The Spookiest Spectres: The Best 30 Ghost Movies of All Time

Thrilling tales of the supernatural

Get ready to feel your heart race and your skin crawl with these spine-tingling films. We’ve compiled a list of the top 30 ghost movies of all time for the ultimate scare-fest. So, turn off the lights, grab some popcorn and let’s get started.

The Classic Haunts

1. The Exorcist (1973)
2. The Shining (1980)
3. Poltergeist (1982)
4. Ghostbusters (1984)
5. Beetlejuice (1988)

These movies are the foundations of the ghost-horror genre. They have stood the test of time and continue to send chills down our spines.

Chilling Contemporary Films

6. The Conjuring (2013)
7. Insidious (2010)
8. The Babadook (2014)
9. A Ghost Story (2017)
10. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

These films have brought a fresh perspective to the genre, reimagining old ideas and creating new ones to scare audiences anew.

Asian Horror to Make You Shiver

11. Ring (1998)
12. Dark Water (2002)
13. Shutter (2004)
14. The Eye (2002)
15. Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)

These Eastern movies have become recognised classics in the horror genre — their unique stories set them ahead of horror flicks in the West.

Bone-Chilling Thrillers

16. The Sixth Sense (1999)
17. The Others (2001)
18. The Orphanage (2007)
19. The House on Haunted Hill (1999)
20. The Haunting (1999)

These nail-biting thrillers make us question what is truly real and propel our thoughts into some very dark places.

Supernatural-ifying Famous Figures

21. Casper (1995)
22. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)
23. Dracula (1931)
24. Frankenstein (1931)
25. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Now these are some classics that have been reinvented time and time again to give rise from the crypt’s.

Minimalist Monstrous Masterpieces

26. A Quiet Place (2018)
27. It Follows (2014)
28. Don’t Look Now (1973)
29. The Witch (2015)
30. Hereditary (2018)

These movies utilise silence and subtle transitions to keep their audience anticipating what’s right around the corner.

Closing Thoughts

Ghost films will continue to drag viewers to a truly sensational place of fear and anticipation for new thrills. We’ve tried to distil enjoyment and horror through The Best 30 Ghost Movies of All Time, but at the end of the day there is no sure-fire winning corpse found within film frames. Instead better grab a water bottle and robust dog lead — you wouldnt’ stop holding them after watching the thrillers on this list.