# The 15 Biggest Low-Budget Horror Hits of All Time

> Shot in a week, funded by friends, released on a shoestring, and still bigger than the studio films around them. Which tiny budget bought the biggest scare?

*By YPB Team · Published October 17, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-15-biggest-low-budget-horror-hits-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **The Blair Witch Project** — score 1000/1000
   1999 found-footage phenomenon shot for tens of thousands of dollars that grossed nearly $250 million.
2. **Night of the Living Dead** — score 579/1000
   George A. Romero's 1968 zombie classic shot on a shoestring in Pennsylvania.
3. **Paranormal Activity** — score 550/1000
   2007 haunted-house film made for about $15,000 that launched a whole franchise.
4. **Unfriended** — score 491/1000
   2014 screen-life horror made for about $1 million that told its story entirely on a laptop.
5. **Obsession** — score 440/1000
   Curry Barker's 2026 horror, made for under $1 million, that passed $400 million worldwide.
6. **Talk to Me** — score 440/1000
   The Philippou brothers' 2023 debut, made for about $4.5 million, that grossed over $90 million.
7. **Saw** — score 440/1000
   James Wan's 2004 trap thriller shot in 18 days that became a billion-dollar franchise.
8. **The Texas Chain Saw Massacre** — score 381/1000
   Tobe Hooper's raw 1974 shocker made on a tiny budget in the Texas heat.
9. **Skinamarink** — score 381/1000
   2022 experimental nightmare made for about $15,000 that went viral after leaking online.
10. **Terrifier 2** — score 381/1000
   2022 splatter sequel funded partly by crowdfunding that became a surprise theatrical hit.
11. **The Evil Dead** — score 314/1000
   Sam Raimi's 1981 cabin-in-the-woods debut funded by friends and local investors.
12. **Halloween** — score 237/1000
   John Carpenter's 1978 slasher, made for around $300,000, that defined the genre.
13. **Iron Lung** — score 237/1000
   Markiplier's self-financed 2026 film, made for about $3 million, that grossed over $51 million.
14. **Insidious** — score 147/1000
   2010 haunting made for about $1.5 million that turned into a long-running series.
15. **Get Out** — score 0/1000
   Jordan Peele's 2017 social thriller made for $4.5 million that won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Tags: movies, horror, indie, box office