Will 'Paranormal Activity 3' Join the Most Famous Movie Haunted Houses?

A house is only as haunted as your mind perceives it to be. Or is it? Is your imagination simply misconstruing every creak or tap as being something unnatural? What truly waits in the dankest of basements and the darkest of attics? Can a house truly be evil? All these questions race through the minds of moviegoers who take in haunted house films. The genre is alive and kicking thanks to films like "Paranormal Activity 3." Alive and kicking -- unlike the inhabitants of these homes.

Most recently "Dream House" stirred up a fairly poor reception. Like many haunted houses, this one saw significant trauma and violence, namely the gruesome murder of a family. This is the most common of explanation for a home becoming imbued with ethereal evil and ultimately is one of the film's many flaws. It shows no innovation in the genre and its pacing is decidedly slow. The failure to stray from the norm left it predictable and dull.

You can't ignore the classics when you talk about this genre. When it comes to horror houses, you can't find a better example than "The Haunting." It might not terrify modern audiences as it did viewers in 1963, but it still deserves to be remembered. The excellent use of paranoia fuel and suspense blended perfectly, as opposed to relying on special effects. If nothing else, the film taught viewers that if they believed themselves to have any level of ESP, it was best to avoid haunted houses altogether.

The 1999 remake was not so fortunate. "The Haunting" forgoes the original's suspense over effects attitude and ends up being far too campy to be scary. While it isn't a terrible movie, it is a blemish on the classic. The debatable redeeming quality for the remake is its deeper exploration of science fiction themes in an otherwise standard haunted house film. Of course, even that compliment has the jury split.

The haunted house genre has had its fair share of animated adaptations. "Monster House" is an enjoyable but somewhat forgettable movie. The film carries some impressive voice acting talent, including the likes of Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, and Jon Heder to name a few. The titular house is possessed by the vengeful spirit of a child-hating circus giantess named Constance. The monstrous home would eagerly devour every child who draw near it if not for the intervention of her still living husband and protector. It falls to three neighborhood children to bring an end to the "Monster House" once and for all.

The "Poltergeist" franchise has seen the highs and lows of haunted house success. The original was a horror classic that has been referenced and parodied countless times across films, television, and video games. The family was first plagued by the unruly spirits from the cemetery their house was built upon and still strikes fear in viewers to this day.

The first sequel, "Poltergeist II: The Other Side," features few scenes as iconic as those remembered in the original. Despite not achieving the same level of success as its predecessor, the sequel is a fairly entertaining follow-up. This time around the evil spirits are not the product of a disturbed cemetery; they are the result of dark ritual that opened a hellish gateway.

The third film, "Poltergeist III," is where the series really suffered. With few returning original cast members and a weak plot, it isn't exactly fondly remembered by fans. The film abandons the genuinely frightening paranormal elements of the first two in favor of mirrored antagonists who do little more than bog down the film. The third film ruins an otherwise impressive run for the series.

For those looking for haunted house films to enjoy on Halloween, you'll want to skip that one. We can only hope "Paranormal Activity 3" doesn't embarrass its predecessors the same way "Poltergeist III" did.

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