The leaves are on the ground, the air is chilly (not everywhere, but at least in certain parts of Canada and the US), and there’s nothing like a haunted location horror film to finish your night with. Haunted houses in particular have always been a stressful endeavor for many horror lovers. Primarily due to the fact that hauntings aren’t easily solved or taken care of by average people without knowledge into the supernatural. But it only gets worse when you factor in more than just houses being a problem.
Haunted locations like the Overlook in The Shining, the very middling remake of House on Haunted Hill, or ahuge mansion like The Others, all provide different types of haunted horror. The following list won’t include any of the films previously listed, nor any of the Paranormal Activity films or The Conjuring. Mainly to add some variation, and nearly everyone knows of those films by now. Instead, you’re getting a little bundle of haunted location horror films that might not be on your radar.
Let’s roll up to your haunted location of choice and likely not go inside, we’ll just marvel at the infrastructure before we head on out. Sounds like a good idea, right? Keep reading on and see what you find.
House (1977)
The ‘70s was quite the time for delightfully weird horror films, and this one is a great international horror example as well. House (or Hausu) follows a young girl and her friends who go to visit her aunt, only for supernatural occurrences to occur during their stay. It’s not nearly as serious in tone as it sounds. And it’s actually a comedy horror film, so it’s meant to elicit a few laughs.
Hauntings don’t always need to be downright terrifying or even just stereotypically scary. This one has a few bizarre and unsettling moments that might cause people to be scared as a result. But House is so experimental and playful in its stylistic approach that it sets itself apart from other haunted house films. It’s a Japanese horror film that folks should absolutely watch if they are interested in international haunted location films.
Grave Encounters (2011)
Haunted psychiatric facilities are relatively typical, but this one has a cult following for a reason. Grave Encounters follows a crew of paranormal investigators who aim to film a hit episode in an asylum, only for it to be the last one they ever create. The characters range in terms of how tolerable they are, but it’s still a terrifying situation to watch them willingly enter. And not to mention how once they enter, it’s impossible for them to get out.
The film doesn’t have a huge budget, but horror films about hauntings don’t always need budgets like The Conjuring films, especially with found-footage horror films like Grave Encounters, as we’re meant to believe what’s happening is very real. It’s the perfect haunted location film to throw on during a random evening. And the ending will make you feel extremely hopeless (just don’t watch the sequel, it’s a mess).
Hell House (2015)
At this point, the Hell House LLC franchise has a relatively strong fanbase, and it all starts with the original. Hell House LLC follows what happened to a crew of haunted house creators and the individuals who died during their opening night of “Hell House”. The scares are incredibly effective in this film, and the crew feels like a tight-knit group. And what happens to them is pretty tragic.
There’s a lot of lore in the other films that help explain the events of this one. But for the most part, Hell House LLC is a fun solo watch if you’re not interested in bingeing the series. Overall, it’s one of those films that if you watch it without the lights on, you’ll be in for an unsettling night. It’s worthy of the hype it receives from other folks, especially if you love found footage set anywhere but a house or an asylum.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
When the supernatural things start happening, you will be genuinely scared of the sequences that occur. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum follows a horror YouTubers who make the horrible decision to travel to the Gonjiam Psychiatric facility to gain views and virality. It’s a solid entry in influencer horror, found footage, and international horror as it’s a South Korean horror film.
The scares don’t happen right away like one might expect. But if you stick with Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum and be patient, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. There’s one particular scene that’ll make you glad you’re not in the character’s position. And if you’re interested, Wi Ha-joon (Squid Game) is the lead in this, and his performance really lends to the film.
Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital (2024)
The inspiration from Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is strong in this one. Strange Frequencies: Taiwan Killer Hospital follows a bunch of influencers who decide to film a paranormal reality series in a haunted and abandoned hospital. Of course, everything goes wrong and the characters don’t realize how bad of a situation they’re in. It’s quite a lot like Gonjiam because of the direct inspiration; it’s said to be based on it. Therefore, it’ll either work for you or it won’t.
There are some decent moments in this film, and it’s not a bad watch at all. Does it reinvent the wheel at all? No, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth at least checking out if you love haunted asylum films, found footage, or you want to support a Filipino horror film.
