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9 Paranormal Activity (2007)

Paranormal Activity tells the story of a young couple living in a new home who are stalked by a demonic presence. In order to capture evidence of the supernatural being, they deploy surveillance cameras, which give the film a documentary-like feel. The film was well received by audiences and critics alike, but as the most recent entry on this list, I felt obligated to place it at the bottom. Only time will tell how this modern take on a classic premise holds up.

8. The Haunting (1963)

In an effort to prove the existence of the supernatural, Dr. John Markway, along with three companions, sets out to investigate the Hill House. It isn’t long until strange occurrences begin to plague the group. But like most good horror films, all is not what it seems.

7. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

When a young boy named Carlos is made parentless by the Spanish Civil War, he becomes the newest resident of a local orphanage. But after spening some time in his new home, Carlos realizes that humans aren’t the only inhabitants roaming the grounds. If you like Guillermo del Toro, you owe it to yourself to check out this often overshadowed entry in his filmography.

6. The Changeling (1980)

The Changeling tells the story of Dr. John Russell (played by Oscar winner George C. Scott), who is trying to piece his life back together after the death of is wife and child. While renting a Victorian-era home in the Seattle area, the ghost of a murdered child begins haunting him. His investigation of the child’s death leads Russell to many unanswered questions involving a powerful local family that is desperate to let sleeping dogs lie.

5. The Legend of Hell House (1973)

Belasco House is refereed to as the “Mount Everest” of haunted houses. This is due in no small part to the fact that is was the site of a mass murder which is thought to have been carried out by the home’s now-missing owner, Emeric Belasco. At the behest of an eccentric millionaire, physicist Lionel Barrett sets out for the home in order to prove the existence of life after death, but ends up risking his own life in the process.

4. The House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Vincent Price plays eccentric millionaire Fredrick Loren in this horror classic in which five people are invited to spend the night in Loren’s haunted mansion. If they live through the night, they will receive $10,000 each (it was a lot of cash back in 1959). In order to up the ante, the guests are all armed with handguns. Add the threat of the supernatural to the mix, and it’s not hard to imagine what could go wrong with this scenario.

3. The Amityville Horror (1979)

Based on a book by the same name, Amityville Horror was reportedly based on a “true story.” And like most horror films that are based on a “true story,” the story in question turned out to be absolute bullshit. Even so, the film is one of the creepiest of all time. When the Lutz family buys their supposed dream home, they are fully aware that it was the site of a mass murder. But what can go wrong? After all, houses don’t have memories, right? If that were the case, it would have made for a very boring film.

2. The Poltergeist (1982)

Steven Spielberg‘s addition to the horror genre tells the story of the Freeling family, and the supernatural forces attempting to drive them from their new home. As the film progresses, the paranormal activity increases, and experts are called in to asses the situation. As it turns out, the home was built on the site of a grave yard, and while developers moved the gravestones, they neglected to move the graves. This doesn’t sit will with the ghosts of the graves’ inhabitants, and it doesn’t bode well for the Freeling’s youngest daughter.

1. The Shining (1980)

This Stanley Kubrick classic has become one of the most influential horror films of all time, casting its shadow not only on the horror genre, but throughout pop-culture. Jack Nicholson stars as Jack Torrance, a recovering alcoholic who agrees to take a job as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. While he plans to use the job’s extensive free time to further his writing career, the ghosts who inhabit the hotel have other ideas. Apparitions plague Jack and his family, pushing him beyond the brink of homicidal madness.

7 photosRose Byrne

Wan will make actors react to loud noises in The Conjuring. The story is based on the real life story of the Perron family who encountered both friendly and benevolent spirits in their Rhode Island farmhouse. This is a change of pace that I endorse. For the most part, ghosts seem like dicks but I’d definitely welcome a friendly one into my house. Would be nice to see a cup of coffee floating toward me each morning. (Variety)

Anyways, the technique (also employed by Paranormal Activity) hit paydirt and it’s no surprise that the producer Jason Blum is returning to the well. He’s teaming up with Exorcism Of Emily Rose direct Scott Derrickson on a new movie that he won’t tell you any details about. All that he’d reveal is that it’s a horror story based around a crime. Which sucks for me. I’ve been sitting on a horror-crime thriller for years, but haven’t gotten around to writing it. I guess I’d better get moving and since there’s no time to write, I’m doing it Blair Witch-style and making it up as we go along. Now, where can I get my hands on an octopus costume? (LA Times)

