The supernatural movie theme starts a little like this; a hopeful family moves (for one reason or another) into a rental home or buys a house to start building a future. Queue the audience at the beginning of the story that something maybe isn’t right with the property. The rent is a little too cheap. The house? On the market for a few years but definitely ‘a steal’ in the neighborhood.
One of the reasons why these movies (some of which are founded in true victim account stories) are so devastating, is because they strike that human chord. We all hope for a great place to live that isn’t going to break our budget. And moving into a new home is symbolic of great things and a fresh start.
In fact, that positive emotion is so strong, that a clever horror screen writer will start dropping the audience tips that the protagonists are not seeing. Small things like blood dripping from a faucet, randomly breaking mirrors, or the occasional crucifix that just won’t stay on the wall (no matter how many times the residents put it patiently back up). And the acceleration of paranormal events begins in a match between malevolent spirits and the residents of the home. Like the ultimate bad roommate death match.
Here are our picks for 5 movies where the homeowner, renter or family definitely should have moved out sooner than they did.
1. High Hopes – The Amityville House
We are going to start with one of the most infamous haunted houses in American lore and history. High Hopes was the original name of the prestigious home located in Amityville New York. The home boasts a roomy floor plan of five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, scenic lake views of Long Island, and was most recently listed for sale for $850,000 (U.S.) in 2016. The home was finally sold for $1.2 million after an extensive bidding war between interested buyers.
Really? Call us a little skeptical but the history of the home would be hard to forget, no matter how hot the Long Island real estate market is. A real estate disclosure reports that in total, there have been 7 deaths at High Hopes. One man who died inside the home of an illness in 1939, and then the tragic murders of the six members of the DeFeo family.
The property has been owned by four different families since the murders, and aside from George and Cathy Lutze, who left the home and all their belongings inside of it claiming possession and haunting, no other others have reported unusual paranormal activities in the home.
Would you buy High Hopes and live there? Share your comments with us below.
2. The Allen House – Arkansas
When you arrive in Monticello, Arkansas, there is one haunted mansion that catches your eye. It rises like a historical monolith of Queen Anne and Gothic architecture, with large stately pillars, French gardens and more than a few angry ghosts inside the 8,500 square foot mansion. Welcome to The Allen House in Arkansas.
A fated love story of a young woman who fell in love with a married man. Despite the passion shared by Ladell Allen, the daughter of the rich businessman who commissioned the mansion, and her married high school sweetheart Prentiss Hemingway Savage (an oil executive from Minnesota), Prentiss was unwilling to leave his wife and family. In 1949, Ladell poisoned herself and died in the hospital. Her spirit is said to be a dark and angry presence in the home, and her bedroom was left in state after her passing for more than thirty years.
There are believed to be 6 ghosts that live in The Allen House with the new owners, Mark and Rebecca Spencer. Old love letters from Ladell and Prentiss were unearthed after they purchased the home and are predominantly displayed in frames to preserve the history.
Paranormal activity for the family runs the gamut of sounds, moving objects and doppelganger activity. Some of the ghosts like to appear as the Spencer’s son in the home, when the child is at school or off the property. They ‘try not to take it seriously’ and remain believers but dismissive of the activity, as they continue to live with their ghostly roommates (and conduct annual Halloween tours of the mansion).
Some homeowners simply want extra closet space. Others want a built-in menagerie of paranormal fun 24/7 and don’t lose a wink of sleep.
3.The Cage – St. Osyth, Essex U.K.
The building started as a rooming house of sorts, and in 1582 it held 13 ‘witches’ who were placed on trial in St. Osyth, Essex. One of the famous witches of the period trials, Ursula Kemp, was found guilty and hung with two other women who spent their days waiting for a moment in court. Not that legal defense was really a ‘thing’ for women accused of witchcraft in the day.
The home has remained unchanged in terms of dimension and odd angles of construction, while being renovated on the inside. Research into The Cage revealed that throughout history, homeowners resided in the dwelling a short span of three years or less, before leaving due to paranormal activity.
Residents have reported a malevolent goat demon that walks through the home, random spattering of blood on walls and counters, and regular sightings of spiritual entities. It is so common in fact, that the present owner (who experienced a demonic attack while she was pregnant) refuses to live in the home and has struggled to find a new buyer because of the reputation the home has earned in the community.
4. Willows Weep – Cayuga, Indiana
If you love watching and learning about paranormal events and hauntings, chances are you have seen this famous home on YouTube. Willow’s Weep is the nickname for an otherwise unremarkable looking old home, if it was not built in the shape of an upside down cross! Did we mention it is also built at a crossroads? Yikes.
Willow’s Weep was originally constructed in the 1800s, and it faces east toward the crossroads. In paranormal land, that’s like building an altar at a powerful negative energy location. Deliberately. The home is also surrounded by several Native American ancient burial sites, and the land around the home has its own history of bloodshed, war and loss.
An occult ritual book was found buried beneath the original floor. Previous owners and renters have reported demonic attacks that feel life threatening, and several teams of paranormal experts have conducted their own studies on Willow’s Weep. Many of them experienced similar instances of spiritual or physical attack by malevolent entities, orbs and telekinesis or the movement of objects or people in a violent way.
Willow’s Weep is currently owned by paranormal investigator Dave Spinks, who is fundraising to create an indie movie about the history of the home and haunted happenings. Some American paranormal experts have labeled Willow’s Weep as the most malevolently haunted building in the country.
Should you stay or should you go? If you find yourself in a situation where you have the worst paranormal room mates ever, try some of the steps recommended for cleaning your space. Life is a little too short to be dealing with creepy entities up in your business.
Generation X gamer girl, marketing professional and closet horror writer. Lover of fast moving horror movies, slow moving zombies and historically based paranormal lore.