Summary

• True-story haunted house movies draw audiences in with a plausible premise, making supernatural events feel outrageously possible.
• Films like The Changeling and The Entity blend real-life horror with cinematic terror, delivering bone-chilling thrills.
• The Conjuring stands out as the best true-story haunted house movie, combining old-school horror with powerful performances.

Haunted house horror movies have been enthralling filmgoers for decades, but the ones that were allegedly inspired by true stories became all the more unnerving. The idea that what was being depicted onscreen could have really befallen some unfortunate paranormal victims, made the supernatural circumstances shown on screen feel outrageously possible and ensured that viewers spent the rest of the night with the lights on. While the factual basis of most supernatural haunted house movies was often questioned by skeptics, their mere association with the truth was enough to leave audiences quaking.

The best true-story haunted house movies first have to be at least somewhat plausible, and once audiences accepted their basic premise; they were free to run wild into the realm of the supernatural. From well-known stories, like The Amityville Horror, to the development of incredible horror franchises, such as The Conjuring, these were compelling spooky stories that were influenced by the experiences of people who lived in the real world. No matter what their real-life source, the best true-story haunted house horror movies all delivered plenty of scares and sent chills down the spines of viewers.

8 Winchester (2018)

Winchester was based on the Winchester Mystery House

The supernatural horror Winchester was based on the true story of Sarah Winchester and the legendary house that bore her name. Directed by the Spierig Brothers and starring Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, Winchester was a dark tale of an eccentric heiress who believed she was being haunted by the spirits inside her home, now known as the tourist attraction the Winchester Mystery House. An unnerving narrative, the true story was more interesting than the film, and not even its acclaimed star could save Winchester from the wrath of cruel critics who declared it as hauntingly void as the house itself.

Mirren did her best to have fun with a subpar story, and, despite a strong visual style, Winchester never fully clicked.

In reality, the story of Mrs. Winchester was a tragic tale of loss and loneliness, and despite assertions that the real woman was sharp and non-superstitious, in popular culture she’s been repeatedly portrayed as mad with grief, and delirious. Mirren did her best to have fun with a subpar story, and, despite a strong visual style, Winchester never fully clicked. As far as true haunted house horrors were concerned, Winchester was unable to conjure the resonance of the real story.

7 Annabelle (2014)

Annabelle was based on a doll alleged to be haunted by Ed and Lorraine Warren

Although Annabelle was a spin-off and prequel to The Conjuring, it still maintained a connection to reality as it was based on an allegedly haunted doll associated with paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Annabelle was the story of a couple haunted by the vintage doll, which was categorized by jump scares and a disappointingly by-the-books horror screenplay. Despite this Annabelle was a major success at the box office and grossed $257 million against its $6.5 million budget (via Box Office Mojo.)

Following the incredible success of Annabelle, it received a prequel about the origin of the doll called Annabelle: Creation in 2017 as well as a sequel titled Annabelle: Comes Home in 2019. The true story of the Annabelle doll dated back to 1970 after a student nurse named Donna was gifted the doll and associated it with paranormal activity. While Annabelle and its associated movies changed a lot from the true story, the core tenant of a haunted doll who imbued everyone they encountered with fear was very true.

6 The Entity (1982)

The Entity was based on Doris Bither case

The terrifying thrills of The Entity were based on the real case of Doris Bither, a woman who claimed to be haunted by an invisible entity who sexually assaulted her and was responsible for paranormal circumstances in her Californian home. The Entity strayed from the real story and was based on a Frank De Felitta novel that was inspired by the real case. A highly unnerving film, The Entity was among the scariest movies of the 1980s.

Barbara Hershey played Carla Moran in The Entity, the woman experiencing severe distress following major supernatural disturbances that caused her to flee her home with her childrenn and best friend. In the true story, Bither’s case was investigated by experts (via Skeptical Inquirer) who believed they witnessed supernatural occurrences in her home and deemed the house genuinely haunted. However, contemporary reviews of the case stated the previous conclusions were likely down to poor investigation technique and confirmation basis.

In 2015, it was announced that horror filmmaker James Wan intended to produce a remake of The Entity for 20th Century Fox (via Hollywood Reporter), written by Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes. However, the project has yet to come to fruition.

5 The Changeling (1980)

The Changeling co-writer Russell Hunter claimed the film was based on personal experiences

The cult horror classic The Changeling was made all the more terrifying with the knowledge that it was inspired by the real experiences of co-writer Russell Hunter. The spooky story of a New York composer who moved relocated to a Washington house he soon learned was haunted, Russell claimed similar events happened to him in the Henry Treat Rogers mansion in the Cheesman Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, in the late 1960s (via Denver Library.) Perhaps due to its real inspiration, the slow-building tension of The Changeling was made all the more bone-chilling.

