Movie Reviews – HauntedHouses.com
Amityville Horror (1979) — The Lutz family moves into what they think is their relaxing dream home in the country. Little do they know, the house is the site of a brutal murder and the ghosts will not rest. When spooky, unexplainable things begin to happen, the family calls a priest for an exorcism. Will they get out alive? MORE
Starring: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger
Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg
Written by: Jay Anson (book), Sandor Stern (screenplay)
(horror/drama/mystery/thriller)
The Awakening (2012) – During World War I, Florence, investigates a possible haunting at a boys bording school. Will she be able to uncover if the ghost is real before more deaths occur?
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, and Isaac Hempstead-Wright
Directed by: Nick Murphy
Written by: Stephen Volk and Nick Murphy
(horror/thriller)
Beetlejuice (1988) — A mild mannered couple die in a car accident and are trapped in their beloved home in the afterlife, while a new family moves in and decides to remodel their home. Desperate for some help to remove the living, they turn to an unsavory spirit, Beetlejuice, that claims to be able to scare the living away. Will they be able to scare the Deetzs out of their house and put Beetlejuice back where he came from? MORE
Starring: Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, and more
Directed by: Tim Burton
Written by: Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren
(comedy/fantasy)
Boogeyman (2005) — “Don’t worry, there’s no Boogeyman here” or so Tim was told by his father until the Boogeyman took his father, traumatizing Tim for life. Upon learning that his mother has died, Tim must go back to his childhood nightmare and can’t rest until he has solved the mystery of his Father’s disappearance. Was the boogeyman real, or just a construct of his imagination? Where are all the missing children? MORE
Starring: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Tory Mussett, Andrew Glover
Directed by: Stephan T. Kay
Written by: Eric Kripke, Juliet Snowden, Stiles White
(drama/horror/mystery)
The Boy (2016) — Greta is hired as the nanny for the Heelshires’ son, Brahms. Upon her arrival, things are not as they seemed. The Heelshires’ leave Greta in charge with a list of rules for caring for their “boy”. When the list is ignored, strange things begin to occur. Will Greta make it out alive?
Starring: Lauren Cohan and Rupert Evans
Directed by: William Brent Bell
Written by: Stacey Meneger
(mystery/thriller)
Casper (1995) — In the small town of Friendship, the focus of much local attention, the old mansion has also been the object of entertainment for adolescents, years over. But this year the house will become more than an attraction for the ‘ghost shrink’ Dr. Harvey and his daughter Kat as they settle themselves into the Crittenden mansion prepared to embark on a spooky adventure of unpredictable twists and turns. MORE
Starring: Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle, and Devon Sawa
Directed by: Brad Silberling
Written by: Joseph Oriolo, Sherri Stoner, and Deanna Oliver
(family/comedy/fantasy)
The Conjuring (2013) — Paranormal investigators are called to discover the cause of a dark, terrifying presence in a family’s farmhouse. Will they be able to defeat this sinister presence?
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, and Lili Taylor
Directed by: James Wan
Written by: Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes
(horror)
Cursed (2005) — It all begins when two curious girls seek the inquiry of a palm reader, but her prophesy is anything other than positive, and she mysteriously warns the girls of the moon claiming it “feeds on the moonlight”. What exactly does that mean for the two girls now haunted by scary dreams that seem all too real? MORE
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristina Anapau, Christina Ricci, and Joshua Jackson
Directed by: Wes Craven
Written by: Kevin Williamson
(thriller/romance)
Darkness (2002) — 40 years ago something went terribly wrong on a Spanish estate. An unassuming family decides to move into the house, but when strange things begin to happen, the family is left wondering the cause of all the unexplained horror. Will they become the next victims of the house and its darkness? MORE
Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephan Enquis, Lena Olin, Iain Glen, Giancarlo Giannini, and Pele Martinez
Directed by: Jaume Balaguero
Written by: Jaume Balaguero and Fernando De Felipe
(horror/mystery)
Dark Water (2005) — A woman takes her daughter with her and moves away from her ex-husband. She gets more than she bargained for in a new apartment as she is plagued with reoccurring water problems and spooky encounters. Will she find out what happened to the family in the apartment above hers before it is too late?
Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Tim Roth, John C. Reilly, Dougray Scott, Ariel Gade, Pete Postlethwaite and Perla Haney-Jardine
Directed by: Walter Salles
Written by: Rafael Yglesias
(thriller/drama)
Evil Dead II (1987) — In a cabin in the woods, Ash Williams unwittingly awakens evil spirits, who end up possessing his girlfriend and threatening his life. Will Ash make it out of the woods alive?
Starring: Bruce Campbell and Denise Bixler
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam Raimi and Scott Spiegel
(cult/splatter)
Flatliners (1990) — When five students decide to embark on a dangerous medical experiment so as to glimpse into “life after death,” they decide to flat line and then quickly revive one another so they can recount their “near death” experience. But as they begin undertaking the experiment, the students suddenly find themselves haunted by the images that come to them during the experiment. What’s worse, the images refuse to leave after they wake-up, bringing dire consequences in their wake.
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, Oliver Platt, Kimberly Scott, William Baldwin, and Joshua Rudoy.
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Written by: Peter Filardi
(thriller/sci-fi)
1408 (2007) — A skeptical debunker of paranormal tales encounters an evil haunted room at a hotel, where no guest lasts longer than an hour. MORE
Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Mary McCormack, and Tony Shalhoub
Directed by: Mikael Håfström
Written by: Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski (Screenplay), Stephen King (short story)
(thriller/horror/ghost stories)
Friday the 13th (1980) — After ignoring the nightmarish past of Crystal Lake’s history, summer camp goes horribly wrong as camp counselors begin to die. Can they escape the merciless killer that is stalking them?
Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Jeannie Taylor, Kevin Bacon, Mark Nelson and Robbi Morgan
Directed by: Sean S. Cunningham
Written by: Victor Miller
(mystery/slasher)
The Frighteners (1996) — a spooky who-done-it story; an interesting mix of ghosts, a haunted house, and an extremely wicked, murderous entity, who matches wits with a psychic scam artist, Frank Bannister, who is determined to clear his name, protect his girlfriend, and stop the killing by stopping this evil entity MORE
Starring: Michael J. Fox, John Astin, Dee Wallace Stone, Jake Busey, and Chi McBride
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Written by: Fran Walsh & Peter Jackson
(comedy/mystery/thriller)
Ghost (1990) — A murdered man’s spirit hangs around the living to solve his own murder, protect the love of his life, and get personal justice against the evildoers. A love story, a supernatural tale and a murder mystery thriller, with comedic moments mixed in, all of which are blended together to make a superbly entertaining movie. MORE
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and Tony Goldwyn.
Directed by: Jerry Zucker
Written by: Bruce Joel Rubin
(fantasy/mystery/thriller)
Ghostbusters (1984) — Calling themselves “parapsychologists”, a trio of scientists and one layman set up shop in a deserted firehouse as the official New York Ghostbusters. Claiming to exorcise and trap pesky ghosts, for a small fee of course, the team goes to town purging New York of pesky poltergeists. Gaining an eclectic prestige, the “Ghostbusters” work their way to their biggest case yet, which involves a gateway to another dimension, a relentless evil spirit, and one giant Marshmallow Man. MORE
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, William Atherton, and Slavitza Jovan.
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Written by: Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis
(fantasy/comedy/adventure)
Ghost Watcher (2002) — After the mysterious events of the past year left Laura terrified and alone, her traumatized psyche forces her to lock herself away in her new apt where she will be away from the world, its evil, its people, and its evil people. But it seems that Laura has a new visitor, one that isn’t human. Requesting the help of Dr. Elizabeth Dean, the scam artist arrives posed as a medium prepared to help Elizabeth banish the spirit. MORE
Starring: Jillian Byrnes, Marianne Hayden, Jennifer Servary, and Kevin Quinn
Directed by: David A. Cross.
Written by: David A. Cross.
(horror/mystery/sci-fi/thriller)
Gothika (2003) — After almost hitting a girl with her car, psychiatrist Miranda Grey’s life is derailed. She wakes up in her own mental ward under the care of Pete Graham and is accused of killing her husband. She has no memory of anything after she almost hit the girl. Can she escape the asylum, prove her innocence and unravel the mystery of what happened?
