7 most disturbing haunted house movies that you shouldn’t watch alone

Imagine living in a house that's haunted by malicious spirits. That would be super creepy! I would have to move out right away. No questions asked. But in some of the best horror movies, the characters placed in these same situations choose to stick around instead, which completely baffles me. They would rather risk their lives by trying to figure out what's haunting their house than to get to safety.

I get it, though. It wouldn't be an entertaining horror movie, if at the first sight of an evil spirit, the characters pack up their stuff and move away from their haunted house. It would also be a very short film. If I'm being honest, haunted house movies are one of my favorite types of horror films and there are plenty that I have watched that are quite frightening.

Are you curious to know what movies I'm talking about? If so, continue reading because I shared a list of some of the most disturbing haunted house movies ever made below.

The Changeling (1980)

Directed by: Peter Medak

Written by: William Gray and Diana Maddox

Cast: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, John Colicos, Jean Marsh, Helen Burns, Madeleine Sherwood

After his wife and daughter are killed in a tragic car accident, New York City composer John Russell relocates to Seattle, where he rents out a secluded Victorian mansion, not knowing it has a dark past. Not long after moving in, John begins to experience strange and unexplainable phenomena, leading him to investigate. He eventually learns that the house is haunted by the spirit of a young boy who drowned in a bathtub there decades ago.

The Shining (1980)

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Written by: Kubrick and Diane Johnson

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd

Technically, The Shining wouldn't be considered a haunted house movie because it takes place in a haunted hotel instead. But this film was just too disturbing not to include on the list. When writer and recovering alcoholic, Jack Torrance, takes on a new winter caretaker position at an isolated hotel in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, he brings his entire family with him, including his young son who has psychic abilities.

While there, he begins to uncover the hotel's dark secrets and becomes increasingly unhinged by the malevolent spirits that reside there. He starts to exhibit violent and erratic behavior, ultimately becoming a threat to his family's safety.

The Others (2001)

Directed and written by: Alejandro Amenábar

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy, Eric Sykes, Alakina Mann

The Others is a psychological horror that takes place in the year 1945, following the end of the Second World War. It centers around a devoutly religious woman named Grace and her two photosensitive children who live in a large, dark, remote country house in Jersey. As she and her kids start to experience supernatural phenomena and hear strange noises throughout the house, Grace begins to believe that the house is haunted by ghosts or intruders.

The Conjuring (2013)

Directed by: James Wan

Written by: Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes

Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor

The Conjuring is arguably one of the best supernatural horror films ever made. Inspired by the real-life experiences of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the movie follows the paranormal investigators and demonologists as they work to help a family terrorized by malevolent spirits in their secluded farmhouse. If you want to be spooked even more, you should check out the other movies in The Conjuring horror franchise such as The Conjuring 2 and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg

Written by: Sandor Stern

Cast: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Murray Hamilton

The Amityville Horror is based on the 1977 book of the same name by Jay Anson, and inspired by the allegedly true events that occurred at the Amityville, New York home in 1974. It centers around the Lutz family, who after moving into a large house where a mass murder was committed, begins to be terrorized by satanic forces in the house.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Directed and written by: Oren Peli

Cast: Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat

Although low-budget, this supernatural horror flick will have you very unsettled when watching it. It focuses on a young couple who begin experiencing increasingly disturbing supernatural phenomena in their new home. They soon find out that their dealing with a demonic entity who has no intentions of leaving them alone.

Poltergeist (1982)

Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Written by: Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, Mark Victor

Cast: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Heather O'Rourke, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robins

Poltergeist is a horror classic. It centers around a young, suburban family who begin experiencing terrifying paranormal phenomena after moving into their new home. They soon find out that their house is haunted by ghosts, but they seem harmless at first. That's until they begin terrorizing the family before abducting their youngest daughter.

What haunted house movies have you watched that were disturbing?

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