejuice amassed a devoted following. One of the many examples of an ‘80s movie that found a second life on VHS, Beetlejuice has endured surprisingly well.

The addition of Jenna Ortega in the role of the daughter of the original movie’s Lydia was a further draw. In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Lydia is once again faced with the unhinged Beetlejuice, after daughter Astrid opens a portal to the Afterlife. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice might not have managed to capture the audience's attention in the same way as the original, but it certainly managed to capture the contents of their wallets. 

Watching The Exorcist is a rite of passage for horror fans. The 1973 film from William Friedkin is infamous for traumatising its original audience, and the last 50 years has done little to dilute its potency. A story of demonic possession, The Exorcist sees a young mother turning to the church to help her teenage daughter when she starts acting oddly.

Known for its bold dialogue and revolving vomit sequence, it comes as no surprise that The Exorcist has taken a ton of money at the box-office. When the earnings of its initial release and all the anniversary re-releases are added together, The Exorcist lands on a total of $430.8 million.