If you’re a believer, then it makes complete sense that some souls haven’t passed on, and linger in a place that was impactful in their lives. And if you aren’t a believer, then everything can be chalked up to a house simply being spooky and psyching people out. Never mind the footsteps, disembodied voices, and rattling chains. That’s all totally explainable, right? Hmm. Maybe it’s best to leave the determination to the professionals. In The Sims 4, there are a lot of ways to take this idea and run with it while being safe behind your computer screen. Frankly, it’s probably more fun than real life since you don’t have to actually worry about being touched or manipulated by a ghost. As Simmers, we can just enjoy creating and living in the creepy atmosphere through our Sims, and you can really go all out thanks to custom content.
1. Haunted Mansion Paintings
Check Out This CC A haunted house doesn’t necessarily mean somewhere that outwardly appears to be inhabited by ghosts. Sometimes it’s a little more subtle. Actually, these paintings are based off of an attraction at Disneyland, but they are just creepy enough to fit right in. Each painting here has an old-timey vibe in a way that is perfect for haunted houses. Sims still live there, the house is still functioning, but décor like this definitely says there is more to the environment than meets the eye. Maybe the eyes of these suspicious characters follow you as you move, or your Sim will always feel like they’re being watched even when they are alone… or so they think.
2. M is for Murder Set
Check Out This CC On the other hand, some places absolutely do look like they house a few ghosts. “Help” written on the wall in blood will certainly help with that. This gorey set includes some great things to make any room sufficiently unsettling. There are bloody wall stickers in the form of handprints, words, and splatters. Even the furniture looks like it’s straight out of a murder scene, with blood all over the couch and chairs. And lastly, you can add even more blood, since it’s kind of a theme, and some grime with modified rugs from the Backyard Stuff Pack.
3. Divinity Gravestones
Check Out This CC Okay, as someone who has built haunted houses in The Sims before, I just had to add some gravestones to this list. The trope of a hidden long-forgotten family cemetery on an old property is one of my favorite things. It’s so deliciously spooky. You just bought an awesome turn of the century home, but strange things have been happening… and now you’ve cleared away all the overgrown weeds and gasp! There are old graves, all of fifty feet from the house! Hahaha, how fun. These ones have an older, more unique look than the headstones we get when our Sims die. So they’re perfect for creating a little cemetery from the olden days on your lot. Partially cover them with some weeds and surround them with trees, and just like that, you’ll have a rather unnerving bit of decoration. The haunt has to come from somewhere, right? And spirits can’t be at rest when their final resting places have had no maintenance for decades.
4. Horseman and Medusa Paintings
Check Out This CC These are some more paintings based on the Disneyland attraction, but they were just too cool to pass up. If you don’t know any better (and I didn’t until I read the creator’s description) then these really do just look like the spooky decorations of a spookier person. Some homeowners are one with the ghosts haunting their home… maybe they even invited them in. The items they choose to furnish their rooms with would surely reflect that. Medusa and a skeleton horseman sure are creepy enough to catch the eye of someone like that. These medium-sized paintings with gold frames will perfectly blend in with the scenery in many homes. Guests will have to do a double-take to really absorb the equal parts of beauty and weirdness.
5. Possessed Grounds Lot Trait
Check Out This Mod Without the use of mods, your Sim’s haunted house will only be haunted by imagination. Rundown scenery and gravestones will certainly add a great spooky vibe. But if you want functionality, you’ll need a special lot trait. Creator Simularity has got the perfect one right here. It includes a ton of features, including special buffs that will affect both the Sims on the lot and any ones that visit. From the moment they step foot on the grounds, they’ll feel that something isn’t quite right and get a Fine moodlet. And as they’re going about their day, they may receive a couple of random moodlets from hearing unexplained things, too. Was that just the wind, or did they really hear someone whispering? But the fun really starts once the sun goes down. After 10 PM, the ghosts will come out. This is dependent on how long you’ve been playing and how many Sims have died in your save. So those of you who have been at it for several months and are multiple generations in are really in for a treat. This amazingly in-depth mod may seem like many packs are required to make it work, but nope. All you need is the base game. But if you do have Vampire or Alien Sims in the mix, some special moodlets are dedicated to them.
6. Faded Mold Wallpaper
Check Out This CC If ghosts have been running off potential homeowners for years, then the appearance of the place is bound to start suffering. Do you ever notice houses in your town that seem to have a revolving door of renters? Nobody ever seems to stay for more than a few months before there’s another moving truck pulling up. And then the exterior starts to become so dilapidated you just know the inside must be nightmarish. Maybe it’s bad landlords and high rent… or perhaps something a little more sinister is driving people away. The lack of loving care will really wear a home down, and the first thing to go will be the wallpaper. This CC set from Ineliz includes some great swatches of vintage wallpaper, complete with lovely moldy spots. You have six colors to choose from here, but no matter what, you’ll never get rid of the mold. Isn’t that great? Now you can build the ramshackle hovel that’s fitting for your world.
7. Claw Marks Wall Set
Check Out This CC A haunted house may only affect the living in subtle ways. I’m sure it’s difficult for people who have experienced paranormal activity to accept what’s happening without physical evidence. Hearsay is hearsay, and unless it’s caught on video, apparitions and footsteps won’t prove anything. But giant claw marks in the wall are a little harder to ignore, even for skeptics. This is a pretty simple set, featuring a variety of wall decals to get that “a demon just clawed the wall” look. One version has a red, almost glowing appearance, while the other is black for a more natural claw mark option. If there is such a thing.
