Ghost Stories That Rely Primarily On Atmosphere
I truly do enjoy a good ghost story, but I don't like anything that overuses the cheap jump scare, or which has an excessive amount of gore. In my opinion, there is so much more terror to be found in a story where there is a dark, oppressive atmosphere, a growing sense of unease and dread, or that which is driven by things implied, rather than what is seen. Below is a list of movies that I feel best live up to this ideal.
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- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsHarrison FordMichelle PfeifferKatharine TowneThe wife of a university research scientist believes that her lakeside Vermont home is haunted by a ghost - or that she is losing her mind.This one kept me guessing for a good part of the film: Is this really a haunting or is everything the result of psychological stress and imaginings?
- DirectorAlejandro AmenábarStarsNicole KidmanChristopher EcclestonFionnula FlanaganIn 1945, immediately following the end of Second World War, a woman who lives with her two photosensitive children on her darkened old family estate in the Channel Islands becomes convinced that the home is haunted.Set in post-World War Two, a young mother and her two children occupy an old Victorian manor on the island of Jersey where there is a growing sense of something not being quite right inside the house.
- DirectorNick MurphyStarsRebecca HallDominic WestImelda StauntonIn 1921, England is overwhelmed by the loss and grief of World War I. Hoax exposer Florence Cathcart visits a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost. Everything she believes unravels as the 'missing' begin to show themselves.It is the 1920s and Florence Cathcart, an author who specializes in exposing spiritualist hoaxers, visits a boarding school to assist in explaining sightings of a ghost child.
- DirectorJames WatkinsStarsDaniel RadcliffeJanet McTeerCiarán HindsA young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the house he is preparing for sale may contain the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman.
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsBruce WillisHaley Joel OsmentToni ColletteMalcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.A young boy with the ability to see dead people is assisted by a therapist in dealing with personal issue.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsMia WasikowskaJessica ChastainTom HiddlestonIn the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds - and remembers.A writer of Gothic tales finds herself trapped inside a real life situation that could have been lifted from the pages of her own work. This film has all of the classic elements found in the great Gothic novels we all love. Oh, and a seriously dark and brooding Byronic hero thrown in for completeness!
- DirectorGeoffrey SaxStarsMichael KeatonDeborah Kara UngerIan McNeiceAn architect's desire to speak with his wife from beyond the grave becomes an obsession with supernatural repercussions.A husband whose wife dies suddenly and tragically finds himself immersed in the world of ghost hunting via the use of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) and other means.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsJack NicholsonShelley DuvallDanny LloydA family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.Top notch ghost story based on the novel by horror writer Stephen King.
- DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsDomhnall GleesonWill PoulterRuth WilsonAfter a doctor is called to visit a crumbling manor, strange things begin to occur.Based on the Sarah Waters novel of the same name. This is a modern story with many of the most essential elements of a well-made Gothic tale: a crumbling family estate, a dark and brooding atmosphere, a distinct sense of melancholy, hidden secrets, and a most unreliable narrator.
- DirectorWalter SallesStarsJennifer ConnellyAriel GadeJohn C. ReillyA mother and daughter, still wounded from a bitter custody dispute, hole up in a run-down apartment building, where they are targeted by the ghost of a former resident.A young mother and her child move into a creepy apartment building located in New York City. Are there ghosts in the building or is everything simply the result of psychological trauma?
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsBarbara HersheyRon SilverDavid LabiosaA woman is tormented by an invisible being.This movie was based on the nonfiction novel of the same name, written by Frank De Felitta. Yes, the special effects at the end are outdated, but overall, this is a very creepy story.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNaomi WattsMartin HendersonBrian CoxA journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.A strange videotape causes people to die five days after they view it.
- DirectorMikael HåfströmStarsJohn CusackSamuel L. JacksonMary McCormackA man who specialises in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.Based on the short story by horror writer Stephen King.
- DirectorIvan KavanaghStarsRupert EvansAntonia Campbell-HughesHannah HoekstraA film archivist finds his sanity crumbling after he is given an old 16mm film reel with footage from a horrific murder that occurred in the early 1900's.Moody and intense ghost story set in Ireland.
- StarsChristos LawtonOlivia Booth-FordMax LohanExperience the chilling true story of the world's most famous poltergeist case through original audio recordings made inside the house as the events unfolded.Less of a ghost story per se and more of a documentary about one of the most well-researched cases of poltergeist activity in 1970s London.
- DirectorTim FywellStarsMichelle DockeryEva SayerJosef LindsayA naive and sexually repressed young governess is haunted by the ghosts of previous occupants of a mansion.An adaptation of the Henry James Gothic novel, "The Turn of the Screw."
- DirectorJack ClaytonStarsDeborah KerrPeter WyngardeMegs JenkinsA young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.Another adaptation of the Henry James Gothic novel, "The Turn of the Screw." Of note, the screenplay for this version was written by Truman Capote.
- DirectorJohn IrvinStarsCraig WassonAlice KrigeFred AstaireTwo generations of men find themselves haunted by the presence of a spectral woman. When the son of one of the elderly men returns to his hometown after his brother's mysterious death, they attempt to unravel her story.Based on the Peter Straub novel of the same name. The film version of Straub's novel definitely lost some of the growing sense of dread that permeates throughout the book. But the central story still stands up well. And I rarely say this, but I'd love to see a modern remake.
- DirectorDavid KoeppStarsKevin BaconZachary David CopeKathryn ErbeAfter being hypnotized by his sister-in-law, a man begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around him.Based on the novel, "A Stir of Echoes," author Richard Matheson.