20 Hit Horror Movies NOBODY Saw Coming

18. Terrifier 2

Considering that the original Terrifier recouped just north of $400,000 against its tiny $55,000 budget, it was assumed that 2022's sequel would enjoy a modest uptick at best.

But the $250,000 follow-up ended up grossing a mind-boggling $15.8 million - more than 60 times its budget.

This was an astonishing outcome for not only a low-budget horror film but one that was released Unrated in cinemas, which often prevents cinema chains from screening it altogether.

But propelled forward by viral word-of-mouth, the growing popularity of the original on streaming, and clever marketing which played-up the gross-out factor, Terrifier 2 confirmed the IP to be a genuine ongoing franchise and Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) to be a bonafide genre icon.

Yet this was just the beginning, as Terrifier 3 went on to gross a truly unbelievable $90.3 million against a $2 million budget. Needless to say, the world will be watching to see how next year's Terrifier 4 performs.