Haunted houses reach far beyond the floorboards, and the spiderwebs that inhabit these spaces. They are captivating on their own, and films about them, when done right, seep into our psyche, making us fear the very place in which we are otherwise naturally supposed to feel safe. Many writers and directors have taken the trope of “the haunted house” and flipped it to make it their own — and changed the script in doing so. James Wan’s filmInsidious, for example, challenges the simplistic thought that the family should just leave the house in order to find peace. However, the family inInsidiouslearns that it wasn’t the house that was haunted, but instead their son. This challenges the belief that there is an escape from the demons that haunt these homes, making it an interesting component in modern horror.
Architectural Digestcomments that the first haunted house can be traced back to a silent film calledThe Cat and the Canary.This staple horror trope continues to succeed in the genre because of the growing number ofdirectors like James Wan, who are constantly changing the way these houses are viewed.Director Mike Flannigancreates his own ghosts in his two hit Netflix series’The Haunting of Hill HouseandThe Haunting of Bly Manor.Both series focus on sadness, family complications, and the true ghosts that you cannot escape. The haunted house trope will simply never cease to exist. Here are the best haunted houses in horror, ranked.
7Monster House
2006’s animated filmMonster Houseis undoubtedly a perfectintroduction to horrorfor young kids. Featuring three mostly likable young teens,Monster Houseembodies the simplistic tropes of classic horror films while also serving up a few laughs. DJ, Chowder, and Jenny suspect that their mean old neighbor and his house are plotting to consume trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. The three embark on a mission to destroy the house before the house destroys them and everyone the love. As it turns out, the house is the embodiment of their elderly neighbor’s wife who died, and her wrath is hard to ignore.Monster House’sshinning accomplishment is the development of the house itself. When the house comes alive, the carpet turns into its tongue and the porch’s wood becomes the teeth. The bright windows transform into menacing eyes, and at the very center is the house’s heart. Animation is key in transforming a classically designed haunted house into the personality of the film.
Related:Explained: Why We Love Stories Set in Haunted Houses
6Beetlejuice
Tim Burton’sBeetlejuiceis a staple on any October watchlist. The film focuses on two stories that inevitably intertwine, one for the living and one for the dead. When Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder, moves into a new home with her parents, she learns that they aren’t the only residents in the house. She meets the Maitlands, played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, who are the home’s previous owners that perished in a car accident. The Maitlands are the very least of the Deetz’s worries in terms of haunting spirits go. Beetlejuice, played by Michael Keaton, taunts both families in an attempt to gain his demonic freedom. The house inBeetlejuicemakes the list because it not only features some of the most quirky, Burton-inspired architecture in all of horror, but showcases some of the greatest clay animation monsters of its time.
5A Nightmare on Elm Street
Over 30 years ago, theA Nightmare on Elm Streetfranchisechanged horror forever, birthing one of the most iconic villains of all time. Freddy Krueger, portrayed by Robert Englund, terrorized the children of Elm Street in their dreams as retribution for what their parents had done to him. The first three films of the franchise focuses heavily on the importance of the Thompsons' house. In the first film, Nancy Thompson, played by Heather Langenkamp, is haunted in her dreams and eventually pulls Freddy out of the dream world and into her home.A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revengecenters on Jesse Walsh, played by Mark Patton; Jesse and his family move into the Thompson house and experience strange occurrences before Jesse starts to see Freddy, who is eagerly wishing to possess Jesse’s body. The third installment,A Nightmare on Elm St 3: Dream Warriorsmoves the terror to a mental hospital and sees the return of Nancy. However, Nancy isn’t the only piece of the original film to return. Kristen, played by Patricia Arquette, has been making a paper maché replica of Nancy’s house as well as visiting it in her dreams. The fact that the first three films focus heavily on the Thompson house and Freddy’s hold on it easily earns it a spot on the best haunted houses list.
4The Amityville Horror
For years,The Amityville Horrorwas deemed to bebased on a true story. Although there has been a lot of debate regarding the Lutz family and the truth behind the claims that allegedly occurred within their family home,The Amityville Horroris a well known name in the realm of horror. After being denied permission to film at the real Amityville house, perGQ, production set their sights on a small shore town in New Jersey, where all the exterior shots and on-location scenes were filmed. The horrors that ensued in the 1979 film were classic haunted house tropes. Doors would close for no reason, and stranger noises, and even voices, all occurred. Even the possession of George Lutz, played by James Brolin, makes itself prevalent as the film nears a close.
Related:The Best Small-Town Horror Movies, Ranked
3The Conjuring
Director James Wan’s 2013 releaseThe Conjuringproved to be one of the 2010s' best horror releases and modern retellings of a haunted house story. The film focuses on two stories that eventually mold into one. The first introduces Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who are based on a real-life couple who were prominent paranormal investigators in the 70s. The Warrens find themselves helping the Perron family, who recently moved into a home that is presumably haunted. At first, the haunting starts off the same way as it did inThe Amityville Horror,and the spirit present seems almost harmless. However, over the course of time, the motive of the spirit becomes clear, as she wishes to possess the mother and murder the rest of the family.The Conjuringshowcases all the aspects of a haunted/possession film right down to the exorcism at the end. Wan’s haunted house film, spawned three sequels and multiple spin-offs, creating what has become known asThe Conjuring Universe.
2The Evil Dead
Sam Raimi’sThe Evil Deadis a horror cult classic that has withstood the tests of time. The masterful use of practical effects has made Raimi’s campy film into one of themost terrifying horror filmsto come out of the 80s. When a group of friends takes a trip out to a remote cabin in the middle of the woods, they bite off more than they bargained for. The group finds a book in the basement that is referred to as the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, which translates to “The Book of the Dead.” They begin to get picked off one by one as the evil spirits that reside on the property, called the Deadites, begin to possess their bodies.The Evil Deadmakes the list because of the evil spirits that call the cabin their home and their non-existent reluctance to inhabit the bodies of others.
1Poltergeist
Poltergeistmost certainly isn’t the scariest film in horror, but when it comes to haunted houses, it is the most notable. The film is a collaboration piece between Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper. Although the two seem like the most unlikely paring in terms of directorial styles go,Poltergeistallows both of their creative brilliance to shine in this classically unique telling of an American haunted house. The Freelings are a typical American family who move into a development that Steve Freeling’s (played by Craig T. Nelson) company is building. The occurrences seem harmless at first, however, when their youngest daughter gets sucked into the realm of the undead, the Freelings call in paranormal expert Tangina Barrons, played by Zelda Rubinstein, to cleanse their house. The Freelings get their daughter back and all seems normal, until the house shows them otherwise. It is revealed that the development is being built on an Indigenous burial ground, ultimately leading to the house sinking in on itself as the Freelings are fleeing the neighborhood.Poltergeistmay be sparce in terms of horrifying images, yet it is hard to deny that the heart of the film is unapologetically Spielberg, making it a horror staple.
