Plot: A convicted killer on death row maintains his innocence. His daughter suspects there is truth to her father’s claim when her loved ones begin to die in brutal ways.

KBZ’s Take: The Puppetman is a relatively new horror film that was released in 2023. Though it does feature a medium (who becomes central to the plot), the film also includes elements of Films About Exorcism & Possession and Films About Cults.

The film does take awhile to get going which is likely the cause of its current lukewarm reviews. But if you can stay with the film after the first act, you’ll be treated to one of the better recent horror films.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Martha Travis is a medium who makes contact with spirits on the other side and connects them with their loved ones still alive, in public performances. Trouble begins when she gives a message to Mary Kuron from her husband, Tom. But Tom isn’t dead… yet. And Martha not only knows he will die, she also knows who killed him. And the murderer knows she knows…

KBZ’s Take: Black Rainbow is a film fully centered around both mediumship and clairvoyance. And it does a great job of balancing the two different psychic powers (and how they are related). The film is also much more of a drama and thriller than horror as it examines the role of a medium and how their ability is often intertwined with religious themes.

Rosanna Arquette was a popular actress in the 80’s and this is one of her better leading roles along with her performances in After Hours (1985) and The Wrong Man (1993). It’s a film we fully recommend for fans of the subgenre and those interested in seeing unique themes of mediumship and clairvoyance.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A technician in a morgue who can talk with the dead puts his loved ones in danger when he learns some secrets from one of his departed acquaintances which he uses for revenge.

KBZ’s Take: Be warned, this film has both some very creepy sequences and disturbing scenes in a morgue. The film suffers from pacing and is confusing at times, but that all takes a backseat to the film’s atmosphere and suspenseful third act.

We don’t want to say too much about the plot to ruin the movie for you, but definitely check out this surprisingly good Brazilian film that has one of the most unique takes on mediums we have seen.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A musician witnesses the murder of a famous psychic, and then teams up with a feisty reporter to find the killer while evading attempts on their lives by the unseen killer bent on keeping a dark secret buried.

KBZ’s Take: Deep Red is one of the best and most well-known Giallo Films by Dario Argento that has a combination of mediumship, clairvoyance and telepathy. However, it’s never really clear in the film where each different psychic power begins and ends.

Though the film’s final two acts are much more in the Giallo realm focused on a murder mystery, it’s first act is heavily focused on psychic powers which most fans of the subgenre should enjoy.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: Sam Wheat is a banker, Molly Jensen is an artist, and the two are madly in love. However, when Sam is murdered by his friend and corrupt business partner Carl Bruner over a shady business deal, he is left to roam the earth as a powerless spirit. When he learns of Carl’s betrayal, Sam must seek the help of psychic Oda Mae Brown to set things right and protect Molly from Carl and his goons.

KBZ’s Take: Outside of another film on our list, Ghost features the second most popular medium in film – Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg). It’s also the one film on our list that is heavier on comedy and romance than it is with horror.

Ghost was the highest grossing film of 1990 that garnered multiple Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actress win for Goldberg. Though the 30+ year old film has faded a bit due to time, it’s one of the best films of the subgenre that is a must see for younger generations.

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon

Plot: A team consisting of a physicist, his wife, a young female psychic and the only survivor of the previous visit are sent to the notorious Hell House to prove/disprove survival after death. Previous visitors have either been killed or gone mad, and it is up to the team to survive a full week in isolation and solve the mystery of the Hell House.

KBZ’s Take: This film was #1 on our Top Films About the Paranormal, Ghosts & Hauntings – 1970’s and we also consider it one of the best films about mediums. The film is based on a novel by one of our favorite authors, Richard Matheson, so you can likely assume that most film adaptations of Matheson’s works will appear on our lists.

The film’s strength is its cast – especially Pamela Franklin as the medium Florence Tanner. Her role becomes more prominent as the film progresses and she becomes the initial subject of the house’s ‘hauntings’. The film is very reliant on the acting of the ensemble characters to make the film work – and that they do and why this film is one of our top selections here. It’s essential viewing for fans of horror-centric films featuring mediums.

Additional Lists: Top Films About the Paranormal, Ghosts & Hauntings – 1970’s #1

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: The entire franchise of The Conjuring films features various forms of both mediumship and clairvoyance. Though this initial film features stronger themes of clairvoyance, possession and hauntings, we feel it’s still one of the best horror franchises that explores mental and social aspects of the mediumship psychic ability that other subgenre films do not.

We also noted in our Best Films About Ghosts & Haunting of All Time that though Insidious (2011) 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.

Additional Lists: Best Films About Ghosts & Hauntings of All Time #4

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 and one of the most unique films involving a medium interacting with the dead.

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, Best Films About Ghosts & Hauntings of All Time #8

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 Take: 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 also another 80’s film that featured perhaps the most iconic medium of the subgenre – Tangina Barrons (Zelda Rubinstein). Rubinstein has some of the more memorable scenes of a medium with her initial entrance into the Freeling’s haunted home to her infamous declaration of, “This house is clean.”

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 to know when your parents think you’re old enough to deal with ‘real horror’.

Additional Lists: Best Films About Ghosts & Hauntings of All Time #1

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: There’s little doubt that the Sixth Sense is the very best film about mediums. Though its infamous ‘twist’ featuring Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) and Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is one of the best of any film, its themes of loss and acceptance through communication with the dead are also the best of any subgenre film.

While most films just show the mediumship ability, this film shows the evolution of someone coming to terms with their special ‘gift’ and how to use it to help people. And that’s what ultimately separates the film from others in the subgenre as its horror scenes and scares are much more emotionally grounded in Cole’s ability to ‘see dead people’ and the nature of their appearance.

The only downside to the film is that the twist of the film removes much of the mystery and impact of certain scenes on repeated viewings. However, it’s a must see film that any fan of mediums and ghosts should not miss.

Additional Lists: Best Films About Ghosts & Hauntings of All Time #2

Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon