@gromit82​,

Sorry, I accidentally inserted the wrong version, when I typed in "House of Wax" to add the title. The data applies to the 1953 original, not the 2005 remake. I have made the correction to the list. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/top_lifetime_gross_adjusted/?adjust_gross_to=2022&offset=110

Horror Movies Ranked by Most Domestic Tickets Sold HM

This list corroborates the information ranking posted between on the two lists, but by adjusting the box office receipts for inflation outright. wheresthejump.com/highest-grossing-horror-movies-at-the-box-office/.

@gromit82​ Do you remember any horror movies that were a big deal when they came out, that are not on the two lists?

@TheOldJalapenoman​ You are correct about Rocky Horror Picture Show, it was a flop, until a NYC exhibitor got the idea of showing the film at midnight. It take many weekends for the crowds to grow larger than ones they had during to the day, and he noticed it was the same kids who were showing up week after week. The distributor noticed the anomoly, and started showing it at midnight in other cities, eventually the film went nationwide with weekend midnight shows and sparking the tradition that continues to this day.

I saw the 1976 King Kong in theaters too with my brother and we thought it was pretty good. I remember the same comments, but thought it was pretty harsh and thought she was perfect for the role. I thought Jeff Bridges was perfect for his role too. The DVD boxes today probably herald the two on front with "Oscar Winner" over their names.

Do you remember any horror movies that were a big deal when they came out, that are not on the two lists?

@urbanemovies​ 

The first movie to come immediately to mind is "The Fog."  It was one of the first movies that Jamie Lee Curtis did after her success with "Halloween."  I thought that this movie was pretty weak.

I used to work in a theatre that had done Rocky Horror midnight shows for years.  It was a real mess cleaning that place up.  The showings stopped one year after the kid who won a costume contest and got his picture in the paper one week in his makeup and costume then shot his parents (and the photo that the newspaper had on file was one of him dressed up for Rocky Horror).  Every theatre in the city stopped midnight movies of Rocky Horror for a couple of years.

One of the big reasons (well, more than one...) that my brother and I both enjoyed Jessica Lange were her see through costumes and nudity.  Hey, we were teenagers!

@urbanemovies​ 

Was "Damien:  Omen II" on the list?  I remember the theatre being pretty crowded for that one.

What about:

Psycho II  (It was really popular the first few weeks)

Single White Female  (more psychological horror than classic horror)

Fatal Attraction 

@TheOldJalapenoman​

I suspect there are some horror movies without unreported box office that may be not listed, like Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931) or another big event, groundbreaking horror film. Also, I maybe missing an obvious choice that I may not considered horror by some, like Black Swan, although I think I am pushing the limits in that regard. The cutoff is 15M North American tickets and Blade (1998) and Friday the 13th (1980) just miss that threshold. I considered 'The Birds' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', but both did not cross the 15M threshold. All five give you an idea of the type of the splash the film had to make when it came out.

Great suggestions, all made a big splash, but were not big enough hits with exception of Fatal Attraction (1987), which I think lacks a couple key elements to make the claim it is a psychological horror film.

Damien: Omen II (1978) 11,506,634 estimated tickets

The Fog (1980) 7,973,545 estimated tickets

Psycho II (1983) 11,188,912 estimated tickets

Single White Female (1992) 11,743,747 estimated tickets

Fatal Attraction (1987) 39,680,700 estimated tickets

but more psychological thriller than psychological horror

[REVIEW] Is ‘Fatal Attraction’ (1987) A Horror Film?

I am always impressed with smart casting decisions, that seem risky at the time, but in hindsight seem to be prothetic. Lange's bathing waterfall scene, her girl next-door looks, and sex appeal are key selling points of the movie, not to mention I think it was unfair to claim she was a poor actress. In hindsight, she had the same ingenue feel that I think Fay Wray brought to the role four decades earlier.