1. The Exorcist was the first horror movie to be nominated for an Oscar.
Warner Bros., Oscars / Via oscars.org
2. In Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees' name was orginally going to be "Josh." The name quickly changed because it needed to be "scarier" and to because Josh is screenwriter Victor Miller's son's name.
Paramount Pictures
3. Psycho is the first American movie to feature a toilet on-screen.
Paramount PIctures
4. The Blair Witch Project was filmed in just eight days.
Artisan Entertainment
5. In Candyman, actress Virgina Madsen was actually hypnotized during certain scenes in an effort to get a more "authentic" reaction.
TriStar Pictures
6. Serial killer Ed Gein is the inspiration of three horror movies: The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Cult of Weird, Paramount Pictures, Orion Pictures, Bryanston Pictures
7. Shelley Duvall suffered from severe stress while filming The Shining, which caused some of her hair to fall out.
Warner Bros.
8. British actor David Warner was originally going to play Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Paramount Pictures, New Line Cinema
Just imagine how different horror cinema would be today.
9. Paranormal Activty is the most profitable movie of all time. It cost $450,000 to make and grossed nearly $90 million.
Paramount Pictures
10. The school in The Birds is said to be a haunted house.
Universal Pictures
11. According to Eli Roth, the idea for Hostel came about after a friend of his showed him a Thai website where people can pay $10,000 to "walk into a room and shoot somebody in the head."
Lionsgate
12. The cast and crew of The Amityville Horror remake kept waking up around 3 a.m., which is around the time the original murders took place.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Creepy.
13. As if that wasn't terrifying enough, a dead body was found floating near the set.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
14. Final Destination is based on a rejected X-Files episode.
New Line Cinema
15. Scream was originally titled "Scary Movie."
Kevin Williamson
16. Child's Play was inspired by real-life haunted doll "Robert."
MGM/UA Communications Co.
17. Michael Cera auditioned for the role of Cole in The Sixth Sense.
Buena Vista Pictures/Fox / Via scribol.com
18. The creature in Creature from the Black Lagoon is modeled after the Oscars statuette.
Universal-International
19. The demon in The Exorcist is named Pazuzu.
Warner Bros.
20. The set of Poltergeist featured actual skeletons because, at the time, real skeletons were cheaper than props.
MGM/UA Entertainment Co.
21. During the filming of The Conjuring, Vera Farmiga experienced several instances of paranormal activity, including finding claw marks on her thigh.
Warner Bros. Pictures
22. Scream is loosely based on actual murders that took place in Florida.
Dimension Films
