50 Of The Best Ghost Movies
by strangemedia | created - 02 Feb 2017 | updated - 28 Sep 2017 | PublicMy favourite ghost-themed horror movies! Every film on this list I'd rate at least a 7/10.
I guess the list is in a vague order, but don't pay too much attention to it.
There's quite a few highly regarded asian films I've not seen, so if they're not on this list that's probably why.
Quite a few ghost films (especially English-speaking ones) didn't make my cut of the 50 best, so here are some other recommendations of good (but not great) ghost films:
Pulse (2001), Wind Chill, The Uninvited (2009), The Bunker, Grave Encounters 2, A Tale Of Two Sisters, They Wait, Ghost Ship, The Haunted (1991), White Noise, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, House On Haunted Hill (1959), Death Ship, Half Light, Mama, Haunted (1995), What Lies Beneath, The Woman In Black (1989), The Innkeepers, Crimson Peak, Below (2001), The Awakening and The Entity.
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1. The Shining (1980)
R | 146 min | Drama, Horror
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Votes: 1,106,113 | Gross: $44.02M
Arguably the best ghost movie - if not the best horror movie - of all time.
2. The Changeling (1980)
R | 107 min | Horror, Mystery
After the death of his wife and daughter in a car crash, a music professor staying at a long-vacant Seattle mansion is dragged into a decades-old mystery by an inexplicable presence in the mansion's attic.
Director: Peter Medak | Stars: George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, Jean Marsh
Votes: 39,987
Genuinely unsettling. A must see classic.
3. The Others (2001)
PG-13 | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
In 1945, immediately following the end of Second World War, a woman who lives with her two photosensitive children on her darkened old family estate in the Channel Islands becomes convinced that the home is haunted.
Director: Alejandro Amenábar | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann
Votes: 393,115 | Gross: $96.52M
A modern classic, one that earns its place among the all time great ghost movies.
A creepy old mansion, set in 1920's England, an intriguing mystery and a creepy kid - it ticks all the boxes! The twist is a highlight, so loses a little punch on a second viewing, but that's common with most ghost movies.
4. Ringu (1998)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô
Votes: 77,454
Some say the American remake is actually a little better, and it is good, but it's a tiny bit too glossy for my taste, the original just has that grittier *edge*
If you're not keen on subtitles then absolutely go for the American remake!
5. The Haunting (1963)
G | 112 min | Horror
Hill House has stood for about 90 years and appears haunted: its inhabitants have always met strange, tragic ends. Now Dr. John Markway has assembled a team of people who he thinks will prove whether or not the house is haunted.
Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn
Votes: 42,479 | Gross: $2.62M
Has set the standard for all haunted house movies since it's release. It's creepy now, so this must have been terrifying back in 1963!
6. It Follows (2014)
R | 100 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
Director: David Robert Mitchell | Stars: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe
Votes: 268,844 | Gross: $14.67M
Such a simple concept, but utterly terrifying. You have to see this movie. Not a traditional ghost movie by any means, but I still consider it part of that sub genre.
You can run away, but it will never stop following...
7. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
R | 106 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
After Carlos - a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War - arrives at an ominous boys' orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets which he must uncover.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve
Votes: 70,992 | Gross: $0.75M
Made when Guillermo del Toro was at his peak, and a film that earned him his stripes on the international scene, way before Pan's Labyrinth. A great story that doesn't lose anything by his later overuse of CGI. A classic.
8. Lake Mungo (2008)
R | 87 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Strange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake.
Director: Joel Anderson | Stars: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker
Votes: 28,921
Combining a realistic documentary-style format with found footage elements interspersed throughout, this film is a slow burning mystery with a terrifying payoff. Good luck sleeping after seeing this! A masterclass in the found footage genre.
9. The Fog (1980)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
An unearthly fog rolls into a small coastal town exactly 100 years after a ship mysteriously sank in its waters.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, John Houseman
Votes: 82,957 | Gross: $21.38M
It's got that slightly garish and cheesy 80's thing going on in places, but if you can set that aside this is an absolute classic. A definite top 10 ghost movie for me.
10. R-Point (2004)
R | 107 min | Action, Horror, War
During the Vietnam War, a South Korean base receives a radio transmission from a missing squad, presumed dead, and sends a platoon to rescue the lost squad from the R-Point.
Director: Su-chang Kong | Stars: Kam Woo-seong, Son Byung-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Park Won-sang
Votes: 5,830
The scariest and most engaging Korean horror movie I've seen yet. Horror films centred around war naturally have an unsettling edge, and this film uses it brilliantly.
11. The Woman in Black (2012)
PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.
