Scary Movies Trump Trick-or-Treating and Costume Parties as America's Favorite Way to Celebrate Halloween

Scary Movies Trump Trick-or-Treating and Costume Parties as America's Favorite Way to Celebrate Halloween

Redbox National Survey Reveals Movie Lovers' Favorite Frightening Films

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- What could be more fun than costume parties or trick-or-treating this Halloween? Watching a scary movie! According to the 2009 redbox "Halloween Thrillers" survey, 64 percent of Americans plan to watch a horror movie this Halloween. With all of the possible Halloween festivities, costume parties (17 percent) and trick-or-treating (17 percent) took a backseat to watching a scary movie (23 percent) on respondents' list of favorite Halloween activities. Following are facts about Halloween thrillers gathered from a nationwide survey of more than 600 redbox customers.

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Best Place to Watch a Scary Movie. When consumers were asked where they prefer to watch a horror movie, more than 60 percent of respondents said there is simply no place like home. Surprisingly, 80 percent of respondents said they prefer to brave the dark by watching a scary movie with the lights off while 77 percent said they'd even watch a horror flick alone.

Horror-Filled Classics. Standing the test of time, the 1973 classic "The Exorcist" was voted the best horror movie of all-time (19 percent) by redbox survey respondents. Following closely behind was the 1978 thriller "Halloween" (11 percent) and the 1984 cult classic "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (11 percent).

Memorable Monsters. You can't have a scary movie without a terrifying but memorable villain. More than 20 percent of respondents voted Hannibal Lecter from "The Silence of the Lambs" as the most frightening movie villain (21 percent). Meanwhile, younger respondents (ages 18-34) can't seem to get Michael Myers from "Halloween" (22 percent) or the infamous Freddy Krueger from "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (22 percent) out of their heads. Not only are respondents spooked by adult villains, but children scare consumers all the same. Damien Thorn from "The Omen" (23 percent) and Samara from the 2002 phenomenon "The Ring" topped the list as the creepiest kids in a movie.

The Voices in My Head. The eerie, dark words of a villain are certainly hard to forget. According to the redbox national survey, most respondents aged 35-65 agreed that the most memorable scary movie quote is "Heeeeere's Johnny" screeched by Jack Nicholson in the 1980 hit "The Shining" (33 percent). Respondents aged 18-34; on the other hand, can't forget the spine-chilling words "I see dead people" from the 1999 ominous film "The Sixth Sense" featuring Bruce Willis (26 percent).

Scary Movies at redbox. This Halloween, redbox is featuring a variety of frightening films that will keep scary movie lovers on the edge of their seat, including "Seventh Moon" starring Amy Smart, "The Thaw" featuring Val Kilmer and "The Haunted Airman" with Robert Pattinson.

Each fully automated redbox kiosk holds approximately 500 DVDs, representing up to 200 of the newest movie releases. Consumers simply use a touch screen to select their favorite movies, swipe a valid credit or debit card and go. Customers can keep the DVD for as long as they'd like, and return it to any one of redbox's more than 15,000 locations nationwide. After 25 nights, rental charges cease and the DVD is the customer's to keep.

For added convenience, customers also can visit www.redbox.com to choose their DVD online and pick it up at the redbox location of their choice.

About Redbox

Redbox Automated Retail, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinstar, Inc., offers new release DVD rentals through its network of conveniently located, self-service kiosks. Redbox has rented more than 500 million DVDs and is available at more than 15,000 locations nationwide, including select McDonald's restaurants, leading grocery and convenience stores, and Walmart and Walgreens locations in select markets. For more information, visit www.redbox.com.

Editor's Note:

The redbox "Halloween Thrillers" survey polled more than 600 redbox customers nationwide.

First Call Analyst:
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Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091008/NYFNSL05LOGO
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: Redbox Automated Retail, LLC

CONTACT: Katie Lundstrom of JSH&A Public Relations, +1-630-916-3033,
katiel@jsha.com, for Redbox Automated Retail, LLC

Web Site: http://www.redbox.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment