Am I the only one who is tired of seeing so many haunted house movies with the same formula of watching the living get the pants scared off them by the dead? I would actually rather watch a ghost story that puts the ghost, or ghosts, in the spotlight and, luckily, plenty of those do exist. Here are some great horror movies and TV shows (and even a few that are not quite horror, but still spooky) that will put you in good spirits about… well, spirits.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Director Tim Burton's horror-comedy classic Beetlejuice was one of the first ghost stories to flip the script by following ghosts trying to rid their home of the living instead of the opposite. Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis) become desperate enough to call upon Michael Keaton's mischievous title character (spelled "Betelgeuse"), only to regret calling his name thrice when they befriend young Lydia (Winona Ryder).
Casper (1995)
Before becoming a staple of Harvey Comics, one of the most famous, and friendliest, ghosts in pop culture history was first introduced in an animated short from 1945. Fifty years later, Casper became the star of his own live-action feature, starring Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci as a father and daughter who encounter the friendly ghost (voiced by Malachi Pearson) and his uncles (voiced by Joe Nipote, Brad Garrett, and Joe Alaskey) when they move into the mansion they haunt.
Ghosts (2019-2023)
The British comedy Ghosts follows a woman (played by Charlotte Ritchie) who, along with her husband (played by Kiell Smith-Bynoe), inherits a luxurious old house and, after a near-death experience, gains the ability to see the many spirits who haunt it. CBS later developed an American version of the sitcom about the living and the dead working to cohabitate, which would also become a great hit.
Corpse Bride (2005)
In concept, Tim Burton and Mike Johnson's gothic stop-motion romance Corpse Bride seems like it would be told all from the perspective of Victor (Johnny Depp) as he tries to get out of his accidental marriage to the reanimated Emily (Helena Bonham Carter). Surprisingly, the story is most sympathetic of Emily, exploring her struggle to find love before (and after) her tragic, untimely death.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
It is not until the shocking twist of the acclaimed M. Night Shyamalan movie, The Sixth Sense, that we realize we are watching a movie told largely from a ghost's point of view. Not even child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) realizes he is dead until after he helps young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) come to terms with his ability to see spirits.
American Horror Story: Murder House (2011)
The first tale told in the hit seasonal anthology horror TV show, American Horror Story, retroactively subtitled "Murder House," follows a family who move into a new home with a haunting history. Some of the various storylines explored in the 12-episode season focus purely on those who haunt the California estate, the lives they lived, and how they cope with the afterlife.
Ghost Town (2008)
Ricky Gervais stars in director David Koepp's Ghost Town as a non-sociable dentist forced to become more cordial when a near-death experience gives him the ability to see the dead. He is asked by one persistent spirit (played by Greg Kinnear) to help him prevent his widow (played by Téa Leoni) from marrying the wrong man.
School Spirits (2023-Present)
Based on an unpublished graphic novel by creators Nate and Megan Trinrud, School Spirits stars Peyton List as 17-year-old Maddie Nears, who, for reasons she cannot remember, suddenly finds herself trapped in her high school with other teens who also passed away on campus. The only one who can see her is her best friend, Simon (Kristian Ventura), who helps her investigate the mystery behind her death in the acclaimed series available with a Paramount+ subscription.
We Have A Ghost (2023)
One of the more surprisingly heart-warming examples of a horror-comedy is director Christopher Landon's We Have a Ghost, which is based on a short story named after a friendly spectre known as Ernest. David Harbour stars in the role of the silent spirit, who is befriended by young Kevin Presley (Jahi Winston) and turns him into a social media sensation.
Ghost (1990)
One of the most romantic "horror" thrillers of all time is Ghost, which is an unlikely film from one of the directors of Airplane!, Jerry Zucker. Patrick Swayze stars as Sam, a murdered Manhattan yuppie who enlists the help of a medium named Oda Mae Brown (played by Whoopi Goldberg in an Oscar-winning performance) to warn his lover, Molly (Demi Moore), that she is in danger.
Dead Like Me (2003-2004)
It is not traditional for a series to kill off the main character in the pilot, but that is how Georgia "George" Lass' (Ellen Muth) journey begins in creator Bryan Fuller's Showtime series, Dead Like Me. After being killed by a meteorite, the dissatisfied temp is then recruited onto her worst job yet: bringing more people into the afterlife as a grim reaper.
A Ghost Story (2017)
One might be tempted to laugh at the thought of a movie about a man (played by Casey Affleck) watching over his wife (played by Rooney Mara) from the afterlife while, literally, wearing a white sheet with eyeholes like a cheap Halloween costume. Yet, writer and director David Lowery crafts one of the most insightful and heartbreaking horror movies about grief with A24's A Ghost Story.
Are You Afraid Of The Dark, “The Tale of the Dream Girl” (1994)
In an interview with ScreenCrush, M. Night Shyamalan refuted an internet rumor that he was inspired to write The Sixth Sense after watching an episode of Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? Considering "The Tale of the Dream Girl" ends with the main character, Johnny (played by Fab Filippo), coming to the late realization that he is a ghost, it is quite reasonable why some might suspect the filmmaker owes some credit to the Midnight Society.
The Frighteners (1993)
In almost every ghost story, a paranormal expert is put under scrutiny and suspected of faking the hauntings they are hired to investigate, which is exactly what happens to Michael J. Fox's character in director Peter Jackson's The Frighteners. However, his doubters turn out to be only half-right because, while the hauntings are real, they are the work of ghosts whom the medium has enlisted to help pull off his con in this dark comedy that is often compared to Beetlejuice.
