Best Ghost Movie?

[hulkamaniak]

Hey people, im new here, im just wondering : What is the best ghost movie, for story and scares?

[liebesspiel]

Originally posted by hulkamaniak
Hey people, im new here, im just wondering : What is the best ghost movie, for story and scares?

That's a pretty hard question... I'd give you a lot of answers. I'd say The Haunting, The Amityville Horror, The Ring, Poltergeist, The Changeling and many many more.

[hulkamaniak]

Thanks for them man, would you know if any of them are scarier then the others, because i saw it but it didnt seem to be that scary

[mothermold]

del toro's "The Devils Backbone".a classic ghost story and his best work to date(i think),you'll wanna check it out.

[Skaboy]

If you're after a real scare, like the fear you feel during a nightmare, try to get hold of The Woman in Black.

[slasherman]

The Changeling, Ringu, The Shining and Phone

[crazy raplh]

the changling

[gorefreak]

I saw "The Changeling" and although I didn't find it scary, it was quite filled with lots of creepy moments, as was "The Shining". :) I never heard of "Phone". I did see some lame movie called "Death By Phone". And that "Woman In Black", would that be available to rent on DVD?

[Skaboy]

Oddly, although it's a British-made film, The Woman in Black is not generally available in the UK. It's available for sale on NTSC VHS in the US, or on DVD from Canada.

We're talking about the 1989 TV movie directed by Herbert Wise and based on the book by Susan Hill. There are a few movies with the same title.

It's also available on ebay: I just saw a couple of DVDs on "Buy it now" for £6 and £6.50.

Enjoy :)

[urgeok]

nothing is scary ... so look for something 'good' instead.

The lady in White http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095484/
The Eye
The Changeling
The Grudge
The Others
6th Sense
Ghostbusters.
Ghost Story http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082449/
(not great but the book was - and i like the cast)

[gorefreak]

I saw "Ghost Story". It was kinda slow, but still an okay movie.

[urgeok]

yeah - it didnt live up to the book .. but i like craig wassen - and Alice Kridge (sp?) is yummy.

[liebesspiel]

Originally posted by mothermold
del toro's "The Devils Backbone".a classic ghost story and his best work to date(i think),you'll wanna check it out.

Now, THAT'S a scary movie! ;)

[slasherman]

Originally posted by gorefreak
I never heard of "Phone".
Its an asien "Ringu" clone..

[The Flayed One]

Originally posted by Skaboy
If you're after a real scare, like the fear you feel during a nightmare, try to get hold of The Woman in Black.


I've heard nothing but praise for this movie. You've talked me into it.

I also loved The Devil's Backbone. del Toro's directing style is great.

[ShankS]

Originally posted by hulkamaniak
Hey people, im new here, im just wondering : What is the best ghost movie, for story and scares?

The Entity, rather good and atmospheric.

[noctuary]

All of the others I would have recommended have already been mentioned, but you may want to check out Ju-On or the American remake. A lot of people hated the remake, but I still thought it was pretty good. The original is better though, of course.

[musicgeekmusic]

When you talk about The Haunting being scary, you have to note that it's the 1963, black and white version, not the badly done remake with Catherine Zeta Jones and Liam Neeson. The 1963 version is one of the creepiest things I've ever seen.

And that's another thing. Scary doesn't necessarily mean big BOO!! moments, although too many people seem to think that's what it is.

Scary is something that stays with you, like the final scene in The Blair Witch Project where that guy is standing in the corner. The movie as a whole was lousy, but that moment sticks with you after you leave the theater.

The Changeling, for instance, is very scary, but in a creepy way.

[Nyarlathotep]

the haunting (original)

[RavageRitual]

Originally posted by urgeok


The lady in White
The Eye
The Changeling



I second those...

[phantomstranger]

The Haunting
The Uninvited
The Legend Of Hell House
Poltergiest
House On Haunted Hill

(the originals,no remakes or sequels)

[filmmaker2]

I forgot whether anyone mentioned "Below," but that is hands down my favorite recently made ghost movie. Great movie. Good script, good acting, scary, the whole enchilada. Highly recommended haunted submarine movie.

[filmmaker2]

Originally posted by musicgeekmusic
When you talk about The Haunting ...The 1963 version is one of the creepiest things I've ever seen.

And that's another thing. Scary doesn't necessarily mean big BOO!! moments, although too many people seem to think that's what it is.

Scary is something that stays with you ......

Definitely true. If you can tune into old-school spook movies, it's a good thing. They often operated on a subtler level than today's jump-at-ya films. It's not so much about sudden loud noises that jolt you or effects leaping out of the darkness right in front of your face. Quite often this sort of film would get you worried about something you couldn't see but which you were quite certain was there. The original "The Haunting" is a good film--well, I know at least one person here doesn't like it, but he's okay, anyway, I still respect him. Ha ha!

[phantomstranger]

Originally posted by filmmaker2
I forgot whether anyone mentioned "Below," but that is hands down my favorite recently made ghost movie. Great movie. Good script, good acting, scary, the whole enchilada. Highly recommended haunted submarine movie.


Good choice! I remember seeing this a couple of years ago and was surprised at how good it was.

