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The Haunted House

post #1 of 22
8/11/04 at 10:12am
Thread Starter 
Of all the horror film devices, I think the haunted house motif is the most effective. My definition of a haunted house movie is broader than just "The Haunting". A haunted nouse movie is essentially any film wherein the threat is confined to one speciic area while the outside world is unaffected. By designating one specific area for the horror film to play out, the director makes the supernatural events much more believable. Some of my favorite "haunted house" films include-
The Exorcist
Prince of Darkness
Psycho
Poltergeist
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
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post #2 of 22
8/11/04 at 11:11am
How about The Entity or House on Haunted Hill?
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post #3 of 22
8/11/04 at 11:15am
And how about The grudge?
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post #4 of 22
8/11/04 at 11:17am
The Haunting
The Legend of Hell House
Castle of Blood
The House on Haunted Hill
The Amityville Horror
The Shining
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post #5 of 22
8/11/04 at 12:13pm
Thread Starter 
I like Entity and House on Haunted Hill alright. Haven't seen The Grudge yet.

I'm second guessing my Prince of Darkness choice. There's also the external threat of Alice Cooper and his gang of bums. But they're not trying to get in, they're there to keep the people contained.
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post #6 of 22
8/11/04 at 12:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rabigjb
The Legend of Hell House
One of the ultimate 'haunted house' films.
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post #7 of 22
8/11/04 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobClark
Of all the horror film devices, I think the haunted house motif is the most effective. My definition of a haunted house movie is broader than just "The Haunting". A haunted nouse movie is essentially any film wherein the threat is confined to one speciic area while the outside world is unaffected. By designating one specific area for the horror film to play out, the director makes the supernatural events much more believable. Some of my favorite "haunted house" films include-
The Exorcist
Prince of Darkness
Psycho
Poltergeist
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Very cool sentiments, Bob.
I've always thought Alien was a classic haunted house type story. (not much in the way of supernatural events, but other than that I think the flick fits your paradigm.
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post #8 of 22
8/11/04 at 12:49pm
Thread Starter 
I think Alien counts. Good one. I was getting tired of the Alien/slasher movie comparisons.

I guess supernatural isn't quite the right word. What I'm trying to get at is the concept of an enviroment that is seperate from the rest of the world. Once you establish that this setting is an anomoly, the audience can suspend their disbelief more and get good and scared.
As in Exorcist where the mom keeps reaching out to the real world for help. The shot of Father Merrin at the doorstep. The devil is vanquished as the priest breaks through a window into the outside world, where things are safe again.
These are elements of a haunted house movie.
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post #9 of 22
8/11/04 at 12:58pm
Then something like 10 Little Indians would qualify? I do like the one by one they fall nature of these films, especially when they have the guts to take out a likable character early on and your left wondering who goes next. Legend of Hell House, House on Haunted Hill, Lonesome Pete.
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post #10 of 22
8/11/04 at 1:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gus Bjork
Then something like 10 Little Indians would qualify?
It is increasingly getting creepier and creepier how films that I am talking to people at work about show up here the next day...
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post #11 of 22
8/11/04 at 1:04pm
I'm thinking The Thing's (both versions) gotta be on that list. It's been too long since I saw the original and I can't remember how that one ended, but in Carpenter's version there is no escape to the outside (safe) world and I've always admired that John had the balls to end it in that manner. I'm guessing the studio pressed Carpenter hard for an uplifting, happy ending and I'm fucking happy they didn't get it. Of course, the suits can always counter with, well, if it did have a happy ending we probably would have seen bigger box office. But we wouldn't have the classic that John bestowed upon us and its had quite the second life on video and dvd.
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post #12 of 22
8/11/04 at 1:06pm
Some good ones already mentioned here. Not all of these are high recommendations, but of note, and some are downright classics.
What about..

THE INNOCENTS
THE OTHERS
THE OTHER (tryon)
Bava's DROP OF WATER
STIR OF ECHOES
BELOVED
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post #13 of 22
8/11/04 at 1:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rabigjb
The Haunting
The Legend of Hell House
That movie sooo fucking rocks!!!
Scary ass hell, I saw it at 1 in the morning and was all creep out, seriously took away my high.
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post #14 of 22
8/11/04 at 1:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tindalos
It is increasingly getting creepier and creepier how films that I am talking to people at work about show up here the next day...
Turn around Tindalos....I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU!
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post #15 of 22
8/11/04 at 1:09pm
Screw it.

Add...

'The Legacy'
'Burnt Offerings'
'The Changeling'
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post #16 of 22
8/11/04 at 2:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by COFFINROCK
I'm thinking The Thing's (both versions) gotta be on that list. It's been too long since I saw the original and I can't remember how that one ended, but in Carpenter's version there is no escape to the outside (safe) world and I've always admired that John had the balls to end it in that manner. I'm guessing the studio pressed Carpenter hard for an uplifting, happy ending and I'm fucking happy they didn't get it. Of course, the suits can always counter with, well, if it did have a happy ending we probably would have seen bigger box office. But we wouldn't have the classic that John bestowed upon us and its had quite the second life on video and dvd.
I actually think The Thing is an inversion of the haunted house movie. The remote setting is being besieged by a threat from the outside. The characters scramble to find refuge within the base, not outside.
The same kind of scenario applies to films like Romero's Dead trilogy and Raimi's first two Evil Dead movies. With these films the entire outside world has gone mad and the "house" is the last safe zone.
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post #17 of 22
8/11/04 at 2:57pm
Nice work, Bob. You, uh, sorta know a thing or two.
I guess The Fog would fit into your "inversion of the haunted house" idea. Or maybe you could make a case for the threat in that movie being in the town all along, since it was the founders' actions that resulted in the curse. The pirate ghosts manifest themselves from out of the sea, but the genesis of their exsistence lies in the manipulative and born of fear motives of the founders.
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post #18 of 22
8/11/04 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gus Bjork
Then something like 10 Little Indians would qualify? .
That probably depends on where you draw the genre line between horror and detective mystery. I'd put it in the mystery department, which kind of takes away the haunted house motif. That is to say, the same murders could just as easily take place anywhere else in the world.
But then, I also hold the minority opinion that giallo films are not horror movies.
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post #19 of 22
8/11/04 at 3:26pm
Last good haunted house movie I saw was The Darkness
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post #20 of 22
8/11/04 at 3:35pm
Last year my wife and I and some friends went to the James J Hill mansion on Halloween. This is a big old turn of the century mansion with all the creepy ol' fixings one could desire in a haunted house ('cept since its now an interactive museum it's kept spotless).

Point is they gathered a small group of us in a dimly lit parlor and people in period costume told these short, eerie Victorian age ghost stories. Some of these stories had a nice moody suspense and could linger around afterwards. One of my favorites was Saki's the Open Window that is one of those tingling sort of tales that, if told well, can be quite effective (regardles of the ending).

It would be nice to see one of those spooky old mansion ghost storie movies again. Like The Others.
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post #21 of 22
8/26/04 at 9:31pm
I liked both House on Haunted Hill movies. The Haunting was excellent, too. In some respects I like haunted house films better than regular monster movies.
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post #22 of 22
8/27/04 at 3:22am
How about TALE OF TWO SISTERS and WOMAN IN THE DUNES ???

In the case of WOMAN IN THE DUNES, there is nothing supernatural, however, as Bob mentioned, the dwelling down the in sand is so completely shut-off and inescapable, and what starts out as horrifing becomes a sort of salvation ...

And TALE OF TWO SISTERS has the most beautifully photographed haunted dwelling since the dance school in SUSPIRIA ...
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