5 Apartment Horror Movies that Will Make You Check Your Deadbolt

A deep dive into high-rise terrors.

Still from "Apartment 7A"
camera-iconPhoto Credit: Paramount +

Apartment life: most of us have been there at some point. There are so many amazing perks about it, but there are so many disquieting things about it as well.

Neighbors in close quarters. Leaky pipes. Too little closet space. 

So as you’re preparing to pay your rent this month, here are five apartment horror movies that will make your blood run cold. Just be sure to check the fine print on that lease before you sign it.  

Apartment 7A (2024) 

Whenever you think of apartment horror, it’s hard not to imagine Rosemary’s Baby. With its claustrophobic setting and seemingly friendly neighbors who harbor deeply diabolical motives, it’s become the gold standard for terrifying tales set in apartment buildings.

But since most horror fans have already seen the original 1968 film, consider adding Apartment 7A to your streaming queue. A prequel to Rosemary’s Baby, it effectively packs a lot of tension into the story, thanks to Natalie Erika James’ inspired direction.

Dianne Wiest makes the most of her role as Minnie Castevet, channeling Ruth Gordon from the original while adding a bit of subversive flair all her own. 

And at the heart of the film is Julia Garner as the ill-fated Terry, a dancer who makes a brief appearance in the original film as the prior victim of the devilish cult seeking a mother for the Antichrist.

Garner imbues Terry with so much life and hope, and even though you know where the film is going from the opening credits, it’s still an incredible and devastating journey to get there. 

Single White Female (1992)

An absolute 90s time capsule, Single White Female came out toward the end of the erotic thriller heyday that kicked off in earnest with Fatal Attraction

Although usually relegated only to the thriller category, the film certainly hints at horror, in particular in the performance of Jennifer Jason Leigh as the increasingly unhinged Hedy.

Bridget Fonda stars as the luckless Allie who, after learning that her boyfriend is cheating, kicks him out and searches for a new roommate. Enter Hedy, who seems like the perfect choice.

But the cracks soon begin to show, as their shared life in the honestly lovely NYC apartment unravels into escalating violence. Is this movie a bit dated? Of course.

Is it also a lot of campy and at times, even creepy fun? You bet.  

Candyman (1992)

You can’t talk about great apartment horror without including Candyman. Shot at Chicago’s former Cabrini-Green housing project, the apartment complex is central in almost every way to the heart of this haunting and visceral story about urban legends come to life.

More than thirty years after its release, the film still has so many deep themes to unpack—from generations of racism to the ongoing housing crisis—and with its genius story (based on Clive Barker’s “The Forbidden,” from Books of Blood) along with Tony Todd’s unforgettable performance as the title character, Candyman has held up so well over the ensuing decades.

Just be sure not to say his name three times into a mirror unless you want a particularly intense evening. 

The Sentinel (1972)

Released in 1977, The Sentinel is one of those strange little horror movies with a fantastic cast and some genuinely unsettling moments, yet far too few people have ever even heard of it.

It’s definitely an offbeat entry in the devil horror craze that came out of 1960s and 1970s cinema. But with a supporting cast that includes Chris Sarandon, Christopher Walken, Burgess Meredith, Ava Gardner, Jeff Goldblum, and Eli Wallach, you’re surely in for a treat.

The plot is straightforward enough: a successful fashion model (played by Cristina Raines) finds a great deal on a brownstone apartment. Little does she know that it might also be a gateway to hell.

This is one of those horror films that I’m determined to get more fans out there to watch, so if you haven’t seen it yet, do me a favor, and add it to your queue as soon as possible.

If nothing else, the birthday party scene that celebrates Jezebel, a literal cat in a hat, is worth the price of admission alone. 

Pacific Heights (1990) 

While this one is much more of a thriller than an outright horror film, it very much contains some of the hallmarks of the genre, in particular with Michael Keaton’s dangerously deranged antagonist Carter Hayes, who takes up residence in the apartment building in the eponymous Pacific Heights neighborhood in San Francisco.

A cash-strapped couple, played by Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine are the hapless owners of the apartment where Keaton is living, and they soon find that evicting their wayward tenant is much harder than they expected.

It’s a cat-and-mouse game for the ages with everything from a deliberate cockroach infestation to physical assaults and murder. The perfect movie to watch if you’re in the middle of remodeling, because no matter how bad things are going for you, it’s going a lot worse for the couple trying to get rid of Keaton.

If there was ever a film that makes me glad I’m not a landlord, it’s absolutely this movie.

Featured still from “Apartment 7A” via Paramount+