Halloween is today, and that means fun and creative costumes, trick-or-treating and scary movies! Watching a horror or scary movie on Halloween is a must, but because I am Realtor®, what I'm really interested in are the iconic houses or properties that become "characters" in these movies! Some of these houses are legendary, some are tourist attractions and some are actual homes which have sold for people to actually live in! Keep reading for 7 of my favorite horror movie houses of all time and 1 honorable mention from a TV show that I couldn't leave off this list, even if I tried!
The Beetlejuice House
Beetlejuice, Directed by Tim Burton, 1988
Beetlejuice is one of those iconic 80's movies that delivered on so many levels. Michael Keaton is truly incredible, Catherine O'Hara reminds us why she is one of the best in the business, the world get's introduced to Winona Ryder, Tim Burton's eccentric style is on full display, the music throughout the movie is one of the main reasons why this movie has such a cult following and of course, the iconic house! That house (pictured above) becomes a main character throughout the movie, partly because it's where the majority of the storyline takes place. After Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin & Geena Davis) die in a freak car accident, they are trapped inside their own house as ghosts. The house has become so popular, that it made a return in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice (the sequel that came out this year) and it's now an experience through Airbnb that you check out here!
Casey Becker's House
Scream, Directed by Wes Craven, 1996
Do you like scary movies? Horror movies were in a bit of a rut in the early 90's, but everything changed when Scream debuted in 1996. The opening scene from Scream changed the game, and the question posed to Drew Barrymore's Casey Becker (alone in her house pictured above) has now become immortal in the history of cinema. Watch the scene here! In the movie, the house seems really scary, because Casey is home alone and it's eerily dark outside. However in real life, the house is located in California in Glen Ellen. Check out that filming location and many others from the movie here!
1428 Elm Street (The Elm Street House)
A Nightmare On Elm Street, Directed by Wes Craven, 1984
Everyone knows who Freddy Krueger is, and I'd assume that almost everyone has seen A Nightmare On Elm Street. If you haven't, you're missing out! This is a classic horror movie, and Freddy Krueger is an all-time iconic scary movie villain! According to many film experts, this movie is generally regarded as one of the best movies ever made! It also was selected by The New York Times as one of the best 1000 movies ever made. The filming of this movie took place is and around Los Angeles, California. The house (pictured above) is where the fictional character of Nancy Thompson lived, the high school girl that gets terrorized by Freddy in her dreams/nightmares. Elm Street is a fictional street in the movie, but the house really exists, and the private home is located at 1428 North Genesse Avenue. Recently, the home sold for nearly $3 million! Click here to read more.
The Overlook Hotel
The Shining, Directed by Stanley Kubrick, 1980
Frequently cited as one of the best horror films of all time, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2018. The Shining is incredible, and Jack Nicholson is truly scary as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains. What makes this movie so great is the ongoing question of whether or not there are really ghosts present in the hotel or is Jack really going mad. Film reviewer James Berardinelli notes "It has been pointed out that there's a mirror in every scene in which Jack sees a ghost, causing us to wonder whether the spirits are reflections of a tortured psyche." In regards to the actual hotel, the movie was not entirely filmed at the real hotel, which resides in Estes Park, Colorado. That hotel is called The Stanley, and you can experience what's called a Shining Tour, where you can dive into the paranormal allure that the historic hotel has to offer! I've personally visited this hotel, and it's definitely worth going to see and walking around!
112 Ocean Avenue
Amityville Horror, Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, 1979
This is the haunted house to end all haunted houses in cinema history! The film follows a young couple who purchase a home haunted by combative supernatural forces. Some contemporary film scholars have considered the film a classic of the horror genre, and it is widely regarded as a seminal entry in the sub-genre of the contemporary haunted house film. The house literally drives George Lutz (James Brolin) mad, partly because of horrors that occured well before the Lutz family moves in. To read all about the home and the history, click here.
The Bates Motel
Psycho, Directed by Alfred Hitchock, 1960
This might be the most famous horror movie, and is certainly on the Mount Rushmore of scary movies in cinema history! Psycho is considered Alfred Hitchcock's most famous and influential work. It has been hailed as a major work of cinematic art by international film critics and scholars who praise its slick direction, tense atmosphere, impressive camerawork, memorable score and iconic performances, and is often ranked among the greatest films of all time! The plot centers on an encounter between on-the-run embezzler Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and shy motel proprietor Norman Bates (Perkins) and its aftermath, in which a private investigator, Marion's lover Sam Loomis, and her sister investigate her disappearance. The actual Bates Motel doesn't really exist, but a replica can be found in Winnemucca, Nevada.
Annie Wilke's Cabin
Misery, Directed by Rob Reiner, 1990
Aside from being a great movie, Misery is one of my personal all time favorite movies ever! I love Kathy Bates, and whatever she is in ends up being great! She was so good in this movie that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress!! I also loved her in Fried Green Tomatoes, Titanic & American Horror Story. The movie centers around writer Paul Sheldon and super fan Annie Wilkes. After Paul Sheldon (played by James Caan) gets into a bad car accident, Annie saves in and takes him into her cabin during a really bad snow storm. She cares for him at first, but later, we find out that her intentions are more sinister! Most of the movie takes places at the cabin, and the horrors that take place inside the cabin. Although the facade of the house itself was built by the Misery production team and therefore is no longer in existence, it was in the town of Clear Creek, Carson City, in Nevada.
Honorable Mention: Murder House
American Horror Story, Television Series Created by Ryan Murphy, 2011
Although this is not a movie, I wanted to include this on the list because it's my ALL TIME FAVORITE horror house! I loved the first season of American Horror Story!! The Harmon Family moves into the house after moving to Los Angeles, and they soon experience that the home is literally and figuratively alive with ghosts and spirts that are trapped in the home. AHS has now been on for 12 season, but nothing can come close to how good that first season was. When I traveled to LA a few years ago, I went and visited the real home, which is called the Rosenheim Mansion. Read about the house here!