This isn’t a comprehensive list, just a handful of haunting films that have delivered the scares I crave since the year 2000. A couple even defy the adage that remakes and sequels tend toward crappiness. At least, that’s my opinion, based on the 2005 version of The Amityville Horror (surprisingly good) and The Conjuring 2.

I might reference IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes ratings, but ultimately I don’t care that much. The ratings are more interesting when I disagree. Do you find that?

Here we go…

The Others (2001)

This isn’t a film I’m super familiar with because it’s not a favourite I’d rewatch year after year. However, it was a solid watch.

Set in 1945, at the end of World War II, a woman and her two, odd children live an isolated life. In their family estate home, kept dark and moody, on an English island, she is certain that the home is haunted.

This film has a gorgeous mid-last-century setting (chef’s kiss) and features Victorian-era post-mortem photography. If you don’t know about that practice, do yourself a favour and look it up. At first it seems ghoulish, but when you put yourself in the shoes of someone living back then who has lost a child or other loved one, it takes on a different light. The film offers a twist, and I don’t enjoy giving away spoilers (or getting them!), so I’ll stop there.

Nicole Kidman, Alakina Mann, and James Bentley in *The Others* (2001)

The Skeleton Key (2005)

It’s funny that few people I know are aware of this film. I was instantly attracted because of the Louisiana countryside and New Orleans settings. I know I’m Australian and I write my stories specifically here (almost all set in Queensland - even one with ghosts called The Strange Brew), but I’ve had a soft spot for America’s South for a long time, especially New Orleans. Is it the fascinating history? The varied landscape? That there are so many vampire books and films with a connection to New Orleans? The to-die-for accents? Probably all that.

But back to The Skeleton Key. If you’ve missed it, you’ve missed out. The story revolves around a hospice nurse who gets a job working at an old New Orleans plantation home. Things get weird out there, and yeah, this one also offers a twist.

Kate Hudson and Peter Sarsgaard in *The Skeleton Key* (2005)

The Amityville Horror (2005)

The earlier Amityville (from 1979, starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder) was a tremendously scary and dark film that became a cultural phenomenon despite mixed critical reviews. The 2005 remake isn’t as raw, but I believe it still rates as a great adaptation. I didn’t realise until much later that the lead was Ryan Reynolds. I genuinely didn’t know who he was when I watched this version. It’s really hard for me to see him now as anything but hilarious, yet he does remarkably well in this film. If you’ve seen the original, you’ll know that the male lead’s role is crucial because the haunting affects him deeply, and by that impacts the whole family.

I’d be remiss not to mention that while this film polled badly (weird, because I thought it was fantastic), Reynolds received specific praise for his portrayal of George Lutz.

I would definitely rewatch this version. In fact, I’d like to this year. For me, it would be a regular rewatch. Certainly once or twice a decade, and that means something.

It’s got a classic setup: newlyweds are terrorised by paranormal forces after moving into a large house that was the site of a grisly mass murder a year before. Of course, it’s the murder history that brings the house’s sale price down to what this lovely young family can afford. 😭 Other classic inclusions: the visit by a priest and the fear instilled into the poor children.

Insidious (2010)

I can’t recall why, but I had little confidence in this one being good when I first watched it. I was wrong. It scared the pants off me with some impressive scenes.

Directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, the film revolves around a house—again—but also the child of the owners, who enters an inexplicable coma. In time, they realise something supernatural is occurring. There’s a husband who won’t accept what’s happening, adding further tension. There’s the paranormal team who come in to help (I always enjoy a good paranormal team). And it turns out there’s an alternate, shocking reason poor Dalton (the comatose son) has been targeted. It goes deeper than just “the house is haunted.”

There are genuinely scary scenes: the house, the attacks, the innocent baby (😭), the mother afraid and desperate, not being believed or supported. The answer to the haunting is far deeper than I imagined at the beginning of the film.

The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring changed the landscape of haunting films for me. When I saw this, it knocked the socks off me. This film is the ultimate, and it’s one I return to watch every year or two.

A gorgeous young family struggling to make a living moves into an old country farmhouse to survive and build a life. The setup is perfect. The house itself is large, decrepit yet workable, with a certain charm and appeal. The haunting scenes are... well, let me share: I had never in my life experienced actual goosebumps while watching a horror film before. Where the hairs on your arms stand upright. And I’m old-hat with horror, not a newbie. But it literally happened to me and has happened several times since. A wild symptom of fear.

On top of that, we have paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played to perfection by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Director James Wan drew from the Warrens’ actual case files, with both actors meeting the real Lorraine Warren before filming. There was so much I liked: the truly scary haunting scenes, Ed and Lorraine’s relationship, the sweet enormous family with five girls, the stunning old farmhouse, and even Lorraine’s hair and costuming, which honestly was something to behold.

This received 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb. Even that surprises me. I gave it a 10 out of 10.

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring franchise has become busy, busy, busy, and not every film has been brilliant. But some have, and The Conjuring 2 is up there. It’s not on the same level as the first, but it’s great. Scary and unique.

This time the haunting occurs in England, based on the infamous Enfield poltergeist case from 1977 to 1979. A single mother raising four children alone in a North London council house is plagued by a supernatural spirit and desperately needs the help of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

It scored 7.3 on IMDb, so it wasn’t just me who thought it was a quality sequel. The film brings a darkness into the cinematography, the home, and the bleakness of the single mum’s struggle to make things work.

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in *The Conjuring 2* (2016)

Hereditary (2018)

First, what is it with great horror movies and Aussie actresses? Melissa George in The Amityville Horror, Rose Byrne in Insidious, and now Toni Collette in Hereditary. (#AussiePride 😝)

Hereditary scored 7.3 on IMDb with 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, but my anecdotal experience is that it wasn’t hugely known by broader horror audiences. I could be off-base. That’s anecdotal evidence for you. But it was my experience.

This was Ari Aster’s directorial debut, and it’s a truly unusual film with an unusual story and some deep, heartbreaking undercurrents. Loss, guilt, and loads of creep factor, from the main character’s miniature artworks to the film’s visual style.

The story is one I couldn’t have guessed beforehand. Described by reviewers as bone-chilling and unspeakable horror, I can’t disagree. Toni Collette delivered what many consider the performance of her career, and she was widely praised by critics despite the film being overlooked during awards season.

Have you seen any of these? What did you think?

And what are some of your faves?

Morgan x

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