If you are looking for some terrifying haunted house horror movies to watch, Paranormal 13 has you covered. As any paranormal enthusiast knows, true terror can easily be found in a haunted house. The idea of a place occupied by the supernatural is something that nightmares are made of.

When it comes to compiling the ultimate list of terrifying haunted house horror movies, there are a few key criteria that need to be taken into account.

In this list, we’re talking about supernatural activity connected to an exact physical location. Films like Insidious and Paranormal Activity don’t count as those films feature a haunting connected to a person not a geographic location.

Evil Dead may have had its own particular cabin in which all manner of operations transpired, but even then, what we were truly seeing was not hauntings, but powerful forces unleashed through demonic texts of the Necronomicon!

Also excluded are those movies with seemingly paranormal occurrences only for them later on turn out to have rooted causes; I won’t reveal any spoilers here…but many of you know which ones I am talking about!

Get ready to be spooked! In no particular order, here’s our list of the Top 13 Most Terrifying Haunted House Horror Movies guaranteed to make you scream. So if you’re in for a hair-raising experience, take a look and let me know what YOUR favorite haunted house horror flick is!

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Synopsis: When a young couple decides to purchase their dream home in Amityville, New York; the couple’s perfect home becomes an unimaginable nightmare where uninvited forces take up residence. Based on Jay Anson’s 1977 book, The Amityville Horror, Stuart Rosenberg directs the 1979 supernatural horror film starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder as they deal with combative spirits in their new New York State house–the site of a family murder and 18th-century satanic worshipers. When inexplicable swarms of flies appear out thin air and walls ooze slime, it takes all the help that a local priest can offer to exorcise these evil entities from this once-cozy abode!

Based on supposedly true events that transpired at 112 Ocean Avenue in Long Island in the 1970s, both the story and the house have become iconic; the attic windows look like evil, soul-piercing eyes.

Poltergeist (1982)

Synopsis: Poltergeist is a 1982 American supernatural horror saga directed by Tobe Hooper and penned by the legendary Steven Spielberg with Michael Grais and Mark Victor. It stars JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight as they star in this award-winning classic produced to perfection by Spielberg himself alongside Frank Marshall. This spooky story follows an average suburban family whose domestic tranquility is shattered when malevolent spirits invade their home–and manage to snatch away their youngest daughter! Poltergeist made something abundantly clear: Building a house on a former (or current)burial site comes with serious consequences.

The Shining (1980)

Synopsis: Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes a winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer’s block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack’s writing goes nowhere and Danny’s visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel’s dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.

The Shining is a horror masterpiece that has entranced audiences for decades. From iconic scenes to chilling entities, Stephen King’s classic novel comes alive as the Overlook Hotel tortures an unstable writer and takes viewers on a creepy journey of eeriness they will never forget. Controversial yet beloved, it remains one of cinema’s best studies pieces; proving its ability to continue thrilling us despite time gone by.

The Others (2001)

Synopsis: Grace (Nicole Kidman), the devoutly religious mother of Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), moves her family to the English coast during World War II. She awaits word on her missing husband while protecting her children from a rare photosensitivity disease that causes the sun to harm them. Anne claims she sees ghosts, Grace initially thinks the new servants are playing tricks but chilling events and visions make her believe something supernatural has occurred.

An essential addition to the cannon of 21st Century horror movies, The Others is a cinematic masterpiece that offers brilliant performances and an ending sure to shock. Tapping into classic Gothic elements from Henry James’s Turn of the Screw with modern storytelling craftsmanship, you’ll be on edge as each scene unfolds in this atmospheric tale where fear reigns supreme!

1408 (2007)

Synopsis: Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a successful author who enjoys worldwide acclaim debunking supernatural phenomena — before he checks into the Dolphin Hotel. Ignoring the warnings of the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson), he learns the meaning of real terror when he spends the night in a reputedly haunted room.

Mike Enslin’s stay at the mysterious 1408 Hotel proves to be an inescapable journey of fear and regret. Twisted visuals provide a chilling atmosphere for this spine-tingling supernatural thriller, adapting Stephen King’s work with both hauntingly memorable FX and excellent emotional depth.

A Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

Synopsis: When their son Matt (Kyle Gallner) receives a diagnosis of cancer, Sara (Virginia Madsen) and Peter (Martin Donovan) Campbell move to Connecticut to be closer to his doctors. At first all is well, but then Matt becomes increasingly disturbed by what appears to be paranormal activity. Sara turns to a priest for help, and the ghosts are seemingly banished — but Matt’s condition takes a sudden and unexplained turn for the worse, and the lives of Sara and the rest of her family are endangered.

Lord of Tears (2013)

Synopsis: Lord of Tears tells the story of James Findlay, a schoolteacher plagued by recurring nightmares of a mysterious and unsettling entity. Suspecting that his visions are linked to a dark incident in his past, James returns to his childhood home, a notorious mansion in the Scottish Highlands, where he uncovers the disturbing truth behind his dreams, and must fight to survive the brutal consequences of his curiosity.

The Conjuring (2013)

Synopsis: In 1970, paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren are summoned to the home of Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and Roger (Ron Livingston) Perron. The Perrons and their five daughters have recently moved into a secluded farmhouse, where a supernatural presence has made itself known. Though the manifestations are relatively benign at first, events soon escalate in horrifying fashion, especially after the Warrens discover the house’s macabre history.

Crimson Peak (2015)

Synopsis: After marrying the charming and seductive Sir Thomas Sharpe, young Edith (Mia Wasikowska) finds herself swept away to his remote gothic mansion in the English hills. Also living there is Lady Lucille, Thomas’ alluring sister and protector of her family’s dark secrets. Able to communicate with the dead, Edith tries to decipher the mystery behind the ghostly visions that haunt her new home. As she comes closer to the truth, Edith may learn that true monsters are made of flesh and blood.

The Orphanage (2007)

Synopsis: Laura (Belén Rueda) has happy memories of her childhood in an orphanage. She convinces her husband to buy the place and helps her convert it into a home for sick children. One day, her own adopted son, Simón (Roger Príncep), disappears. Simon is critically ill, and when he is still missing several months later, he is presumed dead. Grief-stricken Laura believes she hears spirits, who may or may not be trying to help her find the boy.

The Orphanage is a truly haunting experience. It captivates with its tragic story of a mother desperately searching for her missing son, and terrorizes through the unnerving apparition Thomas (Óscar Casas) – one of horror’s most sinister children ever captured on film. Transcending genre boundaries to deliver an emotional roller-coaster ride as beautiful as it is terrifying; this chilling window into haunted house horrors will remain unforgettable long after viewing.

House (1985)

Synopsis: A Vietnam vet turned horror novelist returns to his boyhood home to find that ghosts and ghouls have invaded it.

William Katt stars in the 1986 horror comedy House, which was written by Ethan Wiley and directed by Steve Miner. The film follows a troubled author as he moves into his deceased aunt’s house only to discover that it is haunted! Produced by Sean S. Cunningham, this wildly successful movie collected an impressive $22 million at the box office worldwide and spawned three sequels for fans to enjoy.

The Woman in Black (2012)

Synopsis: Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a lawyer, is recently widowed and grieving the loss of his wife when he is sent to a remote village to put a deceased eccentric’s affairs in order. Soon after his arrival, it becomes clear that the villagers are hiding a terrible secret. Kipps discovers that his late client’s house is haunted by the spirit of a woman who is trying to find someone and something she lost, and that no one — not even the children — is safe from her terrible wrath.

The Entity (1983)

Synopsis: Single mother Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) is raped and attacked by an invisible force. She begins therapy with Dr. Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver), a psychiatrist who believes Carla’s traumatic past is motivating her to commit self-induced injuries, rather than anything supernatural. When the attacks continue, Carla invites two college students with an interest in the paranormal to visit her house. After seeing the ghost in action, they agree to help Carla defeat her invisible attacker.

The Based on Actual Events tagline ups the horror exponentially.

Are your favorite haunted house horror movies missing from the list? Drop us a comment and let us know.