15 Haunted House Movies To Give You Nightmares

One of the most famous horror movies of all time, complete with demonic possession, head spinning and projectile vomiting. The idea of a demonic possession isn't too far removed from reality, the Catholic church have taken possessions very seriously in the past and there have been countless real-life exorcisms. The movie is set in a family home in Washington, D.C. and based on a novel by William Peter Blatty.

A great modern supernatural movie, made even creepier by the fact that is is based on the true-life case files of two of the most famous paranormal investigators of all time, husband and wife, Ed and Lorraine Warren. In this movie, the first of several in the franchise, we find out what happened when the couple came to the assistance of the Perron family, who were experiencing increasingly disturbing events in their farmhouse in Rhode Island in 1971.

This Nicole Kidman supernatural thriller might not be quite as good the second time around due to its unexpected twist. Nicole plays a woman who lives in a darkened old house on the channel island at some point after World War II. Her two photosensitive children become convinced that her family home is haunted.

The movie follows the story of a young couple, Katie and Micah, who suspect their house might be haunted and place a camera in the bedroom over night. The activity starts off slowly and very realistically but the dark force that's haunting them soon gets much more sinister. What makes the movies so terrifying is the way it is shot, using consumer devices like camcorders, phones, laptops and security cameras.

A British ghost story based on the story of the Pritchard family and their time in the UK's most haunted house on East Drive, Pontefract. The film is set in the 1960s and the movie makers have done a great job of recreating life in that period in a council house in the north of England, from clothing, to props and lifestyle this movie feels very real.

The first of four 'Insidious' movies tells the story of the Lambert's son, Dalton, who is trapped in a mysterious comatose state. Unbeknown to his parents, the boy has become a vessel which spirits from an astral plane can use to enter our world. As a result of this, the family's home is haunted by poltergeist-like activity. The family call upon psychic, Elise Reiner to help them, she brings along her paranormal investigation team of Specs and Tucker.

The original 1982 'Poltergeist' has the feel of a loveable Steven Spielberg family movie, with all the scares you'd expect from a Wes Craven horror. The plot revolves around a young family who are plagued by ghosts after moving into their new home. At first the ghosts appear friendly, moving objects around the house to the amusement of everyone, then they turn nasty and start to terrorise the family before they kidnap the youngest daughter.

Based on the 1983 novel by Susan Hill, this adaptation is perhaps most famous for starring the post-Potter Daniel Radcliffe. The story follows a recently widowed young lawyer, played by Radcliffe, who is employed to retrieve documents from the desolate Eel Marsh House as a prelude to legally settling the estate of the house. Death seems to stalk the house, and there's a catalogue of jump-scares throughout the film. It's a genuinely eerie watch, with a great cast, perfect if you want some classic scary moments! Turn out the lights for this one.

'The Conjuring 2' is based on the true story of a family living in a council house in Enfield in London. Their story is one of the most famous poltergeist cases of all time. As well as 'The Conjuring 2' the story was also the subject of the definitive book for ghost hunters, 'This House Is Haunted' by Guy Lyon Playfair, one of the original investigators at the case.

Robert Wise's 1963 masterpiece 'The Haunting' is based on Shirley Jackson's disturbing novel 'The Haunting Of Hill House'. Wise's film features a small cast in a haunted mansion. The film is a masterclass in achieving agonising tension and full-blown scares using only a choice camera angle, a bit of set dressing and impeccable sound design. Watch it alone with the lights off and try to tell yourself it isn't getting under your skin.

In 1977, Jay Anson published his book 'The Amityville Horror' which was based on an alleged real life haunting, The book went on to inspire a total of 13 Amityville movies including the 1979 horror classic 'The Amityville Horror'. The original haunting case is a mix of part classic haunting, part poltergeist disturbance and part demonic possession, all contained with a family home in Rhode Island.

The 2018 movie stars Helen Mirren, her role is based on a real-life haunting victim, Sarah Winchester, a famous firearm manufacturer's widow. In the movie version Sarah believes she is being haunted by the spirits of those who were killed by the rifles her husband's company manufactured. The strange mansion she lived in, known as the "Winchester Mystery House" is a real place, that the real Sarah spent 38 years constructing and renovating. It's said that her inspiration for changes to the property came directly from the spirit world.

This has all of the ingredients to make the perfect supernatural thriller. A haunted house, a group of people locked in with no knowledge why they are there, and Vincent Price. The mood is perfect, and with a double twist in the tail at the end this is a film everyone should see.

Washed-up true crime writer Ellison Oswalt finds a box of super 8 home movies in his new home that suggest the murder that he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.

'The Exorcism Of Emily Rose', is based on a real-life demonic possession of Anneliese Michel that occurred at her family home in the 1970s. Anneliese was a practicing Catholic who, after suffering an epileptic seizure complained of hearing voices and seeing the Devil in visions. After doctors were unable to help her, Anneliese's family turned to the church for help, they conducted 67 exorcism sessions, one or two each week.