The subjects of horror movies run the gamut from crazed axe-wielding psychopaths to hordes of the undead. They might feature aliens, vampires, or even killer animals in order to scare the wits out of the viewer and tell a great tale. Some of the best antagonists in horror films, however, are ghosts. Ever since the very first horror movie was created in the late 19th century — Le Manoir du Diable, a French classic — their subjects have captivated audiences with interesting backstories, terrifying abilities, and occasionally humor.
When you add a ghost to the mix it makes it even better. While zombies and mutants are frightening in an obvious way, a haunting is usually subtle and unsettling — making it even scarier. Ghosts serve a variety of purposes in Hollywood. Most of the time, they are simply antagonists that drive the plot of the film. However, ghosts can also serve as a warning, provide comic relief, or, in at least a couple cases, take on the role of the main character of the film. If you’re a fan of these visitors from beyond the grave, check out this list of the Top Twenty Ghosts in Movie History.
Jacob Marley – A Christmas Carol
Jacob Marley is the first ghost that the viewers catch sight of in A Christmas Carol, the 2009 rendition of the Charles Dickens novel. Though there was another film created in 1984, the gorgeous animations of the newer version set this film apart. Jacob Marley is terrifying and very serious when he comes to warn Ebenezer Scrooge about the wickedness of his ways. This ghost’s warnings are made even more real in light of the chains that he is burdened with. They are representative of Marley’s own greediness — which had tied him down in real life. Because he was a slave to coin for his whole existence, he carried this as a physical object even after his death. This character is haunting — quite literally.
Moaning Myrtle – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The Harry Potter series is chock-full of great ghosts. Nearly-Headless Nick, for example, has amassed a lot of fans. However, our pick for the best ghost is Moaning Myrtle — specifically in her appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This character was played by Shirley Henderson in this film as well as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Myrtle is wonderfully dramatic and provides some great comedic relief at an intense part of the film. This ghost haunts the second-floor girl’s bathroom — which doubles as the entrance to Salazar Slytherin’s Chamber of Secrets. She was, in fact, killed by Tom Riddle before he became Voldemort during the opening of the Chamber in the 1940s.
Bathsheba – The Conjuring
The main antagonist of the 2013 film The Conjuring is Bathsheba. This ghost once lived in the home that the main characters — demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren— are investigating on the behalf of the family that currently lives there. She was a witch who was related to Mary Towne Eastey (a famous participant in the Salem witch trials). Bathsheba is played by Joseph Bishara — who also composed the soundtrack for the film. He does a great job playing this spooky late witch. After all, she sacrificed her own child to the devil and has a distinct murderous streak. Bishara’s acting is the perfect vehicle for this insanity.
Freddy Krueger – A Nightmare on Elm Street
Though A Nightmare on Elm Street is usually remembered as a slasher — and, in fact, was one of the movies that influenced the creation and use of this term — it is also a ghost story. Before he died, Freddy Krueger was a child murderer who ended up having his charges dropped on a technicality. This led the people of Springwood, Ohio to burn his house down with him inside it. Freddy Krueger makes our list of the top movie ghosts due to his remarkable abilities to travel through — and even hurt people in — dreams. He is also plain terrifying with his long blades, burnt up face, and ripped sweater. The original 1984 film casted Robert Englund as Krueger, and he did a great job portraying this vicious, murderous ghost.
Betelgeuse — Beetlejuice
Tim Burton has always made some of the best creepy films. His 1988 comedy Beetlejuice revolves around a freelance ‘bio-exorcist’ — that is, a ghost who can scare the living when other ghosts cannot. His name is Betelgeuse, which is pronounced the same way that the title of the film is (a constant source of confusion for his clients and enemies alike). Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse is one of the best comedic portrayals of a ghost ever. He’s crude, morbid, and completely over the top. This character quickly became a fan-favorite in the horror movie scene and will remain on many lists of the best ghosts for the foreseeable future.
Samara – The Ring
The Ring is one of the best entries in modern horror. It came out in 2002 and met with a lot of critical acclaim. This tale of a cursed videotape that causes anyone who watches it to die is a perfect example of how an urban legend might have a bit of truth to it. However, the true star of the show is Samara, the ghost behind the tape. Samara was the adopted daughter of a horse breeder named Anna Morgan. She showed a propensity for psychic abilities. Samara could implant images into people’s minds and could also use her mind to etch things into objects. The famous scene where her ghost crawls out of a television screen to kill someone who watched her tape is one of the best in horror cinema.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXXRS3Kghh4
Jennet Humfrye – The Woman in Black
The 2012 film adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel The Woman in Black is another scary 21st-century horror film. It stars Daniel Radcliffe and focuses on his character — lawyer Arthur Kipps — and how he deals with the unsettling Eel Marsh House. Oh, and the evil ghost that dwells within, of course. The ghost of Jennet Humfrye in The Woman in Black is one of the best depictions of a ghost. She uses darkness and psychological warfare against Arthur Kipps. However, the worst trait that this ghost has is a desire for the eternal souls of children. Because she was unable to save her son from drowning in the marsh that surrounded the house, she takes local children, kills them, and claims their souls forever.
