30 Surprising Facts You Didn't Know About Classic Horror Films

You'll sleep with the lights on tonight.

Carrie

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1. The school Carrie attends is Bates High, a reference to Psycho.

2. Sissy Spacek said she would have been fine with having real pig's blood poured on her, though they ended up using karo syrup and flood coloring.

Poltergeist

MGM

3. The crew had to use real human skeletons during production because it was less expensive than buying plastic ones.

4. Poltergeist and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial were both filmed on the same street, because both films were being made at the same time by Steven Spielberg.

5. Steven Spielberg says the fears that overtake Robbie in the film were inspired by his own childhood fears.

Halloween

Warner Bros.

6. Due to a small budget, all actors wore their own clothes for the film. Jamie Lee Curtis bought her entire wardrobe for under $100 at J.C. Penney.

7. The name of Michael Myers's psychiatrist in the film is Sam Loomis, which is the same name of Marion Crane's secret lover in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.

8.. John Carpenter says his intention with Michael Myers's character was to make sure that no one could feel like they relate to him.

Psycho

Universal Pictures

9. After viewing her infamous shower scene, Janet Leigh said she realized how vulnerable women were in showers and took baths for the rest of her life.

10. Alfred Hitchcock withheld the ending part of the script from the cast until he was ready to film it.

11. The White 1957 Ford Sedan driven by Marion Crane is the same exact car that the Cleaver family drove on Leave It To Beaver.

The Shining

Warner Bros.

12. Stephen King, whose book inspired the film version of The Shining, was not a fan of Stanley Kubrick's film.

13. The memorable line "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" was completely ad-libbed by Jack Nicholson.

14. Danny Lloyd, who plays Danny Torrance, came up with the idea to hold up his finger while talking to Tony spontaneously during his audition.

The Exorcist

Warner Bros.

15. Warner Brothers had to hire bodyguards to protect Linda Blair for six months after the film's release, because people were sending her death threats, believing the film "glorified Satan".

16. Following the film's original release, audiences were affected so heavily that some theaters needed paramedics on-hand to treat people who were sent into hysterics.

17. Writer William Peter Blatty based his novel, which was later written also by him for the screen, on an apparent genuine exorcism from the 1940s.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

New Line Cinema

18. Director Tobe Hooper says he got the idea for the film while in line at a crowded store. When he was looking for a way to exit, he saw chainsaws.

19. The soundtrack to the original film contains tracks with the sounds an animal would hear in a slaughterhouse.

20. The film is NOT based on a true story. The opening narrative claims the events happened in August 1973. Filming finished in August 1973, making it impossible for the film to be based on actual events.

The Amityville Horror

American International Pictures / Via giphy.com

21. When translated, the Finnish name for the film reads, "For God's sake, get out!"

22. James Brolin, who plays George Lutz, was initially hesitant to take on the role. Then, one night at 2 AM while he was reading a copy of Jay Anson's novel on the tragedy, a pair of pants fell down after they'd been sitting untouched for several hours. He took the role, saying he believed "there was something to the story."

The Evil Dead

New Line Cinema

23. The cast and crew said filming was one of the worst experiences they'd ever been a part of because of the long workdays, the location, and freezing temperatures.

24. Director Sam Raimi claims he burnt down the abandoned cabin after filming, but there is no proof that he was the cause.

25. No one involved in the film will share directions to the cabin because the property has been vandalized too much.

Rosemary's Baby

Paramount Pictures

26. The birth date of Rosemary's baby is June 1966 (6/66).

27. Mia Farrow was approached with divorce papers for her marriage to Frank Sinatra--on set, in front of everyone.

A Nightmare On Elm Street

New Line Cinema

28. Wes Craven named Freddy Krueger after someone who bullied him when he was a child.

29. The producer's daughter thought Johnny Depp was "dreamy", which was one of the reasons he was chosen for the film.

30. Wes Craven decided that Freddy's sweater would be red and green because he read that they were the two most clashing colors to the human retina.