The horror genre has its successes and failures. Franchises such as The Conjuring, Scream, and Resident Evil rank among the highest grossing horror franchises and continue generating millions through their sequels. There are also horror movies that, while disturbing, prove a financial failure and rarely continue forward with sequels. Ultimately, it's a numbers game; here are nine low-budget horror movies that doubled their returns.

9 A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Freddy Krueger A Nightmare on Elm Street
New Line Cinema

A lucrative franchise in the slasher genre, Wes Craven only invested 1.1 million dollars into this film. Before A Nightmare on Elm Street, Craven's only notable box office success was The Hill Have Eyes, little did he know that A Nightmare on Elm Street would bring in $57 million at the box office and lead to his second most profitable franchise next to Scream.

8 Carrie (1976)

Sissy Spacek in Carrie.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer & United Artists

Stephen King's best-selling novel made great source material for director Brian De Palma's adaptation, but it was still a gamble for the young director, who was relatively new to the horror genre. Nevertheless, Carrie proved a box office success, making $33.8 million from it's 1.8 million dollar budget, and paved the way for Brian De Palma's highest grossing directorial achievement, Mission Impossible.

7 Terrifier 2 (2022)

Terrifier 2 The Revenge 1
Bloody Disgusting

Damien Leone's first Terrifier installment received a limited theatrical release, with mixed reviews by both audiences and critics. Nevertheless, Damien Leone pushed forward and with only a budget of $250,000, some of which consisted of online crowdfunding, Leone produced Terrifer 2. Despite a temporary delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Terrifier 2 released in Fall of 2022 and exceeded all expectations by making $11.5 million at the box office. Unlike its predecessor, Terrifer 2 was highly praised for its superior plot, character development from its characters, and its compelling lead, Sienna Shaw, portrayed by Lauren LaVera.

6 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

A Scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974
Bryanston Distributing Company

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is known as one of the most popular slasher franchises ever, but the film that prompted its success had several road blocks on its way to production and distribution. Director Tobe Hooper was relatively unknown before The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with only the indie film Eggshells to his name in mainstream media; production was long and draining for cast and crew alike, with Tobe Hopper shooting for long hours to finish shooting as soon as possible. Lastly, the film's subject matter made it difficult to secure its distributor until it was finally picked up by Bryanston Distribution Company. Fortunately, the production team's laborious efforts paid off as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre grossed $30.9 million domestically with a budget of roughly $140,000; an indisputable commercial success.

5 Psycho (1960)

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates Psycho
Paramount Pictures

Psycho is synonymous with director Alfred Hitchcock and is arguably the director's most popular film. While Hitchcock was already a well-known director, Psycho was his first horror production, and with it came some subversion from usual Hollywood filmmaking. Audiences were surprised when Marion Crane's character is murdered midway through the film, when she was presented as the protagonist, only to introduce her sister, Lila, as the actual lead with a series of new characters. Additionally, the film was released amidst the decline of the Hays Code; it received controversy for its suggestive material, such as Marion Crane's shared bed scene with her lover, and the film's iconic shower murder scene. With a budget of roughly $800,000, the film proved one of Hitchcock's greatest investments, grossing $50 million at the box office and often considered revolutionary to filmmaking.

Related: These Are the Highest-Grossing Horror Movie Franchises of All Time

4 Saw (2004)

Saw 4
Lionsgate

Saw popularized the escape room horror subgenre. James Wan's first time directing a feature film, his preproduction process involved filming a 16mm short film to showcase his script's iconic jaw trap scene to producers. The end product left producers impressed and resulted in them financing Saw's $1.2 million budget. With a box office revenue of $103.9 million and a franchise worth over $1 billion, Saw remains one of Hollywood's most successful horror concepts.

3 Paranormal Activityparanormal-activity-movie

Following in the footsteps of The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity uses the found footage subgenre to convey its story. Set in San Diego, Katie and Micah move into their new home and soon become victims to paranormal happenings. In their investigation towards discovering what's tormenting them, they set up a camera to record the supernatural happenings occurring inside their home. Paranormal Activity brought in a revenue of $193.4 million, making back almost ten times its $230,000 budget and leading to an $890 million franchise.

Related: Every Ethan Hawke Horror Movie Ranked By Box Office Gross

2 Halloween (1978)

Halloween 1978 (2)
Compass International Pictures

John Carpenter's groundbreaking Halloween started off with a budget of approximately $325,000. It relied on a simple concept, cast a handful of actors, and executed great direction that came together to generate $70 million at the box office, along with becoming one of the best-known horror franchises ever.

1 Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project
Artisan Entertainment

The Blair Witch Project popularized the found footage genre where other films before it failed to do so. A great part of its success is credited to its marketing strategy; TV spots and trailers advertised it as the found footage of three missing film students. Additionally, the actors themselves went into seclusion for weeks leading up to the film's release, adding to its overall credibility. The careful planning from the filmmakers paid off, with The Blair Witch Project grossing $248.6 million in the box office from a budget of $500,000. To this day, The Blair Witch Project remains the highest-grossing film in the found footage subgenre.