[Skaboy]

Originally posted by musicgeekmusic
When you talk about The Haunting being scary, you have to note that it's the 1963, black and white version, not the badly done remake with Catherine Zeta Jones and Liam Neeson. The 1963 version is one of the creepiest things I've ever seen.

And that's another thing. Scary doesn't necessarily mean big BOO!! moments, although too many people seem to think that's what it is.

Scary is something that stays with you, like the final scene in The Blair Witch Project where that guy is standing in the corner. The movie as a whole was lousy, but that moment sticks with you after you leave the theater.

The Changeling, for instance, is very scary, but in a creepy way.

Seconded in full!

And yet again I find myself thinking of The Woman in Black: scary in a creepy way, with at least one spine-crawling moment that will stay with you long after.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by filmmaker2
I forgot whether anyone mentioned "Below," but that is hands down my favorite recently made ghost movie. Great movie. Good script, good acting, scary, the whole enchilada. Highly recommended haunted submarine movie.

i know Below wasnt a bad flick .. it was sort of an extended twilight zone episode ..

the only thing i found distracting was the over emphasis on showing the workings of the sub ..

it made me think that they lucked into the use of a sub so they decided to squeeze ever penny out of it - thriving for a feel of authenticity ...

not sure if i'm eaxpressing myself clearly ... but in a larger budget film the sub would be 'just there' ... they wouldnt burn film with every minute detail of how the sub is run ..

other than that it wasnt a bad movie .. (i know - the weirdest stuff bugs me )

[filmmaker2]

I think in some ways the details were focused on because it was a 1940's period piece and they wanted to acquaint the audience with wartime submarine activities from that era.

It's funny though...the film has been slammed by accuracy nuts who have found technical mistakes in various scenes, so maybe the enchilada doesn't even make sense after all...but I thought it was a tasty enchilada anyway. Aw heck, I'm an easy date when it comes to ghosty movies ;)

[urgeok]

Originally posted by filmmaker2
I think in some ways the details were focused on because it was a 1940's period piece and they wanted to acquaint the audience with wartime submarine activities from that era.

It's funny though...the film has been slammed by accuracy nuts who have found technical mistakes in various scenes, so maybe the enchilada doesn't even make sense after all...but I thought it was a tasty enchilada anyway. Aw heck, I'm an easy date when it comes to ghosty movies ;)


i did enjoy the ghost story - dont get me wrong ..

but when it comes to visual art - or film - or books .. i have a real appreciation for subtlety ..
i like it when someone is masterful enought to get a point across in the simplest, purest ways ..

artists who arent as skillful have to make up for it by making things as detailed as possible ..

the example i always cite is charles dickens vs stephen king.

dickens could give a couple of key details about a person - in a couple of lines that would enable you to vibrantly create the character in your mind. King doesnt have this skill so instead he'll give you 5 pages of 'in your face' detail that leaves no room for your own mental imaging.

it's a very fine skill that's overlooked .. i guess people like being fed to.

i know this is a heavy comparrison for a low budget spook show like Below .. but it's the best wy to illustrate what i mean about the way a mood or atmosphere is built ..

i love what i call the 'moments of purity' in a film, or any other form of art... where something or someone is captured in its purest, simplest form..

actors can do it with a certain look, or a certain line read a certain way ...

sorry - that's a long round about way for describing what i felt about the technical sub shots in Below - i can articulate it a lot better - and simply - in person :D

[Angra]

Woman in black
Lady in white (for the children);)
Ju-on
Ju-on - the grudge 2
The grudge
The innocents
Shutter
What lies beneath
The changeling
One missed call (Fuck "Phone"):p


I´m sure i´ve forgot some great ones...

[filmmaker2]

Originally posted by urgeok

artists who arent as skillful have to make up for it by making things as detailed as possible ..

i love what i call the 'moments of purity' in a film, or any other form of art... where something or someone is captured in its purest, simplest form..


Actually you expressed it very well. I would even agree this weakness is present in "Below"--there are lots of shots of wheels being turned, levers being pulled, technical things being shouted.

[Yellow Jacket]

This is a hard one! I'm going to go with Poltergeist, but with The Amityville Horror (original) folllowing closely behind.

[gorefreak]

Originally posted by urgeok
yeah - it didnt live up to the book .. but i like craig wassen - and Alice Kridge (sp?) is yummy.
It probably could've been better with a slightly larger budget. And yeah, Alice Krieg was probably in her late 20's when that movie was made.
Originally posted by ShankS
The Entity, rather good and atmospheric.
It wasn't too bad. Slow in parts, and the beginning and end had a really creepy horror theme.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by gorefreak
It probably could've been better with a slightly larger budget. And yeah, Alice Krieg was probably in her late 20's when that movie was made.



i dont know if i'd blame the budget ..

i think it fell victim to the 'dumb it down for the typical audience' mindset that's only changed in the last few years.

oft times a movie is compromised by budget .. characters and plot lined have to be scrubbed to keep the payroll down, etc ..

but in the case of ghost story i think it was all about simplifying as not to confuse the dummies in the theatres.

too bad too .. it was a pretty cool novel.. with great characters ..