Ghost Whisperer (2005-2010)
Every episode of Ghost Whisperer tells a different ghost story in which the dead are given the chance to speak their minds. Helping them deliver their message to their loved ones is Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt), who was born with a gift that allows her to communicate with spirits.
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
One of Guillermo del Toro's best movies, The Devil's Backbone, mostly follows 12-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve), who, after his father dies in the Spanish Civil War, is sent to live at an orphanage that he soon discovers is haunted. Carlos is initially afraid of Santi (Junio Valverde), the ghost of a boy who was killed at the orphanage years earlier, until he learns the details of his death and the two become allies.
The Others (2001)
Movies with shocking twist endings in which the main character (or characters) were dead the whole time were more popular in the late 1990s and 2000s than you may have realized. Just a couple of years after The Sixth Sense was released, Nicole Kidman starred in The Others as a mother of two who believes her house is haunted, only to realize that she, her children, and others are truly the ghosts haunting it.
I Am A Ghost (2012)
Haunting a house is not all fun and games, like it may seem in some spooky stories, and can actually be quite a nightmare for the ghost. Few films demonstrate this better than H.P. Mendoza's I Am a Ghost, in which the spirit of the murdered Emily (Anna Ishida) struggles to cross over and escape a torturous reality, with only an unseen medium named Sylvia (Jeannie Barroga) serving as her guide.
Carnival Of Souls (1962)
Carnival of Souls is an early example of a film that kills off the main character but keeps that fact a secret until the end. The unsettling classic begins with Mary Henry (Candace Hilligoss) suffering a terrible car accident before joining a traveling carnival as an organ player, only for it to be later revealed that she never survived the crash.
The Lovely Bones (2010)
Years after he released The Frighteners, Peter Jackson tried his hand at another ghost story that gives the dead a voice, but in a more earnest fashion, called The Lovely Bones. Based on the novel by Alice Sebold, it stars Saoirse Ronan as a teenage girl from 1970s Pennsylvania who, from the afterlife, watches over her family... and her killer (played by Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci).
Presence (2025)
Have you ever wanted to see a haunted house flick that gives the lingering spirit full access to the camera as if you could see all of the action taking place through its eyes? Apparently, director Steven Soderbergh did, which is why he teamed up with screenwriter David Koepp to make Presence, which, at its core, is a family drama, but told completely from the perspective of the spiritual entity haunting the family.
Always (1989)
While not widely considered one of Steven Spielberg's best movies, Always is still an interesting and heartfelt film in concept. A loose remake of 1943's A Guy Named Joe, the drama sees deceased pilot Pete (Richard Dreyfuss) become the unseen mentor to Brad Johnson (Ted Baker), whom Pete's grieving girlfriend, Dorinda (Holly Hunter), begins to fall for.
The Scream Team (2002)
For years, every October, Disney Channel aired some great entry-level horror movies for younger audiences, such as The Scream Team. Ian Carlyle and Kat Dennings play a pair of siblings, grieving the loss of their grandfather, when they meet a ghostly trio (played by Tommy Davidson, Kathy Najimy, and Eric Idle) who help defeat a vengeful spirit stealing innocent souls.
Heart And Souls (1993)
Robert Downey Jr. stars in Heart and Souls as a businessman who gets a much-needed new lease on life when he becomes reacquainted with the spirits of four dead people who served as his guardian angels in his youth. Years later, the ghostly quartet (played by Charles Grodin, Kyra Sedgwick, Alfred Woodard, and Tom Sizemore) needs his help to take care of their unfinished business so they can cross over.
When Good Ghouls Go Bad (2001)
A really fun, but largely forgotten, made-for-TV movie that is perfect for family viewing around the Halloween season is When Good Ghouls Go Bad, which is based on a story concept by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine. Christopher Lloyd stars as "Uncle Fred" Welker, who, after being killed by a tumbling pile of pumpkins, returns from the dead, which leads to an adventure with his grandson (played by Joe Pichler) to uncover the truth behind a mysterious curse plaguing their town.
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
Truly, Madly, Deeply is a tenderhearted fantasy rom-com from writer and director Anthony Minghella starring Juliet Stevenson as a woman grieving the loss of her lover, played by Alan Rickman. However, after his spirit returns to be with her (along with many other friends he has made in the afterlife), she begins to question what she really wants when she meets a man among the living.
Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)
The fun, largely forgotten Disney movie Blackbeard's Ghost stars Peter Ustinov in the title role of the legendary pirate's spirit. He is accidentally summoned in modern times by a track coach (played by Dean Jones) who receives help from Blackbeard to prevent a local mobster from condemning a local hotel.
The Haunted Hathaways (2013-2015)
Nickelodeon's The Haunted Hathaways is the story of a single mother and her two daughters who move into a New Orleans house, which they end up sharing with the family of ghosts that live inside.
Ghoster (2022)
In Ghoster, a teenage girl meets the titular spirit, whom she must help free from the new home she has inherited.
R.I.P.D. (2013)
R.I.P.D. imagines a special place in the afterlife where deceased law enforcement officials are recruited to protect the living from malevolent forces. That is what happens to Ryan Reynolds' Nick Walker, who is partnered with veteran Roy after he is brought to the Rest in Peace Department.
Over Her Dead Body (2008)
In Over Her Dead Body, Eva Longoria plays a woman accidentally killed on her wedding day whose spirit returns to break up her old fiancé (played by Paul Rudd) and his new girlfriend (played by Lake Bell).
Ghost Dad (1990)
From director Sidney Poitier (yes, that Sidney Poitier), Ghost Dad is a supernatural family comedy starring Bill Cosby as a widowed father who never has time for his children, but becomes motivated to make time for them when he becomes a ghost following a freak car accident.
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