The Exorcist voted scariest movie of all time

'The Exorcist' has been voted the scariest movie of all time.

The 1973 horror film - which was directed by William Friedkin and stars Linda Blair as demonically possessed12-year-old Regan MacNeil - has come top in a British poll to name the "scariest" horror film ever, beating off competition from the likes of Jodie Foster thriller 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 1980 classic 'The Shining' by taking 12% of the vote.

Mark Barlow from Showcase Cinemas, which commissioned the study, said: "Horror movies continue to be extremely popular with our guests throughout the whole year, not just at Halloween, delivering so many iconic characters and moments. Our survey also revealed that scary movies are the UK’s favourite thing about Halloween, which is why we are screening some classic Halloween films in the lead-up to the day itself, so our guests can enjoy spooky scenes on the big screen."

Voters also decided that the moment in which Regan spins her head 360 degrees while possessed was the "scariest moment" of all time in cinema.

The rest of the top 10 was made up of classics such as Alfred Hitchcock's horror 'Psycho' - which was based on the Robert Bloch novel and starred Anthony Perkins as notorious motel proprietor Norman Bates - and Tobe Hooper's 1974 movie 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', which was banned in several countries at the time of its release due to its depiction of murderous violence.

The full top 10 is as follows:

1. 'The Exorcist'

2. 'The Conjuring'

3. 'Psycho'

4. 'Silence Of The Lambs'

5. 'The Shining'

6. 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'

7. 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'

8. 'The Omen'

9. 'The Ring'

10. 'It'