Director: James Watkins | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds, Emma Shorey
Votes: 192,603 | Gross: $54.33M
Some prefer the 1989 version, and while I'm usually not a fan of remakes, for me this version is the superior film. A moody creep-fest with an atmosphere so think you can cut it with a knife. If you can get past Harry Potter in a serious role you'll be in for a treat.
12. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
R | 134 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by a supernatural spirit.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe, Frances O'Connor
Votes: 300,304 | Gross: $102.47M
I found The Conjuring 2 slightly scarier than the first, but both are very good - you can't go wrong with either! This sequel is about the famous Enfield Haunting in the UK during the 70's.
13. The Eye (2002)
R | 99 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she will be able to see again. She gets more than she bargained for upon realizing she can also see ghosts.
Directors: Danny Pang, Oxide Chun Pang | Stars: Angelica Lee, Chutcha Rujinanon, Lawrence Chou, Jinda Duangtoy
Votes: 30,072 | Gross: $0.51M
From when asian horror was at its peak, this is one of the highlights of that era, only topped by Ringu in my opinion. A woman undergoes an operation to restore her sight, but as her sight slowly returns she see things that no one else can... Very, very creepy.
Skip the American remake, it's not very good.
14. The Sixth Sense (1999)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
Votes: 1,050,941 | Gross: $293.51M
We all know about this one. Minus the plot twist, there are some great creepy moments that make it worth watching, even if you know how it all ends.
15. Session 9 (2001)
R | 97 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.
Director: Brad Anderson | Stars: David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, Josh Lucas
Votes: 62,886 | Gross: $0.38M
An overlooked gem that has been gaining more of a cult following in recent years, and deservedly so. That guy from CSI takes on a restoration job at an old mental hospital, naturally things get pretty creepy.
16. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 48,045 | Gross: $0.33M
More commonly known as The Grudge. Again, I'd say this is slightly better than the American remake, only due to the grittiness the lower budget lends to the feel of the film.
The remake is more than acceptable if you don't like subtitles.
17. Candyman (1992)
R | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.
Director: Bernard Rose | Stars: Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd, Kasi Lemmons
Votes: 100,129 | Gross: $25.79M
Commonly mislabelled as a slasher flick, this shockingly well made film is actually a very clever urban ghost story ...just a very gory one! Some brilliant cinematography and a haunting score by Phillip Glass make this a cut above, not to mention the career defining performance from Tony Todd as the titular Candyman.
Shame about the "twist" ending.
18. The Legend of Hell House (1973)
PG | 95 min | Horror
A physicist, his wife and two mediums are hired to investigate the Belasco House, where 27 guests had inexplicably died in 1927, along with most of a team of paranormal investigators that was sent in the early 1950s.
Director: John Hough | Stars: Roddy McDowall, Gayle Hunnicutt, Pamela Franklin, Clive Revill
Votes: 14,038
A really classy production from the 70's. A bunch of paranormal researchers set up camp in an old mansion, of course the sceptics soon question their convictions. It's a pretty generic plot, but it's so well made it really set the standard for this style of ghost movie - films today that use the same set-up usually can't come close to this.
19. Poltergeist (1982)
PG | 114 min | Horror, Thriller
A family's home is haunted by a host of demonic ghosts.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight
Votes: 179,509 | Gross: $76.61M
All time classic, and surprisingly spooky for a family friendly film! The sequels aren't up to much, nor the remake.
20. Under the Shadow (2016)
PG-13 | 84 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
As a mother and daughter struggle to cope with the terrors of the post-revolution, war-torn Tehran of the 1980s, a mysterious evil begins to haunt their home.
Director: Babak Anvari | Stars: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Arash Marandi
Votes: 30,108 | Gross: $0.03M
A great slow-burner from Iran. If you don't mind a fairly slow-paced film then you'll be in for a creepy treat! Definitely one for folks looking for something in the vein of The Babadook.
I didn't think that much of the dubbing job, so would recommend the original version with subtitles if you can find it.
21. Grave Encounters (2011)
Not Rated | 92 min | Horror, Mystery
For their ghost hunting reality show, a production crew locks themselves inside an abandoned mental hospital that's supposedly haunted - and it might prove to be all too true.
Directors: Colin Minihan, Stuart Ortiz, The Vicious Brothers | Stars: Benjamin Wilkinson, Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko, Merwin Mondesir
Votes: 63,953
What starts out as a typical found-footage horror film soon does a bait and switch and turns in to a terrifying roller coaster with nightmarish, surreal qualities. It successfully parodies, then wipes the floor with the majority of found footage horror films.
22. Silent Hill (2006)
R | 125 min | Horror, Mystery
A woman, Rose, goes in search for her adopted daughter within the confines of a strange, desolate town called Silent Hill.
