Things Heard and Seen has gained a fair bit of popularity, internationality. And despite its perplexing narrative, the film feels familiar. We’ve watched films like this before. Movies where a newlywed couple moves into a creepy house. Movies that contend with a fractured marriage and/or explore broken relationships. If you wish to watch other movies like Things Heard & Seen, you’re in the right place. So without further ado, these are the 7 best films like Things Heard and Seen.
8.The Shining
The Shining is a classic in every sense. It’s none of the most revered pieces of horror cinema that has stood the test of time. Stanley Kubrick adapted Stephen King’s novel of the same name into a horror classic that’s still analyzed to this day. But more than a horror movie, it’s known as a psychological story about madness. There are innumerable things and hidden details to chew upon in this movie. Much has been written and said about the movie, and it’s a testament to the cinematic prowess of Kubrick. The Shining is probably one of the most dissected movies of all time. Kubrick’s works have a reputation for being the subject of so many conspiracies. And The Shining is no different. From the motifs to the visuals to the hidden details — everything has been analyzed to death. The Shining, like the titular film, is about a family moving into a big, creepy, and haunted house. Not only that, but it’s also similar in how the husband is just a straight-up evil person. In fact, Jack Torrance is probably the most popular bad husband in film history. After finishing Things Heard and Seen, The Shining is definitely a must-watch. And it’s not just the similarities that warrant a watch, but the fact that it’s the best film on here. Stanley Kubrick uses revolutionary camera movements and techniques to make a cinematic masterpiece. The performance by Nicholson is also one of the most memorable ones of all time. But it’s probably the various readings of the movie that are out there that make it so great. It can be and has been interpreted in numerous ways and still inspires countless interpretations.
7.The Possession
The Possession is a 2012 supernatural horror directed by Ole Bornedal. Celebrated filmmaker Sam Raimy is one of the producers, along with Robert Tapert and J.R. Young. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White have penned the screenplay. The film stars Jeffery Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Natasha Calis, Grant Show, Madison Davenport, and Matisyahu. Anton Sanko has composed the music while Dan Laustsen handled the cinematography. Distributed by Lionsgate, the film hit theatres on August 31, 2012. Directed Ole Bornedal cited films like The Exorcist as an inspiration for this film. The story of The Possession is based on the allegedly haunted dybbuk box. It follows a broken family haunted by a malevolent supernatural entity of Jewish folklore. There are a couple of similarities that The Possession shares with Things Heard and Seen.
The Possession follows a basketball coach, Clyde, and his two teenage daughters, Hannah and Emily. Clyde is recently divorced and spends the weekends with her daughters. One day, on their way to spend the weekend, Clyde makes a brief stop at a yard sale. There, Emily discovers an antique wooden box that catches her attention. She purchases the vintage ornate box. Over the following weeks, she becomes obsessed with the box. As her fixation with the box increases, she starts exhibiting bizarre behavior. Turns out, she comes under the possession of a spirit that was trapped inside the box. Clyde eventually unearths the secrets of the box and starts trying to undo the possession. The similarity with the titular film? A broken family that confronts supernatural entities.
6.The Conjuring
The Conjuring is a 2013 supernatural horror that kind of triggered a resurgence of The Exorcist-style horror movies. It’s one of the most mainstream and successful horrors of recent times. It follows the familiar horror tropes and comes packing with a fair share of jumpscares. Coming from the talented horror filmmaker James Wan, it’s based on the real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes have penned the screenplay for the film. Patrick Wilson stars as Ed Warren, along with Vera Farmiga, starring as Lorraine Warren. They play the real-life married couple and paranormal investigators. Hitting theatres on July 19, 2013, the film went on to do huge numbers at the box office. As a no-brainer, a sequel was quickly greenlit, releasing on June 10, 2016.
The story was set in 1971. A family man Roger Perron and his wife Carolyn moved to an old and dilapidated farmhouse in Rhode Island. The family consists of the couple and their daughters Andrea, Nancy, Christine, Cindy, and April. They soon find a hidden basement in the house. Afterward, the family starts experiencing hauntings that quickly evolve into nightmarish experiences. A desperate Carolyn turns to famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren to come and examine their house. The Warren couple brings their friends Drew and Brad to help with their paranormal investigations. As they examine the house, they find that a satanic entity haunts it. Although there’s no evil husband here, The Exorcism is similar to the titular film in terms of family and moving.
5.Sinister
Sinister is as creepy as they come. It’s a great atmospheric piece of cinema. The film’s also one of the more underrated horror films out there. Directed by Scott Derickson, the film stars Ethan Hawke in the leading role. It also stars Juliet Rylance, James Ransone, Fred Thompson, and Vincent D’Onofrio. Derickson also co-wrote the screenplay along with C. Robert Cargill. Christopher Young has composed the music for the film while Christopher Norr handled the cinematography. Against a modest budget of $3 million, it went on to make straight bank, grossing a total of $87.7 million. According to the co-screenwriter C. Robert Cargill, the inspiration for the film came after he had a nightmare after watching The Ring (2002). The Super 8 creepy footage shown in the film was actually shot by real Super 8 cameras and film stock.
The plot revolves around true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt. He’s having trouble writing his next book. Consequently, he moves with his family into a new house in a small Pennsylvanian town. However, he’s hidden a caveat about this new house from his family — the previous house owners were murdered there. This house is a treasure trove for him, as it’s the source of information for his next book. The town’s police, however, are not very keen on the family’s move. Ellison has a reputation for putting law enforcement in a bad light in his books. But there’s one exception, a deputy sheriff who is a fan of his. Soon, Ellison finds a box of Super 8 home movies in the attic containing footage of murders. He becomes obsessed with the film but soon realizes it’s more than what he bargained for.
4.The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror is a 2005 horror film directed by Andrew Douglas. Scott Kosar has penned the screenplay. Michael Bay is one of the producers of the film, along with Andrew Form and Brad Fuller. It’s based on the novel of the same name by author Jay Anson. The film marks the 9th entry in The Amityville Horror film series. Steve Jablonsky has composed the music for the film while Peter Lyons Collister handled the cinematography. The film stars Ryan Reynolds in the lead, with Melissa George and Phillip Baker Hall. It follows the experiences of the Lutz family after they move into a house at 112 Ocean Avenue, Long Island. The series is based on the real-life murder of six family members. The film shares a couple of striking similarities with Things Heard and Seen. It revolves around the newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz. Seeking to start a new life, they move into a seemingly ideal house in Amityville, New York. Along with their three kids, the couple wants to start a life in this dream house. The real estate agent, in full disclosure, tells them about the infamous horrible murder that took place in the house. However, George and Kathy buy an affordable house. Soon, the couple’s wishes for a happy and peaceful life are wrecked by inexplicable and haunting incidents. The seemingly ideal house turns into a nightmarish hell. They turn to their family priest, Father Delaney, who performed an exorcism, to no avail. George and Kathy try to save themselves from the horrors of the house as the supernatural forces endanger their lives.
3.Winchester
Winchester is a 2018 supernatural horror directed by Michael and Peter Spierig. While Tom Vaughan and Spierig have penned the screenplay together. Tim McGahan and Brett Tomberlin are the producers, while Spierig also composed the music for the film. Ben Nott handled the cinematography while Matt Villa served as the editor. The film stars Helen Mirren in the lead role, along with Jason Clarke and Sarah Snook. It was set in 1906 when the spirits inside her San Jose mansion haunt the heiress Sarah Winchester. Despite a dull reception amongst the critics, the film went on to do great at the box office. Against a small budget of $3.5 million, it grossed about $42 million in total. It’s a silly and fun time with a ton of horror clichés and tropes. And much like Things Heard and Seen, it’s also about a haunted house and a lady at the center.
Winchester is inspired by true events. It follows Sarah Winchester, widow of a famed gun manufacturer William Wirt Winchester. She lives a grief-stricken life after the death of her husband and child Annie. She has received more than twenty million dollars in inheritance. Sarah puts that money into building a never-ending mansion in San Jose after contacting a medium. She believes that people who died at the hands of Winchester firearms have now cursed her as spirits. The never-ending mansion is under perpetual construction that continues twenty-four-seven. However, she’s not building it for herself, she is building it for all the haunting spirits. She aims to build a prison for all the vengeful ghosts. Sarah’s relative, Marion Marriott (Snook) lives in the house with her son Henry. At night, spirits possess Henry, and now Sarah must confront all the ghosts she believes haunt her.
2.Dark Water
Dark Water is a 2005 supernatural horror drama directed by Walter Salles. Rafael Yglesias has written the screenplay while Angelo Badalamenti composed the music for the film. Affonso Beato handled the cinematography while Daniel Rezende served as the editor. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, the film hit theatres on July 8, 2005. The film is a remake of the 2002 Japanese horror of the same name. It was, in turn, based on a short story titled “Floating Water” by Roji Suzuki. A fun trivia about Suzuki is that he wrote the Ring trilogy. The film stars Jennifer Connelly in the lead role as a newly divorced mother of one. Alongside her are John C. Reilly, Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Pete Postlethwaite, and Camryn Manheim. Despite lukewarm critical reception, the film did great at the box office. Critics noted the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film. The plot revolves around Dahlia and her daughter. Dahlia lives in New York City and has recently divorced her husband. She is also going through a bitter custody dispute with her daughter Cecilia. With a limited budget, she moves into a small apartment with Cecilia on an island near Manhattan. The new apartment is dilapidated and worn-out. There are leakages of dark water that drip down from the ceiling. Then there are mysterious and creepy noises and frequent strange happenings. The dank and cramped apartment is an overall horror show with mysterious happenings. This jeopardizes Dahlia’s dreams of starting anew with her daughters. What’s more, is that she finds that Cecilia has a new mysterious imaginary friend. Betwixt a bitter custodial dispute and a supernatural house, Dahlia sets out to get to the bottom of the issue.
1.Hereditary
Hereditary is one of the most critically acclaimed horror films of recent times. The brainchild of the promising horror filmmaker Ari Aster, its atmosphere is bleak and execution, top-notch. Released in 2018, the film polarized the audience and critics. It was heavily praised by the critics, while the reception amongst the audience wasn’t so great. Over time, however, the consensus has shifted towards a much more favorable reception. Ari Aster directed and penned the screenplay, with Pawel Pogorzelski handling the cinematography. Colin Stetson composed the music while Jennifer Lame and Lucian Johnston served as editors. Hereditary comes from the acclaimed indie studio A24 and keeps up with the quality the studio is known for. Like Things Heard and Seen, Hereditary contains a fractured family and a haunted house.
The plot of Hereditary follows a dysfunctional family. Annie is a wealthy model maker with a family of mental instability, hence, “hereditary”. After the death of Annie’s mother, Ellen, a cryptic septuagenarian, the family starts experiencing hauntings. The hauntings are supernatural but act as a metaphor for hereditary mental illness. As a disturbing accident robs the family of another member, the psychological and supernatural all start wreaking hell on them. Hereditary is horror in the truest sense. There’s impalpable distress inside both the characters’ psyches and in the atmosphere. The film is immaculately shot, and the editing is genuinely creative. And did it tell you about the music? Hereditary has also one of the best movie scores, like, ever. Tis’ a must watch! Also Read: 10 Shows Like Mare Of Easttown You Must See
