45 Best Horror Movie Quotes

Updated March 9, 2023 | Infoplease Staff

For horror fans looking for a good scare, a wide variety of horror films are available to satiate that burning hunger for a spooky adrenaline rush. From old classics to streaming service remakes, horror movies are some of the most enjoyable pop culture titles for many watchers.

So, do you like scary movies? Read on for 45 of the best quotes from horror films that will thrill and entertain any scary movie fan, whether it's Halloween or not. Just don't forget to lock your doors and turn on the lights!

45 Best Horror Movie Quotes

"Here's Johnny!" - The Shining, 1980.
One of the most iconic horror movie lines by Jack Nicholson as he breaks through the flimsy wooden door with an ax.

Photo Source: iStock
"The power of Christ compels you!" - The Exorcist, 1973.
"It was the Boogeyman." - Halloween, 1978.
Jamie Lee Curtis's character Laurie says this to Dr. Loomis, regarding Michael Myers and his killing spree.
"Movies don't create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative!" - Scream, 1996.
Director Wes Craven's classic scary movie has characters Stu and Billy challenging popular media with this quote.
"Tell her to stay away from the light." - Poltergeist, 1982.
"We are the ones who dwell within." - The Exorcism of Emily Rose, 2005.
"Be afraid. Be very afraid." - The Fly, 1986.

Photo Source: iStock
"It's alive! It's alive!" - Frankenstein, 1931.
"We've traced the call...it's coming from inside the house." - When a Stranger Calls, 1979.
In one of the most terrifying twists that could befall a horror movie character, it turns out that the antagonist is within the walls of Jill Johnson's own abode, where nothing is safe anymore. So, lock your doors!
"I see dead people." - The Sixth Sense, 1999.
"Trust is a tough thing to come by these days." - The Thing, 1982.
"Yeah, truly amazing." - The Evil Dead, 1981.
Ash from the Evil Dead franchise has some great one-liners, as he battles his way through Deadites (a.k.a. zombies) and keeps his sassy sense of humor at the ready.
"I've killed a lot of people." - American Psycho, 2000.
"Look what you did to him. Look what you did to him!" - Friday the 13th, 1980.

Photo Source: iStock
"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." - The Silence of the Lambs, 1991.
This quote is one of the most iconic in horror movie history, where Anthony Hopkins' infamous serial killer and cannibal Hannibal Lecter tries to unsettle FBI agent Clarice Starling by describing a deadly encounter with a census taker.
"We all float down here. Yes, we do!" - It, 2017.
"She's still here." - Hereditary, 2018.
"One, two, Freddy's coming for you..." - A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984.
Freddy Krueger might be a classically evil character, but this creepy quote from children jumping rope is truly the stuff of nightmares!
"A ghost is an emotion bent out of shape, condemned to repeat itself, time and time again until it rights the wrong that was done." - Mama, 2013.
"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!" - Dracula, 1931.

Photo Source: iStock
"La Llorona. Your children, have they heard her crying?" - The Curse of La Llorona, 2019.
"Ba-ba-ba...dook! Dook! Dook!" - The Babadook, 2014.
"We all go a little mad sometimes." - Psycho, 1960.
In this foreboding foreshadowing, Norman Bates, masterfully played by Anthony Perkins, assures his guest that his mother is as harmless "as one of those stuffed birds" that he points out on the wall.
"It's like a wire inside me getting tighter and tighter." - Rosemary's Baby, 1968.
"Hello, Amanda. You don't know me, but I know you. I want to play a game. The device you are wearing is hooked into your upper and lower jaw. When the timer in the back goes off, your mouth will be permanently ripped open. Think of it like a reverse bear trap." - Saw, 2004.
"It was always you, Helen. It was always you." - Candyman, 1992.

Photo Source: iStock
"Even a man who is pure at heart, and says his prayers at night, may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." - The Wolf Man, 1941.
Tackling the source of lycanthropy, the fortune teller in this iconic black-and-white title tries to explain the danger of full moons and wolfsbane to the village newcomer, played by the inimitable Lon Chaney, Jr.
"It has nothing to do with Satan, Mama. It's me. Me." - Carrie, 1976.
"I remember some...horrible dream about...smothering." - Alien, 1979.
"My family's always been in meat." - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974.
Bonus quote: In the recent Netflix remake, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2022, a character named Ruth says the chilling phrase, "He's wearing her face", further cementing this franchise's terrifying superiority.
"When there's no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth." - Dawn of the Dead,1978.

Photo Source: iStock
"Your wife has such a beautiful neck..." - Nosferatu, 1922.
Even silent movies can have great horror quotes, including this blood-chilling dialogue from the classic German vampire film.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl and the girl had a shadow. The two were connected, tethered together." - Us, 2019.
"You're goin' down!" - Evil Dead II, 1987.
"It's not the house that's haunted. It's your son." - Insidious, 2011.
"Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play?" - Child's Play, 1988.
Aside from Annabelle, Chucky is the creepiest doll to ever grace the horror genre, with chilling dialogue that will unsettle even the staunchest of scary movie lovers.
"We're gonna need a bigger boat." - Jaws, 1975.
"No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering." - Hellraiser, 1987.

Photo Source: iStock
"Your name gives me dominion over you, demon, and I do know your name! You are Valak!" - The Conjuring 2, 2016.
This marks the climactic moment when Lorraine Warren identifies the true name of the demon that shows itself in the guise of an evil nun.
"Gage? Come on out. I brought you something." - Pet Sematary, 1989.
"Birds are not aggressive creatures, Miss. They bring beauty to the world." - The Birds, 1963.
"They're coming for you, Barbara." - Night of the Living Dead, 1968.
"I'm scared to close my eyes, I'm scared to open them... We're gonna die out here." - The Blair Witch Project, 1999.
"It's the doll. A devil." - Annabelle: Creation, 2017.

Photo Source: iStock
"There's evil in the wood." - The Witch, 2015.

Welcome to Fright Night...

These horror movies continue to be some of the greatest installments in cinematic history, and whether you're watching a title for the first time or the fifteenth, the best scary movies can still make you jump. Take a breather and check out some of our other top movie content below!