Yay! The first entry into the What’s Your Favorite _ Movie? series! I’ve been thinking a lot about ghost movies lately. What is my favorite ghost movie? That’s a tough one. But I CAN tell you my favorites, plural.
Although I’m a little behind the times when it comes to this prolific subgenre, I’ve got very strong feelings on which are my favorites. With that being said, this list is going to be a little short on new titles – that isn’t because I don’t like newer ghost stories though. I’ve just been really unmotivated to watch anything that isn’t James Bond/Star Trek/Indiana Jones/other franchises I’ve seen a billion times. Depression is a hell of a drug, amirite?
Anyhoo, I tried to keep this to films where the ghosts were less tied to places than to people or objects, so that I can really milk this for all it’s worth and do a Haunted Houses list later on.
So, in no particular order, here are Angie’s Favorite Ghost Movies:
A Tale of Two Sisters, Kim Jee-Woon (2003)
We’re gonna start controversial, cuz…why not? Is A Tale of Two Sisters a ghost movie? Kinda…Well, it has ghosts in it, now doesn’t it? Right – ghost movie. I love this movie because it is intensely sad. Su-mi and Su-yeon’s story is so heartbreaking. And did you know this movie is actually based on a Korean folktale? TIL. It’s called Janghwa Hongryeon jeon, and you can read more about it here.
The Changeling, Peter Medak (1980)
If you know me IRL, you probably know that I talk about this movie a lot (sorry). It’s just so good. I think that George C. Scott’s performance is one of the most affecting performances in a ghost story I’ve ever seen. He’s so convincingly and thoroughly grief-stricken and, well, haunted. And the cherry on top? Roger Ebert thought it wasn’t very scary, but Martin Scorsese thinks it’s one of the scariest movies of all time. Who are you going to believe? (Hint: anything Roger Ebert wasn’t into tends to be pretty damned good)
Ghost Story, John Irvin (1981)
Props to my partner for showing this one to me. I can’t believe I had never seen it before I bought it for him.
Have you ever read Ghost Story by Peter Straub? Well, this is the film adaptation. And it is SO. GOOD. Roger Ebert liked this one, but we’ll let that slide because apparently Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t. And I have some thoughts about that website as well.
Crimson Peak, Guillermo del Toro (2015)
This movie is just so fucking beautiful. I love a good gothic romance/horror, and everything del Toro touches is gold. He’s just got such an amazing sense of terrible beauty. Crimson Peak will give you all of the terrible beauty your little eyeballs can hold. Should this have been saved for Haunted Houses? Maybe. But I choose to believe the ghosts are not tied solely to the house, but also to the inhabitants for…reasons.
The Fog, John Carpenter (1980)
Hello. Ghost Pirates. Why would I not love this movie? But also, this is basically the most wonderful ensemble-cast-in-a-horror-movie you can imagine. All the John Carpenter favorites, plus a few interesting additions like Janet Leigh. But also, again – ghost pirates. ‘Nuff said.
Suburban Gothic, Richard Bates Jr. (2014)
This is a weird little gem about a strange, sort of foppish-hipster-man-child who is able to talk to the dead. He is determined to use his power to rid his hometown of a very unhappy ghost. It’s goofy, a little creepy, and has a boat-load of wonderful cameos.
The Frighteners, Peter Jackson (1996)
The Frighteners is a delightfully spooky horror comedy about a man named Frank who sees ghosts following the death of his wife. He and his three ghost friends have a scam running around town – the ghosts “haunt” houses and the owners then have to pay Frank to “exorcise” them since he’s the only exorcist in town. But then people start dying, and it looks like that might be because there are some new, much less friendly spirits around.
Ghostbusters, Ivan Reitman (1984)
I’m pretty sure it’s against the law to have a list of favorite ghost movies and not include Ghostbusters. This movie is an absolute gem. I mean…..Zuul. And Gozer, of course. Can’t forget Gozer.
