Top 13 Haunted House Favorites
Steve Barton
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House on Haunted Hill (1959)
We certainly would be remiss if we didn’t turn back the clock to 1959 and include House on Haunted Hill, directed by memorable horror personality William Castle and starring one of the original masters of the macabre, Vincent Price. House on Haunted Hill had a fantastic story about an eccentric millionaire (really, is there any other kind?), Frederick Loren, and his wife, Annabelle, who invite a group of people to a haunted house party, which, if they stay the night, will earn them $10,000. Kind of like “Survivor” in a ghost-filled mansion with death, murder and destruction going on all around them. Good times, good times. The film was remade in 1991 starring Geoffrey Rush in Vincent Price’s role, but this version failed to stir audiences the way the original did. In fact, the original was so impressive that it inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make his own low-budget horror film… and Psycho was born.
The Others (2001)
It’s not every day that Nicole Kidman shows up on a ‘Best of…’ horror list, but when it comes to haunted house movies, you’ve got to give it to her for The Others. The real power of this movie is the fantastic twist ending that turns the entire film on its ear. When you realize that Kidman’s character, Grace, and her children are actually the ghosts in the house, the whole thing becomes like a very dramatic version of Beetlejuice. Among the other accolades the film collected, Kidman won the Golden Globe and Saturn Awards for Best Actress. A well-paced and brilliantly suspense ghost story.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Can you really have a haunted house list and not include Beetlejuice? In Tim Burton’s house loaded with ghosts, including those played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, Beetlejuice himself (Michael Keaton) managed to upstage the entire production as “The Ghost with the Most.” Running the gamut from childish to NSFW, Beetlejuice is not only a haunted house film, but it provides a comedic look into just what happens when we die. Filled with classic lines and hilarious scenes, Beetlejuice is a treasure of texture and color and entertainment. At times fall down funny, sometimes loving and even a little scary here and there, Beetlejuice scores on all points. As for Baldwin and Davis, if your house has to be haunted by supernatural entities, these are the folks you want doing it. Good times all around. Shake senora!
The Amityville Horror (1979)
As far as iconic haunted house movies go, there may be none that stands out more than The Amityville Horror. The film (and novel) are based on the story of George and Kathy Lutz and their three children, who claim to have been terrorized by paranormal forces for 28 days after moving into the house where Ronald DeFeo, Jr., shot and killed six members of his family just 13 months earlier. The first thing we have to ask ourselves is: How tight was the real estate market in Amityville when a home that was the location of six murders only stays on the market for 13 months? That’s hot property! Indeed, The Amityville Horror sits as one of the most memorable haunted house films ever made. And the prolific filming of sequels and remakes only helps keep the name alive.
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