Horror movies don’t always get the credit or recognition they deserve. However, true horror fans know that scary movies can stand up to any other genre of film. The list of horror movie quotes below has popular movie quotes that most fans will recognize. It also has a few of my favorite movie lines and lines from specific movies and killers.
Popular Movie Quotes
These are horror movie quotes you will probably recognize. They might not be the best quotes of all time, but they are some of the more memorable and popular movie quotes in horror.
“It’s alive! It’s alive!” Frankenstein, 1931
“A boy’s best friend is his mother.” –Psycho, 1960
“We all go a little mad sometimes.” –Psycho, 1960
“They’re coming to get you, Barbara!” –Night of the Living Dead, 1968
“The power of Christ compels you!” –The Exorcist, 1973
“Soylent Green is people!” –Soylent Green, 1973
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” –Jaws, 1975
“Have you checked the children lately?” –When a Stranger Calls, 1979
“Here’s Johnny!” –The Shining, 1980
“They’re here.” –Poltergeist, 1982
“Be afraid. Be very afraid.” The Fly, 1986
“Welcome to prime time, bitch!” –Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, 1987
“Hi, I’m Chucky, wanna play?”-Child’s Play, 1988
“I’m your number one fan.” –Misery, 1990
“Do you like scary movies?” –Scream, 1996
“I see dead people.” –The Sixth Sense, 1999
“I want to play a game.” –Saw, 2004
Favorite Horror Movie Quotes
Here are a few movie lines that really stand out for me. They are just a small sample of my favorite horror movie quotes. Do you have favorites that aren’t listed on this page? Leave them in the comments.
“I simply am not there.”
–American Psycho, 2000
“It’s not the house that’s haunted. It’s your son.”
–Insidious, 2011
“Congratulations. You are still alive. Most people are so ungrateful to be alive. But not you. Not anymore.”
–Saw, 2004
“There is nothing a man cannot do once he accepts the fact that there is no God.”
–Don’t Breathe, 2016
“On a related subject, I must confess to you, I’m giving very serious thought…to eating your wife.”
–Hannibal, 2001
“Wherever you are, it’s somewhere walking straight for you.”
–It Follows, 2014
Hannibal Lecter
Nobody says it quite like Hannibal Lecter. He is well mannered, highly intelligent and charismatic. It’s easy to find solid Silence of the Lamb quotes because the story is well written and based on the book by Thomas Harris. Hannibal Lecter quotes are so great because his character is both repulsive and charming.
Red Dragon (2002)
“Remarkable boy. I do admire your courage. I think I’ll eat your heart.”
-Hannibal Lecter
“…before me, you rightly tremble. But fear is not what you owe me, Mr. Lounds. You owe me awe.”
-Francis Dolarhyde
Silence of the Lambs Quotes
Most of these lines from The Silence of the Lambs (1991) are Hannibal Lecter quotes or movie lines about Dr. Lecter. He is such an intriguing character it’s hard not to talk about him.
“I do wish we could chat longer, but I’m having an old friend for dinner.”
-Hannibal Lecter
“…his pulse never got above 85, even when he ate her tongue.”
-Dr. Frederick Chilton
“It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.”
-Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb
“Well, Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?”
-Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Quotes
These movie lines are from the Hannibal (2001) movie. The horror film has some great Hannibal Lecter quotes, often written in letters to Clarice Sterling. Dr. Lecter is his usual witty self without the prison cage dampening his personality.
“Isn’t it funny? You can look at my face… but you shied when I said the name of God.”
-Mason Verger
“No, Mason. I much prefer you the way you are.”
-Hannibal Lecter
Paul Krendler: Jesus, Starling! What are you doing sitting there in the dark?
Clarice Starling: Thinking about cannibalism.
“If so, goody goody, cause I need to come out of retirement and return to public life.”
-Hannibal Lecter
“Okey-dokey, here we go.”
-Hannibal Lecter
“Tell me, Clarice, would you ever say to me “stop, if you loved me, you’d stop?”
-Hannibal Lecter
“What is worst about this humiliation, Clarice? Is it how your failure will reflect on your mommy and daddy? Is your worst fear that people will now and forever believe they were indeed just good old trailer-camp, tornado-bait white trash, and that perhaps you are too?”
-Hannibal Lecter
“He once told me that whenever feasible he preferred to eat the rude. “Free-range rude” he called -em”
-Barney
Halloween Movie Quotes
With eleven Halloween horror films in the franchise, there’s a lot of room for great Halloween movie quotes. Micheal Myers doesn’t ever speak, but the people around him have a lot to say about him.
Halloween (1978)
“Was that the boogeyman?” -Tommy Doyle
“You know it’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good scare.” -Sheriff Brackett
Laurie: It was the boogeyman.
Dr. Loomis: As a matter of fact, that was.
“Death has come to your little town, Sheriff.” -Dr. Loomis
“He came home!” -Dr. Loomis
Sheriff Brackett: A man wouldn’t do that.
Dr. Loomis: This isn’t a man!
“He’s gone! He’s gone from here! The evil is gone!”
-Dr. Loomis
Probably one of the most famous Halloween movie quotes is spoken by Dr. Loomis to the sheriff:
“I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong.
I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and the blackest eyes, the devil’s eyes.
I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy’s eyes was purely and simply evil.”
Halloween II (1981)
Leigh Brackett: I think you missed him. No man could take six shots.
Sam Loomis: I’m telling you this isn’t a man.
Both of the Halloween movie quotes below are said by Dr. Loomis in the fourth film The Return of Michael Myers (1988).
“You’re talking about him as if he were a human being. That part of him died years ago.”
“We’re not talking about any ordinary prisoner, Hoffman! We are talking about evil on two legs.”
Halloween H20 (1998)
Norma: Oh. Miss Tate. I didn’t mean to make you jump. It’s Halloween. I guess everyone’s entitled to one good scare.
Keri: I’ve had my share.
“Mom, I am not responsible for you. That’s it, I’ve had enough. I can’t take it anymore mom. He’s dead. Michael Myers is dead.”
-John Tate
Will Brennan: Who was that?!
Laurie Strode: My brother.
“If you want to stay handcuffed to your dead brother, that’s fine. But you’re not dragging me along. Not anymore.“
-John Tate
Laurie Strode: My brother killed my sister.
Will Brennan: How did he do that?
Laurie Strode: With a really big, sharp, kitchen knife.
Will Brennan: What should I do?
Laurie Strode: Try to live.
Halloween (2018)
“He is a killer, but he will be killed tonight.”
-Laurie Strode
“Evil is real.”
-Laurie Strode
“He’s waited for this night. He’s waited for me. I’ve waited for him.”
-Laurie Strode
“Happy Halloween, Michael.”
-Laurie Strode
American Psycho Quotes (2000)
There are so many great American Psycho quotes in this cult classic, it’s hard to narrow it down to a few favorites. Most of the best movie lines come from the psychotic mind of killer Patrick Batemen. His commentary on life in the eighties is just as entertaining as his killing spree.
“I’m into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly.”
-Patrick Bateman
“I’m on the verge of tears by the time we arrive at Espace, since I’m positive we won’t have a decent table. But we do, and relief washes over me in an awesome wave.”
-Patrick Bateman
Evelyn: You’re inhuman.
Bateman: No. I’m in touch with humanity.
“There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable… I simply am not there.”
-Patrick Bateman
“I know that your friends are my friends and, uh, I’ve thought about that. You can have ’em.”
-Patrick Bateman
“I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion. Except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me, and I don’t know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.”
-Patrick Bateman
Krueger Quotes
The Nightmare on Elm Street horror films have a ton of memorable Freddy Krueger quotes. However, his dialogue can include dumb dad jokes, creepy sexual advances, bad puns and a lot of stuff that just hasn’t aged well. This is why a lot of Nightmare on Elm Street quotes are hit or miss today.
Freddy Krueger Nursery Rhyme
Classic lines that will never go out of style are the Freddy Krueger lyrics, sometimes called the Nightmare on Elm Street Song. It’s a nursery rhyme about Freddy, but it never had an official name.
The song is sung by creepy kids and here are the lyrics:
“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. Three, four, better lock your door. Five, six, grab your crucifix. Seven, eight, going to stay up late. Nine, ten, never sleep again.“
– A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984
Here’s a video with the classic nursery rhyme along with the new 2010 song about Freddy Krueger. Lyrics are the same in both versions.
“Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.”
– Nightmare on Elm Street 1984.
The quote above was said by Nancy and it summarizes the entire struggle for the kids living on Elm Street.
“Tell ’em Freddy sent ya!”
“You shouldn’t have buried me, I’m not dead.”
There are a couple fun Freddy Krueger quotes in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) too.
“Every town has an Elm Street. HAAA HA HA!”
“What’s with kids today, huh? No respect.”
The line about every town having an Elm Street is especially disturbing because it implies that Freddy can basically go anywhere.
I’m a huge fan of Jason Voorhees so leaving out Freddy vs Jason (2003) quotes just isn’t an option. The first line is one of your classic Freddy Krueger quotes which is aimed at Jason while Freddy kicks his butt.
“Welcome to MY nightmare”
Below is an entertaining dialogue, especially for Jason fans like me.
Kia: “Was that him? The guy you were talking about… Freddy Krueger?”
Lori: “No, that wasn’t the guy in my dream. That was somebody else.”
Linderman: “Who cares about some f***ing dream guy, Ok? That psycho in the hockey mask was real.”
Freeburg: “Dude, that goalie was pissed about something!”
Hellraiser Quotes
You have to admit, there are some great Hellraiser quotes out there. The Hellraiser horror films have been massacred by Dimension Films, so it’s surprising how many quality Pinhead quotes survived the franchise.
Most of these lines come from the first two horror films, not from the straight to video mediocrity created to keep a stranglehold on franchising rights.
Michael Myers managed to tear free of Dimension Film’s grasp after twenty years, so maybe Pinhead and the Cenobytes with be able to escape The Weinstein Company one day too.
Here are some great Pinhead quotes from the first Hellraiser movie.
“The box. You opened it. We came.”
“No tears, please. It’s a waste of good suffering.“
“We have such sights to show you!“
“We’ll tear your soul apart!“
Hellbound: Hellraiser II has some good pinhead quotes too.
“Your suffering will be legendary, even in hell!“
“Go on… but trick us again child, and your suffering will be legendary even in Hell!“
“Oh, Kirsty. So eager to play, so reluctant to admit it.”
Hellraiser Bloodline was the last Hellraiser that Clive Barker was really involved in and the last film to be released theatrically. Here are a couple of good lines from it, both said by Pinhead.
“Do i look like someone who cares what god thinks?”
“What you think of as pain is only a shadow. Pain has a face.”
“Allow me to show it to you. Gentlemen, I… Am… Pain.”
IT Movie Quotes
A list of horror movie quotes isn’t complete without a few good lines from the IT horror films. Tim Curry’s Pennywise made a generation fear clowns fear clowns. Here are a few IT movie quotes from the original movie and the 2017 version.
Original IT Movie (1990)
“What if It’s just some crazy guy in a clown suit?”
-Eddie Kaspbrak
“I’ll kill you all! Aha, I’ll drive you crazy, and I’ll kill you all! I’m every nightmare you’ve ever had. I am your worst dream come true! I am everything you ever were afraid of!”
-Pennywise
“BEEP BEEP Richie!” -Pennywise
“Oh yes, they float Georgie. They float. And when your down here with me, you’ll float too!”
-Pennywise
“Swear to me. Swear to me that if it isn’t dead, we’ll all come back.”
-Bill Denbrough
“Why does It have to be so mean?” -Bev Marsh
IT (2017)
“Do you need to be a virgin to see this f**king clown? Is that why I’m not seeing this sh*t?”
-Richie Tozier
“This isn’t real enough for you, Billy? I’m not real enough for you? It was real enough for Georgie!”
-Pennywise
“You know what these are? They’re gazebos! They’re bullshit!”
-Eddie Kaspbrak
“You’ll float down here. We all float down here. Yes, we do!”
-Pennywise
“And now I’m going to have to kill this f**king clown. Welcome to the Loser’s Club, a**hole!”
-Richie Tozier
“Swear… Swear if It isn’t dead… if It ever comes back… we’ll come back, too.”
-Bill Denbrough
The Shining Quotes
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
–Jack Torrance
“Redrum. Redrum. Redrum.” -Danny Torrance
“Danny’s not here Mrs. Torrance. Danny can’t wake up.”
-Danny Torrance
“Danny! Daddy’s home!” -Jack Torrance
“I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m just gonna bash your brains in.”
-Jack Torrance
Scream Movie Quotes
This wouldn’t be complete without Scream movie quotes because Scream re-defined horror. The characters in Scream are self aware, it’s almost like they all know they are starring in a horror film. The characters also know other horror movies exist and reference them frequently. Most important they are solid characters who fans can root for.
This was a big change from previous horror films. Instead of watching and rooting for the killer, Scream fans actually want the teens to win. This movie gives fans a lead actress to root for too. Sydney fights back, closes windows, locks doors and behaves like people want to behave in scary situations.
She is no damsel in distress!
The opening scene in Scream sets the stage for the audience by letting us know that anyone can die at anytime. Check out these Scream movie quotes from the 1996 film.
“If you were the only suspect in a senseless bloodbath, would you be standing in the horror section?”
-Randy Meeks
“Now Sid, don’t you blame the movies, movies don’t create psychos, movies make psychos more creative!”
-Billy
“I’m feelin’ a little woozy here.” -Stuart
“If I’m right about this, I could save a man’s life. Do you know what that would do for my book sales?”
-Gale Weathers
Ghostface: You still haven’t told me your name.
Casey Becker: Why do you want to know my name?
Ghostface: Because I want to know who I’m looking at.
“There’s always some stupid bullshit reason to kill your girlfriend. That’s the beauty of it all! Simplicity! Besides, if it gets too complicated, you lose your target audience.”
-Randy Meeks
Sidney Prescott: I already called the police.
Stuart: My parents are going to be so mad at me!
“There are certain RULES that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. For instance, number one: you can never have sex. BIG NO NO! BIG NO NO! Sex equals death, okay? Number two: you can never drink or do drugs. The sin factor! It’s a sin. It’s an extension of number one. And number three: never, ever, ever under any circumstances say, “I’ll be right back.” Because you won’t be back.”
-Randy Meeks
Purge Movie Quotes
You either love or hate the Purge franchise. I have been a big fan since watching the first movie. It’s also nice having a horror film opening to look forward to in July. Check out a few memorable quotes from the Purge films below.
The Purge (2013)
“Our target for this year’s purge is hiding in your home. You have one hour to find him and give him to us, or we’ll kill all of you.”
-Polite Stranger
“You just gave our son a gun. You wanna tell me what the hell we’re doing?”
-Mary Sandin
“Just remember all the good the purge does.”
-Mary Sandin
“Nothing is ever going to be okay again.”
-Zoey Sandin
The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
“It’s an unwritten purge rule, we don’t save lives. Tonight we take lives. We can’t have any interference. We can’t have heroes.”
-Purge Announcer
Leo: “The only way we stay alive is if we stay together.”
Liz: “People like us, we don’t survive tonight!”
The First Purge (2018)
“Tonight, we’ll see the good and evil in everyone.”
-Nya
“After tonight, nothing will ever be the same again.”
-Nya
“Citizens, this will be a tradition we celebrate every year. Join in the first Purge”
-President
More Horror Movie Quotes
“It could look like someone you know or it could be a stranger in a crowd. Whatever helps it get close to you.”
–It Follows, 2014
“Sometimes the world of the living gets mixed up with the world of the dead.”
–The Others, 2001
“I believe the most rational mind can play tricks in the dark.”
–The Woman in Black, 2012
“Boy, the next word that comes out of your mouth better be some brilliant f**kin’ Mark Twain sh*t. ‘Cause it’s definitely getting chiseled on your tombstone.”
-The Devil’s Rejects, 2005
“I’m here to kick a** and chew gum, and I’m all out of bubblegum.”
-They Live, 1988
“Louis, sometimes dead is better.”
–Pet Sematary, 1983
“I don’t have memories from this place, I have scars.”
–Insidious: The Last Key, 2018
“That’s my mother your pissing on!” –Dead Alive, 1992
“They think like us. They know where we are. They won’t stop until they kill us, or we kill them.”
–US, 2019
“He has his father’s eyes.” –Rosemary’s Baby, 1968