Horror movies are filled with such iconic lines that they are sometimes more infamous than the films themselves. Some of them are just that scary, while others can be funny, often in a dark comedy sort of sense. An actor’s performance can make a simple line all the more memorable as much as it could just be well-written
In the filmmakers were aware of how catchy a line was, it might function as a movie’s tagline. Variations might appear in sequels and remakes. Sometimes, these lines become trendy in pop culture and can often be the subject of parody. Despite this, a famous line everyone thinks they remember from a film might actually be misquoted from what was actually said.
12 Dracula (1931) – “I never drink… wine.”
In 1931’s Dracula, the Count shares an old wine with Renfield, adding that he hopes he likes it. However, Renfield quickly notices that the Count himself isn’t drinking, Dracula explains, “I never drink… wine,” complete with a pause. Naturally, this is meant as a hint to the Count’s vampiric nature, as his drink of choice is blood. The Count’s strange pause also hints that he’s something unnatural passing as a human.
The line doesn’t appear in Bram Stoker’s famous novel, but Harker does notice that the Count doesn’t seem to eat or dink in his presence. Dracula does get a similar line explaining he doesn’t “sup,” meaning he doesn’t eat late, or so he claims. Dracula does keep a good supply of wine in his estate, as Harker enjoys the drink during his stay. The line and variations have since been incorporated in other film and theatrical versions of Dracula, usually for parody.
11 Suspiria (1977) – “Do you know anything about… witches?”
In Suspiria, Suzy Bannion is an American dancer who has enrolled at the German Tanz Akademie. However, things aren’t coming off to a good start. The first time she even encounters the school, another student, Pat Hingle, runs away into the woods. The girl is later reported dead, with a friend also dying in the chaos. Strange occurrences start happening in the school itself. Suzy also befriends another girl, Sara, who reveals that she was friends with Pat and might be looking into the weird happenings.
Up until this point, the film could have been seen as a typical, if avant-garde, giallo movie. Its transition into horror comes with Sara asking Suzy a question during a swim: “Susie, do you know anything about… witches?” Of course, an earlier hint that something supernatural is going on is in the main theme, in which the only audible word is “witch.”
10 The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
In The Silence of the Lambs, protagonist Clarice Starling is tasked with interviewing serial killed Hannibal Lecter. Starling especially hopes to use his insights to take down another serial killer, Buffalo Bill, who skins his victims.
Emphasizing Hannibal’s cannibalistic tendencies, he once shares a story about a census taker. He claims to have eaten the unfortunate bureaucrat, saying, “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti,” all for the crime of testing him. Hannibal then starts hissing at Clarice. This is said in response to Clarice telling him to take a good look at himself. Interestingly, one of Hannibal’s most famous lines in pop culture, “Hello, Clarice,” is never actually said in the film, the closest line being him wishing Clarice, “Good morning.”
9 The Wolf Man (1941) – “Even a man who is pure in heart…”
In The Wolf Man, Lawrence “Larry” Talbot has returned to his ancestral Welsh home to reunite with his father. During a wolf attack, Larry is bitten and cursed to become a werewolf. A poem appears throughout the story detailing the curse of lycanthropy, “Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.”
The poem emphasis the tragic nature of Larry’s plight, as even an innocent man could be forced into becoming a monster against his will. In other words, this is a story where defeating the monster won’t mean a happy ending. When hearing it, one character muses that the poem might be about the dual nature of the human psyche. The poem is repeated at least three different times in the story, causing Larry, after hearing it twice before, to quip, “So, you know that one, too, eh?” Though often mistaken for an old saying, the poem was written for the movie.
8 Carrie (1976) – “They’re all gonna laugh at you!”
Carrie is bullied by her classmates and tormented by her abusive mother, Margaret. A sympathetic classmate Sue Snell, after seeing the bullying go too far, decides to make it up to Carrie by arranging for her boyfriend to take her to the prom. While getting ready for the dance, Margaret snips that Carrie is making a fool of herself, saying, “He’s gonna laugh at you. They’re all gonna laugh at you!”
While Sue’s gesture was genuinely meant to be something, other bullies, however, want to see Carrie humiliated and arrange for her to be voted Prom Queen, all so she can get a bucket of pig’s blood dumped on her. After the prank goes through, Margaret’s voice mocks her, “They’re all gonna laugh at you!” All the while, Carrie can her the laughter of her classmates, whether in reality or in her imagination. Soon, however, Carrie unlocks a power of her own and wreaks her vengeance.
7 The Sixth Sense (1999) – “I see dead people.”
In The Sixth Sense, Cole Sear is a lonely boy who possess the titular ability, a sense breaking the veil between the mundane and supernatural. As he explains, “I see dead people.” Initially regarding this as his secret, Cole confides the line to child therapist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. Crowe initially assumes Cole as spooked by a graveyard or funerals, until Cole clarifies he’s talking about spirits of the dead. As Cole claims, ghosts often don’t realize they’re no longer alive, hinting at the film’s infamous twist that Crowe himself is another spirit.
