In horror movies, just like in real life, people seek out their local library in search of information to help them understand why terrifying events are unfolding around them. Sometimes the library itself is the source of those terrible events. Other times, the evil creeps into the stacks.
RELATED: 10 Horror Movies You Didnt Know Were Based On Real World Stories & Folklore
Memorable library scenes in horror movies abound. Though not all the movies on this list are strictly considered horror, every scene mentioned is iconic and bone-chilling in its own way. Read on...if you dare.
Ivan Reitman's beloved horror-comedy includes one of the most unforgettable opening scenes in cinematic history. Itjust so happens to take place within the walls of the historic New York Public Library.
Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler (played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis, respectively) investigate a haunting at the library after a floating spectral entity startles a diminutive librarian in the stacks. Card catalogue entries go flying, books pile up, and the spirit, apparently of a long-dead librarian, shushes patrons left and right.
Thisaddition to theHannibal Lecter franchise is an effective psychological thriller starring Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, and Edward Norton. Hopkins reprises his role while Fiennes plays fellow serial killer Francis Dolarhyde, and Norton plays the detective trying to track him down, Will Graham.
When investigators find a toilet paper note from Dolarhyde in Lecter's cell, they discover Lecter intends to send a secret code to his demented compatriot in the National Tattler. Agent Lloyd Bowman visits the lavish Library of Congress in Washington D.C. to crack the code. Using a cookbook, he figures out Lecter intends to publish Graham's home address, telling Dolarhyde, "Save yourself. Kill them all."
Considered the first British talking picture, Blackmail is an early feature from Alfred Hitchcock. After the girlfriend of a Scotland Yard detective kills an artist in self defense after he who tries to assault her, a witness to the crime attempts to blackmail the couple.
RELATED: Alfred Hitchcock's 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes
The movie includes an architecturally stunning chase scene at the British Museum in London, home at the time to the massive Reading Room maintained by the British Library. The Reading Room is a national treasure; its labyrinthine corridors and floor-to-ceiling shelving contribute to the building suspense.
The Changeling is a slow and creaking haunted house film anchored by a commanding performance from George C. Scott, who plays a composer named John Russell. After his wife and daughter are killed in a car accident, he moves to Seattle from NYC, purchasing an isolated Victorian mansion he comes to believe is occupied by supernatural forces.
John decides to conduct his own investigation in the history of the home. After visiting the historical society, he swings by his local library to dig into newspaper archives. With the help of a librarian, he uses a microfiche machine to read old issues of the Seattle Daily Times.
In the first part of Andy Muschietti's remake of Stephen King's It, Derry newcomer Ben Hanscom spends most of his time in the local library in order to avoid the town's vicious bullies. As the Losers Club begins to form in order to combat Pennywise, the entity murdering the city's children, Ben does some research in his favorite public place to trace Pennywise's path of death and gore.
RELATED: You'll Float, Too: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The IT Movies
The shapeshifting monster comes after Ben in the stacks by actualizing the boy's fears. As It's red balloon calling card floats through the reading room, Ben follows it into the dark basement archives, where the headless ghost of a child pursues him.
A satirical horror gem in line with Scream, Behind the Mask dissects and analyzes the genre by employing a mockumentary style to document the trials and tribulations of an aspiring serial slasher. The killer, played by Nathan Baesel, develops his own unique supernatural legend as he targets college students at the nearby university.
Vernon plans an elaborate murder in the university library, where none other than Zelda Rubinstein from Poltergeist plays the librarian. Vernon's sights are set on a young woman named Kelly. With his crazed farmer attire and weaponry, Vernon goes after her in the stacks. Robert Englund, also known as Freddy Krueger, appears on the scene as a psychologist obsessed with Vernon.
1998's Urban Legend features a cast of beautiful young actors who are hunted down by an unknown killer. These actors, whose characters attend a college in New England, include Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, and Rebecca Gayheart. The killer stages the murdersbased on various urban legends. Witt's character Natalie embodies the nerd girl stereotype, and she decides to read up on urban legends at her school library.
