The Most Popular Halloween Horror Movies in the U.S. According to Google Study

As fall sets in, many Americans get into the Halloween spirit by tuning into their favorite horror movies. And it seems that each state has their own collective horror film preferences.

Get Out is the most Googled Halloween movie, topping the list in 9 states
Jaws topped the list in 4 states, followed closely by The Shining and The Exorcist in 3 states each
Creepy classics are still a Halloween treat for most states

According to data compiled by Bank Locations, some horror movies reign supreme in particular states — and some states are more into ‘classic’ horror movies on the whole than others.

The research team analyzed 200+ top-rated horror movies from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes, then studied specific searches for each movie.

For example, for The Shining, they gathered keywords like “watch the shining”, “the shining full movie”, “the shining streaming”, “the shining netflix”, and “where to watch the shining”.

The study showed some interesting results: old spooky movies are still a big hit for Halloween in most states. While the visuals might not be as good as today, the intense filming, ominous music, and chilling plots still make these movies a Halloween treat for most Americans.

When we split horror movies into two groups — those before 2000 and those after — the data tells us that ‘classic’ horrors are searched more.

In fact, 27 states preferred googling horror movies from the last century, while 23 states in total favored more recent horror releases.

The most googled horror movie across the U.S. was Get Out, a breakout horror hit and the debut of modern horror master Jordan Peele. It dominated the searches in 9 states, including Arizona, Georgia, and Illinois.

Next on the list is Spielberg’s first blockbuster and scariest movie Jaws. It was the top choice for horror movies in 4 states, including New Jersey.

Stephen King’s most popular horror novel The Shining, adapted by Stanley Kubrick, ranks third on the list. It took the lead in 3 states, notably, and perhaps unsurprisingly, in Colorado.

Sharing the third spot on the list with The Shining is The Exorcist, the critically acclaimed 1973 film that was the first of its genre to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was the most googled horror movie in 3 states, including Idaho.

Moving down the list, we have 8 movies that were the most searched horror films in 2 states each. These include popular ones like The Conjuring, A Quiet Place, IT, Trick R’ Treat, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Silence of the Lambs, Friday the 13th, and Halloween.

Lastly, there are 15 movies in total that topped the list of most googled horror movies in one state each. Notable movies include Hannibal, Frankenstein, Psycho, Aliens, and Scream.

The Most Googled Horror Movie in Each State:

State	Most Googled Horror Movie (and year)
Alabama	The Conjuring (2013)
Alaska	A Quiet Place (2018)
Arizona	Get Out (2017)
Arkansas	IT (2017)
California	Hannibal (2001)
Colorado	The Shining (1980)
Connecticut	Jaws (1975)
Delaware	Get Out (2017)
Florida	Trick R’ Treat (2007)
Georgia	Get Out (2017)
Hawaii	The Thing (1982)
Idaho	The Exorcist (1973)
Illinois	Get Out (2017)
Indiana	Frankenstein (1931)
Iowa	The Shining (1980)
Kansas	A Quiet Place (2018)
Kentucky	Jaws (1975)
Louisiana	Get Out (2017)
Maine	The Ring (2002)
Maryland	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Massachusetts	The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Michigan	The Conjuring (2013)
Minnesota	Get Out (2017)
Mississippi	The Exorcist (1973)
Missouri	Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
Montana	The Evil Dead (1981)
Nebraska	Friday the 13th (1980)
Nevada	Get Out (2017)
New Hampshire	IT (2017)
New Jersey	Jaws (1975)
New Mexico	Get Out (2017)
New York	Psycho (1960)
North Carolina	Halloween (1978)
North Dakota	Aliens (1986)
Ohio	Get Out (2017)
Oklahoma	Poltergeist (1982)
Oregon	Trick R’ Treat (2007)
Pennsylvania	The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Rhode Island	Scream (1996)
South Carolina	Jaws (1975)
South Dakota	The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Tennessee	The Exorcist (1973)
Texas	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Utah	Halloween (1978)
Vermont	The Shining (1980)
Virginia	Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Washington	Friday the 13th (1980)
West Virginia	The Babadook (2014)
Wisconsin	Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Wyoming	A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Methodology

The research team input 200+ movies into the Google Keywords Planner and analyzed the search volume over the past month to determine the most searched horror movie in each state.

For each horror movie, the study looked at specific keywords and phrases that were searched on Google, such as “watch the shining”, “the shining full movie”, “the shining streaming”, “the shining netflix”, and “where to watch the shining”.v

The team then calculated the total number of searches for each horror movie in each state to determine which horror movie had the highest number of searches.

Sources

Google Search Volume

IMDB – Top 50 Horror Movies

Rotten Tomatoes – The 200 Best Horror Movies of All Time

SHARE ON FACEBOOK SHARE ON TWITTER

Tags: Halloween, Horror Movies

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.