What’s so scary about a haunted house?
Haunted house films are a mixture of supernatural elements, psychological horror, and the sensation of claustrophobia or dread from an enclosed space. The idea that a specific place can be filled with the spirits of the undead can be both fascinating and terrifying, and the cerebral aspect of psychological horror as opposed to visceral gore horror can leave the viewer with a long lasting sensation of terror that horror movie buffs enjoy.
Check out some of these chilling haunted house films we have in the collection.
Based on the novella Turn of the Screw by Henry James, this screenplay was helmed by Truman Capote, a highly controversial and well-regarded writer. Starring Deborah Kerr, the record holder of most nominations for Academy Award for Best actress, the plot follows a governess who watches over two children and comes to fear that their large estate is haunted by ghosts and that the children are being possessed. Are the ghosts real, or are the children playing an elaborate game? Watch the trailer here.
The Legend of Hell House (1973) Rated R
Based on the novel Hell House by Richard Matheson, it follows a group of researchers who spend a week in a purportedly haunted English mansion in which previous investigators were killed. Belasco House, originally owned by the notorious Emeric Belasco, a six-foot-five perverted millionaire and supposed murderer, who disappeared soon after a massacre at his home. The house is believed to be haunted by numerous spirits, the victims of Belasco's twisted and sadistic desires. Watch the trailer here.
Composer John Russell is vacationing with his family when a car accident kills his wife and daughter. Distraught with grief, Russell leaves his home in New York City for a giant, secluded house near Seattle. Soon Russell starts to feel the presence of a ghost, and seeks the assistance of Claire Norman, who led him to the house initially, in uncovering the house’s darkest secret. Watch the trailer here.
When the Event Horizon, a spacecraft that vanished years earlier, suddenly reappears, a team is dispatched to investigate the ship. Accompanied by the Event Horizon's creator, the crew of the Lewis and Clark begin to explore the seemingly abandoned vessel. However, it soon becomes evident that something sinister resides in its corridors, and that the horrors that befell the Event Horizon's previous journey are still present. Watch the trailer here.
Another adaption of a novel by Richard Matheson, blue-collar family man Tom scoffs at supernatural phenomena -- until he lets his wife's sister put him into a hypnotic trance. Upon waking, Tom realizes he has a psychic connection with his son, Jake. He also has alarming hallucinations of a missing teenage neighbor. Tom, convinced his visions will lead him to the girl, begins a desperate search that puts him into a life-threatening situation. Watch the trailer here.
What Lies Beneath (2000) Rated PG-13
It had been a year since Dr. Norman Spencer betrayed his beautiful wife Claire. But with Claire oblivious to the truth, Norman's life and marriage seem so perfect that when Claire tells him of hearing mysterious voices and seeing a young woman's image in their home, he dismisses her terror as delusion. Claire moves closer to the truth and it becomes clear that this apparition will not be dismissed, and has come back for Dr. Spencer and his beautiful wife. Watch the trailer here.
Grace, the devoutly religious mother of Anne and Nicholas, moves her family to the English coast during World War II. She awaits word on her missing husband while protecting her children from a rare photosensitivity disease that causes the sun to harm them. Anne claims she sees ghosts, Grace initially thinks the new servants are playing tricks but chilling events and visions make her believe something supernatural has occurred. Watch the trailer here.