JP Nunez
Last week, I wrote an article recommending five ghost movies every horror fan needs to check out, but that list was incomplete. I only looked at classic films from the 1940s to the 1980s, and as I’m sure you know, the subgenre has given us some absolute bangers in the 40 years since then. In fact, some of the best horror movies of this millennium involve ghosts, so you’re doing yourself a huge disservice if you stop with the classics.
Many modern films are essential viewing as well, and if you’re looking for some of these 21st-century gems, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled a list of five of my favorite ghost movies of the last 15(ish) years, so without further ado, let’s dive right into the newer side of this decades-old brand of terror.
Lake Mungo
We’re going to kick this list off with one of the best ghost movies way too many people have never even heard of. Lake Mungo didn’t garner a ton of buzz when it was released about a decade and a half ago, but it’s slowly gained a cult following through the years. Today, hardcore horror fans generally regard it as one of the best genre films of this millennium, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re in for a real treat.
Lake Mungo is a mockumentary about the seemingly supernatural phenomena a family experienced after the sudden death of their teenage daughter Alice, and it’s absolutely devastating. The movie perfectly captures the oppressive grief and despondency that come with such a tragic loss, so after only a few minutes, you’ll begin to feel this family’s pain yourself.
It’s emotional horror of the highest caliber, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This story takes so many twists and turns you’ll quickly realize you have no idea what’s coming next, and the more you learn about Alice’s life, the more heart-rending her tale becomes. It’s so gut-wrenchingly captivating your eyes will be glued to the screen, and along the way, you’ll be treated to one of the most harrowing scares of all time.
When the credits begin to roll, you’ll completely understand why Lake Mungo is so highly regarded in the horror world, but be warned, that understanding comes with a price. You might legitimately have trouble sleeping for a night or two (or maybe more!), but if you ask me, it’s totally worth it. Lake Mungo is a modern classic that deserves every bit of praise it gets, so in the annals of ghostly history, it doesn’t get much better than this.
The Innkeepers
When talking about the best horror directors working today, Ti West has to be part of the conversation. He may not be as well known as, say, James Wan or Mike Flanagan, but the quality of his work speaks for itself. This guy is a master of the genre, and in the early 2010s, he made one of the best ghost movies in recent memory.
As the name suggests, The Innkeepers follows the last two employees of a dying hotel as they attempt to document the paranormal activity that supposedly occurs there. At first, the pair don’t have much luck, but as the story goes on, they learn that some things are better left unseen by the eyes of the living.
In typical Ti West fashion, The Innkeepers is a pretty slow burn, so don’t expect too many ghostly encounters, at least not initially. The first two acts emphasize atmosphere and characters over in-your-face scares, and thankfully, that storytelling strategy pays off in spades. These hotel workers are incredibly likable both as individuals and as a duo, and when Ti West cranks up the dread, you can’t help but sit up and take notice.
It’s a powerful one-two punch that will more than hold you over until the terror goes full throttle, and when that horrific third act finally comes, it does not disappoint. The quality of these scares more than makes up for the lack of quantity, so if you’re a fan of slow-burn horror, you’re going to have a great time with The Innkeepers.
We Are Still Here
We’ve all seen a million films where a family moves into a new home and finds out the place is haunted. That basic template has formed the backbone of notable ghost movies like The Uninvited, Poltergeist, and The Conjuring, as well as a veritable army of subpar imitators, so if a film is going to try its hand at this well-worn cliche, it’d better do it well. And thankfully, We Are Still Here totally knocks it out of the park.
It’s about a middle-aged couple who buy a new house following the tragic death of their son, and it turns out that the place used to be owned by a family of unscrupulous undertakers. These people would sell the corpses and bury empty coffins, and even though they’ve been dead for decades, they still torment anybody who steps foot in their house.
On paper, that may not sound terribly original, but I can assure you, We Are Still Here is cleverer than you might expect. There’s more mythology behind this house than the film initially lets on, so the story takes a couple of interesting twists and turns on the way to its blood-soaked third act.
It’s a great spin on this tried-and-true genre formula, and it’s executed with all the spooky flare you’d expect from a good haunted house film. The atmosphere is dread-inducing, the jump scares are effective, and the design of these ghosts is pretty cool, so We Are Still Here is an absolute joy to watch from beginning to end. It’s one of the best indie horror gems of the 2010s, and it deserves to be on every genre fan’s to-watch list.
Tigers Are Not Afraid
If you’re a fan of Guillermo del Toro-esque fantasy horror, you’re going to love this next movie. Tigers Are Not Afraid is about a gang of homeless orphans who get in big trouble with a human trafficking ring, but luckily for them, they have some secret weapons their pursuers never could’ve imagined. One of these kids has a magic piece of chalk that will grant her three wishes, and on top of that, she’s also haunted by a group of ghosts that just might come in handy when she needs them most.
Like many of del Toro’s films, Tigers Are Not Afraid flawlessly blends those fantastical elements with the hard-hitting realism of the orphans’ troubled lives, so if you didn’t know any better, you’d think this actually was a del Toro flick. It has a lot of the same charm that makes movies like Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone so beloved, but there is one key difference. Generally speaking, Guillermo del Toro’s films aren’t terribly concerned with outright scares, but this one has a number of truly unnerving moments.
These scenes just might make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, but as great as they are, the heart and soul of Tigers Are Not Afraid is the kids. Every one of these child actors does an amazing job, and their plight is genuinely moving, so you’ll quickly find yourself engrossed in their story and rooting for them to succeed. It’s an emotional roller coaster that’s equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting, so this isn’t just one of the most captivating ghost movies of the last 20 years. It’s among the subgenre’s all-time best.
The Deeper You Dig
Last but not least, we have The Deeper You Dig, a ghostly gem from the Adams family, the people who made Hellbender, Where the Devil Roams, and Hell Hole. In the last several years, the Adamses have emerged as some of the best indie horror filmmakers around, and genre fans’ love affair with their work began with this spectral chiller.
It’s about Ivy and Echo, a mother-daughter pair whose world gets turned upside down one day when Echo goes missing. She’s been killed by one of their neighbors, but her mother has no idea what happened to her. Ivy just knows that her daughter didn’t come home, and the woman pours her heart and soul into looking for the girl. At the same time, Echo’s murderer is haunted by his victim’s ghost, and try as he might, the guy is helpless to stop these unnerving apparitions.
Like any good haunted house film, The Deeper You Dig has its fair share of fun frights, but what really sets this movie apart is its emotional core. It’s a moving tale of loss, grief, and the (literally!) undying love between a mother and her daughter, so if you have any heart at all, this film is sure to resonate with you on a deep level. It’ll stick with you long after the credits begin to roll, and it might even become one of your favorite ghost movies of all time.
