These 5 haunted house films will keep you awake at night
Haunted houses are a staple in the horror genre, and there have been countless films made that feature them. There’s nothing like a really good haunted house tale, and the best ones make us feel as if we are right there, experiencing the haunting along with the characters.
The Haunting – Robert Wise’s 1963 adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House is one of the best haunted house films in history. It’s a faithful rendition of Shirley Jackson’s novel, and it proves that a black and white film with zero gore can still be – well – haunting.
Eleanore and Theo are invited to visit the infamously haunted Hill House by Dr. Markway, who wants to observe the affect the house might have on people who have some psychic ability. The current owner of the home insists that her heir, Luke, be allowed to join them, and Markway’s wife Grace is there as well.
Eleanor in particular starts to notice the supernatural activity almost immediately, and she and Theo spend a terrifying night listening to voices. At one point, Eleanor thinks she is holding Theo’s hand, only to find that the other woman is on the couch…so who’s hand was that?
Wise knew exactly what he was doing when he filmed The Haunting. He purposely had the interior sets built to be off-putting, and even used a camera lens that caused visual distortions. Even though some believe the “haunting” was actually Eleanor’s psychic abilities manifesting, Shirley Jackson herself maintained that it was absolutely a supernatural tale.
The Haunting can be rented through a variety of streaming platforms.
Hell House LLC – In this case, we aren’t talking about a haunted house per se, but a haunted hotel instead. The film made its debut at Telluride Horror Show in October of 2015, then went straight to digital platforms. But as time went on, it began to build a following, and is now considered a cult film of sorts.
It’s presented as a found footage film of sorts, and we are told at the beginning that there was a terrible tragedy that occurred on opening night of the Hell House haunted attraction at the abandoned Abaddon Hotel in New York. On that night, 15 people died, including the majority of the staff.
Through YouTube and phone videos, we see snippets of the events on that night, and we are introduced to the five people who own and operate the annual haunted house attraction. In 2009, the event was held outside of New York City for the first time, and they documented the process on film.
Once the team enters the Abaddon, the horror escalates minute by minute; and one of the scariest things is the display of creepy clown figures in the basement. Trust me, as someone who does not get freaked out by clowns, I was completely freaked out by any scene featuring them.
Hell House LLC (and its multiple sequels) can be seen on Shudder and AMC+.
Session 9 – Another cult film, Session 9 is a slow burn with a chilling pay off. A group of five men agree to perform asbestos cleanup at the abandoned Danvers State Psychiatric Hospital with a quick turnaround. When a series of strange audio-taped therapy sessions between a psychiatrist and a woman named Mary Hobbs are discovered, the men start to experience some pretty creepy events that prey on their individual fears.
Session 9 was filmed at the very real Danvers Hospital in Massachusetts, which was a brilliant choice, since it needed no set dressing. The setting is genuinely old, broken down and dilapidated, so it sets the eerie scene well.
With a standout cast featuring Peter Mullan, David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Josh Lucas, and Brandan Sexton III, Session 9 is a well-acted slow burn of a psychological horror movie.
Session 9 can be rented on several platforms, including Prime.
Next up: A haunted house film that proves animation can be scary
Monster House – Yes, this is an animated film, and on the surface, it looks very kid-friendly. But make no mistake, Monster House definitely has some very scary moments, especially towards the end.
Grumpy Mr. Nebbercracker regularly likes to scare kids off his property, and when young DJ and his buddy Chowder get their basketball confiscated, DJ tries to get it back. But the old man has a heart attack, and has to be taken away by ambulance.
Rumors have run rampant about Nebbercracker for years, with people speculating that he may have cannibalized his late wife Constance. Curious, DJ and Chowder decide to investigate the creepy house, and decide that it is actually haunted by a poltergeist. As we soon discover, the truth is far scarier, and not what the characters (or the viewers) are expecting.
Monster House can be rented on several platforms.
Good Boy – As a dog-lover, I absolutely loved Ben Leonberg’s very unique take on the haunted house theme. At only 73 minutes, it’s a pretty quick watch, but it packs a lot of scares AND heart in that run time.
Indy is the title character, a very good boy indeed, and has just moved with his ill owner Tood to the remote house in the woods that used to belong to Todd’s late Grandfather. Right away, Indy starts to see the ghost of another dog, and the scary, spectral vision of a dark, muddy entity.
As Indy tries desperately to protect his human from the increasingly frightening events happening in the house, Todd’s illness progresses. So, slight spoiler alert here, because I know a lot of people will refuse to watch this film without knowing: Indy does not die. He does go through a lot of stressful stuff, but as writer/director/the real Indy’s dog dad has said repeatedly: Indy did not know he was filming a movie, and went through no REAL stress.
If you love a spooky horror movie that also pulls at your heartstrings, give Good Boy a watch.
Good Boy is streaming on Shudder, Hulu, and AMC+
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