8 Ghost Movies That Don't Suck

Not all ghost stories are ones filled with scares. There's always that story about the spirit who looks after the child that fell in the well or some such stuff. Or the ghost who likes to short sheet the bed. Therefore, I think it's high time we had a list dedicated to ghost movies in general. Though some will scare the crap out of you. Just sayin'. Here they are, in random order. The scary, the funny and even the romantic.

The Ring

The Ring has been one of the few Asian remakes to really capture the feel of true horror that is the Asian ghost tale. There are a number of truly unforgettable scenes in this film that make it one of those films you almost regret watching. Which, of course, are the best kind. The Ring has all the classic trademarks of the Asian horror flick. Scary girl with long hair that covers her face and sometimes crawls. The quick glimpse of something so horrid (the closet corpse) that it makes you curse the filmmaker for putting it in there. In fact, this blogger cites it as the second most unsettling scene in recent cinema. The subliminal images that put you on edge - even if you don't know they're there (imdb's trivia page for The Ring says there are several, but mentions specifically that the "ring" image from the video is spliced into the horse scene). There's not a lot of gore. Instead, it's that slow, drilling horror that tags along with you after you leave the theatre or put the box back in its case.

Chillingly enough, you can watch the cursed video on the DVD version. Like those ugly FBI warnings before the film, you can't stop, pause or forward it. The only way you can stop it from playing is by turning off the box. Creepy, eh?

 

Ghostbusters

Laugh if you want to. But it *is* a ghost movie. And it's also imaginative, funny and unlike some "ghost-centric" flicks, the ghosts are actually kinda creative. There's the classic library ghost at the beginning, but there's also that cute little guy, Slimer, the Gatekeeper and Keymaster (those were the ugly dog looking things for the uninitiated) and, of course, Gozer the Gozerian. I mean, the sheer audacity of that name is fantastic. You also have to remember, this movie was released in 1984 - before all the "ghost hunting" shows. The idea of a company that "busts ghosts" was pretty ingenious. Plus, the dry wit of Bill Murray makes the comedy hold up to this day. Yeah. I kinda had a crush on Bill when I was wee. I always loved the smartass comedians.

I just have to include the trailer. It's like I'm possessed. Ya know, like Dana Barrett.

On a nostalgic note, Ghostbusters was the first VHS movie we ever owned outright. I'm fairly certain that, with the prices of those things back then, someone had to take out a loan.

Poltergeist

As desensitized as we've become when it comes to horror flicks, Poltergeist probably isn't quite as scary as it was when it first came out or even the first time you watched it, if later. But this is the movie we can thank whenever someone references their house being built on an "old Indian burial ground."

Poltergeist is one of those movies that you think doesn't bug you all that much when you watch it, but it somehow later winds up in your dreams. Bravo has listed the clown attack scene as one of the top 100 scariest movie scenes and RetroCrush's popular "Scariest Movie Moments" list ranks not one, not two, but three scenes from the film on their scariest movie moments - the chair scene, the clown scene and that unforgettable face peeling scene.

So, while some smartass kid might come around and say, "This isn't as scary as Saw!" while watching it, we guarantee you that when they get home, lie down in their bed and begin to drift off into nightmareland, they're going to be thinking about that strange knocking that seems to be emanating from under the bed....

The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense isn't so much frightening as unsettling, but that's okay, because this isn't a "scariest" list. Just as well, there are scenes in the film that stick with you and if you talk to enough people, you'll find "that" scene varies from person to person.

For instance, the scene that has stuck with me over the years has been of the young boy who is going to show someone his father's gun. As he turns around, you see how part of his head is missing. However, if you talked to others, you might find that the scene they remember the most is the girl under the bed and the reveal made about the cause of her death.

M. Night Shyamalan just really hasn't been able to comeback from having such a stellar film as this one. While I did enjoy Unbreakable to an extent and even Signs despite the idiotic premise, he hasn't come close to the brilliance of this one and its "twist" has inspired a horde of imitators who continue to try to "top" his twist to this day.

The Frighteners

The Frighteners is one underappreciated movie, in my meager opinion. First, look at that photo. As you probably know, The Frighteners was directed by Peter Jackson and that is definitely what I would describe as a first generation Ringwraith.

