What age should you see your first horror film?

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

IT’S OCTOBER AND THAT MEAN ‘SPOOKY SEASON’ IS IN FULL SWING! 

A NEW STUDY HAS FOUND THAT IF IF YOUR INTEREST IN HORROR STARTED WHEN YOU WERE A KID, CHANCES ARE YOU STILL CAN’T GET ENOUGH. 

IN FACT, THE POLL OF 2,000 U.S. ADULTS WHO CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN FOUND THAT ALMOST TWO-THIRDS (65%) SAW THEIR FIRST HORROR MOVIE BEFORE THEY WERE 11, AND ANOTHER 60 PERCENT AGREE THAT WATCHING YOUR FIRST SCARY MOVIE AT A SLUMBER PARTY IS A RIGHT OF PASSAGE.

THOSE KIDS WHO GREW UP TO BE HORROR HOUNDS AS ADULTS NOW FIND SUPERNATURAL AND PARANORMAL MOVIES (43%), PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS (40%) AND SLASHER FLICKS (30%) TO BE THEIR FAVORITES.

CONDUCTED BY TALKER RESEARCH ON BEHALF OF HI-CHEW, THE SURVEY FOUND AMERICANS AVERAGE WATCHING FIVE DIFFERENT SCARY MOVIES DURING THE SEASON, THOUGH 23 PERCENT WILL ENJOY 10 OR MORE.

AND ALMOST ONE-THIRD (29%) ADMIT THAT HORROR IS THEIR FAVORITE GENRE, NO MATTER THE SEASON.

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans who celebrate Halloween; the survey was commissioned by HI-CHEW and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between August 9 and August 16, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.