5 Haunted House Films To Enjoy This Halloween
- Zebediah Oke
- Oct 28, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 21, 2021
As an institution, the haunted house dates back to 19th-century England, where Marie Tussaud captivated audiences with her exhibition of wax sculptures. At the time, they were made in the likeness of popular decapitated French figures, such as King Louis XVI, Robespierre, Marat and, of course, Marie Antoinette. Eventually, she set up a permanent residency with a little place you might know called Madame Tussaud’s. In cinema, the haunted house is to horror what Batman is to comics. These tales concentrate supernatural possession into the physical confines of a place that we typically identify as protected–the home–our chosen sanctuary from the cruelty of the world. Done effectively, the best of haunted house films play with our perception of safety, tinkling the piano keys of suspense. And in the spirit of Halloween, we’ve picked 5 must-see haunted house films to watch this Halloween.
1) House (Hausu)
After her mother passes away, Gorgeous (Kimiko Ikegami) decides to visit her auntie’s mansion in the middle of nowhere in an effort to avoid spending time with her father and his new lover. Bringing six of her closest friends along, Gorgeous arrives at the estate, and paranormal activity begins right off the bat. Appliances around the house come to life, a decapitated head flies around biting people, and a portrait of a cat seems to be a vessel for an evil spirit. Hausu has become something of a cult classic–marrying the truly bizarre with the spooky on a whacky scale.
2) His House
After Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) escape from the war-torn country of South Sudan, they arrive in Britain as refugees and are provided with social housing. As they struggle to acclimatise to their new life in a new country, there seems to be something more sinister bubbling beneath the surface of their lives. His House explores the societal experiences of Black refugees in Western Europe–documenting the alienation they face, risk they’ve taken and lengths they’ve gone to for a shot at peace. We look at the toll this journey has on the couple’s psyche as supernatural occurrences full of grossness, shock and suspense begin to appear more and more.
3)Under the Shadow
On the violent backdrop of Irani-Iraqi war, Shideh (Narges Rashidi) is prohibited from studying medicine due to her history of student activism and stays at home with her daughter, Dorsa (Avin Manshadi). When her building is hit by a stray missile, the neighbouring Ebrahimi family believes the missile was cursed and housing the spirit of a Djinn. After a series of strange occurrences, Shideh becomes convinced that something otherworldly is attempting to possess Dorsa and she tries to pluck up the courage to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself. Under the Shadow’s terror is drawn not only from the supernatural siege that Shideh and Dorsa are under but from the real-life anxieties, realities and horrors of war–how they change people and what they make us put our faith in.
4)Lake Mungo
When young Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker) drowns while swimming with her brother, Mathew (Martin Sharpe) at a dam. But after her father, Russell (David Pledger) identifies her body, a number of eerie sightings reveal that either Alice’s ghost is haunting the family, or maybe Alice isn’t dead at all? As the family begin to experience inexplicable events around their home, they begin to probe into Alice's secret double life… Leading them all to Lake Mungo.
Lake Mungo is a mockumentary-style, lo-fi horror that draws it’s appeal from the heart of every haunted house film–loss. Grief is the centre of this film, wrapped in a blanket of slow-burning suspense and surreal twists and turns, it’s a cool little film to keep you on the edge of your seat.
5)Casper
For those of you not wanting to deal with any added unsettling spookiness this Halloween, don’t worry. I’m throwing this family classic into the ring.
After learning about supernatural occurrences in a house in Maine, a paranormal therapist, James Harvey (Bill Pullman) moves there with his daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci). They quickly find that the property is haunted by Casper (Malachi Pearson), a kind young ghost boy and his mischievous, spectral uncles. He quickly develops a crush on Kat and, complicated by his ectoplasmic state, the whole situation becomes a recipe for disaster.
With everyone’s favourite, friendly ghost, Casper is bound to ensure your Halloween gives you a chuckle (or makes you shed a tear) or two.
What are your favourite haunted house films? Leave a comment below!
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