As long as horror movies continue to exist, there will be haunted houses. The basic premise is just too enticing to resist: confine a group of people in a rickety old building, move some furniture, and let the supernatural terror run amok. Typically removed from reality, haunted houses give filmmakers the freedom to go wild as any logical consistency is largely dependent on the creators. There is no limit.
Since the days of 1925's The Monster and 1927's The Cat and the Canary, people have been stepping into spooky buildings and scaring millions of viewers in the process. These films are often exciting, terrifying, and creative, and here are the most entertaining or scariest haunted house movies ever.
Updated October 14, 2022 by Mark Sammut: As Halloween is right around the corner, this is the ideal time to visit some haunted houses. Luckily, the movie industry loves a good old Gothic mansion, and quite a few of these flicks are readily available on streaming platforms. In celebration of the spooky season, this article has been expanded to include a few more of the best haunted house movies.
17 House On Haunted Hill (1959)
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Director |
William Castle |
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Rotten Tomatoes Score |
78% |
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Where to Stream |
Amazon Prime Video, DirectTV, Hoopla, Kanopy, TheRokuChannel, Shudder, TubiTV, Vudu |
William Castle's House on Haunted Hill is a quintessential B-movie. The film takes audiences on a rollercoaster ride of thrills, misdirection, and cheesy but charming special effects.
The story finds five people summoned to a house by its quirky owner who challenges them to spend the night. Unsurprisingly, the host has more planned than just a social experiment with a price. House on Haunted Hill is not particularly scary, but it is a lot of fun and quite rewatchable.
16 Monster House (2006)
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Director |
Gil Kenan |
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Rotten Tomatoes Score |
75% |
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Where to Stream |
Animated horror movies are in short supply, but the 2000s did produce a few standout releases. Monster House delivers exactly what its title advertises, and it is far better than some people might assume. It is not only that the visuals are fittingly creepy, but Monster House also doesn't fall flat in the character department.
Witty, endearing, and constantly entertaining, Monster House is a great movie for the entire family and a rare example of a haunted house film that children can also enjoy.
15 The Uninvited (1944)
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Director |
Lewis Allen |
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Rotten Tomatoes Score |
95% |
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Where to Stream |
N/A |
One of Hollywood's earliest haunted house movies, The Uninvited holds up surprisingly well considering its age. The film follows two siblings who purchase a house and come to realize that maybe they have an unwanted guest. Nowadays, this story could not be any more basic, but The Uninvited stands out as its focus is primarily on the mystery driving the supernatural element rather than the scares.
That's not to say the film is completely lacking in creepy moments, but they are subtle rather than overt. The best haunted house films emphasize the unknown, and The Uninvited excels in this department.
14 Insidious (2010)
Slightly overshadowed by The Conjuring movies, Insidious is arguably the most terrifying series created by James Wan, with the first two entries being especially strong. The 2010 release's story will sound familiar to any horror fan, as a family moves to a new house where they begin to experience strange events that predominantly center around their son.
Insidious is intense and unpredictable, and the movie features chilling designs for its villains. For those seeking a modern haunted house movie that is genuinely scary rather than just fun, Insidious is a fantastic pick.
13 The Amityville Horror (1979)
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Director |
Stuart Rosenberg |
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Rotten Tomatoes Score |
30% |
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Where to Stream |
Somehow, the phenomenon surrounding the Amityville house has spawned a ridiculous number of horror movies. Most of these films are not worth seeking out, but 1979’s The Amityville Horror has the distinction of being the first to tackle the Lutz family’s reported haunting.
Although quite dated by today’s standards and inconsistently acted even for its time, The Amityville Horror gets by on mystique, cheap thrills, and a few flashes of horror brilliance. Removed from its real-life inspiration, The Amityville Horror is an enjoyable, stereotypical haunted house movie.
12 The Orphanage (2007)
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Director |
J. A. Bayona |
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Rotten Tomatoes Score |
87% |
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Where to Stream |
A Spanish production that is likely to conjure images of 2001's The Others, The Orphanage is an expertly-paced thriller that appreciates the power of letting suspense simmer. Rather than rely on frequent bursts of terror, the story lets the tension build as viewers wait for the other foot to drop.
With her husband and son, Laura returns to the orphanage she grew up in so that she can open it to a new generation. Initially, Laura has a fond recollection of her time in the household, but ugly flashes of fragmented memories begin to challenge this perspective. When her son starts to talk with an imaginary friend who feels oddly familiar to Laura, things take a turn for the horrifying.
11 The Conjuring (2013)
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Director |
James Wan |
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Rotten Tomatoes Score |
86% |
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Where to Stream |
The first in a largely consistent series, James Wan’s The Conjuring takes influence from Ed and Lorraine Warren’s paranormal investigations, which includes the Amityville Horror. 2013’s movie focuses on the Perron family’s experiences at a Rhode Island farmhouse, and The Conjuring’s power rests on its adherence to classic horror tropes. This is a film that could have realistically been produced at any time over the last 40 years.
A master of horror, Wan takes his time in setting up The Conjuring’s characters and story, sprinkling in nuggets of frights en route to an exhilarating and nightmare-inducing final act.
10 The Others (2001)
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Director |
Alejandro Amenábar |
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Rotten Tomatoes Score |
84% |
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Where to Stream |
N/A |
Featuring a strong performance by Nicole Kidman, The Others leaves behind special effects in favor of atmosphere, mystery, and suspense. Grace and her two children live in a country house along with a few attendees, each of who begins to witness strange incidents that indicate another family is haunting the residence.
The Others moves at quite a meticulous pace and rejects conventional narrative tools such as jump scares, opting to allow the characters to carry the narrative. It works.
9 Ghostwatch (1992)
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Director |
Lesley Manning |
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Rotten Tomatoes Score |
N/A |
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Where to Stream |
N/A |
Showmanship is essential when it comes to horror films, or really any genre. BBC’s Ghostwatch might be the greatest example of a project’s presentation heightening its impact. Shot like a documentary and broadcast on Halloween as a live screening, Ghostwatch follows three BBC reporters as they look into a supposedly haunted house.
Initially, the reporters believe this case is a hoax, an assumption that weakens as the broadcast continues. Realistically shot, inventive, and terrifying when the horror really gets going, Ghostwatch is a work of art.
8 The Haunting (1963)
Not to be confused with the inferior 1999 remake, The Haunting is a classic psychological horror movie set in a contender for the genre’s greatest haunted house. Hugh Crain’s Hill House is a Gothic masterpiece; a sprawling mansion defined by off-kilter furniture and unnatural architecture. Every room of this building has a tragic story to tell, and the film does an admirable job of making Hill House feel like a living entity.
Thematically, The Haunting tackles depression, guilt, and latent sexuality, all risky topics considering when the film came out.