12 Terrifying Ghost Movies All Horror Fans Must See

Don't turn out the lights!

We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community what some of the best, underrated ghost-themed horror films are. Here are the terrifying results.

1. The Orphanage (2007)

Warner Bros. / Picturehouse

In this Spanish-language film, a couple bring their son to live in the now-abandoned orphanage where the mother grew up. Soon, the son starts making imaginary friends, and strange things start to happen.

Why you need to watch it: "Hauntings don’t have to take place at night and this one punched me in the gut at the very end."

Submitted by prairiehunter

2. The Eye (2002)

Applause Pictures

A young, blind violinist gets an eye cornea transplant in order to restore her sight, but soon she starts seeing things she doesn't want to — mysterious figures, whose appearance seem to predict gruesome events.

Why you need to watch it: "For a straight-up ghost story, no monsters, no demons, I suggested The Eye. (The ORIGINAL. The U.S. remake is embarrassing and we should all forget it exists.)

Submitted by zelena

3. The Uninvited (1944)

Paramount Pictures

A man and his sister buy an abandoned seaside house for a bargain, but their enchantment with the house fades after unlocking an artists' studio, from which a chill seems to seep throughout the house.

Why you need to watch it: "Good old-fashioned ghost story. Features the jazz standard “Stella By Starlight” that has, dare I say it, literally been covered by every great jazz musician."

Submitted by therblig

4. Carnival of Souls (1962)

Harcourt Productions

A young woman survives a horrific car accident, though from that point on, strange things start happening — her car will only play foreboding organ music; she sees a ghoulish figure in her rearview mirror; and the woman herself starts wondering if she's really alive or not.

Why you need to watch it: "It’s scary in an understated way."

Submitted by ginnyaa

5. The Conjuring (2013)

New Line Cinema

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren are called to help a young family experiencing increasingly terrifying events in their Rhode Island farmhouse.

Why you need to watch it: "Hands down, the best horror film in the past decade. Got an R rating not because of foul language or sexual content but for pure scariness."

Submitted by Angelina Barrios, Facebook

6. The Haunting (1963)

Argyle Enterprises

A paranormal investigator invites a group of people (including a psychic) to stay at a haunted house that slowly comes to life.

Why you need to watch it: "Big, gothic, haunted mansion with a history of making its inhabitants permanent, a group of psychically gifted paranormal investigators, one of whom isn't terribly stable. The movie uses sounds rather than visuals to give the primary scares and the sounds are super creepy. Not just a great horror film, but a great film."

Submitted by Alexandra Hill, from Facebook

7. The Babadook (2014)

Causeway Films

A young widow struggles to raise her trouble-making son alone after her husband dies in an accident. One night, the son asks his mother to read to him from a mysterious book he finds on his shelf, titled Mister Babadook.

Why you need to watch it: "Definitely does what the best horror movies do: makes you stop and think about something real that makes you uncomfortable, that no one wants to talk about. I thought it lived up to the hype for sure."

Submitted by ElectricMayhem

8. The Others (2001)

Cruise/Wagner Productions

In the immediate aftermath of WWII, a young mother raises two sickly children who must be kept out of the sunlight, with the help of three servants. Soon, her daughter starts seeing things, and people nobody else can. It's not long before the others start seeing things too.

Why you need to watch it: "This film takes a moment to get into, but once you do it's really intriguing. It’s one of those films that demands a second watch, where things suddenly pop out of the woodwork and leave you asking 'How did I miss that the first time?!'"

Submitted by kaylih

9. Grave Encounters (2011)

Digital Interference Productions

Shot in "found footage" style, this film follows the crew of a fictional paranormal investigation crew who lock themselves inside a supposedly haunted psychiatric hospital in search of evidence.

Why you need to watch it: "When I started watching Grave Encounters I thought it would be just another dumb, poorly executed, found footage movie. But it ended up being awesome! Definitely a favorite, and the sequel too!"

Submitted by Electric Mayhem

10. The Devil's Backbone (2001)

Sony Pictures Classics

A couple manages a small orphanage in rural Spain during the Spanish Civil War. One day, a young boy who's been abandoned by his parents shows up on the doorstep, looking for a place to stay. He makes friends with the house bully, and soon begins having frightening visions.

Why you need to watch it: "I took a horror film class in college, and my professor used this as an example of one of the best scary movies ever made. It’s part ghost story, part murder mystery, and is completely engrossing. I recommend it to all my friends."

Submitted by Penguen

11. House on Haunted Hill (1959)

William Castle Productions

An eccentric millionaire invites five guests to a party in honor of his fourth wife, promising them a $10,000 cash reward to any of them who stay the entire night in his locked mansion.

Why you need to watch it: "It was incredible for when it came out, and it’s still a great one now. Terrifying at times and funny at others."

Submitted by ajzkitten69

12. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)

Pioneer LDC

The film that later inspired the American remake The Grudge, Ju-on follows volunteer social worker Rika Nishina who is assigned to care for the elderly mother of a family living in a haunted house, whose inhabitants are believed to never leave alive.

Why you need to watch it: This film will show why SO MANY Japanese horrors have been made into Hollywood films. Also, it’s super creepy (creepier than the remake)."

Submitted by AudgeDre

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