Spooky season has arrived, and with it, our drive to scare ourselves silly with a haunted movie marathon. While it isn’t hard to find films that are so terrifying they’ll make you pee your pants, sometimes, you don’t need the full-on fright-fest to enjoy a good ghost story.
We’ve rounded up 10 of the best movies about ghosts (and, of course, ghostbusting) that cover several genres, from comedies to thrillers to (gasp!) a romance. They add a little depth and nuance to a theme that is too often cast off as frivolous. Some of these flicks are modern blockbusters while others are cult classics. There’s no one-size-fits-all ghost story, and any good Halloween cinematic binge demands variety. Just don’t watch ’em alone!
Cover Photo: Columbia Pictures
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Ghost and Ghostbusting Movies
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'Ghostbusters'
Who you gonna call for the best ghost-themed movie ever made? Ghostbusters, obviously. This 1984 flick about a comedic team of ghost removers can't be beat.
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'Beetlejuice'
Married couple Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam (Alec Baldwin) die in a car accident and get stuck haunting their old country house, which an irritating family (Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones, and Winona Ryder) soon tries to buy in this iconic ghost comedy.
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'What Lies Beneath'
A husband's (Harrison Ford) indiscretion comes back to haunt him and his wife (Michelle Pfieffer) in this sexy thriller by director Robert Zemeckis.
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'A Ghost Story'
Ever wish ghost stories could be less hokey and more arthouse? This film from David Lowery stars Casey Affleck as a ghost who returns home only to find his wife (Rooney Mara) moving on with her life.
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'Ghost'
Ghosts aren't always scary. Sometimes they're seductive. This timeless 1990 film stars Patrick Swayze as a murdered man who comes back as a ghost to romance his wife (Demi Moore).
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'The Sixth Sense'
"I see dead people." That line became pop culture fodder when this M. Night Shyamalan thriller about a boy who can communicate and interact with ghosts came out in 1999.
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'1408'
This Stephen King adaptation finds supernatural skeptic Mike Enslin (John Cusack) checking into a room at the Dolphin Hotel, which the manager (Samuel L. Jackson) claims is haunted. Cue scariest sleepover ever.
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'The Conjuring'
Based on the real-life experiences of a pair of paranormal investigators in the '70s, this scare-fest follows the Warrens (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) as they investigate a haunted farmhouse where a family with five daughters lives.
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'The Others'
This WWII-era horror film centers around Grace (Nicole Kidman), a mother of two who becomes convinced her Jersey mansion is haunted as she waits for her soldier husband's return.
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'The Shining'
This Stephen King adaptation by director Stanley Kubrick is practically mandatory viewing for scare seekers and film buffs alike. Blocked writer Jack (Jack Nicholson) shacks up at the Overlook Hotel with his wife and son, only to discover it's haunted beyond his wildest nightmares.
