[ by Deanna Lawley, Homefinder ]
Buying a home can be scary enough— loan applications, bidding wars, closing costs and moving can make you want to pull the covers over your head and hide. And according to a Gallup poll, 37% of Americans believe houses can be haunted. As you navigate through the homebuying process, have you checked to see if your new neighborhood is home to any infamous haunted houses? We’ve compiled a list of the scariest real-life horror movie home addresses; are any of them your neighbors?
Nightmare on Elm Street (1428 Genessee Avenue, Los Angeles, CA) — In this 1984 horror film, Freddie Krueger stalked Nancy Thompson through this 3-bedroom, 4-bathroom house located in West Hollywood, blocks from the famed Sunset Boulevard. Nancy Thompson’s boyfriend, Glen (played by Johnny Depp) lived right down the street at 1419 North Genessee.
Rosemary’s Baby (One West 72nd Street, New York City, NY) — This 1968 thriller was set in New York City’s historical The Dakota building, located in Manhattan’s Upper West Site. This is the same building where John Lennon was killed. It was used as stand-in for the characters’ fictional apartment building, the Bramford. A young couple (Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes) find themselves surrounded by mysterious occurrences here, as they deal with the worst pregnancy ever.
Amityville Horror (112 Ocean Avenue, Long Island, NY) — The 1979 horror story (starring James Brolin and Margot Kidder) is based on real-life paranormal occurrences. The owners reported these occurrences after moving into the 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom Long Island house, where six previous residents were gruesomely murdered. This home is currently on the market for $995,000. Interested?
Poltergeist (4267 Roxbury St., Simi Valley, CA) — 1982’s chilling ghost story, co-written and produced by Steven Spielberg, is about a house taken over by evil spirits. It’s set in this 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home that still stands in a residential area of Simi Valley, located in Ventura County, CA. The spookiest part? The franchise is believed to be cursed, due do the untimely deaths of several cast and crew members following filming.
The Exorcist (3600 Prospect Street, Georgetown, Washington DC) — This 1973 horror film follows a 12-year old girl named Regan (played by Linda Blair) as her possession by a demonic spirit ruins lives around her. Set in the Georgetown neighborhood of southwest DC, the terrifying movie was filmed in this exact 3-bedroom, 6-bathroom house adjacent to the Potomac River.
If we have just introduced you to your new neighbors, beware as you embark on trick-or-treating this Halloween! Living in a storage unit might be less scary.
About Rachel Greenfield
Rachel does marketing at SpareFoot. Her favorite movie is The Big Lebowski, favorite color is black, favorite food is cheese, and favorite band is the Pixies. She aspires to make self-storage fun and to make her dog and cat cuddle each other.
