Behind the Screams: 45 Little-Known Facts About Scary Movies

French writer Boris Vian was at the screening of the film version for his story "I Spit on Your Grave". A few minutes after the film began, he reportedly blurted out: "These guys are supposed to be American? My ass!" He then collapsed into his seat and died from sudden cardiac death.

The sharks built for the movie Jaws were collectively named "Bruce," a tribute to Steven Spielberg's lawyer. Bruce the Fish Friendly Shark from Finding Nemo was also a reference to Jaws.

The animatronic alien in the movie “Alien” (1979) was covered in 'copious' amounts of K-Y Jelly to give it a 'slimy' effect. Also, Predator's (1987) blood was composed of K-Y Jelly mixed with green glow stick fluid.

When The Exorcist premiered in December 1973, it was a major cultural event with people of all ages waiting in long lines to see the film. Many of the filmgoers were not ready for the subject matter in the movie, causing many people to walk out or faint.

A study of film-goers heart rates shows that the “Here's Johnny!” scene from The Shining is the scariest moment in the film. Among horror movies, “The Exorcist” is the scariest, sending pulses up by 25.9% on average.