All Hallows Month: The Mustache’s Top Ten Haunted House Movies (Part 2)

Posted on by The Mustache

Earlier this weekend, I revealed the first part of my top ten Haunted House movies list, despite communicating that I used to dislike these types of movies. In fact, there was a time when I not only disliked paranormal horror, but actually felt a measure of disdain for the sub-genre.

The reality is that many ghost stories are told with a background of creaking floorboards and slamming doors. I do not consider those elements scary. However, the industry has changed and special effects have made paranormal movies more than just derivative garbage.

Directors like Ari Aster, James Wan, Scott Derrickson, and Stanley Kubrick have reimagined haunted house stories and in the reimagining, have used special effects to great benefit, to amplify and deepen the scares. The higher choices for my list are all stellar examples of great cinematography, perfect camera blocking, and creative special effects.

#5

For the longest time, The Shining was considered by many media critics (a group of which the Mustache and the Beard belong) to be the best example of a Haunted House narrative. Forty plus years later and I still have it on my list although much lower than I expected. In fact, the idea for this Top Ten list began with The Shining as my #1, but as I began to consider other movies, it dropped to barely stay part of my Top Five.

Although the movie is older than numerous other Haunted House stories, this one is a haunted hotel with countless ghosts, iconic scenes, Shelley Duvall has never been better, Danny Lloyd does a fantastic job as creepy kid Danny Torrance, Jack Nicholson stretches as an actor playing a man slowly going insane as he is seduced by the spirits of those that died in the Overlook Hotel in Colorado.

In my humble opinion, this movie still deserves a spot, and all that without mentioning the source material: Stephen King’s phenomenal novel of the same name. Nor did I mention Stanley Kubrick’s incredible directing, not the least of which is the opening credits, a bird’s eye view of the Torrance family driving to the Overlook along a desolate, winding road. It had to be done via helicopter, cut for cut. Spectacular!

#4

The Conjuring was a 2013 Haunted House, paranormal, horror movie directed by James Wan about a family (the Perrons) that moves into a large farmhouse in Rhode Island. That first night, they find a boarded up cellar while exploring the house. After beginning the cleaning and clearing process, they go to bed and when they awaken, they find that every clock in the house stops at 3:07 in the morning.

For the next couple of nights, the clocks continue to cease at 3:07 in the morning and Carolyn, wakes every morning with bruises on her body. After a horrifying incident and the death of the family dog, the Perrons decide to contact Ed and Lorraine Warren, professional demonologists that can begin to explain the paranormal phenomena occurring in the house.

Turns out the gallows on the movie poster is not just for show. The former occupant of the farmhouse was an accused witch. And let me tell you that as I was writing this post and rewatching the trailers to these movies I watched a decade ago, it is 3 am. I live alone in a farmhouse in Puerto Rico. The house is at the top of a hill and the darkness is all-encompassing. I actually had to stop writing because I was scaring myself silly.

#3

Insidious (2010) is another paranormal, Haunted House, horror movie directed by James Wan that initiated an entire franchise of sequels and prequels. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Barbara Hershey really outkick their coverage here, in the sense that they convey fear on a whole other level.

We have a family moving into a house (sounds familiar?) (This is a consistent trope of these narratives because it gives us a fresh page, a new start, to a new story. The family has two boys and an infant girl. One of the boys falls into a coma after falling and hitting his head, astral projection is a new spin on the horror here. I will give no more details, but this one may make some people poop their drawers.

#2

Sinister is a 2012 Haunted House, horror movie, that you don’t want to be by yourself when watching. Directed by Scott Derrickson, starring Ethan Hawke, we have a family that moves into a new home when Hawke finds a box filled with 8 millimeter films that he watches alone in his basement. There are ghastly murders on these films. It’s disturbing in a wholly different way than the other movies here.

This one also includes a previous evil, hangings, and other explicit murders. There is a pagan god, ritualized sacrifice, and images that you will not soon forget. Imagine, this is not my #1. I debated showing a picture of Bughuul, the eater of children, but decided against it. I think it’s far more impactful in real time during a viewing of the movie.

#1

Hereditary from 2018 is my #1 Haunted House movie. I previously reviewed it for the blog, a Respectful Reel Review, and have given you detailed reasons why I love this movie. I think I will leave a trailer today instead.

I know, right. Horror done right. Ari Aster’s directing is fantastic. Toni Colette is masterful. Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, and Ann Dowd are really good, but the breakout star is creepy kid #1 Milly Shapiro.

Well, that’s it for me, the Mustache with my Top Ten Haunted House narratives. I hope you find something that strikes your fancy. As always, I thank you for checking out the post. The Mustache and the Beard are grateful. Stay safe. Take it easy. See you later. And Peace!

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My name is Louie Matos and I’m a geek. I’m such a geek that the week my best friend moved to Puerto Rico, I asked him to co-write a blog. Of course he said, “Yes!” because I’m SOOO flipping interesting, and because since we’ve known each other, we collaborate even when we don’t know we’re doing it. For the purposes of this blog, I’m the mustache. I’ve had a mustache since I was 12 years old, and I’ve never shaved it off. (We Puerto Ricans love our facial hair.) I was born into my geekdom. My Mom was a collector, and my Dad was a huge reader. So early on Dad would read to me and when he was done with the book, I would keep it until I learned to read for myself. And then I read everything, inhaling books from our school library 5 or 6 per week. When we moved to a new, safe neighborhood, I began to walk to the library, weekly. That’s when I became obsessed with books in general, and horror in particular. In Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, my brother, Marc, and I moved into the basement together. We had our own TV and because we were in the basement, Mom and Dad pretty much left us to our own devices if we let our little sister, Dee, tagalong. There in that basement we would watch creature features, chiller theatre, and horror marathons. We collected comic books, toys, and books. When we could afford our own VCR, we collected movies. So if I were to communicate my geekdom, I would say I’m a horror guy, former collector of Fangoria magazine. I still read 3 or 4 books per week (mostly horror and sci fi but practically anything.) I still read comics when I can get my hands on them (no small feat here in Puerto Rico). Dungeons and Dragons is still a must at family gatherings and we never fight about which is better (Star Wars or Star Trek). We can enjoy both. This blog will have all of that and a whole lot more. Stay tuned.