The 65 Best Ghost Movies for When You Need a Scary Good Watch
Disclaimer: some are just plain terrifying.
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Looking for some spooky movies to add to your Halloween movie watchlist? Or maybe you’ve watched all the scariest movies of all time and are ready to move on to something a bit more spiritual? Or maybe you're down to clown with some friendly ghosts and cozier fare! Whatever the reason, if you’re here, you’re looking for the best ghost movies you can stream right now, and I live to serve. So, to help all your spooky movie marathons, I compiled a definitive list of the best ghost movies of all time—and where you can watch them.
As we know not all ghost movies are scary. It’s not all haunted Airbnbs or possessions and nightmare fuel. Some ghost movies are rom-coms, romantic dramas, psychological thrillers, or even kids' movies. Sure, there’s the occasional jump scare, but that’s bound to happen when spirits are involved. (And, yes, for the purpose of this list, ghost movies include movies about spirits, beings from the afterlife, possessions, etc.) Whatever your tolerance for horror, there’s a ghost movie for you. Looking for a big scare? Try Talk To Me. Craving some ‘90s nostalgia? Go for Casper. Looking for something that'll frighten you while being family-friendly? Sounds like a Haunted Mansion kind of night. Can't decide yet? Take a look at the rest of the movies on this list of ghost movies, pick one, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
I Saw The TV Glow (2024)
A24 is getting quite the reputation for thoughtful and unsettling movies. I Saw The TV Glow, about two friends whose relationship and destiny becomes entwined with their favorite childhood television show, is the latest example. The ghosts are more metaphorical in this one... or are they?
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Is the palazzo where Hercule Poirot finds himself on Halloween for a party actually haunted by the ghosts of orphaned children, the ghost of a more recently deceased tragic figure, or is something more grounded and murderous at foot? Only a famed detective like him can figure it out.
Afterlife of the Party (2021)
This movie, about a girl who dies young and has to do good deeds for the people she left behind before she can move on, is deeply unserious. But it's a pretty good, wholesome time. Ghosts can be good and wholesome if they want to be!
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
Speaking of lighter ghost fare, how about this ultimate chick flick from the '00s? This reformed womanizer take on A Christmas Carol stars Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Emma Stone, Lacey Chabert, and Michael Douglas.
Ghostwatch
If you want to be really, sincerely scared, watch this real BBC broadcast about ghosts that went in unexpected and unexplained directions. It was featured on a list of director Mike Flanagan's favorite ghost movies, and he knows his stuff!
(2004)
Erik, the Phantom who haunts the Paris opera in the story, is technically not a ghost. But he lures Christine by pretending to be sent by her dead father (and at one point just flat pretends to be her father... it's weird) and refers to himself as "OG" aka "Opera Ghost." Who are we to go against OG's wishes?
Scooby Doo (2002)
If you can't call the Ghostbusters, the Scooby gang is your next best bet.
The Green Knight (2021)
There's a heck of a ghost story tucked snugly into this eerie Arthurian adventure starring a dreamy Dev Patel. Sir Gawain encounters at least one ghost on his quest, and maybe more. Maybe everyone, including Gawain himself, is a ghost in the end.
Talk to Me (2022)
A group of young adults become hooked on communicating with the dead via an embalmed hand (yes, really). But, when one of them gets too invested, they inadvertently allow a spirit to possess them. And that's never a good sign.
The Haunted Mansion (2023)
There are literally hundreds of ghosts in this remake from director Justin Simien and screenwriter Katie Dippold, whose ghost credentials include the all-female Ghostbuster movie and this viral tweet.
Ghostbusters (2016)
And speaking of the lady Ghostbusters... I like this movie! And I'm not letting any male opinions stop me from expressing my love for it in the year of our Lord Barbie 2023.
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
It totally counts as a ghost story! Don’t discount it just because it’s about a holiday that’s not Halloween. Christmas is a very spooky time of year. It’s cold. You might be visiting family at an old, creaky house. I think the general consensus is that this is the best Christmas Carol, but you could really queue up any of them.
Hamlet (1996)
Shakespeare’s tragedy is an absolutely a ghost story. The Prince of Denmark would not be debating a revenge mission of his father’s ghost didn’t tell him to do it. There are a few movie versions of Hamlet to choose from, and this is certainly the longest. I kind of feel like if you're going to do it, do it... but if you'd rather watch another one I won't judge you.
Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
YE BEST. START BELIEVING. IN GHOST STORIES. MISS TURNER. YER IN ONE!!!!
Coraline (2009)
This animated movie scares the bejeezus out of me, so godspeed to you. I'm sure it's not... that bad... I just can't handle Other Mother. I didn't even remember that there are ghosts in this movie because all I see when I think about it are those button eyes.
The Eternal Daughter (2022)
You know A24 loves a good moody ghost story. The Eternal Daughter, directed by Joanna Hogg, is about a writer working out of a haunted hotel. But while those aspects of the plot are similar to The Shining, what goes down is nothing like that. Hogg is a great independent filmmaker to get into if you're interested in films that are natural (and in the case of The Eternal Daughter, supernatural), messy, and often star Tom Hiddleston of all things.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
A woman discovers that her beach house is haunted... and falls in love with the ghost?? I'm listening. The film was later turned into a sitcom, like other supernatural love stories including Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. But it only ran for two seasons, so if you've never heard of it that's uhhh probably why.
The Turn of the Screw (2009)
AKA a movie based on the same source material that The Haunting of Bly Manor is based on. There are actually two other adaptations of the novella on this list. We as a culture are kind of obsessed with the governess who goes to work at a haunted mansion trope... what can I say?! (Just don't watch 2020's The Turning.) This one stars Michelle Dockery and Dan Stevens, so it serves as bonus Downton Abbey fanfiction.
A Ghost Story (2017)
If you look at this trailer and still think, Aww, what a cute lil ghost, you are MISTAKEN, my friend. Proving once and for all that cute does not equal lighthearted, this A24 movie focuses on a musician who dies in a car accident and ends up haunting his old house (and wife) while coming to terms with WTF happened.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
True story: I watched this movie with my BFF and because it’s filmed documentary style (like, as a viewer, you literally feel like you’re experiencing everything firsthand), it’s nearly impossible to tell whether the footage is real or scripted, and I couldn’t even finish it because I was shaking so badly. Watching this movie is basically an exercise for your imagination to conjure up the worst possible thing. I ended up leaving my friend all by herself halfway through the movie and had to sleep in the same bed as my parents. I was 16…and now I’m 23 and still not over it.
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