Starring: Halle Berry and Robert Downey Jr.
Directed by: Mathieu Kassovitz
Written by: Sebastian Gutierrez
(crime/thriller)
The Grudge (2004) — In this American remake of the Japanese horror classic, an American student working at a Japanese health center encounters a mysterious curse. Soon she finds herself fighting for her own sanity – and finally her survival. MORE
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bill Pullman, and William Mapother
Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
Written by: Stephen Susco
(horror/thriller)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) — HOGWARTS BACK IN SESSION: A Bewitching School Home to Witchcraft and Wizardry. Fighting trees, talking spiders, and danger around every corner. Our intrepid students will need all their skills and wizardry to save their beloved Hogwarts from ruin. MORE
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Toby Jones, Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs, Kenneth Branagh, Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, and more.
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Written by: Steven Kloves (Screenplay) J.K. Rowling (story)
(fantasy/mystery/adventure/family)
The Haunted Mansion (2003) — Check your pulse at the door, if you have one. What starts out as a masquerade ball turns into a night of deception, poison, and death. An old music box with a ball of light; should she follow it? A secret passageway; who knows where it will lead? There is a crystal ball with a whirlwind of rhymes; if you have the time, and a trip to the graveyard and a wedding; if they can make it out alive. MORE
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Marsha Thomason, and Jennifer Tilly
Directed by: Rob Minkoff
Written by: David Berenbaum
(comedy/horror/family/fantasy)
The Haunting (1963) — Based on the novel by Shirley Jackson, this critically-acclaimed thriller tells the tale of a small group of people, including an unstable young woman, who spend a night in a sinister house. MORE
Starring: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, Lois Maxwell, and Fay Compton.
Directed by: Robert Wise
Written by: Nelson Gidding (screenplay), Shirley Jackson (story)
(horror/suspense)
The Haunting (1999) — It’s when you don’t know what’s behind the door that things start to get scary. A character-driven, psychologically suspenseful, subconsciously scary film that documents three insomniac patients’ experiences in the haunted Hill House as one of them attempts to unveil the macabre secret brooding behind the nightly paranormal activity. MORE
Starring: Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Owen Wilson
Directed by: Jan de Bont
Written by: Shirley Jackson (story) and David Self (screenplay)
(CATEGORY)
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) – Loosely based on a true story, The Haunting in Connecticut is about a boy, dying of cancer, who ends up living — or perhaps dying — in the confines of an innocuous-looking haunted house. MORE
Starring: Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew, Martin Donovan, Sophi Knight, Ty Wood, Erik Berg
Directed by: Peter Cornwell
Written by: Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe
(drama/horror/mystery)
House on Haunted Hill (1999) — A remake of the cult classic horror film; guests mysteriously invited to a party, whereby a millionaire will play host and benefactor to the guests by offering a million dollar paycheck for every live body precluding the night’s ghastly ceremony. When the mansion decides to play a few tricks on the guests, deaths and much blood ensue. MORE
Starring: Ali Larter, Taye Diggs, Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Chris Kattan, Peter Gallagher, and Bridgette Wilson
Directed by: William Malone
Written by: Robb White (story) and Dick Beebe (screenplay)
(mystery/thriller)
The Lovely Bones (2009) — The story of a life cut short by early death, and everything that comes after. A 14 year old girl is murdered by a serial killer and she can hang on to her ghostly existence, ever so sweetly. She can watch over her family and frolic in an afterlife wonderfully imagined by director Peter Jackson and his magicians at WETA. MORE
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Written by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson, based on the novel by Alice Sebold
(fantasy/drama)
The Messengers (2007) — A spiritual darkness spreads over a seemingly serene sunflower farm in North Dakota. The farm’s unsuspecting owners, the Solomon family, are torn by suspicion, turmoil, and eventually murder. MORE
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller, and John Corbett
Directed by: Pang Brothers
Written by: Stuart Beattie, Todd Farmer, Mark Wheaton
(horror/thriller)
The Others (2001) — There isn’t always an answer for everything. A suspense-building, melodramatic, psychological roller coaster that documents the life of the isolated mother Grace Stewart and her two severely ill-children, Anne and Nicholas. As the three struggle to live life in their eerily dark and isolated mansion without their missing father their only hope for socialization comes from their eccentric servants and the mysterious “others” that keep antagonizing the residency. MORE
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Alakina Mann, James Bentley, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan, Eric Sykes, and Elaine Cassidy
Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar
Written by: Alejandro Amenabar
(drama/horror/thriller/mystery)
Paranormal Activity (2009) — Katie and Micah are a young couple who’ve just moved into their new home in San Diego. Katie believes that malignant spirits have accompanied her since childhood, but Micah is skeptical… MORE
Starring: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, and Mark Fredrichs
Directed by: Oren Peli
Written by: Oren Peli
(thriller/indie)
Pet Sematary (1989) — A family moves to a small town in Maine and discovers a dark secret behind their home. When their child dies suddenly, will they be able to resist the dark power of the Pet Sematary?
