Cinematic Haunted Houses

[happyfilmluvguy]

From Dracula to Frankenstein, to The Uninvited to The Haunting, haunted houses have been the subject or backdrop of many movies. Hell House has been used in at least 4 movies, I believe. The makers always try to make the house unearthly, frightening to look at from the outside, and mysterious on the inside. In the movie Casper, the house has decayed a bit, as most haunted houses are, but it gives a more "what happened here long ago?" so of feeling, rather than a "I gotta get outta here" one. There are many kinds of haunted houses and haunted structures featured in movies.

One of the one's I enjoy is in the original The Haunting. Without overduing the liveness of the house, the makers created a feeling that the house was alive through sound effects and fancy camera angles. No need for a special effect here. I think it's more challenging to create that feeling without ever actually showing a gargoyle move or the stairs to jump up and grab you.

Another haunted house I like is the one in "Beetlejuice". Here the haunted house associates with two of the central characters. The wife and husband who have died cannot leave the house. A mysterious room has been locked, and the new owners are destined to find out what it contains. The location of the house is also important. Located atop a hill.

So what are your favorite movie haunted houses?

 

[Miss Brill]

I love The Uninvited. The house set was also used in I Married a Witch. I really love the "feel" of it. I could totally move right in.

 

[Doh!]

Technically not haunted, but the Bates mansion from Psycho is spooky as hell. And if I had the money, I'd have a working replica built so I could live there (sans Mother's corpse).

 

[mike]

the Old Dark House & the Bat Whispers for some wonderful at-most-fear!

 

[mike]

Absolutely agree with you guys aswell in your choices!

 

[Miss Brill]

Just thought of another--the one in The Spirit is Willing. It was another of those seaside numbers perched on the edge of a cliff.

 

[The Wolf]

"The Uninvited" is one of my favorites. Outside of the Golden Age is "The Changling" with George C. Scott. Highly recommended for chills.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Lady Day]

I thought the mansion/castle in Edward Scissorhands was right down creepy.

LD

 

[LocktownDog]

The house set was also used in I Married a Witch. I really love the "feel" of it. I could totally move right in.

Any house with Veronica Lake living in it would find itself haunted by me real darn quick.

Not a movie, but I love the Munsters house. The staircase opening up to the ferocity of my little Russell terrier. The basement laboratory for my science geek son to tinker around in. Heck, I've already got the dust.

Richard

 

[Lady Day]

Duh, The Shinning. :eusa_doh:

LD

 

[Story]

The Overlook

Duh, The Shinning. :eusa_doh:
LD

Stop thinking on my frequency.

http://www.unrealaudio.net/theshining2/realoverlook.htm

 

[Twitch]

Some of the assorted Dracula castles that have been created over the years have been the most forboding and haunting to me. Maybe the one in Van Helsing was the darkest of all, though much was CGI.

 

[zaika]

I vote for The Shining as well. Although in real life, the Timberline Lodge is really nice.

It's not vintage or a movie...nor is it particularly good, but the house they used for the miniseries "Rose Red" was pretty creepy looking from the outside. *shiver* I'd love to see it in a real movie that is somewhat watchable. lol

 

[Doh!]

The Amityville Horror house would be nice digs, too (except for the hauntings an' stuff).

 

[jazzzbaby]

The House of Usher
& The Legend of Hell House

 

[thunderw21]

"The Uninvited" is one of my favorites.

Ditto. Scared me to death once when the doors flung open near the end. Gosh, was not ready for that.

 

[Story]

Anyone want a GREAT deal on a five bedroom Dutch colonial built in 1927?
http://consumerist.com/2010/05/got-115-million-amityville-horror-house-is-up-for-sale.html

 

[Diamondback]

Not film related, but the various Disney Haunted Mansions could be cool if adapted to actual structure designs... somebody's already doing the Disneyland version, but I'm more partial to the WDW Orlando/Tokyo Disney design.

 

[DanielJones]

Amityville Horror. Just the look of the house alone is creepy enough. Oh, and the Poltergeist house. Who wants a casket pop up in their pool?

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Shangas]

Probably nobody remembers this movie, but in 1970, there was a film (a made-for-TV one, I believe) called: "The House that Would Not Die".

It was one of my absolute favourite films as a boy, and the house itself was really something. I think I'd love to live there.

The Amityville Horror house is really beautiful, and something tells me that, if I didn't know of its history, I'd move in there as well.

You know, I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned this yet...

...what about the Addams Family mansion?