Even before audiences saw the film, the line was already made famous by the trailer. The popularity of the line undercuts that Cole’s ability isn’t revealed until midway through the film.
6 The Shining (1980) – “Here’s Johnny!”
The Shining is a horror film based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their son Danny venture to the remote Overlook Hotel, where Jack has taken a job as a caretaker. While there, the residents, dark spirits, start to influence Jack until he becomes a danger to his family. In one famous scene, he targets Wendy, breaking down a bathroom door. Jack starts to mimic the Big Bad Wolf, demanding to be let in. When he breaks through, he says the famous line, “Here’s Johnny!,” smiling throughout.
“Here’s Johnny!” originated as Ed McMahon’s catchphrase to introduce Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The line doesn’t appear in the original book and was allegedly ad-libbed by Jack Nicholson. It’s also noteworthy that “Jack” is a nickname for John. The scene itself is based on a sequence from an earlier silent Swedish film, The Phantom Carriage.
5 When a Stranger Calls (1979) – “It’s coming from inside the house.”
When a Stranger Calls is a 1979 horror film loosely based on the classic urban legend of the babysitter and the man upstairs. Jill Johnson works as a sitter for a doctor’s children. While the children are sleeping, Jill gets a phone call asking if she has checked on the children. However, the calls keep coming and becoming more and more threatening. Soon, Jill calls the police for help. When the police reach her, she is told, “We’ve traced the call… it’s coming from inside the house,” warning her to leave the house. The children are already dead.
In the original 1979 film, this is only the opening, but this sequence takes up most of the story in the 2006 remake. The opening was also famously paid homage in Wes Craven’s Scream.
4 The Fly (1986) – “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”
In The Fly, a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, a teleportation experiment splices a scientist, Seth Brundle, with fly DNA, slowly transforming him into a monstrous hybrid. When Seth tries to force another character to use the teleporter, she protests, saying she’s too afraid to try it. Seth scolds her not to be afraid, only for reporter Ronnie to walk onto the scene and calmly respond, “No. Be afraid. Be very afraid.” Ronnie then explains that her testing has shown that Seth is transforming into something inhuman.
Used as a tagline for the film, “Be afraid. Be very afraid” has since been used as a tagline for other films. Uncredited producer Mel Brooks has been credited with coming up with the phrase, “Yes, be afraid, be very afraid,” as an ironic response to “Don’t be afraid” during a script-reading. Though likely meant as just a reaction, the line was ultimately incorporated into the script.
3 Jaws (1975) – “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
In Jaws, a monstrous shark is plaguing the people of Amity Island, dragging people off to their doom. A police chief, a marine biologist, and a shark hunter join forces to stop the shark, but even with the team-up, they might be underestimating the underwater threat.
While the three are at sea early on in their investigation, Martin Brody, the police chief, gets a first-hand look at the larger-than-life shark while laying down a chum line. Seeing the beast’s size firsthand, he soon walks back into the boat and calmly tells Quint, the shark hunter, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Soon, Quint is able to surmise that the shark is 25 feet long.
2 It (1990) – “You’ll float, too!”
One of the most famous scenes in Stephen King’s It when it was adapted to a miniseries was Georgie’s death. At the start, set in 1960, little George Denbrough is playing with a paper boat, only for it to go down a storm drain. When he goes down to get it, he encounters Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Georgie has the sense to be cautious around strangers, but Pennywise tempts him with the boat, cotton candy, and balloons in all sorts of colors.
When Georgie asks if they float, the sinister clown proclaims, “Oh, yes… They float, Georgie… They float… and when you’re down here with me… You’ll float, too!” Pennywise grabs Georgie’s arm, bringing the doomed child to his tragic fate. In the 2017 remake, the line, and variations of it, are said to different characters. In one notable scene, Pennywise taunts Georgie’s surviving brother Bill by impersonating the murdered boy, all the while chanting, “You’ll float, too!” The phrase becomes louder and louder as “Georgie” starts to rot.
1 Scream (1996) – “What’s your favorite scary movie?”
Scream is a cult-classic slasher movie revolving around a masked killer known as Ghostface. The film opens up with an homage to When A Stranger Calls, in which a high school student, Casey Becker, gets a mysterious phone call while home alone. The person on the other line initially appears to have called her up by accident and seems friendly enough. Eventually, the two start talking casually. Noticing Casey has made popcorn, the caller asks her, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” The two even start to discuss their favorite horror movies.
Soon, however, the caller slowly becomes more threatening and clearly knows more about Casey than a stranger would. To her horror, the stranger even has her boyfriend Steve bound and gagged outside the house. Casey is forced into a sadistic game where she is asked who was the killer of Friday the 13th. When she accidentally replies with Jason, and not his mother, Steve is killed as punishment. Before the end of the night, Casey meets her doom as well.
