NEW YORK — In time for Halloween, Freddy Krueger is slaying yet another sufferer — the record of the “most iconic” horror movie antagonists in historical past. A ballot of two,000 People with streaming subscriptions finds the nightmare-jumping maniac is the favourite for 54 % of respondents. Different spooky icons individuals love embody Chucky (39%), Ghostface (34%), and Jack Torrance (31%).

Regardless of stealing individuals’s hearts and desires, “A Nightmare on Elm Avenue” is NOT the most iconic horror movie. That title belongs to “Friday the thirteenth” (41%), adopted by “Carrie” (35%) and “An American Werewolf in London” (33%). For much less scary and extra “spooky” picks, the most iconic family-friendly films are “Coraline” (40%), “Casper” (37%), and “Ghostbusters” (37%).

The survey additionally pinpointed particular eras of horror. Any horror movies pre-1988 are thought of “classics,” whereas something from 1995 onwards could be thought of “trendy.”

Commissioned by international streaming platform Plex and performed by OnePoll, the examine additionally reveals individuals’s preferences for “spooky” or “scary” content material and the way it impacts different points of their lives.

Six in 10 say they like spooky movies, not designed with the objective of scaring however as an alternative are eerie and sinister. In contrast, solely 27 % want actually scary films designed to frighten individuals.

Spooky content material lovers are additionally discovered to be extra more likely to create a brand new friendship over a shared curiosity within the style (57%), in comparison with scary content lovers (39%).

Whereas over half of People (51%) are followers of true crime, each spooky and scary content material fanatics overwhelmingly agree that fictional horror movies and exhibits are scarier than true crime content (78% and 76%, respectively). For these in relationships (60%), 63 % of {couples} mentioned they like watching spooky content material collectively over scary content material (53%).

“Regardless if somebody prefers spooky over scary or vice versa, there’s a transparent, common appreciation for the world of Halloween-esque content material,” says Product Director at Plex, Jason Williams, in an announcement. “We’re drawn to storylines that give us a ‘rush,’ even when that comes at the price of heart-pounding fright.”

For a lot of, loving horror is a generational custom. For over half (59%) of respondents who’re mother and father, 68 % of them have had their child ask to look at a scary film.

The ceremony of passage appeared to comply with the recognition traits. The flicks children ask to look at probably the most typically are “Friday the thirteenth” (51%), “Halloween” (51%), “An American Werewolf in London” (46%), “A Nightmare on Elm Avenue” (36%), and “Insidious” (34%).

“It’s clear that the horror style has turn out to be extra of a household custom and a ceremony of passage from mother or father to baby,” provides Williams. “From family-friendly spooky enjoyable to the actually terrifying, we hope to see movie lovers and households bond over traditional to new Halloween films this yr.”

Two in three mother and father say they’re nice with their children watching scary films so long as they’re current. Spooky film lovers usually tend to let their children watch the style than their scary film counterparts (71% in comparison with 59%).

Seventy-five % of People have been age 13 or beneath once they watched their first horror movie. A majority (53%) additionally keep in mind watching their first horror film with out getting their mother or father’s permission beforehand.

Almost half (48%) say they nonetheless have opposed, visceral reactions to their first horror film. Virtually as many (47%) now consider they have been most likely too young to be watching the genre on the time.

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of two,000 People who subscribe to a streaming service was commissioned by Plex between August 16 and August 18, 2023. It was performed by market analysis firm OnePoll, whose crew members are members of the Market Research Society and have company membership to the American Affiliation for Public Opinion Analysis (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Advertising Analysis (ESOMAR).