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The 57 Best Ghost Movies for When You Need a Scary Good Watch

Disclaimer: some are just plain terrifying.

By , , , Mehera Bonner and Leah Marilla Thomas
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Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection

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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? 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.

Lest you think all these movies will cause nightmares, know that not all ghost movies are scary. It’s not all haunted Airbnbs or possessions. 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.

1

Talk to Me (2022)

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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.

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2

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.

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3

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.

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4

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.

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5

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.

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6

Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

YE BEST. START BELIEVING. IN GHOST STORIES. MISS TURNER. YER IN ONE!!!!

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7

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.

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8

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.

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9

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.

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10

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.

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11

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.

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12

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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13

The Baby’s Room (2006)

The Baby’s Room is translated from the Spanish horror film La Habitación del Niño. A hopeful young couple moves into a house with their baby and soon discovers an unwelcome presence in the baby’s room. You think you’ve heard this haunted house story before, but the combination of excellent acting and menacing music takes a familiar plot to the next level.

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14

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Mary Henry should have died in a fatal car accident, but instead, she was the sole survivor. Despite her efforts to move on from the mysterious incident, she begins to be haunted by a spooky man who leads her to an empty carnival on the outskirts of town. This 1962 black-and-white film is horror in its purest, most original form.

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15

The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

This Guillermo del Toro film travels back to 1939 Spain, near the end of the country’s three-year civil war. A young boy is sent to a remote orphanage after his father’s death, where a violent caretaker roams the grounds—and the ghost of another boy shows up.

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16

The Woman in Black (2012)

A young widower trying to save his legal career agrees to look into an isolated mansion in a remote village despite very harsh warnings from the locals to leave it alone. As he investigates the decrepit house, supernatural powers and the ghost of a woman in black threaten not only his life but also his already broken family. Harry Potter, er, Daniel Radcliffe stars.

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17

What Lies Beneath (2000)

Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford star in this haunting thriller about the trials of marriage…and how the ghosts of your past will always come back to haunt you. Not even Harrison’s devastatingly handsome good looks can save you from this kind of creepiness.

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18

The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

In this absolutely terrifying movie based on the Latin American folklore of La Llorona (which you can read about right this way), a California mom in the 1970s tries to save her kids from a ghost who is trying to take them away. Tough task, amirite?

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19

Oculus (2014)

When siblings Tim and Kaylie look into their family’s dark and twisted past in an attempt to figure out who—or what—murdered their parents, they discover an antique mirror inhabited by a supernatural force. Quickie heads-up: You won’t be able to look in a mirror for a looong time, or maybe ever again, after you watch this movie.

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20

The Sixth Sense (1999)

A spine-chilling classic, M. Night Shyamalan’s debut follows a little boy (Haley Joel Osment) who sees dead people and a psychologist (Bruce Willis) who tries to help him, all while coping with ghosts of his own. If you’ve managed to remain unspoiled for one of the most iconic twists in cinematic history, congrats! Enjoy. (Also, who are you?) If not, it’s still worth a watch.

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