Starring: Dale Midkiff, Fred Gwynne and Miko Hughes
Directed by: Mary Lambert
Written by: Stephen King
(fantasy/drama)
Pirates of the Caribbean — Ay mate, there be demons aboard! Prepare for a visual splendor as “Pirates of the Caribbean” brings to life one of Disney’s most beloved rides on the silver screen. Set in the 17th century, the film follows the adventures of the nefarious pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, his swashbuckling sidekick Will Turner, and the lovely Elizabeth Swann as they run down the cursed ship, the Black Pearl, led by the villainous Captain Barbossa. MORE
Starring: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Jack Davenport, Geoffrey Rush
Directed by: Gore Verbinsky
Written by: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
(action/adventure/fantasy/comedy)
Poltergeist (1982) — They’re Here! In a seemingly peaceful and manicured California suburb, the Freeling family’s home life is shattered when their daughter Carol Anne is abducted by malevolent spirits which soon take over the house. MORE
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, and Heather O’Rourke
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Written by: Steven Spielberg (story & screenplay) Michael Grais (screenplay) Mark Victor (screenplay)
(drama/fantasy/horror/thriller)
The Ring (2002) — Sometimes you have to be seen to be heard. A bizarre videotape makes the rounds in Seattle. Full of unsettling imagery and strange sounds, its viewers receive a phone call after watching it that tells them they will die in seven days. MORE
Starring: Naomi Watts, Daveigh Chase, and Martin Henderson
Directed by: Gore Verbinsky
Written by: Koji Suzuki (novel) and Ahren Kruger (screenplay)
(thriller/horror/psychological/drama/mystery)
The Ring 2 (2005) — In an effort to leave their ordeal in Seattle behind, Rachel and her son relocate to a small town in Oregon. After finding a job writing for the local newspaper, Rachel learns of an unexplained murder that leads her to believe her supernatural troubles have not ended. MORE
Starring: Naomi Watts, David Dorfman, and Elizabeth Perkins
Directed by: Hideo Nakata
Written by: Ehren Kruger
(horror/thriller)
Secret Window (2004) — “Shoot-her” After author Mort Rainey unveils his wife’s hidden affair he snaps, or does he? Retreating to the darkness of the remote woods, Mort slowly slips into a depressive state that renders him on the brink of psychosis. What’s more, a furious Southerner named Shooter is more than perturbed with an accusation that Mort has plagiarized his story, only worsening Mort’s paranoia and cynicism of the human race. In typical psychological thriller fashion, “Secret Window” takes you on twists and turns through the warped mind and life of the tormented writer suffering from more than a writer’s block. MORE
Starring: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, and John Turturro
Directed by: David Koepp
Written by: Stephen King (novel) and David Koepp (screenplay)
(psychological suspense/thriller/drama/horror)
The Shining (1980) — Agreeing to act as caretaker in exchange for lodging at the Overlook Hotel, Torrance brings his wife and son to accompany him over the winter break. Slowly the ghosts haunting the Overlook begin to appear to Jack, including the ghost of Mr. Grady, a former custodian who went insane and killed his family. Grady begins to order Jack to keep his family in control. As Jack slowly goes insane, his son and wife are in danger of their lives with only the power of “the shining” to save them.
