The Poltergeist house in Simi Valley, California has officially been sold for $1.28 million – and it will become an Airbnb that the new owners will remodel to match the sets used in the classic horror film.
The home was put on the market for the first time since 1979 a few months earlier in August and was listed at $1.175 million.
Christian Melgar and Zo Amilee from Coldwell Banker Reality Westlake Village shared TMZ an article published Saturday noted that the property sold Friday for $1.28 million, which was $100,000 more than the original asking price.
The buyer is an investor from Los Gatos, California, and they aim to rent out the house after revitalizing the property to look like the Poltergeist movie set with furnishings and decorations.
The supernatural horror classic – written and produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre filmmaker Tobe Hooper – was released in 1982 and notably became the eighth highest-grossing film of that year.
The Poltergeist House in Simi Valley, California has officially been sold for $1.28 million – and will become an Airbnb to replicate the original movie set
However, a date on which the house will be available to Airbnb guests has not been announced.
The 16,000-square-foot Simi Valley home – located north of Thousand Oaks and Malibu – has four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms.
In the spacious backyard there is a large swimming pool, as well as a round jacuzzi nearby.
The front of the house has a three-car garage, as well as areas of green grass and a few shady trees – while a stone walkway leads to the wooden front door.
According to the listing in August from Real estate of the share union Lauren Murdock, the home features “a thoughtfully designed layout perfect for entertaining, relaxing and living your best life.”
The house is “well cared for” and has “good energy” despite its ties to the film franchise.
The two-storey house has a large living room with large windows, allowing plenty of sunshine in, ‘creating a warm and inviting atmosphere’.
The home has a dining room that connects to a kitchen “which fans of the film will be pleased to see is still in its original form, but with updated appliances,” according to the listing.
A family room with a fireplace and space for an office, the listing said, or “could easily be converted into a downstairs bedroom.”
The home’s four bedrooms are located on the top floor of the home, as the master bedroom has vaulted ceilings, creating “an airy and open atmosphere of tranquility,” according to the listing.
The master bedroom also includes a large bathroom with a huge bath with double sinks, a shower and a spacious walk-in closet.
The upper floor also consists of three bedrooms and a large bathroom in the hallway of the house.
In the film’s storyline, a suburban house (later revealed to have been built on a cemetery) was haunted by demonic spirits who attempted to drive out the Freeling family.
Stars cast in the project included JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Oliver Robins and the late Heather O’Rourke and Dominique Dunne.
The home was put on the market for the first time since 1979 a few months earlier in August and was listed at $1.175 million.
Christian Melgar and Zo Amilee of Coldwell Banker Reality Westlake Village told TMZ in an article published Saturday that the property sold Friday for $1.28 million — which was $100,000 more than the original asking price.
The buyer is an investor from Los Gatos, California – and aims to rent out the house after revitalizing the property and making it look like the Poltergeist movie set with furniture and decorations
However, a date on which the house will be available to Airbnb guests has not been announced
The 16,000-square-foot Simi Valley home – located north of Thousand Oaks and Malibu – has four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms
The house is “well cared for” and has “good energy” despite its ties to the film franchise
Tragically, the film is linked to a curse in which a number of actors from the film franchise died prematurely.
They include Heather O’Rourke, who died at age 12 during surgery in February 1988; and Dominique Dunne, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in November 1982 at the age of 22.
In a 2022 piece for Vanity fair Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the film’s release, Williams said she learned that real human remains were used during the film’s production.
“I always assumed the skeletons were made by the props department,” Williams told the outlet.
‘A few years later I met one of the special effects guys and I said, “You guys did all those skeletons, that must have been really amazing.”
The front of the house has a three-car garage, as well as areas of green grass and a few shady trees – while a stone walkway leads to the wooden front door.
Stars cast in the project included JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Oliver Robins and the late Heather O’Rourke and Dominique Dunne
‘He said, “Oh, we didn’t make those, they were real.” I said, “What?” He said, ‘Yes, they were real skeletons.’”
Williams said: “I don’t know where they were bought, but that really pissed me off. I’m glad I didn’t know that at the time, because then I would have really screamed a lot.’
Following the film’s release and box office success, Poltergeist received several accolades, such as three Oscar nominations for Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
Two sequels were also made: Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988). A remake of the original film was released in 2015.
