In pureness of Amazon ’s newfangled seriesTruth Seekers , we ’re rounding up our favorite embodiment of that upright ol’ scary - moving picture figure : ghost hunters ! Technically all of these folk succeed becausethey all find ghosts(that ’s why there ’s no Scooby - Doo gang on this leaning ) , but some victory more than others .
Just want to preface this list by pronounce we ’re not needfully rate by how good the movie is — we actually like and recommend most of these!—but by how successful the investigators are : do they getrid of the ghostand / or trace ? Do they survive ? Do other people around them survive ? Do they spare the entire city of New York from a supernatural Book of Revelation ? You get the approximation .
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Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) sweep for demons in The Conjuring.Image: Warner Bros.
12) Grave Encounters
Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz ’s 2011 film have aroundthe found - footage dilemmaof “ why are they shoot every damn thing ? ” by micturate it about people who do that for a living : the crew of a ghost - hunt down reality show . head by the Zak Bagans - esque Lance Preston ( Sean Rogerson ) , the mathematical group barricades themselves inside an desolate psychiatrical infirmary with cameras galore , ostensibly to seize some evidence of paranormal goings - on ( even though none of them are believers ) . But they ’re in for it when malign entity set forth making their front felt , and the asylum itself ostensibly manipulates time and space to keep everyone trapped in constant wickedness . Thankfully , the spirits do n’t putter around with anyone ’s battery life , so we get to see how the whole yield spirals out of control — and it does n’t terminate well for anyone , except the ghosts .
11) Terrified
Want to see a nightmare - make repugnance movie ? WatchDemián Rugna ’s excellent 2017 liberation Terrified . Got a spooky situation in your house and need professional assist ? Maybe do n’t adjoin the extrasensory enthusiasts in Terrified . While they ’re all extremely value , to the point of the Buenos Aires police permit them free sovereignty to do their matter , the elderly trio — Jano ( Norberto Gonzalo ) , Albreck ( Elvira Onetto ) , and Rosentock ( George L. Lewis)—isn’t just a crack team in the field . betimes in the movie , Albreck takes so long getting back to a petrified would - be client that he ’s disappeared when she in conclusion inflict his house . Then , when it becomes open his plight is tie to other weird natural event in the sphere — include a brutal murder by an apparently inconspicuous assaulter — the group ultimately get devise . Sort of .
First fault : they separate immediately , post up in neighboring houses that’ve all reported unknown activeness . Only Rosentock shows up with anything resemble high - tech equipment , not that gismo would facilitate much in this particular scenario . And they do n’t really have a design other than “ observe and theme , ” which suggests that despite all their smarting , they do n’t understand how much danger they ’re putting themselves in . It ’s really not all that surprising when Terrified ’s creatures emerge and initiate picking them off in diversely grim ways , but holy hell is it scary .
10) The Innkeepers
Claire ( Sara Paxton ) , the adorably awkward booster of Ti West ’s 2011The Innkeepers , is n’t a professional shade hunting watch — she ’s not even that into her problem at historic hotel the Yankee Pedlar , a intuitive feeling enhance by the fact that the place is about to shut down for good . But what might otherwise be a dull subprogram of checking guests in and out and bring them extra towel is spiced up by the fact that the hotel is said to be frequent , something Claire ’s similarly world-weary Centennial State - worker , Luke ( Pat Healy ) , has attempted to capitalize upon with his web site , “ Real Hauntings . ”
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Luke take to have had genuine supernatural encounters at the Yankee Pedlar ( conveniently , he did n’t have his tv camera with him at the clip ) , but Claire is determined to witness something herself , and get it for Luke ’s web site , on her last weekend work there . Armed with earpiece and audio recording equipment that targets EVPs , she sets out to make contact — and though there ’s a certain amount of goofing off that snuff it on , her eventual journey into the hotel ’s very creepy-crawly basement proves to be unwise . As The Innkeepers shows us , and another flick on this list further underlines ( The Awakening , a few piazza down ) , it ’s a very bad idea to mess around with ghosts if you ’re at any risk of scaring yourself into a fateful asthma attack attack .
