This Is The Most Popular Horror Movie In Michigan

Debating your favorite Halloween movie is like arguing over your favorite Christmas movie. Everyone has a different favorite, and they're justified in their picks. There are so many great horror movies to watch in October and on Halloween it can be hard to pick a favorite. However, data often speaks louder than opinions. According to said data, we know what's the most popular horror movie in Michigan.

Casinos.com conducted a study to conclusively find out which horror movie is our favorite here in Michigan. To get their results, Casinos.com used Google Trends data for 20 of the most popular horror movies in the country and broke it down on a state-by-state basis. Basically, what this means is they looked at what popular movies were being Googled and looked up the most in every state.

When I see stats like this I always like to play along. I like to guess the movie before I see the results. So, what do I think is going to be Michigan's favorite horror movie? I expect it to be a movie that was filmed here in Michigan. Recently, we've had several horror movies filmed here in Michigan. There's It Follows, Don't Breathe, and Barbarian, among others. Barbarian was released in 2022 and stars Justin Long, Bill Skarsgård, and Georgina Campbell. It currently has an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's going to be my guess. I think it being a recently released movie with ties to Detroit will make it number one for Michigan on Google Trends. I'm thinking local.

According to Casinos.com, the most popular horror movie in the country this year is The Boogeyman. Nationally, it had a Google Trends score of 81.06 (out of a possible 100). However, in the state of Michigan, it was not the most popular. The title went to a different movie. Was it the movie I guessed? No. It wasn't. However, I was onto something! I'm giving myself a couple of points.

I know what you're wondering. "Is he saying 'it's' the most popular horror movie in Michigan" as in "this is?" No. I'm saying IT is the most popular horror movie in Michigan. I'm not trying to do some Abbott and Costello 'Who's On First?' bit. IT, the movie with Pennywise the clown, is our most popular horror flick. I did not guess that. However, I did guess a different movie starring Bill Skarsgård, so I'm issuing a couple of points to myself. If you, also, guessed one of his movies, feel free to give yourself some points, as well.

This doesn't come as much of a surprise. IT is a great movie, and it's a remake of a popular classic. That could help its Google Trends score. I have no issue with it being the most popular here in our state. It's one of those movies you can watch every October and it doesn't get old. I've seen it many times, and it's still just as spooky as it was during the first watch. That's when you know you have a good horror movie.

The Boogeyman and Halloween Ends both received good scores, as well. Again, no issues on that. I would have guessed one of our local movies would be higher on the list. However, none cracked the Top 10. The Boogeyman makes sense here because it was just released this year. Many people are Google'ing it to learn about it and see where they can watch it. It's one of the best new releases of 2023, so it's fair.

If you know me, you know I love horror movies. It's my absolute favorite genre. While I love to watch scary movies all year round, there's no arguing they're always better to watch during the month of October. Especially here in Detroit, where we get the perfect fall weather during October. Plus, my first ever airshift on WRIF was Halloween night, 1995. Metro Detroit is a great place to be for Halloween and has a lot of connections to horror movies. Did you know that several fantastic horror flicks have been filmed here in Detroit?

While talking with some coworkers the other day, the topic of horror films came up. My friend, Cort, asked about ones made here in Detroit, or with Detroit connections.

Many movies have been either filmed in Metro-Detroit or have been set in Detroit. It seems like most of them, at least lately, have been in the horror genre. Driving around parts of Detroit, it's easy to see why film directors and producers choose to film here. They can get everything they want for a quality horror film.

Like I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of great reasons to choose to film your horror movie in Detroit. You have that perfect Fall weather and colors that you can't really get in Los Angeles. There are rundown neighborhoods around the city that will go well with the tone of a horror movie. Additionally, Detroiters are passionate about our community and horror movies alike.

I've found five fantastic horror flicks that have been filmed here in Detroit. Many of them are recent movies, but some classics have Michigan ties, as well. However, not every movie filmed in Detroit has been a horror movie. Movies like 8 Mile, Four Brothers, and Gran Torino were all filmed in Detroit, among others. Hopefully, we'll soon see even more movies filmed here in Detroit, or Michigan, as lawmakers have introduced new film incentives for the state.

Before we get to the list, do you think you can name five horror movies that were filmed here in Detroit? Take a second to think about it. No Google'ing! That's breaking the rules. Think on it. Okay. Are you ready? Let's get to the list. Here are five horror flicks filmed here in Detroit! I suggest you watch these during the month of October for the best results. Maybe even on Halloween night...if you dare.

I think I watched this one for the first time during the pandemic. I believe my stepdaughter told me about it. We both share a love of this kind of stuff, so we keep each other informed.

This movie is killer! It takes place in Brightmoor, just outside of Detroit. I was as surprised as anyone in the theater when the girl looked at her phone and Motor City Casino popped up. Really good horror movie!

This one takes place in a dilapidated area of Detroit. This movie will fill you with anxiety for sure. Just watching the trailer brought me back to the theater where I watched it. Crazy movie!

This is one I need to revisit. It was written by Royal Oak native Sam Raimi and was supposed to take place here until he decided to move it to rural Tennessee. Of course, it spawned a whole series of Evil Dead movies. The latest, Evil Dead Rise, is one of the top horror movies of the year in my opinion.

After watching the latest Scream, it reminded me why I stopped watching this franchise. I'm not a huge fan. I remember when they were filming this one in downtown Plymouth. Just watch the trailer to see how many local areas, or people you recognize.

What's your favorite horror movie? Let us know in the comments!