Skip the corn mazes and haunted hayrides this Halloween and indulge in haunted-house pleasure in your own living room. In fact, if you work your way through our series of real estate-related Halloween flicks, you’ll think of them every time you view a home for sale, or put yours on the market.
Now, some of these are serious thrillers while others include a dose of humor, but all are worth a watch. So, cook up some spooky eats, invite your closest friends and binge on this October real estate fright-fest.
“The Selling”
A small-budget film, “The Selling” offers a combination of horror, suspense and slapstick humor, mostly the latter.
The story follows Richard, an honest, hard-working real estate agent and his business partner Dave, who are duped into listing a home that later turns out to be haunted. But, that’s not all. As one reviewer put it:
“How do you sell a house full of ghosts in this economy without telling anyone that the house was once owned by a famous, though unconvicted serial killer?”
Especially, we might add, when the agents have to compromise with ghosts over showings of the home to potential buyers.
Funnier than it is scary, even horror fans love this movie. Not rated, you can rent “The Selling” at amazon.com, vudu.com and iTunes.
“The Conjuring”
A horror film that gained its R rating not for nudity, gore or naughty words (because there aren’t any), but by its scare factor alone.
Released in 2013, “The Conjuring” follows two paranormal investigators who try to help a family who is at the mercy of whatever is haunting their farmhouse.
Haunted real estate – maybe someone should specialize in that?
One of the highest-rated horror movies at amazon.com, you can rent it there, at Google Play, vudu.com or use your HBO Go subscription.
“Tucker & Dale vs. Evil”
This one is for the squeamish among your fright-fest audience. Billed as a comedy/horror film, it takes the top spot among the genre’s offerings at Netflix.
Tucker and Dale head to their backwoods mountain hangout for a few days of beer drinking and fishing and meet up with a group of college kids.
Location, location, location isn’t just paramount in real estate, but a central theme in the characters’ hilarious – and deadly – assumptions.
Released in 2010, the film is rated R. Rent it amazon.com, vudu.com, Google Play and iTunes.
“The People Under The Stairs”
We’ve seen some crazy things in homes, but never anything like what’s in Wes Craven’s mansion-turned-chamber of horrors.
LA Weekly calls it a “gentrification fable,” an allegory for the “ongoing war between property renters and property owners.”
Craven says the house came to him in a dream – a house with an unassuming exterior whose real truth is revealed inside.
Released in 1991, and rated R for the violence, you can rent it at amazon.com, vudu.com, Google Play and iTunes.
“Hausu”
If you’re a fan of foreign films and/or really weird stuff, “Hausu” (Japanese for “house”) is a Japanese film, released in 1976.
Seven girls on a summer trip pay a visit to a possessed house filled with furniture that eats them in bizarre ways. Watch the film carefully as there’s a message behind the campiness.
By the way, It’s titled “House” at amazon.com and you can also rent it at vudu.com and iTunes.
“Drag Me To Hell”
This one is especially good for those homeowners who’ve had the misfortune of being forced into foreclosure.
A young loan officer turns down an elderly homeowner’s request for a mortgage payment extension and lives to regret it.
Yes, it’s a bit gory at times, but it’s also surprisingly funny at others. Rated PG13, rent it at amazon.com, vudu.com, Google Play and iTunes.
“The Ladies Of The House”
The first thing you need to know about this ““grindhouse-style feminist horror” film is that the kids should be safely tucked into bed when you watch it.
Although it’s not rated, trust us – you don’t want the little ones watching it.
The characters include strippers and three guys out for a good time. Nudity? Yes. Sexual content? Mhm. Gore? It’s a horror film, so yes.
In fact, one reviewer calls the most gruesome aspects of the film “unsavory torture porn scenes.”
But, we had to include it because, first, horror fans rave about it and, second, the house (specifically its interior) is a central character in the film.
In a nutshell, three guys on a birthday outing end up back at one the seemingly normal, nondescript home of several strippers who also happen to be cannibals.
Rent “The Ladies of the House” at amazon.com, vudu.com, Google Play and iTunes.