Kayako Saeki – The Grudge
The 2004 American remake of a Japanese film called Ju-on: The Grudge drops the first word to simply become The Grudge. It is the tale of a powerful curse that is formed when a person dies during the most extreme rage or the lowest moments of sorrow. Their soul will be trapped on the Earth in the form of a very vengeful ghost. The ghost in The Grudge is that of Kayako Saeki. She was killed by her husband after he thought that she was having an affair. He also killed her young son and her cat by drowning them. Clearly, she has a lot to be enraged and depressed about — making her a prime candidate to become an onryÅ (the Japanese word for ‘vengeful ghost’).
The Beast — Poltergeist
The 1982 Spielberg film Poltergeist redefined the horror genre. It is a cult classic about malevolent ghosts that invade a family’s home, targeting their young daughter in particular. The film features a lot of horrible ghosts and some very unsettling visuals. However, the leader of the group of ghosts known only as The Beast takes the cake for the scariest. The Beast is something in between a ghost and a demon. He can take many forms, but most notably he becomes a giant spider-like skeleton that can appear out of anywhere. While the origins of the Beast are not known, he must have been one of the most-evil people to have been interred in the cemetery that the house in the movie rests upon.
Chef Gusteau — Ratatouille
For a more lighthearted twist on the ghost character type, you only need to look at the 2007 film Ratatouille. This CGI film follows the story of a rat who has a penchant for cooking, the illegitimate son of a deceased chef, and all of the trouble these two get into as they become master chefs together. Often overlooked, however, is the appearance of the Ghost of Chef Gusteau as he talks to Remy. Gusteau is inspiring and sticks to his motto, ‘Anyone Can Cook’. He makes sure that Remy knows this when they are discussing Linguini and how he was altering a dish without permission when it was being cooked. The ghost of Gusteau is one of the best ghosts featured in a children’s movie.
Santi – The Devil’s Backbone
The Devil’s Backbone is one of the earlier entries from illustrious director Guillermo del Toro. It is set in 1939 at the end of the Spanish Civil War and focuses on the strange and disquieting events that took place at an orphanage in a remote part of Spain. It features Fernando Tielve as a boy named Carlos who soon begins seeing visions of an apparition. Later it is discovered that this ghost was that of a young boy named Santi who went missing. Portrayed by Junio Valverde, this character looks horrifying and is definitely creepy. The performance by Valverde was quite good — and definitely contributed to the largely-positive reception that the movie receieved from all critics who evaluated it.
Malcolm Crowe – The Sixth Sense
Director M. Night Shyamalan might not always be the best at his job (see Avatar: The Last Airbender). However, he has released some awesome hits over the past 20 or so years. One of them was The Sixth Sense, a supernatural thriller that features a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe and a boy with a gift for seeing the dead named Cole Sear. If you haven’t seen The Sixth Sense, stop reading now. We wouldn’t want to spoil the ending of this film for you. However, most people have seen the movie due to its legendary status and widespread fame. If you have, you know that the famous twist ending shows that Malcolm Crowe had been a ghost all along — making him one of the most interesting to play such a character, especially because he didn’t even know it.
Elly Kedward – The Blair Witch Project
One of the pioneers in the found-footage horror movie genre is the 1999 classic The Blair Witch Project. It features the exploits of a few film students who seek the truth behind the Blair Witch, a folk tale from Maryland that turns out to have more than a bit of truth to it. The story goes that it is the spirit of Elly Kedward, an 18th-century witch who was sentenced to death by exposure. The best part about Elly Kedward’s ghost in The Blair Witch Project is that you never actually see her. Instead, she is a malevolent presence that keeps the students lost in the woods (literally going in circles) and torments them psychologically (and even ends up killing them). It is the fact that she remains unseen throughout the entire film that just makes her all the more unsettling. The Blair Witch Project is definitely worth a watch by any horror fans.
