The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s, The Shining, is a slow terror that chills your bones and stays with you. A large empty hotel in the dead of winter, lots of creepy ghosts and Jack Nicholson slowly losing his sanity.  This film will forever be a classic.

The Haunting (1963)

One of the greatest haunted house films ever made and a classic still unrivaled today. You never see one ghost in this entire movie but it’s still spooky and scary.  A classic spook-fest that plays on the idea of what is in the dark and shadows is more frightening than what any CG or made up Actor can portray

The Innocents (1961)

When I was a kid, this movie really freaked me out. I was probably afraid to look out a window for at least a month. Another psychological classic terror but this one has ghosts and it’s not over-done.  I thought both of the kids were creepy and controlled by something other than their governess. This is a great classic gothic ghost story based upon the Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw. It’s been re-done many times but never better.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

Forget all the re-makes, the original Amityville Horror is a scary and creepy film. It’s a little dated now but the movie still has some excellent scares and is great at building suspense.  A great classic haunted house film based upon real life events.

The Others (2001)

A spooky movie that goes back to the old school haunted house films of The Haunting and The Innocents. This is one atmospheric, spooky, suspenseful ghost story that is destined to become a classic of the haunted house genre. A great haunting ride, with an ending that really delivers.

The Entity (1983)

This movie really freaked me out when I was younger.  I remember watching it at the theatre and people getting up and leaving, not because the movie was bad but because they were freaked out. The fact that this movie is based upon a true story is terrifying. Hollywood thinks using gratuitous sex and torture in a horror film is some kind of formula. They have nothing on the sexual and psychological abuse this film serves up.

The Eye (2002)

Forget the 2008, Jessica Alba remake, the original Eye is the real deal. This movie is creepy, spooky and is loaded with atmosphere. The Pang Brothers, combine an eerie combination of music and cinematography that is haunting and unsettling. Even the Eye 2 was great and had some really creepy and scary scenes.

The Changeling (1980)

This is a great classic haunted house film. No CG or stupid pop outs, just great old fashioned eerie atmosphere in a creepy setting. This movie builds up the tension and then rewards with some good old fashioned psychological scares. George C. Scott really sells this film with his great acting.

The Sixth Sense (1999)

“I see dead people,” This is one of the best horror films ever made and will become a classic. The psychological tension between Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment is magical. This movie sets a tension at the beginning and keeps it throughout, with its punch to the gut final that took everyone by surprise.

Pulse (2005)

Again, forget the terrible remake. The original Pulse is a creepy, atmospheric, scary movie. It literally has some of the creepiest and best ghost scenes I have ever seen. If you’re looking for a really scary ghost film to watch it in the dark, this is a really good one.

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

The American re-make; The Uninvited, is crap but this movie is great. I’m not really into the J Horror and the ghost girls with long black hair kind of movies but this is not one of those.  It’s a stylistic, psychological thriller with lots of story. Your patience will be rewarded at the end.

Shutter (2005)

An original film that is really scary. Shutter is a creepy, intelligent movie that is really scary. Stay away from the American remake which is not very good and watch the original. Lots of nice twists and an ending that really stays with you.

This list is compiled of ghost stories and hauntings. So what do you think?