Are These The Best Haunted House Movies Ever?

More so than most other horror genres, the haunted house narrative routinely finds a way to slip beneath audience members’ skin, unnerving us to our very core with its relatable settings, sympathetic characters, and altogether disorienting supernatural scares.

Taking otherwise idyllic households and presenting them as the basis for a number of horrifying surprises, haunted house movies capture our attention in a way few film genres can.

With Halloween looming on the horizon, some viewers might be wondering which film they should add to their list of essential holiday movie experiences. From iconic indie horror movies to claustrophobic found footage horror films, here are some of the best haunted house movies of all time, ranked in order from worst to best.

8. Paranormal Activity (2007)

While it’s no secret that the Paranormal Activity franchise slowly collapsed in on itself with each new sequel, prequel, and spinoff, the original entry in the series remains among the most undeniably influential movies of its era. Reinvigorating the found footage genre for late 2000s audiences, Paranormal Activity expertly channels a sense of mounting dread with each new scene, truly placing viewers into the perspective of the hapless homeowners confronting a haunting presence inside their property.

7. Poltergeist (1982)

In many ways, one can almost describe Poltergeist as an ordinary Steven Spielberg film interrupted by a bone-chilling horror film. While its first act might feel a lot like E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind, it isn’t long before clowns start crawling out beneath the bed and demonic trees begin breaking through bedroom windows, providing no shortage of frightening moments we couldn’t forget even if we tried.

6. The Conjuring (2013)

No matter your feelings for the Annabelle or Nun films, you simply can’t argue with the pure frights at the heart of 2013’s The Conjuring. Assuredly the best, most terrifying film of the 2010s, The Conjuring’s preference for old-school horror and impressive practical effects continues to stand in stark contrast to the other needlessly gory or jumpscare-heavy movies of its era, helping it rise above the likes of similar movies like Insidious or Sinister.

5. Beetlejuice (1988)

It’s almost ironic to think that one of the best haunted house movies isn’t a horror movie at all. Among the earliest breakthrough efforts from a young Tim Burton, Beetlejuice opts for a hilariously subversive take on the typical haunted house narrative, reorienting itself from the ghost’s perspective rather than the meddlesome mortal protagonists. Smart, funny, and ceaselessly inventive, it’s one of the greatest entries in Burton’s filmography yet, even when compared to Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride, or Ed Wood.

4. House (1977)

We don’t care how many horror movies you’ve seen over the years – nothing, we repeat nothing, is quite like 1977’s House. Opting for a deliberately over-the-top presentation and absurdist sense of humor, House unfolds like a nine-year-old’s half-remembered fever dream, complete with rapid-cut editing, a spellbinding soundtrack, and enough surreal content to fill out an Adult Swim original series.

3. The Evil Dead (1981)

To be sure, each of The Evil Dead movies are worthy of praise in their own right, whether looking at the original Sam Raimi trilogy or the newer films like Evil Dead Rise. But at the end of the day, it’s impossible to sum up the larger influence 1981’s The Evil Dead has had not just on the horror genre, but on the nature of independent filmmaking as a whole. A lovingly homemade horror film capable of delighting casual viewers and dedicated horror aficionados alike, The Evil Dead holds up as a timeless cult classic that should be at the very top of every movie fans’ must-see list.

2. The Haunting (1963)

Regardless of how you choose to frame it, you simply can’t discuss the haunted house narrative without bringing up Shirley Jackson’s monumental horror novel, The Haunting of Hill House – or, by extension, its 1963 adaptation, The Haunting. Faithfully retaining the core premise of Jackson’s underlying source material, The Haunting remains as endlessly enjoyable today as it was over six decades ago, terrifying modern audiences to the same extent as it had in 1963.

1. The Shining (1980)

Okay, you got us – The Shining features a haunted hotel rather than a traditional haunted house. But at the end of the day, this iconic 1980 horror film serves as the perfect adaptation of Stephen King’s original novel (even as it takes numerous creative liberties the author himself famously despised). Opting for a slower pace that builds upon a sense of psychological unease like a composer overseeing a musical crescendo, The Shining is the ultimate achievement in both psychological and supernatural horror, leaving plenty of room for audiences’ individual thoughts and interpretations.