Best Supernatural and Ghost Movies of All Time - Based on 37 Published Rankings

Scene from The Others (2001) ranked second best ghost and supernatural movie of all time.

Welcome to our Reel Fives pre-launch movie rankings for the best ghost movies of all time. After an extensive online search we found 37 published rankings for ghost movies. Reel Fives has taken all of those rankings and aggregated them into definitive rankings for the top 73 ghost movies of all time. For each ranked list of top movies for the ghost film genre we found online, we have taken the top five ranked ghost films. The original sources of rankings on top ghost movies are included at the bottom of this post and include rankings of the best ghost movies created by movie experts as well as ghost movie rankings from polling sites, such as ranker.com.

Ghost movies tap into a sixth sense and use suspense to build tension throughout the whole movie. Director Stanley Kubrick brought Stephen King’s novel The Shining, ranked the all-time best ghost movie, to the movie screen in 1980. It centers on a family in an isolated hotel known for its past violence. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes increasingly violent towards his family as the isolation in a grand hotel combined with supernatural encounters caused by the hotel’s violent past and writer’s block cause him to break down. What makes the movie a classic ghost movie is that the characters are possessed by a supernatural power. The Others (2001), ranked second, follows Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) who must live a cautious life protecting her children from direct sunlight, as they are photosensitive. Grace and the children encounter strange spirits along the way, but Grace is determined to stand firm against them. The Sixth Sense (1999), ranked third, also follows a child who can talk to dead people. Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osmet) utters the line “I see dead people,” among the most famous lines in a movie in recent memory. Dr. Malcome Crowe (Bruce Willis), a child psychologist, attempts to cure Cole. The top three movies show that the suspense is just as important as the actual ghosts in the story. They also use twisted endings to leave audiences pulled into the movie’s reality even after they have finished watching.

Actions can be just as important as the dialogue in ghost films because it helps give the perception that something is on screen, even if the audience cannot hear it. In this sense, ghost movies share horror elements. Poltergeist (1982), ranked fourth, centers on a family whose home becomes haunted by ghosts and possess their youngest child. Since the ghosts cannot talk, they use actions in common spaces one can see themselves in. In Poltergeist (1982) the ghosts move objects and attempt to suck the children in, adding unseen horror in the film. The Ring (2002), ranked sixth, features a journalist who wants to uncover why people are dying within seven days of watching a video. The video makes few noises, focusing on grainy images instead. Here, the director Gore Verbinski uses the silence to build suspense and horror. Grainy images can be anything the mind wants to see. The Orphanage (2007), ranked seventh, features stars Belén Rueda as Laura, who goes back to her childhood home, an orphanage and reopens it, as she herself was adopted. Simón (Roger Princip), Laura’s adopted son tells Laura he sees five friends and eventually Laura is forced to get to the bottom of it when Simón disappears. These films used horror to help create the ultimate ghost story to scare audiences.

These rankings featured movies that could also be categorized as horror films. With the exception of Ghostbusters (1984), ranked fifth, most of the movies were not comedic and the dialogue was not central. Ghostbusters (1984) used humor to beat the ghosts into submission with Bill Murray in an exceptional leading role. We expect ghost movies to remain a popular genre for audiences and are curious as to how new films will affect rankings. Ghostbusters (2016) will be released on July 15 and we are excited for its return. This time around, the movie features a women-led cast, in contrast to the men-led cast of the 1984 classic. People love to be scared, and the film industry will keep making ghost movies and finding new ways to scare audiences.

