Ghosthouse(1988)
1988 · Umberto Lenzi · 95 min
A group of unlikely companions receive a radio call leading to a deserted house with a grisly past.
Horror
5.1112 votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How Ghosthouse scares
It starts as a simple setup — strangers drawn to a spooky old house — and quickly turns into a string of loosely connected shock scenes rather than a tightly building story. The scares come fast and cheap, leaning on sudden ghostly apparitions, a creepy doll, and gory kills rather than slow dread. It's the kind of low-budget Italian haunted house movie that goes for silly, over-the-top fun instead of real unease, with logic taking a back seat to mood and gross-out moments. Good for fans of campy 80s horror who want gore and jump scares without much lasting weight.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Ghosthouse rates psychological 2/5, visceral 3/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 65 of 100 — leans Jump scares
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 20 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, creaky build with scattered jolts that gradually piles on more chaos toward a frantic final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4.
How scary is Ghosthouse?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Ghosthouse rates 2/5 — moderately scary, delivering its fear through jump scares more than lingering dread. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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