My top 5 horror movies – the TikTok trend that has people and brands sharing their real-life horror stories

April 13 2026

Hundreds of people on TikTok are coming up with lists of their "top five horror movies". They're not talking about actual films though – instead they're framing their real-life struggles and dislikes as personal horror stories.

Some initial posts on the trend – like this one – were personal, referencing difficult relationships or challenging periods in their lives.

But as the trend's grown it's become more lighthearted with people joking about everyday annoyances and anxieties like having to get up early, making phone calls and parallel parking, and other things they hate like:

• "Being asked to spell anything" – @lucymillerr

• "People wearing flat shoes on a night out" – @daarcyk

• "Having no nails on" – @leahbrown19x

• "Not having a holiday booked" – @morganhendren_04

• "Forgetting garlic sauce with pizza" – @bylouisehalliwell

Some people are posting about things that scare their pets too – like a border collie  who's scared of the hoover, fireworks, the vets, slippery floors and being home alone.

The TikToks all use a sound from The One That Got Away by Katy Perry.

How brands are joining in with the "My top 5 horror movies" TikTok trend

Greggs was one of the first major UK brands to post a version of the trend – listing their top five horror movies as:

1. Train station has no Greggs

2. High street has no Greggs

3. Airport has no Greggs

4. Retail park has no Greggs

5. Service station has no Greggs

Lidl joked about everything from "When your mum leaves you on your own at the till" to "Forgetting the one thing you went in for".

Yorkshire Tea's horror movies included "Milk that's gone lumpy" and "Biscuits falling in halfway through a dunk", while Subway UK had things like "Someone asking for a bite of your sub" and "Dating a pickle hater".

A list from matcha brand PerfectTed was unsurprisingly all about matcha:

• Running out of matcha

• "Matcha tastes like grass"

• Grainy matcha

• Running out of ice

• No one wanting to get a matcha with me

A few business owners have posted versions of the trend. Mitchell Halliday from Made By Mitchell opened up about the realities of being a beauty brand founder, calling out things like "that one brand who tried to completely rip off my curve and colour cases", "another lip balm release" and "every single non inclusive makeup brand".

Charlie Smark from Dolly's Desserts shared some of the horrors she's lived through as a business owner like "That time another business tried to COPY & PASTE our exact logo" and "A famous food reviewer hating us even tho they tried 8 day old cookies and getting no sales for weeks".

You can see lots more ways people have been joining in with the horror movies trend in this read-only Shooglebox.

Buzz from Shooglebox

The "My top 5 horror movies" trend on TikTok is just one of the many current trends that our Buzz service surfaces for brands and anyone else who needs to stay ahead of what different audiences and communities are seeing, doing, and getting excited about on TikTok and across social media.