Blueprints from Beyond: Five More Architectural Lessons from Iconic Horror Movie Houses
In October 2020, we wrote a blog titled ‘Five Houses That Ooze Supernatural Chic’.The blog you are about to read is a follow-up to the horrifying houses discussed in the original blog.The houses contained within that blog were to lead to the discovery of one of the most niche crossovers in the annals of Classic Folios’ blog history. The architecural merits of horror movie houses.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
How to Watch: Stream on Shudder
The intro to this blog was a slightly awkward homage to the first film on the list, which opens with a ‘based on a true story’ intertitle that perfectly sets up the gritty realism that follows. Beloved by horror buffs and standing the test of time, spawning sequels, prequels, reboots, comics and video games, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a bona fide classic within the genre. But whilst its iconic villain, Leatherface, and his weapon of choice get the most recognition, the Sawyer Ranch is one of the most unnerving homesteads in horror history.
Let’s start with location.
Many property developers strive for the ‘best of both worlds’ when it comes to location. The idyllic tranquillity of a semi-rural setting with the accessibility of nearby towns or cities, ideally with convenient transport links.
Whilst the Sawyer Ranch is not a million miles from Austin, Texas, public transport appears to be limited, with hitchhiking a favoured method. The lack of neighbouring properties makes community-building a tricky proposition, with the hyper-rural location a possible turn-off for potential buyers, not to mention a source of frustration for hybrid workers relying on ultra-fast broadband.
When it comes to the design of the property, it’s difficult to imagine how it looked as a new build. Having served several generations of Sawyers, by the time we are invited in, it has seen better days. From dusty, paint-chipped exteriors, not helped by permanently draw curtains, to worn, gloomy interiors adorned with bric-a-brac (mostly bones, animal fur and chickens) and creaky doors, the house – let’s just say, ‘it lacks charm’. At least the bone-theme is a consistent design choice.
The garden is the real selling point here, though. Rather than a conventional front and rear garden, the Sawyer house sits in the middle of a generous plot of land. To the front, an aged swing set provides an ideal spot for taking in the afternoon sun, if you can tolerate the ominous squeaking of the property’s iconic period feature windmill.
Barbarian
How to Watch: Rent on Apple TV or Amazon
An Airbnb in an abandoned Detroit neighbourhood. What could go wrong?
The house in Barbarian is perhaps a warning to Land Acquisition departments. For the majority of the present-day-set film, we see the rental property in its modern, gloomy state – a humble, detached property that is emblematic of the mass exodus in Detroit, propelled by the struggles of the Motor City’s auto industry and industrial restructuring. But a colourful flashback sequence to the 80s paints a very different picture, where the house is a picture-perfect representation of the American Dream – white picket fence, pristine lawn and all.
Whilst the urban decay that characterised Detroit’s struggles was clearly a shock to the system for a city that was the fifth largest in the US during the 1950s, it also speaks to the value of forward-planning and successful implementation of digital placemaking tools to ensure a prosperous future for new build developments and the surrounding communities.
As for the house itself, there is a good reason that seeing a basement on a floor plan may be a red flag for fans of horror films!
The Shining
How to Watch: Rent on Apple TV, Amazon or Sky Store
Okay, so not a house, but still one of the spookiest properties in cinematic history.
When Jack Torrance is summoned to The Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to work as the winter caretaker, his boss gives him fair warning that a previous caretaker suffered from murderous cabin fever.
“Well, you can rest assured Mr Ullman that’s not gonna happen with me,” Jack Nicholson ominously claims, shooting his trademark smile and raised angular eyebrows.
Of course, that’s exactly what happens. The dizzying layout of the hotel, the vast empty halls and the creaky furnace room all play their part in consuming the unwitting caretaker.
The layout itself is an enigma, a bit like the Winchester House in our previous Halloween-themed blog, with analysts pointing to the impossibility of the positioning of hallways and windows – a deliberate metaphor employed by the famously detail-oriented director Stanley Kubrick or a byproduct of letting the intern draw up the floor plans?
One of the true horrors of The Shining is also one of its most enduring images – the ghastly carpet pattern that lines the labyrinthine corridors – so much so that when ghostly twins appear, it’s almost a relief to have a distraction from the period hexagon floor covering.
From a design perspective, there are plenty of redeeming features, not that the Torrances would agree.
In less murderous circumstances, the huge hedge maze would be a quirky addition to any property and add a sense of fun and adventure to any garden large enough to house it. The Colorado Lounge, with its majestic fireplace, real wood floors (one of the few rooms spared the dishonour of the carpet) and floor to ceiling windows is a dream space for entertaining guests, while the central staircase provides an ideal stage to make a dramatic entrance.
The Night House
How to Watch: Stream on Disney+
Have you ever built a house you were so enamoured with, you decided to build it again in reverse?
The Night House gives new meaning to a flipped floor plan, as we’re not talking about a semi-detached property here. Rather the exact same house, designed as a mirror image of the original, with no discernible reason for why.
Full of more twists than The Overlook Hotel’s corridors, The Night House places design and architecture at the centre of the plot, as grieving widow Beth endeavours to understand the link between her architect husband’s secret extra-curricular project, his cryptic suicide note and the ghostly apparitions haunting her lake house.
As is to be expected from a home built and owned by an architect, the property is classy and understated from the front elevation, but with a deceptively complex layout. The tranquil lake may be treated with caution by surveyors, citing the flood-risk, but it lends the house a calming, reassuring vibe at odds with the jump scares on show.
The Night House is a reminder that in a genre overwhelmed by hauntings of gothic manors or early 20th century properties that have been defiled by sinister circumstances, there is also room for spooky new builds, and the added fear that improved methods of soundproofing only make the screams harder to hear.
Crimson Peak
How to Watch: Rent on Amazon or Sky Store
Although The Night House is evidence that new builds have a place in horror movies too, the gothic mansion will likely also reign supreme.
Horror history is simply brimming with examples of gothic architecture, from Dracula’s castle to Frankenstein’s lab, from Bly Manor to Hill House.
One of the more visceral recent examples, though, is Allerdale Hall – Crimson Peak’s decrepit mansion, built on the flimsy foundations of a clay mine. The clay? Ultisol, or red clay soil, contributing to the film’s blood red palette.
Unlike some gothic mansions, which despite their imposing elevations and intimidating spires still invite envy due their scale and stunning period features, Allerdale Hall holds no such allure, except perhaps for the most ambitious and patient renovators.
The refurb project to end all refurb projects – a sinking mansion that is missing a decent chunk of roof and has a plumbing situation that would justify an out-of-hours call-out fee – Crimson Peak is a gothic horror throwback that revels in the dank remains of a formerly glorious country estate.
In fact, Crimson Peak shares a common thread with two other entries on the list. Like the shut-down slaughterhouse of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the automotive exodus of Barbarian, Allerdale Hall is a victim of faltering – or defunct – industry. The resident Sharpe siblings are trying to raise money for a new digging machine to resurrect the family mine, which is no longer fit for purpose. So, another placemaking tip – seek out land that is ideally placed for commuting – but not exclusive to a single industry.
It's easy to imagine that in its heyday, Allerdale Hall was an exquisite place to call home – but by the time we visit, those days are so far gone, it only serves as a cautionary tale to build on strong foundations.
So, there you have it. Five more horror movie houses that rewrite the rule book when it comes to property development – from architectural obscurities to eccentric interior design choices. What properties do you want to see make any appearance in Part III?