8. Old Wooden Floor
Check Out This CC Think about the most iconic haunted locations – they all have wood floors. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. It’s possible the weathered, old-timey look adds to the creep factor, but there is also the theory that wood holds residual energy. So if a lot of strife, violence, and sadness occurred in a house, then the wood of the walls and floor hang onto that. Hey, I know that’s pretty out there but I’ve heard it more than once. In any case, these floors have amazing wood swatches. They certainly look like they’ve been around awhile and suffered some mistreatment, just the kind of thing to foster a haunting.
9. Abandoned House Lot
Check Out This Lot Nobody just up and leaves their home and all of their belonging for no reason. And yet, you’ll find plenty of rundown houses around the world just like that. Why? Ghosts, of course! There’s no other reason. If you see an abandoned house, it’s best to not even step foot on the property, lest you want to invite the paranormal into your life. But sometimes, the temptation is too much. It’s not every day we get to see homes forgotten by time, left behind for those in the other realm. So plenty of people do wind up exploring abandoned houses. It’s a whole hobby nowadays… and also technically trespassing. Just don’t get caught! At least with this abandoned house, full of amazing custom content unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere in the game, you can enjoy the spooky, haunted vibe from your own comfy seat. Any lingering souls can’t get you through the screen. But you can have a great time subjecting your Sim to them. I just love both the interior and exterior of this house. It’s just the kind of thing you’d pick up the pace while walking past, and yet… something about it is particularly aesthetically pleasing. All the cracks and signs of decay, cobwebs, and boarded-up windows tell their own story. Enter if you dare!
10. Peeling Wallpaper
Check Out This CC We’ve already covered how terribly wallpaper fairs when left unattended. The last set from this creator, Ineliz, had mold, but that’s not the case here. This wallpaper is just torn and peeling, clearly losing to the tests of time. Each panel of your Sim’s walls that you use this on will have a great rolled texture at the top like the paper is really just withering up. There are some great color combinations here too, including blue and gold, purple and green, and gray, and more. I’m sure there’s a name for it, but this pattern is like the definitive Victorian design… in other words, from the prime haunting era.
11. Sarcastic Ghost Mod
Check Out This Mod What good are ghosts if they don’t have a personality? There’s nothing worse than freeloading spirits who don’t even have the decency to entertain you with their presence. This fun mod will make the ghosts that haunt your house more sarcastic. It’s pretty fitting since I think spending eternity sharing your home with the living would make anyone a little sassy. But you’ll only be able to use this mod if you have the Get Together pack, because it’s geared specifically towards the residents of the Von Haunt Estate in Windenburg. Although that’s one of the few (and the best) haunted houses in the game, and you can have endless fun expanding upon it.
12. Willows Weep Haunted Residential Lot
Check Out This Lot When you’re building in The Sims, it’s often helpful to take inspiration from real life. That’s especially true when it comes to ghostly homes. It just makes it that much creepier when you know the spooky, incredible house your Sim lives in actually exists. That’s exactly what creator Wykkyd must have been thinking. This Willows Weep house actually exists and is located in Indiana. Many people have said it’s “the most evil haunted house in North America” … well, isn’t that lovely. This Simmer perfectly recreated that very same house for the game. It has a very unique floorplan which results in the aerial view looking like a cross.
13. Groves Mansion Lot
Check Out This Lot I feel like there is an inherent link between mansions and ghosts. Just think about how many movies feature a huge, old estate being haunted. Plus there is the Luigi’s Mansion series, so… enough said. It’s science! A home this big just has ample space to hide ghosts and allow them to get up to mischief. This amazing build from pollycranopolis features 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, and an interesting little secret in the basement: It’s a crypt. The mansion also sits over headstones and coffins. That’s pretty ripe grounds for a haunting, right there. Really, the creativity is just out of this world here. It’s fully functional and modernized, but maintains enough of the Victorian inspiration and creep-factor to make a perfect haunted house.
14. A Ghost in the Mirror
Check Out This CC Ghosts don’t always like to uproot your entire life and make you miserable like something out of a horror movie. Sometimes, they’re just there. An otherworldly presence that makes you question your sanity. And this mirror is honestly one of the coolest CC items I’ve ever seen. It’s a minor edit of the base game mirror to include the partially transparent apparition of a Sim named Mollie Grimworth. The closer you get to the mirror, the more faded she gets, which is a really cool effect. You can add some spookiness to any room in a really simple way thanks to this CC. It doesn’t get much better than this when you want some ghostly happenings in TS4, without going over the top. Just don’t use this as a bathroom mirror… that would be creepy in an entirely different way. Remember, when this is on the wall, Mollie Grimworth is always watching!
15. Simlish Ouija Board
Check Out This CC Ouija Boards are kind of like a chicken and the egg situation. There’s no telling which one comes first, the ghosts or the people. They can be used to contact ghosts that are already around, or stir up trouble where there otherwise was none by summoning the spirits. Some will also say that the whole idea is a hoax, but shhh… that’s no fun. If you’re a believer, then Ouija Boards can get you into a lot of trouble. So it makes sense to find one somewhere within a haunted house. The best part about this board is that it’s in Simlish, so it won’t stand out with pesky English lettering.