Casper — Casper
Not all ghosts need to be scary. Casper the Friendly Ghost is one of the original lighthearted takes on a ghost. He even got his own film called Casper that was released in 1995. It ended up being a commercial success and received decent reviews from critics. The film follows Casper and his friends as they get into a variety of situations. Casper himself is one of the best takes on a ghost in modern cinema. Plus, his appearance in the 1995 film was an impressive feat of CGI. In fact, he is the first main charac ter ever created exclusively with CGI. Though Casper is a friendly ghost, he also has a tragic backstory that gives his character even more layers — making him a sure inclusion on this top twenty list.
Daniel Gregg – The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
The oldest ghost film on our list is The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. This film was a romantic tale that was based on the 1945 novel written by an author named Josephine Leslie (under a pseudonym, R.A. Dick, due to the attitudes towards female authors at the time). Though this film takes place in England, it was shot exclusively in California. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir features a young widow who encounters the ghost of a sea captain who calls himself Daniel Gregg. Daniel Gregg is an excellent ghost due to his realistic role in the film. He isn’t bent on scaring the wits out of Mrs. Muir — in fact, the two find themselves falling in love (though they realize the situation is hopeless). He also helps Mrs. Muir to become quite wealthy and purchase the house in which she met Daniel Gregg by recollecting his stories to her and helping her write a book that later becomes quite popular.
Shoeless Joe Jackson – Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams is a wonderful film that most people simply associate with baseball. However, the tale is also a ghost story at its heart. When main character Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) receives visions of building a baseball diamond in his fields alongside an eerie disembodied voice telling him to do so, he accedes and constructs it within weeks. This allows one of the players disgraced during the 1919 Black Sox Scandal to appear — Shoeless Joe Jackson. Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball after the 1919 scandal, in which it was alleged that he and a few other players attempted to fix the World Series. When his ghost is resurrected in Field of Dreams, he becomes quite grateful and asks to bring other players (and ends up bringing seven). Shoeless Joe Jackson is a great ghost due to his realistic humanity and love for the game that transcends even the boundaries of death.
Slimer — Ghostbusters
The 1984 film Ghostbusters is a legendary classic that has been enjoyed by people all around the world. It redefined what a supernatural film could be with its comedy and lack of seriousness. This film was incredibly popular and had some of the best ghosts ever seen in Hollywood. It also starred some big names like Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, and Bill Murray. One of the best ghosts in the film is the Slimer. He is a disgusting ball of energy that flies around quite quickly, leaving his slime on anything he touches. Slimer’s main scare tactic is to use his horrible odor as a weapon. He is simply known as Slimer due to his lack of a name. He has also been called ‘The Green Ghost’ and ‘The Onionhead Ghost’.
Headless Horseman – Sleepy Hollow
The Tim Burton film Sleepy Hollow was released in 1999. It was based on the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow that was written by Washington Irving in 1820. Set in 1799, the film follows the story of police constable Ichabod Crane who has been dispatched to Sleepy Hollow in order to investigate a series of murders via decapitation. Little did he know that he would be encountering one of the most fearsome ghosts of Hollywood. The Headless Horseman is a classic figure that is known by people worldwide. He rides a black horse and lacks a head. As a replacement, he uses a pumpkin — though he normally carries it in his hand as he rides. The Headless Horseman will continue to be a symbol of fear for many years to come.
Edith Brennan — Mama
This film, released in 2013, is one of the more unsettling films that has been released in recent years. Mama features two little girls who have been abandoned in a cabin by their homicidal and suicidal father. They begin to cling to the force that killed him directly before he was about to shoot them, calling it ‘mama’. This supernatural being turns out to be the jaded ghost of Edith Brennan. She was a 19th-century mental asylum patient who had her child taken away from her. She eventually stabbed a nun in the back and took her baby, jumping off a cliff. The fall killed her and her child, but she never realized that her child had gotten caught on a branch and never died in her arms. This caused her to search for the baby for over a century — though she eventually elected to adopt the two little girls instead.
Daniel Robatille — Candyman
Candyman is a 1992 film that was based on a short story by Clive Barker called The Forbidden. Though the setting of the film was switched from Liverpool to the North Side of Chicago, much of the rest of the story remained the same. This film is about a supposed urban legend called ‘Candyman’ that turns out to be true. Essentially, one summons Candyman by repeating his name into a mirror five times. He will show up and murder the one who brought him to them. As the film goes on, the viewer discovers that Candyman was actually the son of a slave, an artist, and an inventor. He fell in love with a white woman and even had a child with her — bringing upon him the twisted mob justice of those early, more racist times (it occurred in 1890). He is even given a name — Daniel Robatille. His intricate backstory, suave demeanor, and relentless thirst for murder make him one of the best movie ghosts — thereby bringing this top twenty list to its end.
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