With Halloween fast approaching, many spooky season fans will be getting into the mood by snuggling down on the sofa and watching their favourite horror films.
But what you might not realise is that not only are these films special to you personally, they could also be worth thousands of pounds.
From The Shining to Nightmare on Elm Street, there are plenty of classic frightening flicks that are great for a Halloween movie night, but could make you a fortune if you have specific editions of these movies.
If you’re an avid collector of horror memorabilia, storage experts at Extra Room Self Storage have put together this handy guide to let you know which items can fetch the most if sold at auction.
Alien 1979 VHS – £6,883
It may have been 45 years since the first Alien movie was released, but it has become a cult classic that has led to a number of sequels and spin-offs that are still being produced today.
With Alien: Romulus having been released earlier this year, any VHS tapes of the original Alien film from 1979 could now be worth a fortune, fetching over £6,800 at online auctions, especially if they are still factory-sealed and preserved in mint condition.
Nightmare on Elm Street 1984 VHS – £6,119
Another franchise that has spawned multiple sequels and remakes over the last four decades is Nightmare on Elm Street, the film in which Johnny Depp made his debut at the age of just 21 years old.
At the time this film was released in 1984, VHS tapes were the normal way to watch films at home, and were in high supply. Film fans could never have expected that some day, a factory-sealed and never-opened original copy of this movie could be listed at auction for over £6,000.
Beetlejuice 1988 Rare Distortions competition prize promotional shirt – £1,999
Michael Keaton returned to cinema screens last month as ‘The Ghost with the Most’, more than 35 years after first playing Beetlejuice.
It is perhaps no surprise, then, that interest is once again spiking in rare merchandise from the original eighties film – including this promotional 3D-effect t-shirt that was originally offered as a limited-edition competition prize.
Despite having been worn, and not kept in pristine condition, the rare design of this garment means it can still be resold for up to £2,000 online, showing how much fans are willing to pay for rare merchandise from their favourite films.
Jack Nicholson autographed 11×14 framed photo from The Shining – £1,912
“Heeeeere’s Johnny!”. It’s one of the most iconic and oft-quoted moments from the world of horror movies, and has been immortalised in photographic prints of Jack Nicholson’s crazed face peering through the door in 1980 film, The Shining.
But while framed photographs of this still from the movie are relatively easy to come by, any that are autographed by Nicholson himself could earn you a pretty penny, fetching almost £2,000 in online auction.
This product comes complete with a unique authentication number to prove its authenticity, meaning you should check if signatures are genuine before listing online.
Scream 1996 movie ticket stub – £1,147
While it may seem like cinema tickets these days are just going up and up in price, this ticket stub from 1996, to see the original Scream film, has now rocketed in value to more than 150 times its original price.
The price displayed on the ticket, which was for the movie’s opening day in December 1996, reads $4.75, which would be the equivalent of around $9.50 (or £7.25) today.
However, thanks to being kept well-preserved in display sleeves by avid collectors, this unassuming piece of paper could now fetch you around £1,150 at auction.
The Exorcist original movie poster, 1973 – £761
Another piece of paper worth hundreds of pounds today is this 50-year-old movie poster for The Exorcist, which has well and truly earned its spot in the horror movie halls of fame.
As a result, posters produced at the time the film was released can fetch over £750 online, particularly if kept in good condition and not folded or rolled excessively.
To ensure rare collectors’ memorabilia such as these can be sold for the maximum amount at auction, Extra Room Self Storage, which can be found in Nuneaton in Warwickshire, provides storage rooms housed within modern, temperature- and humidity-controlled buildings, purpose-built for home or business storage.