The horror movie genre contains an unfathomable menagerie of monstrous subjects. From demonic possession to masked maniacs and murderers, audiences have found more than a few ways the scare themselves. But nothing beats the thrills and chills of a good old-fashioned ghost story, and the world of film has plenty of those.
Horror has no shortage of haunted houses, graveyards, and fearsome apparitions floating through dark and shadowy spaces, but some of the best in the genre come from the realms outside the silver screen. Today, we've conjured up ten such phantasmic films for your ghoulish delight. Here are ten ghost stories with great movie adaptations.
The Mummy (1931)
Unlike the rest of the Universal Monsters series, The Mummy did not originally come from any one work of literature or fiction, although certain short stories do bear some resemblance. In actuality, a great deal of the Mummy's mythos came from actual events surrounding the discovery of King Tut's tomb.
Everything from the pharaoh's curse to the mummy's ghost surrounded the expedition, especially when members of the team died shortly after the opening of the tomb. The phrase " death shall come on swift wings..." was one of the warnings actually found at the burial site. Truth can really be stranger than fiction.
The Amityville Horror
Based on the novel of the same name, the horrifying events that surrounded the Lutz family in the late '70s has had more than a handful of different adaptations over the years. The most famous however would have to be the original film released in 1979, 2 years after the original book publication.
With a murder house, demonic activity, and paranormal occurrences, the horror at Amityville has all the basics for a truly terrifying horror story. But as with most paranormal events, the legitimacy of the reports has been speculated for years. But in a way, that's part of the appeal.
Ju-On/The Grudge
Though slightly more modern than some of the others on our list, both the Japanese original and its American remake are heavily inspired by a ghostly entity known as Onryō. Onryō loosely translates into "vengeful spirit" and many of them are found in Japanese ghost stories and folklore, but none are so famous than the ones in Ju-On.
As in the film, Onryō are typically angry spirits of murdered individuals, many of them women in white kimonos. They are essentially the face of Japanese ghost stories and have even have earned a place in American cinema. We're still freaked out by Kayako.
The Possession
Part urban legend, part Jewish ghost story, all terrifying. The Possession, despite what the title might suggest, is actually inspired by the Dybbuk, an evil spirit in Jewish culture. Film in question was mainly inspired by the urban legend of a Dybbuk box being sold on eBay, but the story itself has existed long before the invention of motion pictures.
Various books, short stories, and even a relatively famous play have been inspired by the Dybbuk, an evil creature with the ability to possess humans and at times devour children. The Possession takes the myth and puts it in the 21st century, we highly recommend it for those looking for something different in their hauntings.
Winchester
Arguably the most famous haunted house in the world, having inspired famous entities like The Haunting, The Haunting of Hill House, and even Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion. We're honestly surprised the Winchester House didn't receive an adaptation sooner. Although the CGI effects can get a little goofy, we can't say we didn't enjoy this piece of spooky cinema.
The film takes its inspiration from Winchester Mystery House and the haunting of Sarah Winchester, said to have built the house to contain the spirits of those murdered by her husband's famous rifles. Its size, twists, and turns make it the perfect setting for any haunted house story.
An American Haunting
We take you now from one famous haunting to another as we journey from California deep into the American South with An American Haunting. Both the film and the book that inspired it take their stories from the internet's Bell Witch of East Tennessee. It's a ghost story that dates all the way back to 1817.
The focus of the film surrounds paranormal events that plagued the Bell family in the 19th century, during which they were reportedly assaulted by an invisible entity that attached itself to the household. Supposedly the ghost of Katie Batts, a known witch, the story has become steeped in the folklore of Tennessee for years.
The Woman in Black
Keeping the unneeded sequel out of sight and out of mind, The Woman in Black featuring Daniel Radcliffe in one of his first non-Harry-Potter roles is based on the gothic novel of the same name by Susan Hill, as well as the more famous play by Stephen Mallatratt. To say the story is chilling would be a horrific understatement.
Like the film, the story of The Woman in Black involves a young solicitor named Arthur Kipps and his encounter with the titular ghost while investigating the Eel Marsh House. Though subtler as a stage adaptation, the haunting is still skin-crawlingly creepy and will keep many readers up at night.
Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark
Speaking of keeping readers up at night, how could we possibly leave out Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? Although the popular book series was written by Alvin Schwartz, the featured stories in the series and the film by Guillermo del Toro all come from various urban legends, campfire tales, and ghost stories from as early as the 1940s.
With the exception of Sarah Bellows, a ghost created just for the film, every horrific thing from the Toe Monster to the Jangly Man comes from a piece of urban folklore. Granted, the true terror comes from the magic of Del Toro's monsters, but we couldn't leave this one off our list.
A Christmas Carol
What people tend to forget sometimes is that Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is a ghost story first and a Christmas story second. Even the original manuscript dictates that it was "a ghost story of Christmas." but if that isn't enough to convince you, let's have a look at some of the story's key elements.
Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by the ghost of his long-dead partner, he lives in a creepy old house, and there's even an iconic scene featuring a graveyard. Who says your hauntings can't be jarring and jolly at the same time? The author certainly didn't seem to mind.
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Though we could have mentioned Tim Burton's iconic adaptation, it's the Disney version that's more accurate to the most famous ghost story ever written. Come to think of it, even for a cartoon, Disney's adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow still has more than a few creepy moments.
Specifically, we're talking about the third Act of the feature, the scene where Ichabod Crane ventures into the creepy clutches of Sleepy Hollow and has his famous encounter with the Headless Horseman. It's easy to see where directors like Sam Raimi, Henry Selick, and even the great Tim Burton picked up a little inspiration.