RELATED: 10 Horror Movies From The '90s That Can Still Scare Us
Natalie becomes a frequent visitor of the monumental, ornate building as she inches closer and closer to discovering the identity of the person killing her classmates. The movie includes some real epic scenes involving check-out cards and missing yearbooks.
Dystopian and cruel, Stanley Kubrick's adaption of Anthony Burgess's science fiction novel stars Malcolm McDowell as Alex, the leader of a felonious and reprehensible youth gang known as "droogs." After Alex is sentenced to 14 years in prison for murdering a woman during a home invasion, the film follows his experiences as an incarcerated man.
Alex spends most of his time in the austere prison library, reading old Bible stories about torture and war. It's in the library he first learns about the Ludovico technique, a tortuous aversion therapy he agrees to try out.
David Fincher's gloomy and graphic whodunnit stars Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as a pair of Los Angeles detectives investigating a series of murders inspired by the seven deadly sins. Los Angeles is depicted as a decrepit and amoral town, and the film's moodiness comes to a head at the local library.
It's there, among its dimly lit corridors, Freeman's character Somerset reads up on tales of Christian retribution. He is able to locate the killer's apartment based on book records. While some librarians may take issue with the privacy breach, it's still a harrowing scene.
Long before Netflix's You, there was the creepy stalker movie Twisted Nerve. In it, a man named Martin becomes infatuated with Susan, a woman he spies in a toy store. He pretends to be a man with special needs named Georgie in order to snake his way into the Susan's life.
Martin as Georgie pursues Susan, following her to her after-school job shelving books at a local library. Viewers get to glimpse upon a neo-gothic public institution full of vintage bound titles as Martin's sanity wanes.
NEXT: Look Out, Netflix & Hulu: 10 Free Streaming Services You Can Access With A Library Card
Next10 Time Travel Movies That Are Not Sci-Fi (According To IMDb)
Megan is a public librarian by trade obsessed with the intersections between art, culture, and society. She's a nerd for horror, obscure memes, weird history, graphic novels, and binge-worthy science fiction series.
Go here to see the original:
Spooked In The Stacks: 10 Iconic Horror Movie Library Scenes - Screen Rant
- 'Immaculate' ending explained: Was the baby a demon? - Business Insider - April 2nd, 2024
- 10 Horror Movies That Would Have Ended Earlier If Their Heroes Were Smarter - CBR - Comic Book Resources - April 2nd, 2024
- Terrifier 3 director reveals they filmed 'most insanely horrific scenes' that nearly made lead actor vomit on set - UNILAD - April 2nd, 2024
- The Latest Stephen King Horror Movie Has A Killer Cast And Director - SlashFilm - April 2nd, 2024
- THE FIRST OMEN 2024: Release Date, Cast, Plot, And Everything You Need to Know - FANGORIA - April 2nd, 2024
- Sting Review | Excellent Creature Feature with an Emotional Backdrop - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- IMMACULATE Interview with Director Michael Mohan, Discussing the Making of the Film, Reactions to the Ending, and ... - Daily Dead - April 2nd, 2024
- Mood 'Windigo' - Book and Film Globe - April 2nd, 2024
- A 2016 Thriller Is The Top Movie On Netflix Right Now - HuffPost - April 2nd, 2024
- 10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Beetlejuice, 36 Years Later - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- All the Horror Movies We Can't Wait To See in 2024 - The Mary Sue - April 2nd, 2024
- A Buzzy Korean Horror Movie Is Sneakily One Of The Biggest Box Office Hits Of 2024 - SlashFilm - April 2nd, 2024
- Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3 horror movie confirmed, after second film debuted to a surprise perfect Rotten ... - Gamesradar - April 2nd, 2024