Kind of depressing that a tossed-off future “did that really exist?” movie like Hop, starring a candy-shitting rabbit voiced by Russell Brand, would do so well in a weekend with two decently reviewed genre movies like the scifi thriller Source Code and the haunted house movie Insidious, but oh well. Now, to begin working on the next draft of my screenplay, April’s Fool, about a CGI wacky fish who teaches an absentee father played by Ashton Kutcher the true meaning of April Fool’s Day. (via Box Office Mojo)

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Angus Sampson

Synopsis: A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

Release Date: April 1, 2011

SXSW offered a first look at the premiere of the new James Wan/Leigh Whannell film Insidious. My first thoughts were a bit of self-reflection. I have to appreciate horror movies on a different level than the target audience. I’m not scared by ghosts and monsters and slasher killers. I can appreciate it as a story, and often some deep fantasy, but I’m not scared. Insidious has enough that should scare the horror believers and creates an in-depth mythology that objective viewers like me can respect.

Renee (Rose Byrn) and Josh (Patrick Wilson) move into a new house where apparitions pop up behind windows and push books off the shelves. Their son Dalton falls into a coma. That’s a taboo plot twist that Hollywood horror wouldn’t allow. The visions get stronger and Renee experiences them the most.

The scares at this point are solid. You see enough unsettling disturbances, some grinning twins or a bloody handprint on the sheets, to get your Shining on. Here is where the film gets smart though. They move out of the house. Josh may be skeptical but he’s willing to do it for Renee’s well being.

Of course, it wasn’t the house, it was the family. In the new house, the ghosts get more interactive. A ghostly child actually makes Renee play hide and seek. Josh’s mom Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) calls a spiritual advisor, Elise (Lin Shaye) to help. That’s when the mythology gets deep.

Elise explains astral projection to create a really mature, perceptive view of the supernatural. Leigh Whannell’s script incorporates spiritual powers and philosophy that even casual readers of pop metaphysics would appreciate. Elise and her assistants Tucker (Angus Sampson) and Specs (Leigh Whannell) can’t stop the other world from causing trouble so the pace builds as the mythology develops.

Elise introduces the concept of The Further, which the film explores as a new vision of the world beyond our own. It’s more dreamlike than Nightmare on Elm Street and full of unsettling images and sound. The characters aren’t passive. Renee and Josh get hands on to save their son. Josh has to be the nay sayer but they make him reasonable.

I was most interested when the film kicked into its spiritual gear, but the whole film is well done. James Wan shoots the houses so that every angle on a room or staircase makes it look completely different. He reveals the disturbing elements in effective tracking shots, obscuring some things and playing with screen space. It’s not just jump scares.

I was invested in the otherworldly adventure of Insidious, which is definitely more epic than the usual haunted house story. I would look forward to further adventures in The Further.

These days, you can’t have a horror movie without a frightening, possessed child. Has there ever been a horror movie about a spooky orphanage of possessed kids? You know, why am I even asking? There have probably been hundreds.

Here’s the new poster for Insideous by director James Wan (Saw), which is admittedly pretty freaky looking. It’s about “a family [who] tries [to] prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose son in a realm called The Further forever.” Yikes. I hear The Further is, like, one of the worst realms ever. It’s got a pretty lousy review on Yelp.

Check out the poster below, along with some screenshots from the film. We’ve also got the trailer here. This April, get ready to catch your shrieking girlfriend as she cowers in your arms at the theater, then will have “thank god everything’s okay in real life” sex with you when you get home. (FirstShowing, Dread Central)

I’m told that the film, though formulaic, really delivers on scares. To me, it looks like a really scary version of “Ghosthunters,” which could be a cool premise. Noticing strange goings-on, concerned parents of a creepy kid hire paranormal investigators, only to discover it’s not their house that’s haunted but their son. Why they don’t leave the kid in the supermarket parking lot a few towns over is beyond me.

The movie stars Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Barbara Hershey, and apparently the ghost of Darth Maul. Good to see him working again.

*I instantly regret that pun. Please forgive me.

(The Playlist)

We won’t have to wait much longer to see Rose Byrne get chased around by a ghost that looks like a cross-dressing Michael Myers. Saw director James Wan is back in the horror game after taking a few years off. He’s re-teamed with Leigh Whannell for Insidious, a haunted house story about a couple who fight to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

The film will open April 1st after positive festival reactions. Many critics were abuzz about Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson‘s portrayal of the parents. I don’t really know if that ghost is supposed to be scary. I’m getting more of a Bubbe vibe than cursed succubus that will drag your first-born to an eternity of Detroit Hell. (Coming Soon)