Top 73 Ghost & Supernatural Movies based on 37 published rankings
Percent of online top fives movies appear in shown
1 . The Shining (1980): 43.2%
2 . The Others (2001): 35.1%
3 . The Sixth Sense (1999): 29.7%
4 . Poltergeist (1982): 24.3%
5 . Ghostbusters (1984): 21.6%
6 . The Ring (2002): 18.9%
7 . The Orphanage (2007): 18.9%
8 . Paranormal Activity (2007/2009): 16.2%
9 . The Blair Witch Project (1999): 13.5%
10 . The Haunting (1999): 13.5%
11 (tied). The Devil's Backbone (2001): 13.5%
11 (tied). The Conjuring (2013): 13.5%
13 (tied). The Grudge (2004): 10.8%
13 (tied). Beetlejuice (1988): 10.8%
15 . The Changeling (1980): 8.10%
16 . Insidious (2010): 8.10%
17 . The Innocents (1961): 8.10%
18 (tied). The Exorcist (1973): 8.10%
18 (tied). Ringu (1998): 8.10%
20 . The Woman in Black (2012): 8.10%
21 . Session 9 (2001): 8.10%
22 (tied). Stir of Echoes (1999): 5.40%
22 (tied). The Amityville Horror (1979): 5.40%
24 (tied). Paranormal Activity 2 (2010): 5.40%
24 (tied). 1408 (2007): 5.40%
26 (tied). What Lies Beneath (2000): 5.40%
26 (tied). The Fog (1980): 5.40%
28 . Rebeca (1940): 5.40%
29 (tied). The House on Haunted Hill (1999): 5.40%
29 (tied). A Tale of Two Sisters (2003): 5.40%
31 . Lake Mungo (2010): 5.40%
32 (tied). The Frighteners (1996): 2.70%
32 (tied). The Amityville Horror (2005): 2.70%
32 (tied). Hearts in Atlantis (1999): 2.70%
32 (tied). Eraserhead (1997): 2.70%
32 (tied). Paranormal Activity 3 (2011): 2.70%
32 (tied). Ghost (1990): 2.70%
32 (tied). Eyes of the Dragon (1986): 2.70%
32 (tied). The Stand (1978): 2.70%
32 (tied). A Christmas Carol (1951): 2.70%
41 (tied). Psycho (1960): 2.70%
41 (tied). Carnival of Souls (1962): 2.70%
41 (tied). The Last Exorcism (2010): 2.70%
41 (tied). It (1986): 2.70%
41 (tied). Whispering Corridors (1998): 2.70%
41 (tied). An American Haunting (2005): 2.70%
41 (tied). The Skeleton Key (2005): 2.70%
41 (tied). Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966): 2.70%
49 (tied). Sinister (2012): 2.70%
49 (tied). Darkness (2002): 2.70%
49 (tied). Ghost Story (1981): 2.70%
49 (tied). The Thing (1982): 2.70%
49 (tied). The Innkeepers (2011): 2.70%
49 (tied). Spirited Away (2001): 2.70%
49 (tied). The Fountain (2006): 2.70%
49 (tied). Black House (2001): 2.70%
49 (tied). Insomnia (1994): 2.70%
49 (tied). The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005): 2.70%
59 (tied). A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): 2.70%
59 (tied). The Mothman Prophecies (2002): 2.70%
59 (tied). Insidious (2013): 2.70%
59 (tied). Ugetsu (1953): 2.70%
59 (tied). The Dark Tower III: The Wastelands (1991): 2.70%
59 (tied). Dead of Night (1945): 2.70%
59 (tied). Don’t Look Now (1973): 2.70%
66 (tied). Drag Me to Hell (2009): 2.70%
66 (tied). The Dark Half (1989): 2.70%
66 (tied). Ringu 2 (1999): 2.70%
66 (tied). Topper (1936): 2.70%
66 (tied). The Possession (2012): 2.70%
66 (tied). Coraline (2009): 2.70%
66 (tied). The Haunting in Connecticut (2009): 2.70%
66 (tied). The Haunting (1963): 2.70%
Ghost & Supernatural Movie Ranking Sources
Horror About	List of top 43 (link)
Horror Movies	List of top 15 (link)
Taste of Cinema	List of top 15 (link)
The Top Tens	List of top 10 (link)
Flick Chart	List of top 100 (link)
Too Scary To Watch	List of top 115 (link)
Box Office Mojo	List of top 139 (link)
All Women Stalk	List of top 15 (link)
Film News Horror	List of top 10 (link)
Mubi	List of top 10 (link)
Denof Geek	List of top 10 (link)
Ranker	List of top 41 (link)
Play Buzz	List of top 7 (link)
Azcentral	List of top 10 (link)
Scary For Kids	List of top 20 (link)
Ebay	List of top 5 (link)
Paranormal 360	List of top 25 (link)
Ask Men	List of top 10 (link)
Canterbury Times	List of top 12 (link)
Entertainment Weekly	List of top 5 (link)
Movie Moron	List of top 10 (link)
Screen Junkies	List of top 10 (link)
Scene Stealers	List of top 10 (link)
Joblo	List of top 10 (link)
Crash Palace Productions	List of top 10 (link)
Top 10 HM	List of top 10 (link)
Adventure In Poor Taste	List of top 10 (link)
Ghost Costume Ideas	List of top 5 (link)
Reel Mama	List of top 5 (link)
Games Radar	List of top 50 (link)
Egg Van	List of top 20 (link)
eHow	List of top 10 (link)
Hauntings and Ghosts News	List of top 15 (link)
Entertainment Fuse	List of top 10 (link)
Filmonic	List of top 10 (link)
Tiny Jump	List of top 5 (link)
Haunted Manhattan	List of top 5 (link)

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