Second, like Ghostbusters before it, The Frighteners is a horror/comedy that works because it is original and imaginative. While I don't necessarily find the ghosts as visually original as those in Ghostbusters, when it comes to development of the ghosts' characters, they are definitely some of the most "well rounded" ghosts in cinema.

The Frighteners was given an unfair "R" rating (Wikipedia cites that the head explosion was only added after the "R" rating - more than likely as a final "fuck you" to the MPAA) which probably hindered the teen crowd that would have enjoyed it from seeing it in the theater (at least those living in states with strong carding laws). However, due in part to the cult status that Peter Jackson already had among horror fans with films such as Dead Alive and Meet the Feebles, The Frighteners saw a surge of popularity after its theatrical release. And once The Lord of the Rings trilogy was release, this popularity was only further heightened.

I have to admit that the main reason I really wanted to see Lord of the Rings was because of this movie. And Heavenly Creatures, but that's for another list.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

When I was little, this was one of my favorite movies. My Mom loved to watch the old black and white classics on Sunday afternoons and I'd sit and watch them with her. And this was easily one of my favorites. I'm not sure what that says about me: child that loved angsty black and white supernatural romances.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir obviously isn't a creepy tale. In fact, I'd assert that there's more than a few women (and men) who wouldn't mind meeting their own Daniel Gregg, the ghostly sea captain played by Rex Harrison. It's a bittersweet tale that I'm surprised some enterprising filmmaker hasn't tried to remake recently (it was remade in the 60s and also into a television series during the same decade).

On a purely egotistical note, if some roguish sea captain (that looks like Jack Sparrow) wants to haunt me and give me his tales that I can turn into a bestseller, come on!

The Others

This movie had the misfortune of being released not long after The Sixth Sense. As such, everyone was already in the frame of mind that there was something to figure out and perhaps a little of the joy was taken out of the film.

However, the story is unique and haunting. It's a sad tale and, in my opinion, one of Nicole Kidman's best performances. If there's some chance that you haven't seen the film and don't yet know the plot, I won't spoil it for you here.

A Tale of Two Sisters (Janghwa, Hongryeon)

I'm always wary of those movies that people go on and on about. They're so great. So haunting. So beautiful. Blah blah blah! Call me a cynic, but I have a hard time watching the Academy Awards without a bit of heckling at the overblown language used to describe the nominated films. Beautiful. Haunting. Mesmerizing. "His vision of" (insert noun here) "is a gripping look at the realistic horrors of" (insert noun here).

I'm glad I ignored my bitchy side here and gave this film a shot. It is one of the most uniquely crafted ghost stories that I have seen in years. A Tale of Two Sisters is slow paced, which might put off those who have become used to the "instant gratification" given to one by matinee horror flicks. However, this is one of the few horror films - or even films in general - that I have watched and then went back and watched again. The story is that complex.

The performances in this film are also nothing short of amazing. At no time did I watch someone acting or reacting. As I watched the film, I felt I was truly watching the characters in a constant state of ever growing horror.

A Tale of Two Sisters also contains one of the most haunting scenes I've seen in years. The scene literally stuck with me as I went to sleep that night and, though I thought it had left me by the time I went to sleep, I found myself waking in the early morning hours ensconced by the same fear I felt watching it. Now that's a horror movie.

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As I've said numerous times throughout this list, this isn't a "scariest" list. It's a list of movies that I feel do justice to the word "ghost." There are more, no doubt, but these are simply some of my favorites. What are yours?

Comments

[creechman]

Excellent reprise. We think alike. Yes, "The Ring" was quite creepy. Didn't see "Ring 2." And yes, "The Others" was ill-timed, but so are a lot of Hollywood movies.

[B-Sol]

Ghost and Mrs. Muir was a favorite of mine as a kid, too. I remember when they used to show all classic movies on local TV on Sunday afternoons. Now, unfortunately, they're all confined to the cable ghetto.

[my]

army of darkness is better

[Delaney Cook]

i just watched the ring and that wasn't scary at all! So how come the movies that are supose to be scary but not and the movies that are only supose to scare you a little bit scare you a lot????

[Babyj234]

I've only seen the ring and that scared me..... I had nightmares for about a month but ur looking for a scary movie then there you go.....

[james/joelle]

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[online bollywood movies]

Ring was just creepy. There is The Ring 2 And yes, the Other was inappropriate, but so are many Hollywood movies.