TOP 10: Haunted House Films

Films about haunted houses have been around since the dawn of cinema as these types of films allowed us to speculate about the afterlife and what lies beyond death as well as hook into our subconscious in regards to our moral dilemmas. Such films as THE SHINING (1980) and THE HAUNTING (1963) not only told stories about haunted locations but people who were haunted as well. STIR OF ECHOES (1999) and HOUSE (1986) made their characters face their past and then films such as SCARY MOVIE 2 (2001) and HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS (1983) just played the genre for fun. The haunted house film proliferated in the '70s and '80s (with such films as THE AMITYVILLE HORROR & THE SHINING) and then re-emerged in the late '90s (STIR OF ECHOES & THE HAUNTING remake) only to be re-imagined with the more recent Stephen King adaptation 1408 (2007). Here are a few of the most memorable haunted house films over the years.

1408 (2007)

This Stephen King based film is one of the few recent haunted house films to rely more on character and less on spectacle as THE HAUNTING remake (1999) so blinding did. Director Mikael Hafstrom's expertly paced psychological thriller is as cunning and visceral as Stanley Kubrick's (and Stephen King's) THE SHINING (1980). This is definitely a film not afraid to allow the story to unfold at its own leisure.

AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE (1979)

Based on (or inspired by) actual events (whether you believe the Lutz family or not) this James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger starring film was released in a time when audiences feared haunted houses. The '70s and '80s were the perfect time for haunted house films as these films brought the terror straight into their homes. Although less affective by today's standards there is no denying the impact this film has had on all subsequent "real life" haunted house stories.

GRUDGE, THE (2004)