From Screen to Stay: Poltergeist’s Haunted House for Rent

They’re Here.

Anyone who was left terrified of television static or swimming pools thanks to the 1982 film Poltergeist has a chance to face their fears. The house featured in the movie is now available to rent as an Airbnb.

Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hooper and produced and co-written by Steven Spielberg, told the unforgettable story of a suburban family whose life is thrown into chaos when ghosts attack their house and abduct the youngest child, Carol Anne.

The movie became an instant classic of the haunted house genre and received Academy Award nominations for its score, visual effects, and sound effects.

While many of the most memorable scenes were shot on sets, as the visual effects required, some were filmed at a real house in Simi Valley, California. That house, built in 1979, was purchased in 2024 by an investor who paid $1.28 million, which was $100,000 over the asking price. The investor redecorated it to match, or at least evoke, the film, intending to rent it out.

The house might be home to some of the creepiest sights seared into 1980s kids’ minds, but the Airbnb listing tells a different story.

The house’s website (poltergeisthouse.com) calls it “Spooky, iconic, and surprisingly cozy,” promising fun for families, film buffs, and anyone nostalgic for the early 1980s. Braver souls and paranormal enthusiasts can choose a spooky-sounding “curated experience.”

The house’s amenities have been updated to present-day technology, but the retro decorations invite visitors to step a few decades back in time. And of course, although it is equipped with a modern smart TV, the house wouldn’t be complete without a vintage television set with a staticky screen, just like the one that captivated Carol Anne and provided the first sign of paranormal activity.

But don’t worry—the listing assures prospective visitors that any flickering from the static or the house’s lights is “mostly for photo ops.”

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