Plot: A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.

KBZ’s Take: There’s been a never-ending debate as to which horror franchise is scarier – The Insidious Franchise or The Conjuring Universe. For us, it’s like debating Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi. Some people like the hint of lemon flavor in Coca-Cola while others like the subtle lime flavor in Pepsi. There are enough small differences in each franchise that will appeal to people differently. However, there is one shared similarity between both series of films – they’re some of the scariest subgenre films of the last decade.

We will give the nod to Insidious though as the reigning champ of jump scares. The first film in the series is full of them and they often come out of nowhere and when you least expect it. And even 12 years after its release, it’s still the scariest film of the franchise and one of the few films that still makes you jump in fear even when you know it’s coming.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: George Lutz and his wife Kathleen, move into their Long Island dream house with their children only for their lives to be turned into a hellish nightmare. The legacy of a murder committed in the house gradually affects the family and a priest is brought in to try and exorcise the demonic presence from their home.

KBZ’s Take: The Amityville Horror has had one oft-maligned yet underrated prequel (sequel) in Amityville II: The Possession (1982), numerous horrible sequels, and one subpar remake in 2005 which couldn’t quite recapture the intense sense of dread and hopelessness from the original.

Despite being released over 44 years ago, the original film is arguably still the scariest haunted house film of all time. And though you could argue that more contemporary haunted house films are better, there’s no debating that The Amityville Horror helped establish that household flies are, in fact, spawns of Satan.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.

KBZ’s Take: Black Phone is not only one of the best films of the subgenre from the last few years but also one of the best recent films in the entire horror genre. This is a film that has already established itself as a classic film of the subgenre.

Based on Joe Hill’s collection of short stories in 20^th Century Ghosts, the film is a unique mixture of child abduction, serial killers, psychic powers and the supernatural. Also, like Talk to Me (2022), it’s a film not only set in the late 1970’s but is also a throwback to the 1970’s and 80’s with a dark theme and even darker content. It replicates an era of horror where what you are watching is not only unsettling but increasingly frightening.

We’re going to assume most fans of horror and this subgenre have already seen this film, but if you have somehow missed it, we would strongly recommend checking it out as soon as possible. It’s a rare horror film that recaptures the atmosphere and darkness of a horror era long gone and will genuinely scare the crap out of you.

Additional Lists: Best Recent Films About Ghosts & Hauntings #1

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A blind concert violinist gets a cornea transplant allowing her to see again. However, she gets more than she bargained for when she realizes her new eye can see ghosts. She sets out to find the origins of the cornea and discover the fate of its former host.

KBZ’s Take: Of all the Asian Horror remakes that flooded cinema in the 2000’s, The Eye (2008) was the least effective in recreating the horrifying scares of the original.

The Pang Brothers out of Hong Kong created something very special within the subgenre with The Eye. This is one of the scariest films you’ll ever see. Yes, it has jump scares like other films of the Horror genre, but how they’re used in this film is both effective and frightening.

It’s one of a handful of films we always recommend to others when asked, “What’s one of the scariest movies I haven’t seen?”. Even if you are averse to subtitles, this is one film you should just watch if you want a night of pure horror.

Note: This film is followed by an above average sequel in The Eye 2 (2004).

Additional Lists: Top Films About Ghosts & Hauntings You Haven’t Seen – 2000 – 2004 #2

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: It sounded like just another urban legend: A videotape filled with nightmarish images, leading to a phone call foretelling the viewer’s death in exactly seven days. As a newspaper reporter, Rachel Keller was naturally skeptical of the story, until four teenagers all met with mysterious deaths exactly one week after watching just such a tape. Allowing her investigative curiosity to get the better of her, Rachel tracks down the video… and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of the Ring.

KBZ’s Take: There are few U.S. remakes from the J-Horror film craze of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s that are considered scarier than their predecessor. The Ring is one of those films. While the first film, Ringu (1998), is often considered one of the scariest films of this J-Horror period, The Ring somehow tops it despite being essentially the same story.

Even if you have only seen U.S. remake, it’s worth also checking out the Japanese original (as both films are based on The Ring novel by Koji Suzuki).

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town’s founding; radio announcer Stevie witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.

KBZ’s Take: We’ll be first to admit that we likely have The Fog rated higher than it should be as it’s a personal favorite of ours. And though the film hasn’t aged well from it’s early 1980’s setting, the scares in the film have stood the test of time.

This is a quintessential ghost story where the scares are brought to life by the suspenseful and pulse-pounding direction of John Carpenter. It’s not as scary as two of his other classic horror films in Halloween (1978) and The Thing (1982), but when it comes to ghosts from the past seeking revenge, there’s no better film.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.

KBZ’s Take: As we noted earlier with Insidious (2011), though it can lay claim to the jump scare crown, The Conjuring reigns supreme with the overall creepiness and dread factor. Because most of the Conjuring films are based on the investigations of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, there’s an additional layer of uneasiness permeating from the films.

If there’s one recent horror franchise that taps into the old school ghost scares of the 70’s and 80’s, it’s The Conjuring. And for that reason alone, it’s a film and franchise that’s one of the best of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren’t prepared for the madness that lurks within.

KBZ’s Take: The Shining is a hard film to rank for this specific list. It’s about Psychic Powers with “The Shine” and it’s also about the psychological breakdown and eventual possession of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson). But where it ‘shines’ within this subgenre is with The Overlook Hotel.

Throughout the film, the Overlook Hotel is the main character terrorizing its temporary inhabitants. There’s no better example in the subgenre of an evil that can reside within a ‘place’ and manifest itself in different forms of ghosts and madness.

Additional Lists: Best Films About Telepathy #3, Best Films About Premonitions & Precognition #4

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Following an unexpected tragedy, a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe meets an eight-year-old boy named Cole Sear, who is hiding a dark secret.

KBZ’s Take: We struggled a bit with this film and our eventual #1 selection. There’s no denying that The Sixth Sense is one of the definitive films about ghosts – and one of the scariest. But it’s also a film that once you get to the twist ending, loses its impact on repeated viewings.

With that said, it’s still one of the best films about ghosts with its iconic and haunting line of the subgenre – “I see dead people.”

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Strange and creepy happenings beset an average California family, the Freelings – Steve (Craig T. Nelson), Diane (JoBeth Williams), teenaged Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) – when ghosts commune with them through the television set. Initially friendly and playful, the spirits turn unexpectedly menacing, and, when Carol Ann goes missing, Steve and Diane turn to a parapsychologist and eventually an exorcist for help.

KBZ’s Takee: If there’s one film that’s as scary over 40 years later as it was in 1982, it’s the original Poltergeist. From its melting/peeling face scene to its swimming pool full of real-life skeletons to one of the scariest depictions of a ghost in the subgenre, Poltergeist just keeps hammering you with scenes of haunted horror.

It’s a film that had no business being rated PG at the time and scared the daylights out of a generation. And if you were strong enough (at an adolescent age) to make it through most of the film, you then encountered the clown scene which became the legend of childhood nightmares and significantly increased the sales of night lights.

It’s the best film about a haunted house and ghosts that crosses multiple generations. It emotionally scarred older generations and served as a gateway to the horror genre. There’s a reason Fangoria became so popular in the 1980’s. And for younger generations, it’s a film often used as a barometer by parents when they think their kids are now old enough to deal with a ‘real horror’ film on Halloween.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon