Get spooked with these terrifying movies about ghosts

The horror genre has long been a favorite among movie buffs. Whether it’s slasher films, gothic horror like vampire fiction, or good old fashioned ghost stories, the horror genre has a little bit of something for everyone. We don’t know about you, but round these parts, we’re particularly partial to the good old ghost story!

Even within the genre of ghost films, the variety of storylines to choose from is vast. Terrifying ghost stories based on actual urban legends, films shot under the guise of appearing to be a documentary, ghostlike paranormal creatures that are worse than anything your imagination could concoct – ghost horror has it all!

Grab a blanket, some popcorn, and maybe an emotional support animal! Here are some of our favorite ghost stories shot over the years. 

Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist is considered to be one of the leading ghost stories in the horror genre. Directed by Tobe Hooper and co-written by Steven Spielberg, this 1982 classic focuses on a family in California. Ghosts begin communicating with the family through their television set, but the only one in the family that can actually hear the ghost is the five-year-old daughter, Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke). 

The apparitions are not working alone, and are actually being controlled by a demon called “The Beast”. At first, the communications come off as quite comedic but it isn’t long before they turn much more sinister. Carol Anne is abducted by the apparitions through her bedroom closet. The remainder of the film essentially follows the family on their quest to get their daughter and & back. Scary as hell, this is definitely worth a look in. 

Paranormal Activity (2007)

This 2007 film focuses on Katie (Katie Featherston) & Micah (Micah Sloat). The young couple moves into a new suburban home in California. Almost immediately after moving in, the couple begins experiencing what appear to be paranormal encounters. They decide to set up a video camera in the hope of catching the encounters on film. 

The encounters start off as minor incidents at first. Things like odd noises, flickering lights, and doors moving on their own. After about two weeks, while the couple is in bed, the demonic entity occupying the house steps up its game and fills the house with angry screeches and thuds before slamming a door closed. 

A couple of days later, the demon possesses Katie’s body. She rises in the middle of the night and simply stands next to the bed, staring at Micah for two entire hours. She then walks outside, still in a trance-like state, refusing to go back inside the house. She does not remember this the next day. The movie has a terrifying & tragic ending as Katie & Micah finally clash with the demon. 

Candyman (1992)

This utterly terrifying 1992 film is based on the short story titled “The Forbidden” by Clive Baker. The film follows the journey of a graduate student, Helen (Virginia Madsen) studying urban legends and folklore. Her studies lead her to the tale of the Candyman (Tony Todd), a ghostlike figure who appears in the bathroom mirror when you say his name five times. 

The urban legend says the Candyman is the son of a slave who was murdered in the 19th century for having a relationship with the daughter of a wealthy white man. Folks in Chicago start winding up dead and a man matching the description of the Candyman starts stalking Helen. The Candyman is supposed to be nothing more than an urban legend, but Helen begins to fear that the legend has come true. 

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Filmed almost entirely on a hand-held camera, The Blair Witch Project was considered revolutionary for its time. It’s the story of three student filmmakers who hike into the woods in Maryland to film a documentary about a local urban ghost legend known as the Blair Witch. 

During their trip, the three filmmakers disappear but their equipment is located some years later. The contents of the film is supposed to be the recovered footage from the equipment. 

After the success of The Blair Witch Project, Hollywood saw a rise in films being produced with this “found footage” method. Paranormal Activity & Cloverfield are just a couple that enjoyed wide success.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

This is one of those psychological movies that quietly creep up on you with the scary factor. It’s the story of Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a young boy that claims he can see dead people. Sear is absolutely terrified by the ghosts that visit him and he becomes too afraid to actually tell anyone about it, other than his shrink. 

Malcolm (Bruce Willis) thinks that Cole is making everything up. Just as he is about to terminate his relationship with the young boy, Malcolm makes a discovery that changes his mind. As he is listening to an audiotape of a former patient who reported similar experiences to Cole, Malcolm hears a man begging for help in Spanish, indicating that his former patient was also telling the truth. 

Malcolm decides to try and use Cole to communicate with the ghosts. Cole is hesitant at first, paralyzed by fear, but eventually, he agrees. The events that unfold as a result are nothing short of spooky!