"Halloween" Horror Films: Why People Are Dying To Get Their Fear Fix

LOS ANGELES (CBSNEWS.COM) - Michael Myers is back, for the 11th time if you're counting. But this latest resurrection in the "Halloween" film franchise has a lot going for it. For starters, critics actually seem to like this one.

Maybe that's because it's actually about something – not the killer, but the trauma Jamie Lee Curtis' character has been through since we first saw her fending off Myers' deadly invasion 40 years ago.

(L-R) Andi Matichak, Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer attend the Universal Pictures' "Halloween" premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 17, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

But here's the thing about Curtis and her life-long connection with death: "You know, I don't like to be scared," she told CBS News. "I really don't! There is no amount of money you could pay me to go to a scary movie!"

But these days, audiences are dying to pay to get their fear fix. This year's sequel to the original "Halloween" had a monster opening, scaring up a staggering $77.5 million.

It's the latest in a string of horror movies that have been killing it at the box office. In 2018 there was "A Quiet Place" ($188 million domestic), "The Meg" ($142 million), and "The Nun" ($116 million).

Last year, Stephen King's "It" earned more than $700 million worldwide. That's almost super-hero kind of money, says Vulture film critic Jordan Crucchiola. "It was the most profitable year in the genre in at least a quarter of a century," Crucchiola said.

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