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Is anything creepier than when your own house turns against you? You can (theoretically) get away from zombies, vamps, slashers and werewolves. But when your own home sweet home is the enemy… it’s tough to recover from that.
We have some great Honorable Mentions to start off with. Fantastic director James Wan really seems to have a knack for the haunted house movie as he has one entry on the list itself and also gets a nod for Insidious, a creative look at the inner, an outer, workings of a haunted house. A Haunting in Connecticut was impressive as, in addition to the actual haunting going on, the audience was forced to question if the paranormal events were real or a hallucination from medicinal side effects.
Additionally we must mention the underrated The Sentinel as well as The Haunting, Burnt Offerings, Shutter Island, The Legend of Hell House and, for the kiddies, Monster House.
And now, on to the Top 13 Haunted House Movies!
Paranormal Activity (2007)
Paranormal Activity got movie theaters screaming again. With a razor-thin budget, director Oren Peli took Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston (who played Micah and Katie… the budget was so small they couldn’t even afford to change their names!) and about $15,000 and created a movie that knew how to get under an audience’s collective skin. Shot in the found-footage style, Paranormal Activity went from its meager beginnings to eventually earning over $200 million and spawning four sequels, all of which were huge box office earners themselves. But it wasn’t the box office take that was the most impressive thing about Paranormal Activity, it was the ability of the film to make the audience afraid, not just with jump scares, but with brilliantly built tension. The movie gives you just enough to keep you interested until the next big scream. A wonderfully frightful experience.
The Changeling (1980)
While perusing titles in a video store (remember them?), I once asked a clerk, “What’s the scariest movie you ever saw?” His answer was quick and sure: The Changeling. George C. Scott plays John Russell, a character based on real-life writer Russell Hunter, who claimed to have experienced paranormal events while staying at the Henry Treat Rogers mansion in Denver, Colorado. The story is a fantastic tale heavy on the scares and full of mystery. Although not a huge box office smash, the film was widely honored, including winning the first Genie Award for Best Canadian Film. Scott won the Genie for Best Foreign Actor, and female lead Trish Van Devere took the honor for Best Foreign Actress. Highlighted by an impressive séance scene, The Changeling is powerful enough to still scare the bejesus out of audiences today, nearly 35 years after its initial release.
Session 9 (2001)
Sound is such an integral part of making something scary. Mercedes McCambridge’s voiceover work in The Exorcist is every bit as important in making Regan into the incredibly scary monster that she was as any prosthetic or makeup. And in Session 9, so much of what is frightening is on cassette tapes. And, of course, the voice we keep waiting to hear in Mary Hobbes’ sessions is Simon’s. And Simon turns out to be just the malignant, malicious force he is billed as by Mary’s other personalities. Now, whether you believe Simon was actually one of Mary’s personas or a genius loci (spirit guardian) of the Danver’s State Mental Hospital, one thing is certain: some vicious and vindictive entity was exerting its will on the workers in that hospital, and director Brad Anderson did a fantastic job bringing it all to life in the outstanding Session 9.
1408 (2007)
A less famous Stephen King-penned haunted hotel jaunt, 1408 was adapted from a short story with the same name. It seems that King just has a knack for dreaming up haunted locations. Starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, 1408 is the kind of movie that gets into your mind and grows roots, especially if you’re a parent. The scenes of Cusack’s character, Mike Enslin, with the ghost of his deceased daughter are absolutely haunting and are, without a doubt, the most powerful parts of 1408. The manic, disjointed dream/haunting sequences of the movie really draw the viewer into the story and create an atmosphere where you can believe you are watching a man actually experiencing a true haunting and losing his mind. Powerful and memorable.
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Michelle Pfeiffer was unforgettable in that Catwoman getup, but her performance in What Lies Beneath was quite impressive as well. And the film itself takes audiences by surprise. How scary can a movie starring Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford be? Turns out the thing was pretty damn scary. Brilliant director Robert Zemeckis seemed to know exactly what buttons to push to build tension and suspense. The telltale doorknob opening on its own repeatedly signaled to viewers that it was time to sit up because something scary was coming. And how great was Ms. Pfeiffer delivering that classic line, “I think she’s starting to suspect something.” “Who?” “Your wife.”
House (1986)
William Katt was “The Greatest American Hero,” and he was a damn fine ghost hunter as well. Katt starred as Roger Cobb and headlined House, a film with a cast of crazy characters, ghosts, beasties, and baddies. Additional cast members included George Wendt and Richard Moll, but the real thrill of House was in the creatures doing the haunting. Moll’s Big Ben was great, but it was Sandywitch that really stole the show. She was one of the more gruesome supernatural beings you’ll ever find, but check out the clip; she definitely had the bosom to fill out the skimpy lingerie she wore. Horror-comedy has been all the rage lately and many filmmakers are now doing it well. House was a successful horror-comedy in 1986 when good films in that sub-genre were hard to come by.
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.
The Conjuring (2013)
It seems fitting to follow The Amityville Horror entry with that of The Conjuring as the two are tied quite closely together. Featuring Ed and Lorraine Warren, who were best known for investigating the Lutzes’ story, which became The Amityville Horror. Audiences flocked to The Conjuring and made it the most popular new haunted house film in recent memory. Director James Wan scored big with Insidious and Insidious 2 and the creepy ghost in those films, but with The Conjuring he absolutely knocked it out of the park. The film was hailed by critics and fans alike and was an absolute monster at the box office. Sequel and spin-off to follow.
Poltergeist (1982)
Tobe Hooper’s haunted house masterpiece, Poltergeist is perhaps the only film franchise about hauntings that may very well be haunted itself. Of course we’ve all heard the stories of how Poltergeist is cursed. (Apparently Hooper forgot to move the bodies when he cleared tombstones off the land for the Sawyer home in Texas Chain Saw, and he’s been paying for it ever since!) Co-written and produced by Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist was the ultimate haunted house movie for those who grew up in the late 70’s/early 80’s. There were so many iconic moments and scares… the parapsychologist hallucinating that he’s tearing his face off after eating a chicken leg covered in maggots, Carol Anne’s line “They’re heeere!” and that goddamn clown. Poltergeist handed out nightmares aplenty which still reside in our psyches to this day. Why didn’t you just move the bodies?!
The Shining (1980)
Okay, this one is an obvious no-brainer for the list. Adapted from one of the all-time scariest novels ever, The Shining was simply the perfect haunted house film. With extremely freaky ghosts, plenty of blood, a great backstory and a legendary performance by Jack Nicholson, The Shining is the perfect storm of horror. From the grotesque woman in the bathtub (that’s Mrs. Massey for those of you keeping score at home) to the utterly creepy sisters (the Grady girls… and although the actresses who played them were twins, in the story the Grady girls were not) to Jack marauding around the hotel swinging an axe like Mark McGwire in his prime, The Shining was incredible. A horrific tale with an interwoven mystery as to just what the hell was going on. This is how it’s done.
Need more haunted house histrionics? Don’t miss The Invoking TOMORROW, February 18th, available on DVD, digital download, and VOD. The film is directed by Jeremy Berg and stars Trin Miller, Brandon Anthony, Josh Truax, and D’Angelo Midili.
Synopsis
After inheriting a house from the family she never knew, Samantha Harris (Miller) and three friends head to rural Sader Ridge to inspect the property. Soon after arriving, Sam begins to experience horrific visions of savage brutality and unspeakable evil. Plagued by the sinister forces closing in around her, Sam descends into a waking nightmare when the demons from her past refuse to stay buried any longer.