Halloween
"Alien" and "Psycho" are believed to be the most popular horror movies in the country based on Google searches. Pictured here is a carved pumpkin in a decorated neighborhood in Sierra Madre, California, on Oct. 31, 2013. Getty

Halloween is just a few days away and there's no shortage of holiday TV specials or horror movie marathons. Many people will tune into their favorite horror movies over the next couple of days while getting in the Halloween spirit. Certain films have become staples to turn to for scares at this time of the year. However, the two most popular scary movies in America might surprise you.

It would seem like one of the films featuring notorious horror movie killers like "Halloween's" Michael Myers, "A Nightmare On Elm Street's" Freddy Krueger or the "Friday the 13th" franchise's Jason Voorhees would be the most popular movies this time of year. However, the two most popular are actually the sci-fi classic "Alien" and Alfred Hitchcock's horror classic "Psycho."

According to research done by Halloween Express, a Halloween chain store who examined 20 of the most popular horror movies using IMDB and Google searches, "Alien" (1979) and "Psycho" (1960) remain the most searched horror movies in the United States. Halloween Express credits this to both of the films ability to "masterfully utilized ambience, tension, and shocking visuals to bring us to the edge of our seats and out of our comfort zone."

The other two films close to being the most popular are "The Shining” (1980) and “The Exorcist” (1973). Both films used people's fears of the supernatural to get the audience terrified and make them feel uncomfortable.

While as a country “Alien” and “Psycho” remain the most popular, when it’s broke down into major cities the results are all over the place. In New York City, the most popular horror film based on Google searches is "Friday The 13th" (1980), while nearby Philadelphia’s is "Poltergeist" (1982), according to Halloween Express.

Below is a list of the most popular horror films some of the major cities across the country:

  • Austin, Texas - "The Thing" (1982)
  • Dallas, Texas – "A Nightmare On Elm Street" (1984)
  • Denver, Colorado – "The Shining" (1980)
  • Los Angeles, California – "Alien" (1979)
  • Louisville, Kentucky – "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992)
  • Miami, Florida – "Carrie" (1976)
  • Nashville, Tennessee – "The Conjuring" (2013)
  • Orlando, Florida – "Halloween" (1978)
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – "Dawn Of The Dead" (1978)
  • San Jose, California – "The Others" (2001)
  • Washington D.C - "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (1992)
Halloween Horror Movies
Here are some of the most popular horror movies in a few of the major cities around America. Halloween Express

What's your favorite horror movie to watch this time of year? Sound off in the comments section below.

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