“Psycho”, 1960
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this thriller/horror movie is centered around the Bates house and the infamous Bates Motel, where the protagonist Marion Crane experiences a terrifying encounter.
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Janet Leigh, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Frank Albertson, Patricia Hitchcock, Vaughn Taylor;
Production year: 1960;
Genre: thriller, horror, detective;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 109 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,5;
More information about the film “Psycho” on the website imdb.com
“Home Alone”, 1990
Director: Chris Columbus
A family comedy directed by Chris Columbus, featuring a young boy named Kevin who is accidentally left behind when his family goes on Christmas vacation, and he must defend his house from two bumbling burglars.
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Gerry Bamman, Devin Ratray, John Candy, Kieran Culkin;
Production year: 1990;
Genre: comedy, family;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 103 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,7;
More information about the film “Home Alone” on the website imdb.com
“Monster House”, 2006
Director: Gil Kenan
A computer-animated supernatural horror comedy directed by Gil Kenan, where three teenagers discover that their neighbor's house is a living, breathing, scary monster.
Starring: Ryan Whitney, Steve Buscemi, Mitchel Musso, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, Sam Lerner, Woody Schultz, Ian McConnel, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee;
Production year: 2006;
Genre: animation, fantasy, comedy, detective, family;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 91 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,6;
More information about the film “Monster House” on the website imdb.com
“The Amityville Horror”, 2005
Director: Andrew Douglas
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg, this horror film is based on a true story about the Lutz family, who are terrorized by supernatural forces when they move into a house where a mass murder was committed.
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jesse James, Jimmy Bennett, Chloë Grace Moretz, Rachel Nichols, Philip Baker Hall, Isabel Conner, Brendan Donaldson, Annabel Armour;
Production year: 2005;
Genre: horror;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 90 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 5,9;
More information about the film “The Amityville Horror” on the website imdb.com
“Poltergeist”, 2015
Director: Gil Kenan
Directed by Tobe Hooper, this classic horror film centers around a family whose house is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct their youngest daughter.
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett, Kennedi Clements, Jared Harris, Jane Adams, Susan Heyward, Nicholas Braun, Karen Ivany;
Production year: 2015;
Genre: horror, thriller;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 93 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 4,9;
More information about the film “Poltergeist” on the website imdb.com
“The Money Pit”, 1986
Director: Richard Benjamin
A comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin, in which a couple buys a too-good-to-be-true house for a bargain price, only to discover it is falling apart, leading to a series of comedic disasters.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Alexander Godunov, Maureen Stapleton, Joe Mantegna, Philip Bosco, Josh Mostel, Yakov Smirnoff, Carmine Caridi, Brian Backer;
Production year: 1986;
Genre: comedy;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 87 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,4;
More information about the film “The Money Pit” on the website imdb.com
“Beetlejuice”, 1988
Director: Tim Burton
Directed by Tim Burton, this fantasy-comedy follows a deceased couple who become ghosts haunting their former home, and with the help of a mischievous spirit, try to scare away the new inhabitants.
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Annie McEnroe, Maurice Page, Hugo Stanger, Rachel Mittelman;
Production year: 1988;
Genre: fantasy, comedy;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 92 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,5;
More information about the film “Beetlejuice” on the website imdb.com
“The Lake House”, 2006
Director: Alejandro Agresti
A romantic drama directed by Alejandro Agresti involving a mysterious mailbox at a lake house that allows a doctor and an architect to exchange letters across time and fall in love.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Christopher Plummer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Dylan Walsh, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Lynn Collins, Mike Bacarella, Kevin M. Brennan;
Production year: 2006;
Genre: fantasy, drama, melodrama;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 99 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,8;
More information about the film “The Lake House” on the website imdb.com
“Housebound”, 2014
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Directed by Gerard Johnstone, this New Zealand horror-comedy film tells the story of a young woman placed on house arrest, who becomes convinced her mother's house is haunted.
Starring: Morgana O'Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Ross Harper, Cameron Rhodes, Ryan Lampp, Mick Innes, Bruce Hopkins, Millen Baird, Wallace Chapman;
Production year: 2014;
Genre: horror, comedy;
Age: 18+;
Duration: 107 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,7;
More information about the film “Housebound” on the website imdb.com
“The Holiday”, 2006
Director: Nancy Meyers
Directed by Nancy Meyers, a romantic comedy where two women with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell, Miffy Englefield, Emma Pritchard, Sarah Parish;
Production year: 2006;
Genre: melodrama, comedy;
MPAA rating: pg13;
Duration: 136 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 6,9;
More information about the film “The Holiday” on the website imdb.com
Please note the descriptions are kept brief as requested, and the emphasis is kept on the house as a central theme or setting in these films.
In conclusion, the variegated tapestry of films about a house reveals the profound ways in which a singular, often mundane setting can be transformed into a boundless canvas for storytelling. From the nostalgic warmth of family sagas like “Home Alone” to the sinister corridors of psychological thrillers such as “The Others,” each house featured in cinema becomes a character in its own right, a silent witness to human drama, a vessel for memory, or an axis for spine-chilling suspense. Moviemakers continue to capitalize on this dynamic, understanding that within the walls of a home, lies a microcosm of human experiences, ready to resonate with audiences who find familiarity in the fundamental concept of a dwelling, and yet anticipate the unexpected stories that can unfold within it. Whether it's a sanctuary or a battleground, the cinematic portrayal of houses will forever entice viewers with the promise of new adventures, reflecting our own lives back at us through the prism of the silver screen.