- Fear Street 4 Is Reviving An Old Horror Trend That Was Perfected 48 Years Ago - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- Lisa Frankenstein Hides The Fact That It Cast The Real Star Of 2023's Viral $181 Million Horror Movie - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- Finally, Someone Confirms That A Sequel To HELLRAISER Is In The Works - FANGORIA - April 2nd, 2024
- We're definitely hard at work on: Hellraiser Sequel Promises to Be Even More Terrifying as Producer Vows to Take ... - FandomWire - April 2nd, 2024
- Future Chucky Movie Will Connect To The Series, Says Don Mancini - Screen Rant - April 2nd, 2024
- After Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, Freddy and Jason Need to Cameo in the Poohniverse - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- Chucky Creator Reveals He is Working on a New Child's Play Movie: 'Whatever Keeps Me Working' - MovieWeb - April 2nd, 2024
- AI In Late Night With The Devil Sparks Controversy - Forbes - March 24th, 2024
- A horror movie based on a Stephen King novel with a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score is climbing Netflix's top 10 - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- This is why we're so obsessed with nuns in horror movies - according to the official source, a nun - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- Stephen King reveals the one horror movie he couldn't sit through as he was too scared - UNILAD - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night With the Devil directors address the use of AI art in the film - JoBlo.com - March 24th, 2024
- David Dastmalchian on Late Night with the Devil, The Life of Chuck and Good Fiend Films - Kansas City Pitch - March 24th, 2024
- Welcome to the Poohniverse: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Team to Unite Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell and More in Low-Budget Horror Crossover (EXCLUSIVE)... - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night with the Devil is the best horror movie of the year so far - Yahoo Movies Canada - March 24th, 2024
- Sydney Sweeney 'wanted to be drenched in blood' in 'Immaculate' - Entertainment Weekly News - March 24th, 2024
- Film of the Week: 'Stopmotion' - The best horror film of 2024 so far - Euronews - March 24th, 2024
- How to Watch Immaculate: Is the Sydney Sweeney Movie Streaming? - TheWrap - March 24th, 2024
- THE FIRST OMEN: A Battle With The Devil And An NC-17 Rating FANGORIA - FANGORIA - March 24th, 2024
- Elevated Horror: The New Wave of Artful Scares Taking Over Hollywood - LRM Online - March 24th, 2024
- Late Night With the Devil Plot Explained: The True Meaning of the Movie - The Direct - March 24th, 2024
- David Chase is directing his first film in 12 years. Its a horror movie. - NJ.com - March 24th, 2024
- Us Was The Box Office Hit That Gave Jordan Peele True Power In Hollywood - SlashFilm - March 24th, 2024
- Cast of 'Gremlins': Catch Up With the Stars of the '80s Hit - First For Women - March 24th, 2024
- 'Immaculate' Review: Sydney Sweeney Is Wide-Eyed but Sly - The New York Times - March 24th, 2024
- Sydney Sweeney explains that bloody 'Immaculate' ending - Entertainment Weekly News - March 24th, 2024
- When Will Sydney Sweeney's Horror Film, 'Immaculate,' Be Available to Stream? - AOL - March 24th, 2024
- Blumhouse to Return Insidious and Other Titles to Theaters for Halfway to Halloween Fest - Hollywood Reporter - March 16th, 2024
- Every Movie In The Wrong Turn Franchise Ranked - SlashFilm - March 16th, 2024
- Blumhouse Celebrating 'Halfway to Halloween' With Five Horror Movies Returning to 100 AMC Movie Theaters - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- DeWanda Wise Sings Creepy Theme Of New Horror Film: 'Imaginary' - The Root - March 16th, 2024
- Hostel: Part II (2007) WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? - JoBlo.com - March 16th, 2024
- New LEPRECHAUN Movie Will Be Funny, Scary And Full Of Practical Effects - FANGORIA - March 16th, 2024
