Ireland’s Favourite Halloween Movies
With the nights getting darker and Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to get cosy under a blanket, grab some popcorn and settle in to watch your favourite Halloween films.
Whether you’re a horror buff in the mood for a spooky classic, or a modern jump-scare thriller, with Virgin Media Ireland’s high-speed broadband, you can enjoy your spine-tingling horror favourites right at home.
We wanted to find out which scary movies have people across the country hiding behind their sofas, and to do this, we analysed the Google searches for the top 50 highest grossing horror films at box office, during the month of October since 2020.
Overall, Stephen King’s IT, took home the crown as Ireland’s favourite Halloween movie with 73,200 searches during the month of October over the past four years. The Pennywise the Clown hit thriller took over €640million ($700m) at box office across the globe and is the most popular among Irish horror fans.
Finishing second place in the rankings was The Conjuring at 63,900 average monthly searches. Directed by James Wan in 2013, the supernatural horror flick follows the paranormal investigations of real-life couple Ed and Lorraine Warren, based on the novel written by Chad and Carey Hayes.
Ireland’s Favourite Halloween Movies
Rank |
Movie |
Total Average Monthly Searches |
1 |
IT (2017) |
73,200 |
2 |
The Conjuring (2013) |
63,900 |
3 |
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) |
63,300 |
4 |
The Exorcist (1973) |
46,500 |
5 |
Alien (1979) |
41,800 |
6 |
Sleepy Hollow (1999) |
30,200 |
7 |
The Nun (2018) |
29,500 |
8 |
Annabelle (2014) |
29,000 |
9 |
Get Out (2017) |
27,500 |
10 |
Split (2017) |
26,700 |
11 |
Halloween (2018) |
25,300 |
12 |
The Nun II (2023) |
24,140 |
13 |
A Quiet Place (2018) |
23,300 |
14 |
The Ring (2002) |
21,600 |
15 |
Jaws (1975) |
21,300 |
16 |
Us (2019) |
20,000 |
17 |
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) |
19,200 |
18 |
Interview with the Vampire (1994) |
19,000 |
19 |
Scream VI (2023) |
17,820 |
20 |
Scream (1996) |
17,520 |
But how do the habits of Irish horror film fans look in each county?
County Dublin horror fans followed the trend by having IT as their favourite horror guilty pleasure at Halloween, with a whopping 32,400 average monthly searches during the month of October since 2020.
Halloween film buffs in Kildare on the other hand are hooked on the 2023 film, Five Nights at Freddy’s with over 3,000 searches. Based on a video game series of the same name, the supernatural horror film follows the troubled story of a security guard who takes a job at an abandoned pizzeria where the animatronic mascots take on haunting lives of their own.
James Wan’s The Conjuring takes the top spot as Galway’s favourite Halloween movie with over 3,300 average monthly searches while Halloween movie fans in Louth were split between IT and Five Nights at Freddy’s with both movies receiving over 1,900 average searches during the month of October in the last four years.
What is the most popular Halloween movie in your county?
Ireland’s Favourite Halloween Movies by County
County |
Movie |
Total Average Monthly Searches |
Carlow |
IT (2017) |
890 |
Cavan |
IT (2017) |
770 |
Clare |
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) |
1,080 |
Cork |
The Conjuring (2013) |
2,900 |
Donegal |
The Conjuring (2013) |
1,490 |
Dublin |
IT (2017) |
32,400 |
Galway |
The Conjuring (2013) |
3,380 |
Kerry |
IT (2017) |
1,650 |
Kildare |
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) |
3,090 |
Kilkenny |
IT (2017) / The Conjuring (2013) |
870 / 870 |
Laois |
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) |
850 |
Leitrim |
IT (2017) |
380 |
Limerick |
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) |
1,390 |
Longford |
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) |
570 |
Louth |
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) / IT (2017) |
1,940 |
Mayo |
IT (2017) |
1,240 |
Meath |
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) / IT (2017) |
2,270 |
Monaghan |
IT (2017) |
560 |
Offaly |
The Conjuring (2013) |
710 |
Roscommon |
IT (2017) |
540 |
Sligo |
IT (2017) |
860 |
Tipperary |
IT (2017) |
1,620 |
Waterford |
The Conjuring (2013) |
1,560 |
Westmeath |
IT (2017) |
1,230 |
Wexford |
IT (2017) |
1,580 |
Wicklow |
IT (2017) |
1,870 |
Not sure what to watch? Our team has compiled the ultimate watchlist to make sure you’re spoilt for choice this Halloween. From a family-friendly movie marathon to binge-watching bone-chilling horror classics, there’s something for everyone.
Methodology
Using Google keyword planner, we analysed the number of Google searches in Ireland during October for 50 of the highest grossing Halloween movies at box office worldwide. The search count reflects the combined total of October monthly searches going back as far as Google Keyword data allows (i.e October 2023, ’22, ’21 and ‘20.