9) Insidious
In James Wan ’s 2010 blockbuster , the Lambert family pack up and moves out of their novel menage after only survive there a brusque while — wouldn’t you , if you think your digs were haunt ? Alas , they start having exchangeable issue in their new fresh mansion . Enter paranormal detective Tucker ( Angus Sampson ) and Specs ( Leigh Whannell , who last on to direct this year ’s The Invisible Man ) . They ’re lop like the Pulp Fiction guys , and they bicker interminably as they set up their equipment , which postulate several photographic camera and other doohickeys so specialised Tucker is sure to announce that made them himself . These two characters invite some levity into what ’s otherwise a fairly tense movie , but the real MVP is the third member of their squad : psychic investigator Elise Rainier ( Lin Shaye ) , who instantly intuits that this is n’t a distinctive haunted house situation , though there are evil spirit involve .
The scene with the petrol mask , in which Specs scribbles down Elise ’s otherworldly voicelessness , isone of cinema ’s most terrific séances ever . But one of those creepy entity gets the better of Elise in the end , which is why Insidious ’ spook - hunters social rank so low on this tilt . That said , Elise made such an impression with fans that she ’s appear in every Insidious celluloid that followed ( she ’ll in all likelihood even pop up in thatjust - foretell fifth pernicious film , timeline be damned ) . give thanks goodness for flashbacks and prequels .
8-7) The Legend of Hell House and The Haunting
Richard Matheson ’s 1971 novel Hell House formed the basis for this 1973 John Hough film about ghost - hunters — two psychics , plus a guy with a ghost - neutralizing widget who brings his married woman along for playfulness — who are offer a princely sum to investigate the ghouls of Belasco House . The sprawling British acres ’s reputation is somewhat well summed up by its nickname , but as Roddy McDowall ’s character dryly informs us , the deceased former owner of the home casts a shadow of malign thanks to his fondness for “ drug addiction , alcoholism , sadism , bestiality , mutilation , murder , vampirism , necrophilia , cannibalism , not to mention a gamut of sexual delicacy . ” The house is dripping with mediaeval standard atmosphere , shoddy spirits , and attack cats , and not everybody survives through bit three — but the automobile , which is never really explained but is sort of like a giant EMP that zaps away look — ends up making a convincing compositor’s case in favor of techno - power exorcisms .
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Robert Wise ’s 1963 adaptation of Shirley Jackson ’s 1959 The Haunting of Hill House , titled merely The Haunting , actually take there first with a very similar tale of a haunted mansion that ’s targeted for extrasensory investigating with tragic results . But unlike The Legend of Hell House , which ends with an glimmering of promise that the ghosts have been purged , you get the sense that Hill House will always be haunted ( unless you ’re watching the ghastly 1999 remake , which serves up a smidge of cloture enhance by some very fluky CG effects ) .
6) 1408
Mikael Håfström ’s 2007 film 1408 is based on aStephen Kingshort story , and though the elbow room Mike stays in — over the strenuous objections of the hospitality manager , play by Samuel L. Jackson — is only the second most famous hotel room King ’s ever written about , its malevolence and creative thinker - fuckery capabilities actually give the Overlook Hotel a actual run for the money . Mike ’s experiences somewhat mirrors those of the crew in Grave Encounters , though unlike those unfortunate would - be TV stars , Mike manages to squelch the evil at its source before making his own unfortunate exit off this mortal coil .
5) The Awakening
Florence ( Rebecca Hall ) , a affluent British woman grieving her soldier fiancé who died in World War I , hopes to make contact with him from the beyond — but rather makes a name for herself debunking bogus mediums and disrupting hokey séances . Pushed to the brink emotionally , she however agrees to investigate an alleged haunting at an all - boys ’ boarding school , where a decade - old legend and a student ’s late death have stirred up some bad public relations ( “ You must be the wraith lady , ” the headmaster suspire with a mix of relief and surrender when she arrives ) .
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Firenze uses her equipment ( the best the 1920s could allow for , including a “ Marconi magnetic field sensor ” ) to promptly reveal the expected hoax , but soon earn there ’s some deeper truth to the stories after all — and she ’ll ask to look within herself to face up the school ’s all - too - real lingering somebody . Director Nick Murphy ’s chiller veers off the wait story path about Battle of Midway through , and though the jury ’s still out on The Awakening ’s equivocal end , the residuum is facilitate along by some lovely cinematography and inviolable performances by Hall , Dominic West , Imelda Staunton , and Isaac “ Bran Stark ” Hempstead - Wright .
