The science of horror movies has changed dramatically to a brilliant way in recent times. The way horror movies are being directed and curated have changed to a great extent. The disgusting factors and other common things in ghost movies have reduced. Psychological horror movies are on the rise. Sound and visual effects have improved. The directors now know how to scare people with darkness, dull ambiance, and jump to scare sound effects. Which are those great horror ghost movies that are considered as the scariest and creepiest ghost movies of all times?
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Here is the list of top ten best and creepiest ghost movies ever produced:
10. Shutter (2008) – Check Shutter (2004) for more thrills
The Thai version of this movie is much scarier and creepier than the English version. The Thai version of the movie was released on 2004. The English version of the movie was released on 2008, which is a remake of the Thai version. The story is about a young photographer and his girlfriend who discover mysterious shadows in their photographs. If you love foreign movies other than English, then you should definitely give a try for Shutter (2004) to get a creepy ride. There is some really good jump to scare scenes and the effects are genuine. The thought of the plot itself would leave you halfway to horror. A must try the movie for all horror movie lovers.
9. 1408
1408 is 1+4+0+8=13, which in itself is a spooky number. It is an American psychological horror film directed by Mikael Håfström and is based on the story by Stephen King. The story is about a man (Mike Enslin) who is a specialist in debunking paranormal occurrences stays in an infamous hotel room number 1408. Immediately after settling in the hotel room, Mike experiences genuine terrifying activities. The movie features some nice special effects and jumps scares. The director effectively produces an atmosphere of darkness and scariness in the air. The movie has a psychological approach to scare the audience instead of the gore approach followed in some movies.
8. Oculus
Oculus is an American psychological plus supernatural horror film based on a short film by Mike Flanagan. This supernatural thriller revolves around a young woman who is convinced that an antique mirror is responsible for deaths and misfortunes suffered by her family.
Oculus not only has an interesting storyline but also scares you out to a great extent. A well-executed and realistic horror movie one can find in the modern era of horror movies. The movie isn’t fast paced like the Conjuring, but is slow and is an effective haunted mirror movie. The haunting of the mirror is never explained which leaves a chill and suspense to the audience. A must watch the movie to freak you out.
7. The Grudge (2004) – Ju-on is scarier
The Grudge is an American remake of the Japanese Ju-on: The Grudge. We suggest you watch the Japanese version to get more terrified. The movie is based on the Japanese belief “when someone dies in a powerful grip of rage, then a curse is left behind”. The movie is non-leaner but very effective and creepy.
The Grudge and Ju-on have close to 40 min of similar scenes and story-line, but there are many more horrific scenes in Ju-on. If you do not love everything other than in English, then go for the American version of the movie. The movie is known to send scare after scare, as it doesn’t explain the majority of the deaths but shows fear in the characters. This movie is not dull and boring with a haunted house full of gores and ghosts but real thrill scenes.
6. Dead Silence
Dead Silence is another wonderful creation from the horror movies director James Wan. The movie is a supernatural psychological horror film with amazing sound effects to scare you to death. This movie is pure nightmare fuel. We suggest you stay away from this film if you have nightmares. This is a great sample of how a horror movie is supposed to be made with an intriguing story and an exceptional screenplay.
The story is about a woman named Mary Shaw, a ventriloquist who was murdered after being suspected of murder. She was buried with all her puppets and dolls. The dark spirit of Mary Shaw takes revenge on the townspeople, where people are murdered with their tongue missing. The movie has many nerve-wracking moments and thrilling scenes.
5. The Ring
This film successfully sends chills down your spines with scary on-screen imagery. We suggest you check the Japanese version of the movie named as Ringu released in 1998, which would give more nightmares and goosebumps.
The movie is all about a journalist investigating a mysterious videotape which is considered to be the cause of all deaths. The death occurs within a week after viewing the tape. The movie shows how a bizarre supernatural entity gobbles up people leading to a series of deaths. The movie shows how to scare the audience in a unique way. Immediately after viewing the tape, the person gets a phone call that says you will die within seven days.
The climax is as terrifying as the entire movie. This horror movie shouldn’t be missed. Watch in the night for extreme effects.
4. The Others (2001)
The Others is a Spanish-American horror thriller movie directed and written by Alejandro Amenábar. This is one of the creepiest horror movies ever made. It is known to have won eight Goya Awards and nominated for other famous awards such as BAFTA and Golden Globe.
The story is about a woman who lives alone in a house along with her photosensitive children is convinced that the house is haunted. The eerie and simply creepy movie is one of the best ever made in the history of ghost movies with some terrifying and spooky scenes. The movie makes the scary scenes, even more, scarier by the presentation and the acting skill of Nicole Kidman. The ambiance of the house is created in an exclusively clever way to scare the audience. The mood is set by the film to scare you. The house is dark all the time and a shadowy ambiance makes us even more scared.
3. The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring can easily leave you terrified with the sudden sounds and noises. James Wan knows how to scare people with ghostly and creepy sound effects. The paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren help a family terrified by a dark entity in their farmhouse.
The chilling effects in the movie are caused by the facts that the sequence has happened in reality and is based on a true story. It manages to scare you out of your nerves with perfect twists, thrill sequences and the perfect performances from the cast.
The gore factors in the movie are minute. With virtually no gore cursing James Wan takes us to heights of scary ingredients and mix of nerve chilling scenes. This movie is definitely a classic in the horror genre. Watch the movie and you will never play the hide-and-clap game.
2. Insidious 1 and 2
Insidious film series is an American horror film series directed by James Wan. Both the movies revolve around a couple whose son mysteriously enters into a coma state and becomes a vessel for ghosts in an astral plane. The family is continuously haunted by ghosts until they take what they want – life.
There are highly thrilling and scary sequences and scenes in the movie not for the weak-hearted. The music from the basement is going to scare you. There are few intense moments that will leave your nerves wrecked. Insidious is a genuine horror movie that doesn’t talk about what is scary but shows you what’s scary and what’s hiding in the dark.
1. Sinister
An outstanding and original paranormal film that leaves you gripped for the entire 115 minutes. Sinister is a great example of modern horror movies and has set creative standards in 2012 for horror movies. Sinister is a must watch for all horror fanatics.
The opening of the movie in itself would leave you terrified, which depicts a family of four standing beneath a tree with hoods over their heads and nooses around their necks. An unseen figure saw through a branch acting as a counterweight, causing their deaths by hanging. Ellison moves into the murdered family’s house with his wife and two children. The family re-experiences the bizarre night terrors after moving into the new house. Ellison later finds a box full of reels and a projector. Each reel is labeled as innocent home movies. Each reel reveals that they are snuff movies depicting how different families were murdered. Watch one of the best horror movies in the night and alone to get some serious shocks.
Honorable mention
Honorable mentions include The Shining, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Poltergeist, Evil Dead, Paranormal Activity, The Haunting, The Woman in Black, and The Uninvited.