Ghost and Haunted House movies are a bit different and lumping them together is a little weird given that some of the titles here don’t really fall into the haunted house category but I also wanted to stick to horror movies as opposed to a blanket ghost category. Otherwise I would be dealing with comedies and weird romantic films where Whoopi Goldberg and Demi Moore get busy. Given that I have been a paranormal investigator for around 20 years, I am a little hard on movies that deal with ghosts and hauntings but these are all movies I really dig. Generally speaking they are pretty far afield of any kind of legitimate paranormal activity (especially Paranormal Activity) but they are either cool or scary or iconic.

10.Sinister (2012)

When a true crime writer (Ethan Hawke) moves into the site of a murder to research the next book he is doing he finds that he and his family are embroiled in a string of paranormal shenanigans that date back many years and involve a spirit called Bagul. The description sounds a little silly but the movie is surprisingly effective with a terrific lead performance by Hawke and a growing feeling of danger and urgency. As the film races to its conclusion the viewer is likely ahead of the characters but that only heightens the sense of dread and tension. I watched this on a lark expecting bullshit and I got something very unexpected.

9. Paranormal Activity (2007)

I went into this found footage film with eyes already rolling. It was something of a word of mouth sensation and I had heard good things but still it looked really silly. My friend and I went in expecting something mock worthy and that is what we got for about the first half of the movie. Then something unexpected happened: the movie kicked in and got awesome. All at once it went from silly to scary and I found myself thinking about it for days after I saw it. Every sequel that it has spawned (except the fourth one because we didn’t have time) my friend and I went in expecting to hate it and thinking we did until it got awesome. The first one is the best and while it is hard to think of it outside of the terms of the commercial ATM the series has become, it really was creepy and scary.

8. The Possession (2012)

Less a haunted house movie and more a demonic possession movie, the Possession centers around a girl who picks up an antique box at an estate sale and becomes enamored with it to the point that it seems something might be wrong. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick play the girl’s divorced parents who have to list the help of a Rabbi played by Matisyahu to try to get the evil spirit in the box to let go of her.  This is a very creepy movie with the feel of the traditional haunted house movie even though by definition it is not. It is also cool to see some of the Jewish traditions involving demonic possession and even cooler to see a Jewish rapper play a rabbi. Solid acting and a tight story with confident direction make this a success.

7. The Ring (2002)

The Gore Verbinski directed American remake of the Japanse film Ringu, this movie is again less of a haunted house movie and more of a straight ghost story, the Ring follows a video tape that kills you within a week of watching it. The premise is a bit dated now but the movie is very effective in its scares and creepiness. It also has some really cool visuals and effects with the evil stringy hair girl climbing out of the television to crawl towards helpless victims even if its PG 13 rating kept the gore down a bit. This goes a long way to prove that you don’t have to be super extreme to create effective horror.

6. Poltergeist (1982)

A Classic of haunted house horror, Poltergeist has nothing to do with poltergeists but has everything to do with Craig T Nelson and hurting. The effects might not hold up super well now but I submit that the swimming pool with bodies popping out is still scary as shit. Directed by Tobe Hooper from a Steven Spielberg co-written script, Poltergeist is a PG movie from back before there was a 13 middle ground to throw on which weighted it a bit more hardcore than PG today would be. Again, there is almost nothing in this movie accurate to paranormal investigation outside of outlining the ‘Big Three’ of ghost types but it is still creepy and sticks with you.

5. The Shining (1980)

This is not the best or most accurate adaptation of the Stephen King novel but it is still iconic and creepy. Whether there are really ghosts at the Overlook or whether it is all just in Jack Torrance’s mind as he loses it, the visuals presented by director Stanley Kubrick are haunting and creepy. Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of a father losing his mind until he becomes a murderous monster is disturbing and has definitely left its mark on film horror or otherwise. I am also trying not to let the insane conspiracy theories that have sprung up around this movie detract from its effectiveness as a disturbing horror movie. It is tough, but I do my best. Conspiracies aside, there is a lot of deep images in this movie and a fair amount of symbolism that deepens the experience. I wish it were more faithful to the source material but it is what it is.

4. Session 9 (2001)

Another film that deals more with madness than real paranormal activity, Session 9 is punishingly disturbing and tense. Directed by Brad Anderson, Session 9 follows an asbestos clean up crew in an abandoned mental institution with a troubled past that does not seem to want to stay there. Session 9 was filmed in the notoriously haunted Danvers State Mental Hospital and it is truly a frightening and complicate movie. The environment is like another character and when things start happening it is made all the more scary because of the surroundings. I don’t want to say too much about it because I don’t want to spoil anything but know this movie is very creepy and very scary.

3. The Others (2001)

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar, the Others is a claustrophobic haunted house movie that takes place near the end of World War II with Nicole Kidman playing the mother of two children afflicted with a disease that prevents them from going out in the sunlight.  They are holed up in a creepy Victorian mansion waiting for their husband/father to come home and things start getting strange. A new group of servants arrives and the strangeness gets stranger as ghostly happenings begin to plague the house. This is a great classic creepy horror movie that has scares in abundance and some out of the ordinary plot turns that shock and surprise.

2. Stir of Echoes (1999)

Stir of Echoes is an incredibly creepy and scary tale of Tom (Kevin Bacon) who is hypnotized at a party by his sister in law and stars to see visions of a murdered girl that become more and more horrifying. Tom becomes more and more obsessed with the girl and is led to try to find out who she was and what happened to her. Stir of Echoes is dark and relentless with Tom’s obsession putting his family in danger and himself closer to completely losing control of reality. The effects in this are terrific and there is a fair amount of really disturbing imagery on display here. It is also funny at times with Tom’s compulsions toward orange juice and digging leading to some amusing moments. Still, Stir of Echoes is disturbing and scary with great direction and performances.

1. Woman in Black (2012)

One of Daniel Radcliffe’s first post Harry Potter films, Woman in Black is adapted from the novel of the same name by Susan Hill from 1983 and tells the story of recent widower Arthur Kipps who is forced by his employer to travel to the remote village Cryphin Gifford to go over the paperwork for the Eel Marsh House which is newly vacant after its previous owner died. Kipps stays at the house while going through the paperwork and begins to suspect the house is haunted by a vengeful woman who lost her son and may or may not be trying to steal children from the village. The movie is Gothic horror at its finest and uses real tension and expert camerawork to produce scares as opposed to an over reliance on CGI. The tension and scares here are real and are built confidently and makes for a very scary movie.  This is my favorite sort of ghost story and it is told expertly.

So there it is. Nope, no Amityville Horror on here because the story is bullshit and I didn’t like it that much. Share you thoughts and feelings below if you want with your own lists. Happy Halloween everyone!