Presence gives the haunted house story a fresh twist by letting the audience experience everything through the ghost’s eyes. What seems like a typical haunting slowly turns into a heartbreaking revelation about family, guilt, and protection from beyond the grave. Subtle clues scattered throughout the film make the final reveal hit even harder, turning this quiet supernatural tale into something deeply human. | © Neon
Paranormal Activity proves you don’t need big budgets or gore to terrify audiences. Shot like a home video, it follows a couple documenting the strange events that keep disturbing their nights until the tension becomes unbearable. The simplicity is what makes it so effective; every creak, shadow, and slammed door feels like it could happen in your own home. | © Paramount Pictures
Hereditary begins as a family drama and slowly mutates into something far darker and more disturbing. Toni Collette delivers a powerhouse performance as a grieving mother whose world unravels in ways both emotional and supernatural. Meticulously crafted and unbearably tense, it’s a horror film that crawls under your skin and stays there long after it’s over. | © A24
Beetlejuice brings Tim Burton’s offbeat imagination to life in a ghost story that’s more eccentric than eerie. A sweet, newly dead couple hires an unpredictable “bio-exorcist” to help reclaim their home from the living, and chaos follows. Michael Keaton steals every scene as the outrageous Betelgeuse, giving the film its wild, mischievous pulse. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Hell House LLC uses the found-footage format to terrifying effect, turning a fake haunted attraction into something truly cursed. What begins as a behind-the-scenes look at a Halloween event slowly unravels into chaos as real horrors invade the show. Blending shaky handheld footage, news clips, and interviews, it builds dread piece by piece until the final reveal leaves you genuinely unsettled. | © Terror Films
Poltergeist took suburban comfort and turned it into pure nightmare fuel. When a cheerful family home becomes a gateway for malevolent spirits, every static-filled TV and flickering light feels like a threat. It’s smart, scary, and endlessly quotable, a benchmark for haunted house horror that still holds its power decades later. | © MGM
The Others proves that silence, shadows, and suggestion can be far scarier than blood or monsters. Nicole Kidman delivers one of her best performances as a mother guarding her children from sunlight, and perhaps from something even darker inside their isolated mansion. With its eerie calm and masterful twist, this gothic thriller reminds viewers that the unseen is often the most terrifying. | © Miramax Films
A Tale of Two Sisters stands out as one of the most haunting and emotionally layered horror films ever made. Mixing family tragedy with ghost story elements, it pulls you into a world where grief, guilt, and reality blur until you’re no longer sure what’s real. Beautifully shot and flawlessly acted, it’s a slow, mesmerizing descent into both supernatural fear and human pain. | © Tartan Films USA
The Conjuring revived classic haunted house horror with smart direction and a story “based on true events.” Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren face one of their most terrifying cases as a family battles dark forces in their farmhouse. It’s packed with jump scares that actually work, anchored by tension, atmosphere, and a creeping sense that this could really happen. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
The Orphanage tells a deeply personal ghost story about a woman reconnecting with the past she never truly left behind. When Laura reopens the orphanage where she grew up, strange events begin to blur the line between grief and the supernatural. Instead of cheap scares, the film leans on emotion, mystery, and the painful love that refuses to fade. | © Picturehouse
The Haunting proves that suggestion can be far scarier than any special effect. Set inside the ominous Hill House, it builds its terror through whispers, shifting shadows, and the feeling that the walls themselves might be alive. Even after six decades, this black-and-white classic still makes you hold your breath, waiting for something you can’t quite see. | © MGM
Lake Mungo creeps under your skin with its quiet, documentary-style approach to grief and the supernatural. As a family unravels the mystery behind their daughter’s death, every found clip and interview adds another layer of unease. It’s slow, eerie, and deeply human, the kind of horror that chills you long after the final reveal. | © Arclight Films
The Evil Dead kicked off one of horror’s most infamous franchises with raw energy and gallons of fake blood. A group of friends heads to a remote cabin and accidentally unleashes demons from an ancient book, turning isolation into pure terror. Sam Raimi’s debut doesn’t rely on polish or humor, it’s all dread, grit, and groundbreaking DIY horror that inspired a generation of filmmakers. | © New Line Cinema
The Innocents turns quiet country life into a slow-burning nightmare of doubt and suggestion. As a young governess begins to suspect the children in her care are possessed, reality and imagination start to twist together in unnerving ways. Every shadow feels alive, and the film’s eerie calm makes its questions about sanity and the supernatural all the more chilling. | © 20th Century Fox
Technically not a haunted house movie, but few haunted places have burned into pop culture like the Overlook Hotel. Kubrick turns Stephen King’s story into a slow, hypnotic descent into madness that’s as psychological as it is supernatural. Between Jack Nicholson’s unraveling and the eerie symmetry of those endless hallways, The Shining remains one of horror’s most unforgettable nightmares. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
Haunted house movies tap into a universal fear: the idea that your own home could turn against you. From creaking floorboards to unseen watchers, these films turn ordinary spaces into places of dread and mystery. Here are 15 of the best haunted house stories ever put on screen, each guaranteed to make you glance over your shoulder before turning out the lights.
