Halloween film fest: 15 classic ghost stories

From <em>The Uninvited</em> to <em>Crimson Peak</em>, these films will help you set the tone for spooky season.

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[KurtisMayfield]

I have to agree with you on the Willis performance in the 6th sense. That and in Looper he was great.

 

[Albino_Boo]

If you can find them, the 1970s BBC adaptations of classic MR James ghost stories are genuinely spooky (the more recent adaptations by Mark Gatiss have generally been disappointing). There are also some straight readings of the stories filmed around 2000 which are just the late, great, Christopher Lee sitting by a crackling fire. Amazingly spooky stuff.

Then of course there are the BBC plays 'The Stone Tapes' (which gives its name to a theory for hauntings used by many paranormal researchers; and the all-time classic '' which was broadcast 'as live' with a cast of known journalists and presenters and which caused a national meltdown the next day.

And if you like your hauntings extra chilly, the Icelandic movie 'I Remember You' is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir about a group of friends renovating a lonely house on the Icelandic shoreline.

I don't remember Ghostwatch being that big of a deal. Admittedly I went the full going out out that Saturday but at work on Monday it wasn't mentioned at all.

 

[flamingjello]

John Carpenter's The Thing, that is all.

 

[MST2.021K]

Always gonna put a recommendation in for "Cabin in the Woods" especially as a non-fan of horror.

 

[RickRoyLeonPrisZhoraRacha]

John Carpenter's The Thing, that is all.

That is a Sci-Fi Horror. Don't get me wrong, its fucking scary. But its not a ghost story.

 

[Captain Impulse]

Allow me to recommend a song alongside all the films for the season.

Below is a grandiose performance of a Danse Macabre-themed, whimsical & spooky song by Epica, a Dutch symphonic metal band, complete with an orchestra and choir.

I came across it a few days ago and can't stop replaying it, it's so good.

(The singer says a few words first, then comes a sudden loud thunder noise and flashing, bright lights for a few seconds, just so you're prepared.)


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax_FATpzAB8

Nice rec! Epica is my favorite band!

 

[PhaseShifter]

I also love Doctor Sleep, and think it's a worthy sequel to The Shining.

For some reason YouTube has been recommending a lot of Doctor Sleep clips to me lately.

I think I'm overdue for a rewatch, maybe back to back with The Shining.

The 40th anniversary 4K release of Poltergeist is absolutely fantastic. I think the last time I watched the movie it was back when dead channels on television still looked like static, so watching the newest physical release was a jaw-dropping upgrade. (Apropos, younger readers of Neuromancer probably think that the sky above the port is a beautiful, cloudless blue. Digital broadcasting has really screwed over that glorious opening line.)

I've heard people say that Poltergeist isn't that scary as a horror movie, but I've yet to hear someone suggest a scarier film where none of the characters die, even the minor ones.

 

[-chaz-]

I feel that The Innkeepers really should be on this list.

I saw it at a midnight showing a few years back and it was genuinely terrifying.

 

[msawzall]

I feel that The Innkeepers really should be on this list.

I saw it at a midnight showing a few years back and it was genuinely terrifying.

Ti West is the master of retro slow burn horror. House of the Devil is another banger of his.

 

[JEE]

Appreciate the list, but should have included if they are available for streaming and which service.

 

[macosandlinux]

I really enjoyed "A Ghost Story (2017)".

 

[macosandlinux]

I feel that The Innkeepers really should be on this list.

I saw it at a midnight showing a few years back and it was genuinely terrifying.

It's a classic! All time favorite of mine - and I watch like 150+ horror movies a year.

 

[macosandlinux]

This is a solid list ! It only lacks the inclusion of the masterful "It Follows" released in 2014 with an awesome soundtrack by Disasterpeace

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Follows

One of the best horror movies of recent years for sure - and I watch them all the time.

 

[macosandlinux]

Meh. Horror films - good ones, anyway - are very often metaphors for evil that exists in the real world. Pan's Labyrinth is perhaps the canonical example, but also James Whale's Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein are firmly in this camp, and the more recent The Substance or (mentioned above) Heretic. The genre lets directors/screenwriters distill the essence of various problems without distraction, in ways that more documentary approaches like the recent movie (not the series) The Apprentice cannot, as reality is bounded by the inevitable complexities of the real world. It, too, can be simplified, but that often just results in caricature rather than insight.

