HONOLULU (KHON2) — On Tuesday, Feb. 18, Honolulu Horror Nights hosted its monthly horror night at Hawaiian Brians.
The event draws dozens of Honolulu’s horror fans; so, KHON2.com decided to have Honolulu rank its own favorite horror flicks.
This was instigated due to a recent study that found searches for horror movies generated an average of 170 Google searches per 100,000 people each month in Hawaiʻi.
“Horror has always been about pushing boundaries, challenging societal norms,” Steven Hobaica, founder of Honolulu Horror Nights, explained.
We asked the attendees at the Feb. 18 event to rank their favorite horror movies. These are Honolulu’s favorite horror movies.
#1 is a two-way tie
- The Nightmare on Elm Street series was loved by many Honolulu horror fans. The series follows a group of teenagers in a small town who are stalked and murdered in their dreams by the vengeful spirit of a disfigured man, Freddy Krueger, whose deadly power transcends the line between sleep and reality.
- Both the original and the remake of It is a big hit. The story is about a group of misfit kids in the town of Derry, Maine, must confront a shape-shifting entity that preys on their fears, taking the form of a terrifying clown known as Pennywise, as it resurfaces every 27 years to terrorize the town.
#2 is a four-way tie
- The Friday 13th series is also very popular. It’s about a mysterious, unstoppable killer named Jason Voorhees who stalks and kills anyone who dares to venture near the cursed Crystal Lake, where his mother once sought vengeance and created a legacy of horror that haunts generations.
- The Child’s Play series is about a terrifying doll named Chucky becomes the vessel for the soul of a serial killer, unleashing a murderous rampage as it seeks to transfer its consciousness into a human body, all while terrorizing a young boy and his family.
- The Exorcist continues to thrill horror fans decades after it was created. It follows a young girl who is mysteriously possessed by a malevolent force. Her desperate mother seeks the help of two priests to perform an exorcism which leads to a harrowing battle of faith and survival against an unimaginable evil.
- Rosmary’s Baby is another horror film that has stood the test of time. It follows a young pregnant woman who becomes increasingly paranoid as she suspects her eccentric neighbors and her controlling husband are part of a sinister plot to use her baby for a terrifying occult ritual.
#3 is a five-way tie
- The Scream series is about a masked killer known as Ghostface terrorizes a group of teenagers, resurrecting a series of horrific murders while forcing them to play a deadly game of horror movie trivia, all while unmasking secrets and blurring the line between real life and slasher fiction.
- The Army of Darkness/Evil Dead trilogy was a passion project that began with a micro-budget first film by students that led to tremendous success and two more films. After being transported to the medieval past, Ash Williams must battle an army of the undead, confront his demonic alter ego and defeat a nefarious dark force, all while armed with only his chainsaw hand and a boomstick in this blend of horror, humor and supernatural chaos.
- Another Stephen King adaptation, The Shining, follows a troubled writer, Jack Torrance, who accepts a job as the winter caretaker of an isolated hotel. However, he slowly begins unraveling into madness as supernatural forces manipulate his mind and put his wife and son in grave danger.
- American Werewolf in London is about two American backpackers are attacked by a savage wolf while traveling through the English countryside which leaves one of them cursed to transform into a werewolf. Meanwhile, his friend’s spirit haunts him and urges him to face the horrific consequences of his new curse.
- The Conjuring series is chilling horror series, in which paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren battle malevolent spirits, demonic forces and cursed artifacts in their quest to protect innocent families, all based on real-life events that push the boundaries of fear and the supernatural.
#4 Hereditary
Hereditary explores the death of a secretive matriarch that leads to a family unraveling dark, horrifying secrets about their ancestry. Her death triggers a terrifying chain of events that threatens to consume them all.
#5 Cabin in the Woods
Cabin in the Woods follows a group of friends who take a retreat to a remote cabin for a weekend getaway, but they discover that their terrifying ordeal is part of a much larger, sinister conspiracy orchestrated by a mysterious organization.
#6 Shaun of the Dead
For Shaun of the Dead, we enter into the midst of a zombie apocalypse where a group of misfit friends seeks refuge in a local pub in an attempt to survive the undead uprising while struggling with their own personal dilemmas.
#7 Blink Twice
In Blink Twice, a young woman begins receiving cryptic messages from her past, that lead her to uncover a chilling mystery that could have deadly consequences for those she loves.
#8 Annabelle
Annabelle is about a young couple’s life is turned upside down when a vintage doll, possessed by an evil spirit, brings terror and violence into their home, endangering their family.
#9 Drag Me to Hell
Another one from Sam Rami, Drag Me to Hell follows a loan officer who is cursed by a vengeful old woman after denying her request for an extension on a mortgage and soon finds herself battling dark forces for her very soul.
#10 Mandy
In Mandy, we enter a man’s life after his wife is violently kidnapped by a sadistic cult. He embarks on a bloody and surreal quest for revenge in a nightmarish, psychedelic world filled with grotesque horrors.
You can click here to learn more about Honolulu Horror Nights.
Methodology: We interviewed 80 people who attended the Honolulu Horror Nights event and ranked each response based on the number of times people chose each movie. The ties are based on the amount of people choosing the same films.