Director: Christophe Gans | Stars: Radha Mitchell, Laurie Holden, Sean Bean, Deborah Kara Unger
Votes: 243,951 | Gross: $46.98M
This film gets a bit of a hard time due to its video game origins and OTT third act, but I think people are too hard on it. If you want to see some really, really creepy ghosts & creatures this is a must see. Great atmosphere.
23. Deathwatch (2002)
R | 94 min | Drama, Horror, War
In the middle of World War I, nine British soldiers caught behind enemy lines seek refuge in a complex network of German trenches. What they soon discover is that they aren't alone - and it isn't a German soldier that's hunting them down.
Director: M.J. Bassett | Stars: Jamie Bell, Rúaidhrà Conroy, Mike Downey, Laurence Fox
Votes: 13,257
The best horror film set in either World War. Captures the horrific nature of trench warfare during WWI and throws the supernatural in to the mix. Claustrophobic and unsettling, a must see.
24. The Innocents (1961)
Not Rated | 100 min | Horror
A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.
Director: Jack Clayton | Stars: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins, Michael Redgrave
Votes: 33,054 | Gross: $2.62M
25. The Orphanage (2007)
R | 105 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.
Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger PrÃncep, Mabel Rivera
Votes: 163,570 | Gross: $7.16M
A great spooky ghost mystery. A young boy moves in to a new house that used to be an orphanage and acquires an "imaginary" friend. Very good.
26. The Conjuring (2013)
R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor
Votes: 554,609 | Gross: $137.40M
Released during a glut of substandard supernatural / exorcism-themed horror movies, this one really stood out as an example of how to do a modern ghost movie.
Followed up by a spin-off called Annabelle which really isn't up to the same standard.
27. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery
Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.
Directors: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez | Stars: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard, Bob Griffin
Votes: 285,391 | Gross: $140.54M
Does this count as a ghost film? The film never clarifies exactly what the Blair Witch is, obviously a witch is strongly implied, but a ghost is also hinted at - maybe a ghost witch? It's some kind of supernatural being in either case, just watch the film and judge for yourself, you'll either be bored or terrified!
28. Dark Water (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A mother and her 6-year-old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa
Votes: 34,924
Another quality asian horror film from the boom that started with Ringu. The creepy setting and unfolding mystery helps Dark Water hold it's own against Ringu, The Eye and The Grudge.
The remake is a bit flat, but not terrible. I'd recommend putting up with the subtitles on this one tho.
29. Stir of Echoes (1999)
R | 99 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After being hypnotized by his sister-in-law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around him.
Director: David Koepp | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Zachary David Cope, Kathryn Erbe, Illeana Douglas
Votes: 87,468 | Gross: $21.13M
A solid ghost mystery with the legendary Kevin Bacon.
After being hypnotised at a party, Mr. Bacon starts to see things... is he going mad, or is he being guided by supernatural forces?
Some great creepy moments. Well worth a watch!
30. House on Haunted Hill (1999)
R | 93 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An amusement park mogul offers a group of diverse people $1,000,000 to spend the night in a haunted house with a horrifying past.
Director: William Malone | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs, Peter Gallagher
Votes: 60,129 | Gross: $40.85M
Despite the cheesy, generic characters, cringy dialogue and very limp ending, when it comes the scares and pure entertainment this really delivers! Plays out like a carnival ghost train in movie form.
If you can handle the cheese this is creepy as hell and very entertaining!
31. The Uninvited (1944)
Passed | 99 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
A composer and his sister discover that the reason they are able to purchase a beautiful gothic seacoast mansion very cheaply is the house's unsavory past.
Director: Lewis Allen | Stars: Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp, Cornelia Otis Skinner
Votes: 12,462
It may be a bit tame by todays standards, but this classic still gives us a good mystery with a few creepy moments. See it to know your roots, as it were!
32. Oculus (2013)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A recently released inmate from a mental asylum learns from his sister that the murders he was convicted of committing were actually orchestrated by a supernatural entity, the Lasser Glass mirror.
Director: Mike Flanagan | Stars: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane
Votes: 139,700 | Gross: $27.70M
A good bit of psychological horror mixed in with some nicely underplayed ghost encounters. Definitely has a Amityville Horror feel about it, but with far more subtext to get your teeth into. Kept me thinking / guessing well after the credits rolled.
33. Sleepy Hollow (1999)
R | 105 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people; the culprit is legendary apparition The Headless Horseman.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon
Votes: 383,814 | Gross: $101.07M
A very well-made, big budget telling of the Sleepy Hollow story. A good story, great performances all around and some stunning visuals thanks to Tim Burton's unique style. It's PG-13, so don't go expecting any huge scares though.
34. Don't Look Now (1973)
R | 110 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A married couple grieving the recent death of their young daughter are in Venice when they encounter two elderly sisters, one of whom is psychic and brings a warning from beyond.
Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania
Votes: 62,301 | Gross: $0.98M
After a couples young daughter tragically drowns in a pond, they go on vacation to Venice to help get over their grief and repair their marriage. Not long after arriving, the girls father keeps seeing what looks to be a child who's wearing the exact same red coat, hat and boots that his daughter wore when she died. Is it the ghost of his daughter?
A haunting, unsettling film that explores grief. You will not see the ending coming...
35. The Skeleton Key (2005)
PG-13 | 104 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A hospice nurse working at a spooky New Orleans plantation home finds herself entangled in a mystery involving the house's dark past.
Director: Iain Softley | Stars: Kate Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard, Joy Bryant, Gena Rowlands
Votes: 122,960 | Gross: $47.81M
Seems to split opinion in some quarters, but I've always thought rather highly of this film. A very solid spooky mystery set in New Orleans, a must see for fans of the genre.
36. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
PG-13 | 99 min | Horror
A loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Ruth Livier, Lorna Raver
Votes: 217,432 | Gross: $42.10M
While this isn't strictly a ghost film, there are so many horror tropes thrown in the mix that it it hits the ghost quota well enough to get a place on this list. A young woman receives a gypsy curse and is subjected to unrelenting barrage of creepy and horrific things - a real roller coaster of a film! May be a little bit full-on / OTT for some.
37. Lady in White (1988)
PG-13 | 113 min | Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
An author tells the story of how, as a young boy growing up in a 1960s small town, he was haunted after witnessing the murder of a little girl.
Director: Frank LaLoggia | Stars: Lukas Haas, Len Cariou, Alex Rocco, Katherine Helmond
Votes: 8,044 | Gross: $1.71M
A slightly fluffy ghost movie, not quite as raw or spooky as I usually like. It's held in high esteem though, and I did enjoy it, so happily recommend it here.
38. The Sentinel (1977)
R | 92 min | Horror
A young woman moves into an apartment in a building which houses a sinister evil.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Cristina Raines, Ava Gardner, Chris Sarandon, Martin Balsam
Votes: 11,918
Solid horror-mystery with an unsettling and slightly odd atmosphere, as well as some really creepy scenes. It's a little rough around the edges and it's very 70's, plus it's more about demonic entities than traditional ghosts, but I think it still deserves to be on this list. Great ending.
39. The Ward (2010)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An institutionalized young woman becomes terrorized by a ghost.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Laura-Leigh
Votes: 44,871
A slightly underrated horror film from John Carpenter. Not his best movie, but far from bad. Recommended.
40. Hide and Seek (2005)
R | 101 min | Horror, Mystery
As a widower tries to piece together his life in the wake of his wife's suicide, his daughter finds solace, at first, in her imaginary friend.
Director: John Polson | Stars: Robert De Niro, Dakota Fanning, Famke Janssen, Elisabeth Shue
Votes: 88,759 | Gross: $51.10M
Enjoyable mystery flick with a slightly undercooked psychological/drama element. Solid performances from Bobby DeNiro and Dakota Fanning, as well as a nice twist ending make this worth a look.
41. Jessabelle (2014)
PG-13 | 90 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Returning to her childhood home in Louisiana to recuperate from a horrific car accident, Jessabelle comes face to face with a long-tormented spirit that has been seeking her return -- and has no intention of letting her escape.
Director: Kevin Greutert | Stars: Sarah Snook, Mark Webber, Joelle Carter, David Andrews
Votes: 25,849
Good performances, high production values and an engaging mystery with some pretty creepy moments - you can't really go wrong with this!
42. The Guard Post (2008)
121 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of GP506 soldiers have been brutally massacred, leaving only one alive but comatose. A military police investigator has only that night to uncover the facts, but ends up discovering a terrifying truth.
Director: Su-chang Kong | Stars: Chun Ho-jin, Hyun-jae Cho, Lee Young-hoon, Kim Byeong-cheol
Votes: 1,902
Another classic from South Korea. A military guard post on the South / North Korean border has been abandoned for an unknown reason. Cue an ongoing mystery and lots of creepy goings on!
43. Housebound (2014)
Not Rated | 107 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
A young woman is forced to return to her childhood home after being placed under house arrest, where she suspects that something evil may be lurking.
Director: Gerard Johnstone | Stars: Morgana O'Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru, Ross Harper
Votes: 37,562
A film with genuinely scary moments and a good sense of humour, also.
A young woman is under house arrest, and when spooky things start happening she literally cannot get away - a great set up for some good thrills! There's a big twist ending, but you'll have to see it to find out what it is, I'm keeping shtum!
44. Paranormal Activity (2007)
R | 86 min | Horror, Mystery