All the 'elevated horror' movies of recent years are trying hard to be horror + methaphors.

 

[the.mighty.oracle]

I wouldn't consider many of these scary, but perhaps that's just differing aesthetic tastes. I'd more be considering The Descent, Paranormal Activity, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Exorcist, or Audition (1999 by Miike).

 

[macosandlinux]

Let me add Offseason (2022) to the list of moody recommendations.
It's not a slasher/gore fest, viewers that like a creepy, moody setting with thriller undertones, will enjoy this one. It definitely flew under the radar when released.

Upon receiving a mysterious letter that her mother's grave has been vandalized, Marie travels to the desolate island town where she's buried. Just as she arrives, the island closes for the season, leaving Marie trapped in a nightmare.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAiBJdQmtLg

 

[jtwrenn]

Just learned that Stir of Echoes was actually written before the Shining by Richard Matheson who just happened to be Stephen Kings biggest influence. That makes it so much more interesting to me. Really enjoyed it anyway but wow that changes the way I look at it.

 

[caseykoons]

Second to the Witch, definitely a fav of mine.
I'd also recommend 2017's The Ritual, a British movie. If you like monsters and dark forest horror, it's peak.

 

[macosandlinux]

Second to the Witch, definitely a fav of mine.
I'd also recommend 2017's The Ritual, a British movie. If you like monsters and dark forest horror, it's peak.

Let's add "Enys Men" to that list of yours.

 

[Sabotage]

My go to recommendation for people looking for something new is The Changeling from 1980 starring George C Scott. I recently showed it to a bunch of Film Grads, in a small theatre with a great sound system, no one had ever seen it. All came away liking it. It isn't a gore/Horror movie more of a Psychological Horror I guess? It is also a Canadian production, so generally a rare watch it seems. A great sound system helps as there are a lot of audio cues as well as visual.

After seeing that movie in the theatre as a 10 year old, I had trouble sleeping for weeks.

 

[NewCrow]

My go to recommendation for people looking for something new is The Changeling from 1980 starring George C Scott. I recently showed it to a bunch of Film Grads, in a small theatre with a great sound system, no one had ever seen it. All came away liking it. It isn't a gore/Horror movie more of a Psychological Horror I guess? It is also a Canadian production, so generally a rare watch it seems. A great sound system helps as there are a lot of audio cues as well as visual.

Something new? From 45 years ago?

 

[73ChargerFan]

I vote for The Legend of Hell House with Roddy McDowall. I saw at the drive-in when I was 4 or 5, and it gives me nightmares to this day.
Also +1 for Ghost Story

 

[gungrave]

Ghost Stories (2017) is also worth watching.

 

[TekaroBB]

All the 'elevated horror' movies of recent years are trying hard to be horror + methaphors.

I know writers who use subtext and they are all cowards.

 

[nickf]

If you can find them, the 1970s BBC adaptations of classic MR James ghost stories are genuinely spooky (the more recent adaptations by Mark Gatiss have generally been disappointing). There are also some straight readings of the stories filmed around 2000 which are just the late, great, Christopher Lee sitting by a crackling fire. Amazingly spooky stuff.

The 1968 BBC adaptation of Whistle and I'll Come To You absolutely terrified me as a kid. Even now it's a frightening thing to watch. Masterful.

 

[Wulven]

Something new? From 45 years ago?

Something different? New to you? I didn't mean to imply the movie itself was new, sorry just that it would be new to many people.

 

[nickf]

Ghost Stories (2017) is also worth watching.

Yes. I don't like modern horror films (as I get older I don't have the stomach for them), but I watched this and immediately regretted it. Very strong stuff, chilling in places. Some of the leads are played by British comic actors/comedians, which makes it even darker. Nasty.

 

[Distraction]

I watch a lot of scary movies, but not that many about ghosts/hauntings. Will definitely check some of these out.

“House” is an old favorite of mine. Mostly kid-friendly, but there are some scary parts.

 

[rampancy]

I'm really trying hard to not get all rage-y here but I honestly found A Ghost Story (2017) more frustrating than scary. (And I say this as someone who also has had to deal with the long journey of grief over the passing of a loved one.) One scene with C's ghost in the house made me feel like he was being way too much of a dick (but I guess being dead does that to you), and one scene with M was way too long, almost at an absurd level. And one major plot point was horribly mishandled, to the point of cliché.

That said, there's a powerful story here about loss, grief, and the (im)permanence of life, especially shown in a powerful sequence near the end. It certainly wasn't a film for me, but despite the sheer anger I felt after seeing it, I can still appreciate it for what it is.

 

[YetAnotherAnonymousAppellation]

For those looking for freebies (with commercials), Lady in White and Stir of Echoes are on Tubi right now.

 

[Saburo41]

Good list I would add the George C.Scott movie “‘The Changeling”, truly scary and the Babadook, also truly scary. Both are excellent movies as well!

 

[Jordan83]

Nice rec! Epica is my favorite band!

I've said in the past that if Simone Simons and Floor Jansen were American, they'd be the biggest music stars in the world. Both of them are legit far more talented than Taylor Swift and the concerts their bands put on are every bit as theatrical and awe-inspiring.

 

[SixDegrees]

I've said in the past that if Simone Simons and Floor Jansen were American, they'd be the biggest music stars in the world. Both of them are legit far more talented than Taylor Swift and the concerts their bands put on are every bit as theatrical and awe-inspiring.

When we Americans hear "Dutch," we think "ABBA" Which is Swedish, I guess, but same thing.

 

[Orakle]

Oz Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins) has a couple of great films to consider: "The Blackcoats Daughter" (2016) and "I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House" (2016).
https://screenrant.com/osgood-perkins-movies-ranked-worst-best/

 

[RedwingBlackbird]

Says more about the list maker than about the history of ghost movies that there is nothing Japanese on here. (Well, Halloween isn't Japanese but even in European traditions ghosts aren't exclusively associated with that day -- used to be a Christmas/winter solstice thing). Not that it's a bad list. It just could be much longer.

 

[bookrats]

Ghost stories are the one form of horror movie I truly enjoy (for those of us where spooky > gory); and this is a really solid list, with a number of favorites (including several that rarely see mentioned outside of cinephile sites).

A few subjective comments on the list:

• The Uninvited: A Halloween tradition at our house. Above average as a 40's mystery/romance/supernatural movie; but the optical special effects are very effective, given what was available at the time.
• Robert Wise's The Haunting is still pretty much the scariest film I've ever seen. Brilliantly done, and gorgeous black & white cinematography.
• There are a lot of similarities between The Innocents and The Others; I personally prefer the latter, but both are very good.
• Ghost Story is a favorite for me, too -- mostly due to the cast. While it unfolds like a ghost story, it feels more like a classic 70s/80s horror film (lots of jump scares, etc.). It's also very on/off -- sometimes the atmosphere is wonderfully eerie, and sometimes it's just ponderous.
• I saw The Lady In White when it first came out and thought it was terrific. I rewatched it years later, and have to say that I was disappointed; more treacly than spooky, and the limited budget really pulled me out of the story -- particularly the shoestring double-negative for the ghosts. The school cloakroom scene still works, though.

I really want to rewatch Dead Again (I'm a big Emma Thompson fan, and Derek Jacobi never fails to entertain); and your review is finally motivating me to see Crimson Peak -- will watch it this weekend.

PS The Criterion Channel is streaming both What Lies Beneath and The Others during October.

 

[stoattiep]

I love Ghost Story and its moody atmosphere. Hard to believe an Affleck in a sheet could be so good. It’s a pretty divisive pick though, glad to see it on the list. If you like it, you might want to check out the director’s Green Knight which is more accessible but still pretty weird.

 

[Green-PEAs]

I would add Egger's "The Witch" to this list. Possibly also Lanthimos' "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," although that film is hard to categorize, it still has the slow-build tension of a good horror film.

Finally, just for grins, there's always "Heretic," where Hugh Grant plays an excellent cross between Mr. Rogers and Richard Dawkins.

This is specifically about ghost movies, not general horror films

 

[Green-PEAs]

Appreciate the list, but should have included if they are available for streaming and which service.

That changes so often it’s not worth including. Everyone who uses this site is capable of going to google and typing in “(film name) streaming 2025”

 

[Nexus]

Ya know, as someone who is getting closer to dying, the movie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Ghost_Story really kinda creeped me out.