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What is the best horror film set in New York?
- Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
- Jaws (1975)
- American Psycho (2000)
- Scream 6 (2023)
- Amityville Horror (1979)
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
- Get Out (2017)
- Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
As another spooky season dawns, eyeballs are once again focused on the cavalcade of ghosts and goblins parading across our screens.
One frightful flick in particular seems to have endeared itself to viewers in the Empire State: “Jaws” is considered the best horror movie set in New York, according to Buzzfeed.
The 1975 thriller, directed by Steven Spielberg, stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, who, along with a marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss) and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw), hunts a homicidal shark terrorizing beachgoers in the fictional Long Island town of Amity Island. (The movie was actually filmed in Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.)
“Arguably one of the best movies of all time, Jaws really changed the landscape for terror,” Buzzfeed said. “If you have a fear of sharks, 25-foot sharks (3 tons of 'em), this is the film for you!”
The film’s iconic theme music, featuring two notes played in repetition, won legendary movie composer John Williams an Academy Award for best original dramatic score in 1976. The film was also nominated for best picture.
Not into killer sharks? Maybe psychological thrillers are more your cup of tea.
“Rosemary’s Baby” was hailed as the best horror movie set in New York by The Hard Times.
The 1968 award-winning film, based on Ira Levin’s novel of the same, stars Mia Farrow as an expectant wife living in Manhattan who begins to suspect that her neighbors are members of a Satanic cult who have sinister plans for her baby.
It was directed by Roman Polanski, whose pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate, was murdered in the Hollywood Hills alongside four friends by members of the Manson Family in August 1969.
Considered by many to be the greatest horror film of all time, Rosemary’s Baby made over $33 million worldwide at the box office.
The movie received several Golden Globe Award nominations, including best supporting actress for Ruth Gordon, which she won. It also snagged an Edgar Allan Poe Award for best motion picture.
Other spooky flicks set in the Empire State include:
- American Psycho (2000)
- Scream 6 (2023)
- Amityville Horror (1979)
- Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
- Cloverfield (2008)
- Get Out (2017)
- Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
What Do You Think?
What is the best horror film set in New York? Sound off in our poll above.
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