- Blumhouse Celebrating Halfway to Halloween With Five Horror Movies Returning to 100 AMC Movie Theaters - IMDb - March 16th, 2024
- The Horror Nail-Biter On Max With A Controversial Ending - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- "Says the person who was in Madame Web": Sydney Sweeney is Getting Skewered for Saying Modern Horror Movies ... - FandomWire - March 16th, 2024
- First trailer for horror movie reboot The Crow features an unrecognizable Bill Skarsgrd on a bloody mission of revenge - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- You'll Never Find Me Is Unforgettable Horror, See The Terror In Action - Giant Freakin Robot - March 16th, 2024
- The First Omen star has seen all of your internet theories about the horror movie prequel and, well, they're all wrong - Gamesradar - March 16th, 2024
- Sltface take on horror movies with their new single, 'Final Grl' - Dork Magazine - March 16th, 2024
- From 'Five Nights at Freddy's' to 'Imaginary': Why Blumhouse loves PG-13 horror - theday.com - March 16th, 2024
- The First Omen's Big Death Reveal Really Doesn't Bode Well For The Prequel - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- 20 Scariest Horror Movies to Come Out in the Last 5 Years - MovieWeb - March 16th, 2024
- 'The Animal Kingdom' Exclusive Clip Previews the Gnarly Body Horror of Magnet's New Movie - Bloody Disgusting - March 16th, 2024
- 'Oddity' Review: This Supernatural Horror Film Will Tear You To Pieces | SXSW 2024 - Collider - March 16th, 2024
- "Marketing is failing this movie tremendously": David Dastmalchian's Late Night With the Devil Dubbed as One of the ... - FandomWire - March 16th, 2024
- STOPMOTION is a handcrafted tale of beauty and horror - Moviejawn - March 16th, 2024
- Horror Lovers Will Love this Dining Spot in Texas - klaq.com - March 8th, 2024
- Is Late Night With The Devil Based On A True Story? - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Kooky King: 6 of the Weirdest Stephen King Film Adaptations - Nightmare on Film Street - March 8th, 2024
- The Unknown, the Viral Willy Wonka Experience Villain, Is Already Getting Their Own Horror Movie - IGN - March 8th, 2024
- 13 Original Horror Movies We Can't Wait to See in 2024 - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- From 'Imaginary' to 'Five Nights at Freddy's.' Why Blumhouse loves PG-13 horror - Los Angeles Times - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary Movie Review: M3gan Meets The Boogeyman - Mama's Geeky - March 8th, 2024
- Christopher Nolan Originally Conceived Inception As A Horror Movie - SlashFilm - March 8th, 2024
- 'Whalefall' Movie in the Works From 'No One Will Save You' Director Brian Duffield - The Mary Sue - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based On THE UNKNOWN From Glasgow's WILLY WONKA Experience In The Works Horror Movie ... - CBM (Comic Book Movie) - March 8th, 2024
- Horrifying 'Late Night With The Devil' Trailer Released - Outkick - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary review: M3GAN, take the wheel - Dexerto - March 8th, 2024
- The Unknown: Horror Movie Based on Unofficial Willy Wonka Experience Is in the Works - ComingSoon.net - March 8th, 2024
- Imaginary Film Review: Light on Frights - Loud And Clear Reviews - March 8th, 2024
- Dead Mail Directors on Their '80s Horror Influences - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- HORROR BEAT: Blumhouse offers a non-update on the future of THE EXORCIST - Comics Beat - March 8th, 2024
- And the Oscar for best picture doesn't go to ... horror! - NPR - March 8th, 2024
- Shaitaan OTT Release: When And Where To Watch R Madhavan And Ajay Devgn Starrer Horror Thriller Film - Indiatimes.com - March 8th, 2024
- The 'Wonka Experience' Is Being Turned Into A Horror Movie - UPROXX - March 8th, 2024
- 8 new horror movies on Netflix, Max, Shudder and more in March 2024 - TechRadar - March 8th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero