Whether you're the type of person who knows all the obscure references in indie horror movies or you steel yourself for one viewing of something a little spooky once per year, we all need a scary movie in our lives from time to time.
What constitutes "scary" will, of course, vary for all of us. If you're on the lower end of that spectrum and are prone to easy scares, perhaps learning a few new tidbits that you can share during the suspenseful parts will ease your pain. And if you're a horror diehard... well, you should already know all the answers to these trivia questions.
Here are 11 questions (and answers, if you dare to try your luck) about scary movies. We'll update this list every now and then when we have more questions to add.
What was the first zombie movie?
Let me ask you a question: Are you one of those people who starts posting memes about fall as soon as it hits September? Do you watch a different scary movie every day in October, culminating in that one perfect horror movie you watch every year on Halloween night? Do you make Jell-O brains for dessert just for fun?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you've probably seen at least one zombie movie in your life.
It's a rich and storied legacy that also spawned the TV zombie craze, which apparently is still going. Daryl from The Walking Dead will eventually just find an old folks home that has somehow been totally untouched by the zombie plague and call it good. And then it will turn into a romantic-comedy sitcom about Daryl and the orderlies and how he sometimes still has to go kill zombies. And probably Carol is there somehow.
But I digress... all of this undead mania has its roots, arguably, in a single film. Of all the masters who have touched this genre, only one could have started it all.
What production marked the first known zombie movie in cinema history?
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The answer is: White Zombie. In 1932 Victor Halperin's White Zombie came out, and by all accounts was the first to put the concept of the undead becoming reanimated to film. And, naturally, it starred one Bela Lugosi.And yes, that's where the '90s band featuring Rob Zombie got its name.Source
What's the name of the hotel in The Shining?
I have to admit, if someone asked me to watch over a mountain resort hotel for the offseason, I would strongly consider it. Then again, my kid's not psychic (as far as I know).
Turns out Jack Torrance and his family didn't have the relaxing, productive time they were hoping for. Instead, they were tortured, each in their own way, by a hotel which is really a character of its own in this twisted tale.
1980's The Shining is a masterclass in pacing, symbolism, and terror. I really don't care how close it is to the book — I mean, do we ever expect Stanley Kubrick to simply stick to the source material? Part of what makes this movie so good is that it's not just trying to recreate what was written. That rarely goes well. Instead, it's inspired by Stephen King's novel.
But let's save that debate for another time when there's a beer and we have a few hours to kill. For now, I'm just curious if you remember what the name of the fictional hotel was in this horror classic.
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The answer is: The Overlook Hotel. Jack Torrance and his fam set up for a nice cozy winter at the Overlook Hotel.Stephen King based the hotel in his novel on The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. But director Stanley Kubrick actually used hotels in England and Oregon to shoot the 1980 movie — something King criticized him for.Source
What does Bill Murray list as his one regret in Zombieland?
Zombieland was one of those movies that really surprised me — it's pretty dang good.
And a big part of that was the unexpected cameo from comedy legend Bill Murray. Not only did he show up out of nowhere, he played himself ... well, himself dressed as a zombie in an attempt to fool the other zombies which instead gets him shot by humans.
While he's bleeding to death he mentions the one potential regret of his career. What was it?
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The answer is: Garfield. Playing himself in Zombieland, after accidentally getting shot and appearing to be fatally wounded, Little Rock asks Bill Murray if he has any regrets. Murray responds: “Garfield, maybe.” Bill Murray returned for the 2019 sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap, in the form of a mid-credits flashback scene set at the beginning of the zombie outbreak.Source
The stabbing sound effect from Halloween is really a knife stabbing what?
Being a Foley artist seems really fun. For one thing, you're basically just watching movies all day, and you also get to hit random objects with other random objects.
It should come as no surprise that for John Carpenter's original Halloween, they didn't actually stab people. Instead, they invoked the art of Foley, and stabbed this object. What was it?
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The answer is: Watermelon. That gruesome sound of Michael Meyers stabbing his victims is really a recording of a knife stabbing a watermelon. The original Halloween (1978) had a shoestring $300,000 budget, half of which was spent on Panavision cameras, so the crew probably wound up eating the watermelon for lunch after they recorded the audio.Source
How many dogs were involved in filming the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo?
At the end of any movies that have animals in them, you always get to see the line about how none of them were harmed and there were people supervising and all that jazz. But for Cujo, you'd almost expect it to be the other way around. No humans were actually killed in this movie, but you should watch out!
As terrifying as the 1985 Stephen King movie adaptation made St. Bernards seem, we have to remember that it's all part of movie magic. And like every great movie moment, there's more to the story behind the scenes.
How many dogs acted in Cujo?
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The answer is: 5. Five real live St. Bernards were used during the making of the 1983 adaptation of Stephen King’s Cujo. The filmmakers also used a mechanical head and a man in a dog costume. To get the St. Bernards to attack the car, animal trainers would put the dogs' favorite toys inside.Source
What actor almost beat Kiefer Sutherland for the role of David in The Lost Boys?
If you're looking for someone to thank for all the cool vampire media we have today, you could do much worse than Joel Schumacher.
Schumacher ushered in a new style of depicting vampires with 1987's The Lost Boys, a cult classic that every person should be legally required to watch when they turn 14. Of course, you could also make the argument that Twilight was a result of the teen-vampire sensation sparked, at least in part, by this movie — but we'll set that aside for now.
If this actor had gotten the role of David instead of Kiefer Sutherland, this would have been a potentially very different movie. Who was also considered for the part?
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The answer is: Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey was initially considered for the role of David, but it ultimately went to Kiefer Sutherland instead. Carrey had plenty of qualifying experience — he had previously portrayed a blood-sucking vampire in Once Bitten two years prior. It’s a good thing it didn’t work out for Carrey, since Kiefer was perfect and a zanier performance may have made this vampire movie suck. Source
What was the original title of Ghostbusters?
Coming from a long line of spiritualists, it seems like Dan Aykroyd was always destined to write a movie about ghosts.
But when he and Harold Ramis teamed up to start working in earnest on the concept of 1984's Ghostbusters, it took multiple iterations before finally landing on the all-time classic comedy/fantasy/horror-ish movie we still know and love nearly 40 years later.
One of the key pieces that changed over time was the title — which is pretty hard to swallow considering the Ray Parker song is just so damn catchy. What was the original title of Ghostbusters?
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The answer is: Ghost Smashers. The original title on Dan Aykroyd’s first copy of the script was Ghost Smashers.The first draft of the story was set in the future, in the year 2012, and was considerably darker than the final movie fans know and love. The original finale saw the Ghost Smashers being pulled away into alternate dimensions.Source
What’s the name of the iconic theme song from The Exorcist?
For anyone born before the horror resurgence of the late '90s, it doesn't take much to get you freaked the hell out — all you have to do is hear those opening notes for the theme song from The Exorcist.
Some of the effects don't particularly hold up today, but in 1973 this was the most terrifying movie with the most terrifying effects that anyone had ever seen in their damn lives. And it's carried a strong tradition of traumatizing viewers ever since.
Among all of the classic moments from this movie, the theme song stands on its own as an icon of horror. Do you know what it's called?
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The answer is: Tubular Bells. “Tubular Bells” was the title of the debut studio album by English musician Mike Oldfield released in May of 1973. It initially sold slowly until its opening theme was used in “The Exorcist” in December of 1973. Mike Oldfield was just 19 years old when he recorded it. The album has since sold over 15 million copies worldwide.Source
Who played the leprechaun in ... uh, Leprechaun?
What would you do if you found a pot of gold? I mean, an actual, real little black cooking pot, full of gold coins?
Well if you've ever seen 1993's Leprechaun, you immediately shouted "LEAVE IT ALONE" at your screen.
This movie gave us many things — including a masterful performance by this actor. Who was it?
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The answer is: Warwick Davis. No, Jennifer Aniston did not play a leprechaun in this 1993 horror-comedy classic, but she did play an important role in the film that I think we can all agree built the foundation for where she is today.Warwick Davis, the legend, padded his resumé by carrying Leprechaun on his back. Just as he did in Willow and a fair portion of every Star Wars movie. And remember — if you see a pot of gold, probably best to just leave it be.Source
What was used to make Freddy Krueger’s glove in A Nightmare on Elm Street?
You'd be hard-pressed to find a mind as warped as Wes Craven's. While it might seem almost cliché today, the writer and director's idea for a villain who can haunt and kill you inside your dreams was completely new when the original A Nightmare on Elm Street came out in 1984.
A variety of influences helped Craven to create the character of Freddy Krueger, from a childhood bully to a random old man who spooked him on the street (seriously). And all the little details came together to create one of horror's most iconic characters.
One of Freddy's most recognizable features is the bladed glove he dons. What did filmmakers use to create that glove?
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The answer is: Tomato Knives. The blades used in Freddy’s iconic glove were made with Case XX P210 tomato knives. The knives were so sharp that actor Robert Englund sliced himself the first time he tried on the glove. There was a stunt glove used for safety, but the full glove was extremely heavy and caused Robert Englund’s shoulder to drop. This tilted stance helped give Freddy his signature walk.Source
What famous comedian turned down the role of Winston in Ghostbusters?
I guess I just assume every actor or actress cast in any movie ever was the perfect fit for that role from the get-go. But turns out a lot of classic movies could have been way different had those originally offered the roles actually taken them.
I can't imagine Ghostbusters with anyone but Ernie Hudson playing Winston, but apparently that very nearly didn't happen. Who was offered the role of Winston but decided to turn it down?
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The answer is: Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy was initially supposed to be in Ghostbusters, a movie he found out about from Dan Aykroyd while filming Trading Places together, but turned the part down to star in Beverly Hills Cop. He says that not being in Ghostbusters is one of his biggest regrets from the ‘80s. But then we wouldn't have had that excellent keyboard hook from Beverly Hills Cop, nor Ernie Hudson's perfectly balanced performance.Source
What's your favorite piece of scary movie trivia?
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