4) Poltergeist
About 40 minutes intothis 1982 Tobe Hooper - Steven Spielberg classic , desperate dad Steve Freeling ( Craig T. Nelson ) seeks service from a threesome of UC Irvine parapsychologist . These are people whose theater of operations he might have scoffed at under normal circumstances , but considering his untested girl ’s been kidnapped into the spirit kingdom , he ’s suddenly become far more open - minded . limit the criterion for paranormal - investigator persona in horror moving picture for decennium to come , Drs . Martha Lesh ( Beatrice Straight ) , Ryan Mitchell ( Richard Lawson ) , and Marty Casey ( Martin Casella ) fulfil the suburban Freeling home with specialized equipment and settle in for an action - packed night that ’ll blow all their previous research out of the weewee .
That first experience proves so harrowing ( that peel - peeling scene set out me every prison term ) , the team calls in the big triggerman : psychic medium Tangina ( Zelda Rubinstein ) . Her direction proves incredibly valuable — she help Diane Freeling ( JoBeth Williams ) contact and rescue piddling Carol Anne ( Heather O’Rourke ) from the other side — though her famous declaration of “ This house is uncontaminating ” does cease up proving a spot untimely .
3) The Frighteners
Peter Jackson ’s first Hollywood speculation ( after finding success in New Zealand with movies like Bad Taste and Heavenly Creatures ) stay one of the most unique ghost - hunter movies ever made . Frank Bannister ( Michael J. Fox ) has turned his gift for pass along with shade into a tidy slight cozenage , getting his spectral sidekick to “ haunt ” sign of the zodiac that he ’ll then be hired to exorcize .
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That ’s already a very cagey premise , but thing get even more complicated when a consecutive killer ’s ghost begin claiming victims from beyond the grave — and Frank has to endure a couple of near - expiry experiences in edict to stop him . No other movie on this list dares to push its storyline so far into fantasy , and in less capable hands ( and with crappier effects ; for 1996 , The Frighteners is top - notch ) it might not have wreak so well . But who better to view a ghost than a bozo who can talk to ghost — and will even release into a ghost himself if the circumstances demand it ?
2) The Conjuring
Another James Wan revulsion juggernaut,2013’sThe Conjuringpurports to say the true story of the Perron family , who move into a rustic Rhode Island farmhouse filled with cast - off article of furniture and trinkets leave behind by previous owner , along with — much to their horror — a ferocious demonic presence . Whether or not this tale resembles genuine - liveliness event is up to the viewer to judge ; what ’s sure is that the extrasensory research worker in the movie are based on actual multitude : Ed and Lorraine Warren , played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga .
Not only do they collectcursed objectsfor safekeeping in a creepy-crawly museum attached to their house , they give lectures on their retiring cases while selectively taking on unexampled one . Ed ’s the gadget cat , Lorraine uses her clairvoyant gifts to communicate with whatever ’s skulking in the shadows , and they have assistants who step in to help them on boastful project — like rigging the Perron ’s home with photographic camera and other transcription devices . They also have the resources to dig up historical information when they necessitate it , which comes in handy when the property has a tragic past tense involving , for representative , a vengeful witch . To that end , they also have the Catholic Church on speed - telephone dial , which help when they need the go - ahead to perform an pressing exorcism . The Warrens are seasoned pro ; they succeed because they have this touch - hunt matter on ignition lock . It seems pretty dependable to feign the upcomingConjuring 3will continue their winning streak .
1) Ghostbusters
Obviously . They were n’t the first to find a way to monetize their spirit - hunt skills , but only they had back pack - set up proton pack , an upcycled Cadillac ambulance / hearse , a convert firehouse as their HQ , and even their own catchy - as - hellhole theme vocal . Plus they get real results , overcoming some serious EPA sabotage to defeat the towering threat of cross - dimensional beings with the power to summon giantmarshmallow menat will .
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