The reputation of The Changeling has only grown in the more than 40 years since its release.

With strong acting and a better-than-average storyline, the reputation of The Changeling has only grown in the more than 40 years since its release. While The Changeling was full of horror clichés and tropes, such as eerie noises, a dusty old house, a myriad of coincidences, it also had a lot of heart and the confidence to dwell on the quieter moments. A minor horror classic, The Changeling was worth the time of any haunted house enthusiast.

4 The Haunting In Connecticut (2009)

The Haunting in Connecticut was based on the story of the Snedeker family

The Haunting in Connecticut was a haunted house story based on the experiences of the Snedeker family, who the paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren claimed were the victims of supernatural forces and were cured via exorcism (via Travel Channel.) While the legitimacy of the story has been dismissed by other supernatural investigators, its concept of a family moving into a former mortuary and encountering violence and invasive paranormal forces served as the basis for The Haunting in Connecticut. With a highly creepy atmosphere and plenty of scares, The Haunting in Connecticut showcased a family being put through utter hell.

While The Haunting in Connecticut received a tepid response from critics it was a hit with audiences that took in over $77 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo.) While The Haunting in Connecticut did not break any new ground for haunted house movies, its fast-building horror, and outrageous existential terror were enough to conjure up plenty of fear. A well-acted and visually compelling film, for those with an interest in true-story horrors, The Haunting in Connecticut was a must-see.

3 The Amityville Horror (1979)

The Amityville Horror was based on the experiences of the Lutz family

The paranormal experiences of the Lutz family, who briefly resided in the Amityville home of mass murderer Ronald DeFeo Jr., served as the basis for the classic haunted house horror movie The Amityville Horror. DeFeo was convicted for the killing of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters, whose home the Lutz family were forced to flee after just 28 days due to alleged supernatural phenomena (via ABC News.) The Amityville Horror took these real occurrences and turned them into one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time.

The Amityville Horror was a compelling and clever movie that can be read as representing anxiety around homeownership and the recession during the 1970s. With interesting links to American fears around financial security, The Amityville Horror was a highly layered film that got right to the heart of social and political unease. With serious academic relevance, a tragic real-life connection, and an effective scary atmosphere, The Amityville Horror was a scary movie that truly catered to all interests.

The Amityville Horror novel by Jay Anson was adapted once again in 2005 by director Andrew Douglas. While the newer version maintained the core tenants of the earlier film and was a financial success, the common consensus was that it paled in comparison to the 1979 original.

2 Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist was based on the Hermann House

While Steven Spielberg has made countless family-friendly films, in 1982 he co-wrote a truly terrifying haunted house horror story called Poltergeist that was directed by Tobe Hooper. While the origins of Poltergeist had it originally planned as a horror sequel to Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, it was soon re-envisioned as a haunted house story partly inspired by the real story of the Hermann House. The true story that inspired Spielberg’s Poltergeist involved a Long Island family who allegedly experienced dozens of paranormal events back in 1957.

The real-life basis of Poltergeist made it all the more terrifying, but the real scares came from it being such an effective horror movie in and of itself. By showing the haunted house story of Poltergeist through the eyes of a terrified family, it became all the more unnerving and human, which allowed the viewer to connect with the characters while fearing for their lives. Immediately following the release of Poltergeist in 1982 it was cemented as a true horror classic.

1 The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring was based on the experiences of the Perron family

The absolute best true story haunted house movie has to be The Conjuring, which was by the paranormal investigator Ed and Lorraine Warren and was the inception point of The Conjuring Universe franchise that also included The Nun and Annabelle series. The Conjuring recounted the Warrens' investigation of disturbing events that befell the Perron family in their newly occupied Rhode Island farmhouse home in the early 1970s. A tense and insanely well-crafted horror, it’s no surprise that The Conjuring transformed itself into one of the biggest horror franchises of all time.

The Conjuring was a creepy, old-school horror movie that avoided special effects in favor of slow-building dread and the fearful consequences of demonic possession. Led by two powerful performances from Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as the Warrens, The Conjuring took viewers into the heart of real-life paranormal investigation and the alleged consequences of that potentially dangerous line of work. As a film that harkened back to an earlier age of horror movies, The Conjuring brought to mind classics like The Amityville Horror and modernized them for a contemporary audience.

Sources: Box Office Mojo (Annabelle), Skeptical Inquirer, Hollywood Reporter, Denver Library, Travel Channel, Box Office Mojo, ABC News,