Starring: Shelley Duvall, Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, Barry Nelson, Philip Stone, Scatman Crothers, Tony Burton, Joe Turkel, and Anne Jackson
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Written by: Stanley Kubrick, Diane Johnson (Screenplay) and Stephen King (story)
(drama/horror/thriller)
The Shunned House (2003) — All who are evil may enter. When a reporter ventures into an old house in search of a story, he gets three of them. MORE
Starring: Giuseppe Lorusso, Federica Quaglieri, and Nicolo Viganelli
Directed by: Ivan Zuccon
Written by: H.P. Lovecraft (story) and Enrico Saletti (screenwriter)
(horror)
Sleepy Hollow (1999) — Constable Ichabod Crane is an innovative scientist amidst the corrupt society of New York, circa 1799. As the dawn of the 19th century approaches, Crane is ordered to practice his forensic brand of sleuthing in the quaint town of Sleepy Hollow. MORE
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Mark Pickering, and Christopher Walken
Directed by: Tim Burton
Written by: Washington Irving (Story) and Kevin Yagher (screenplay)
(fantasy/horror/thriller)
Stir of Echoes (1999) — Sometimes being open-minded gets you more than you bargained for. The harrowing story of the Witzky family as they are drawn into a murder mystery that surfaces when father and son duo Tom and Jake Witzky begin to communicate with the dead. MORE
Starring: Zachary David Cope, Kevin Bacon, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas, Jennifer Morrison, Liza Weil
Directed by: David Koepp
Written by: Richard Matheson (novel) and David Koepp (screenplay)
(thriller/horror/mystery)
Terror Toons (2002) — Porn icons Lizzie Borden and Beverly Lynne in a story with a bad porn feel to it, minus the titillating sex and nudity and any form of plot. MORE
Starring: Beverly Lynne, Lizzie Borden, Kerry Liu, Fernando Padilla, Brandon Reininger, and Jack Roberts
Directed by: Joe Castro
Written by: Rudy Balli
(horror)
Thir13en Ghosts (2001) — Unlucky thirteen and a Devil’s machine… The story of one man’s quest to construct a machine that will allow him to see into the eye of hell. The catch? The contraption requires the spirits of twelve specific ghosts to serve as power supplies for the machine. MORE
Starring: Shannon Elizabeth, Alec Roberts, Rah Digga, Tony Shalhoub, Matthew Lillard, F. Murray Abraham and Embeth Davidtz
Directed by: Steve Beck
Written by: Robb White (story) and Neal Marshall Stevens (screenplay)
(horror/thriller/psychological)
The Watcher in the Woods (1980) — When a family moves to the English countryside, the daughters encounter the unexplainable. Will they be able to unravel the secret of what happened to the vanishing girl from 30 years ago?
Starring: Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, David McCallum, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Kyle Richards, Ian Bannen, and Richard Pasco
Directed by: John Hough
Written by: Brian Clemens, Harry Spaulding, Rosemary Anne Sisson (Screenplay)
(fantasy/thriller)
We Are Still Here (2015) — After the death of their son, The Sacchettis move to a home in New England to recover from their loss. Will they become the unwitting sacrifice to the house’s evil?
Starring: Barbara Crampton, Andrew Sensenig, Larry Fessenden, Lisa Marie, and Monte Markham
Directed by: Ted Geoghegan
Written by: Ted Geoghegan
(horror)
What Lies Beneath (2000) — As her university-professor husband leaves for a weekend conference, strange things begin to happen in Claire’s new house. Is she losing her mind? Or are more sinister forces at work. MORE
Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford, and Diana Scarwid
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Written by: Sarah Kernochan (story) and Clark Gregg (story and screenplay)
(horror/mystery/thriller/drama)
White Noise (2005) — Dead calling the living, over! Can the dead continue to communicate with the living once they’ve passed into another realm? Are you sure you want to know? MORE
Starring: Michael Keaton, Chandra West, and Ian McNeice
Directed by: Geoffrey Sax
Written by: Niall Johnson
(drama/horror/mystery/sci-fi)
