Throughout the long history of horror movies, there have been memorable moments and iconic scenes that have made viewers’ skin crawl and hearts pound. Many of these moments contain lines of dialogue that remain entrenched in the lore of horror movie history. It is a credit to some great performances that pieces of dialogue become so memorable. Some of these horror movie quotes are simple, some are complex, and others are just downright creepy.
“I Never Drink…Wine.” - Dracula (1931)
Bela Lugosi delivered one of horror movie history’s most iconic performances ever with his defining interpretation of Count Dracula in the 1931 Universal adaptation. This particularly playful line, more than any other, would go on to become associated with the character from then on, appearing again in Francis Ford Coppola’s take on Bram Stoker’s original novel.
Though Lugosi’s performance would go on to become extensively parodied, it remains a hugely influential part of horror history. This humorous euphemism perfectly demonstrates the monster’s dark charm.
“One, Two, Freddy’s Coming For You…” - A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
As it’s a movie about a killer who comes for his victims in their dreams, A Nightmare on Elm Street is naturally filled with plenty of eerie and ethereal imagery. One of the most memorable examples of this is the skipping children that appear in the movie singing a haunting rhyme about the supernatural killer, Freddy Krueger.
The slow and simple melody acts as a warning and has effectively become a very long catchphrase for the series of movies, especially the final line “Nine, ten, never sleep again.”
“Get Out!” - Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning screenplay for his directorial debut, Get Out, is full of many subtle nods and allusions to both the history of racism in America as well as the overtly aggressive and dehumanizing treatment that Black people still face in daily life.
The title itself is a reference to this, and, as has consistently been the case with Peele’s films, it’s uttered out loud in the film in one of its key scenes. Epitomizing the movie’s handling of its subject matter, it cleverly flips a commonly used racist threat into a warning when it’s yelled at the protagonist by Lakeith Stanfield’s character.
“He Came Home.” - Halloween (1978)
John Carpenter’s Halloween is an all-time great example of doing a lot with a little, building a palpable atmosphere through a lot of ominous talk for the most part, certainly in the first half of the story. Donald Pleasance’s Dr. Samuel Loomis is the primary source of this, acting as a kind of harbinger of doom who’s trying to warn the locals of his violent patient’s hometown about the mayhem that will soon be unleashed upon them.
Trying to find any clue as to where the escaped killer, Michael Myers, might be hiding, Loomis visits the grave of the sister that Myers murdered 15 years prior only to find that the entire headstone has been lifted out of the ground and taken. Knowingly, Loomis offers up this simple observation which is a variation of the movie’s tagline: “The night he came home.”
“Swallow This.” - Evil Dead II (1987)
Sam Raimi’s sequel to his breakout horror movie, The Evil Dead, put an even greater emphasis on fun and humor than its predecessor did, debatably becoming an even more significant landmark in the genre.
After doing battle with a putrid undead monster that he decapitates, Bruce Campbell’s hero, Ash, looks down at the severed head as it screams that it’ll swallow his soul, prompting him to point his shotgun down at it and offer this rebuttal before blowing it to pieces. Hero movie protagonists rarely get to look as cool as this.
“They’re Here.” - Poltergeist (1982)
Little kids can be deeply creepy in horror movies as Poltergeist so expertly demonstrates. The line itself is simple, but the surrounding context behind it makes it very unsettling. The static on the TV, combined with Carol Anne’s calm delivery emphasizes how there’s an eerie mystery behind the words, as it is unclear who “they” are.
The uncertainty is terrifying. Even more terrifying is the bond between Carol Anne and these unknown entities.
“A Census Taker Once Tried To Test Me. I Ate His Liver With Some Fava Beans And A Nice Chianti.” - The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning performance as Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter is still the defining interpretation of the equally feared and beloved literary character, several other great actors being associated with the role.
Hopkins has plenty of great quotes from The Silence of the Lambs, but this is the most famous. His efforts to scare the FBI trainee seeking his help with a case are at their strongest here, and the audience feels the chill perhaps even more than she does.
“It’s Alive! It’s Alive!” - Frankenstein (1931)
These iconic words were uttered in 1931 after Dr. Frankenstein brought Boris Karloff’s legendary movie monster to life for the first time, and they’re delivered by actor Colin Clive with such frantic energy that he becomes far scarier than any living corpse could hope of being.
The fact that it is still frequently quoted over 90 years later is a testament to how truly timeless it is.
“I See Dead People.” - The Sixth Sense (1999)
This is another horror movie quote that has been almost constantly referenced in pop culture since it first appeared. At age 10, actor Haley Joel Osment created an indelible moment in movie history when he confesses his character’s dark secret.
The idea of seeing ghosts is haunting enough, but it is troubling to see a child so traumatized by the ability that he’s cursed with.
“You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat.” - Jaws (1975)
Many people were afraid to go into the ocean after seeing this iconic shark movie when it came out in 1975, and it still has that effect on people today.
Steven Spielberg wisely hid the shark for most of the film, building suspense as to what it looked like. The score, from John Williams, acts as an audible cue for when the shark was near, creating a unique feeling of dread. This quote comes after one of the best views of the shark, leaving the main character totally stunned. The boat is not going to be enough to save them when the massive great white shark inevitably attacks and the sense of foreboding is off the charts.
“Do You Like Scary Movies?” - Scream (1996)
Scream is a meta-horror slasher movie from one of the masters of horror, Wes Craven. The film has a lot of fun with the clichés and tropes seen in famous slasher movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th.
This quote comes in at the opening sequence, where the killer terrorizes Drew Barrymore’s character over the phone. This freaky question establishes the killer’s obsession with horror movies as well as the story’s distinct mixture of fun and frights.
“We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes.” - Psycho (1960)
Norman Bates is one of the greatest horror movie villains of all time and Psycho has plenty of iconic moments, including the infamous shower scene. It’s hard to pick a clear front-runner from a plethora of memorable quotes, but this one sums up just why Bates and Psycho struck such a chord with people.
Bates is clearly unhinged, and it appears as though he could just suddenly explode at any second, but it isn’t until the end of the movie that the audience finds out just how disturbed he truly is. Anthony Perkins’ performance is spellbinding throughout and the scene where he says this line encapsulates just how captivating he is in the film.
“They’re Coming To Get You, Barbara.” - Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead pioneered zombie movies. While some aspects of the film could be called dated now, this quote has aged like a fine wine. The zombies were definitely coming to get Barbara and one appears shortly after this line.
It’s a quote that lives rent-free in just about every self-respecting horror fan’s head and continues to be referenced to this day in movies and TV shows.
“Do You Want To Play A Game?” - Saw (2004)
The Saw franchise revolves around a serial killer putting people through horrifyingly gory and creative traps that the killer often refers to as games to see how far they will go in order to survive. The puppet of the original killer, Jigsaw, and his haunting voice created a chilling atmosphere that’s hard to forget.
The Saw franchise has become such a success that it has spawned eight sequels with the latest installments, Jigsaw and Spiral, finding new and inventive ways to keep the series alive. Horror fans just can’t get enough of Jigsaw and his sadistic games.
“Here’s Johnny!” - The Shining (1980)
Jack Nicholson delivered an unforgettable performance in The Shining that created many memorable movie moments, but none have permeated into popular culture quite like this line.
One of the most noteworthy things about this quote is that Nicholson improvised it and thankfully, director Stanley Kubrick kept it in the movie. It’s such a brilliant moment that, even though the line was a reference to Johnny Carson’s already-famous introduction on his show, most people now associate the phrase with Nicholson and The Shining.
