Ghost stories from spooky to silly

It’s the last week in July and ghosts are on the brain. Two of the high-profile new movies in theaters this week are “Haunted Mansion,” based on the Disney ride (and the 2003 movie starring Eddie Murphy), and “Talk to Me,” a teen ghost story directed by YouTubers RackaRacka, aka brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. While the two films are tonally different, the shared themes brought up ideas about all kinds of ghost movies, from the funny to the scary to the melancholy. If you’re in the mood for more haunting, check out these best ghost movies on streaming.

Some of the most famous ghost movies are comedies, such as “Ghostbusters.” The original 1984 film directed by Ivan Reitman is available to rent on all platforms. The 2016 remake is actually co-written by “Haunted Mansion” writer Katie Dippold, and that is also available to rent on all platforms. “Haunted Mansion” director Justin Simien dabbled into horror as well with his 2020 possessed hairpiece horror flick “Bad Hair,” which is streaming on Hulu.

Two of the most famous ghost horror movies arrived within two years of each other, in the early ‘80s. First up, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980), based on the Stephen King novel about a very haunted hotel. One of the greatest horror movies of all time, “The Shining” is streaming on Paramount+ and Showtime. In 1982, who could forget the line, “they’re here,” from Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist”? Seemingly a haunted production of its own, “Poltergeist” stars Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams and of course Heather O’Rourke as the tiny blonde Carol Anne who uttered that iconic warning. She tragically died from a sudden illness at age 12. Stream “Poltergeist” on Prime Video.

Another classic 1980 ghost movie from the Master of Horror is “The Fog,” directed by John Carpenter. Starring the silken-voiced Adrienne Barbeau as a radio DJ in the fictional Northern California town of Antonio Bay, “The Fog” features a host of ghosts from the deep in this atmospheric tale of mariner marauder specters who roll in with the mist. Stream “The Fog” on Prime Video.

A trio of 2000s horror films take on the 1970s spirit. First, the 2005 remake of “The Amityville Horror,” starring Ryan Reynolds, anticipated the audience appetite for blockbuster haunting movies. Stream it on Tubi. The original 1979 movie starring James Brolin, Margo Kidder and Rod Steiger is streaming on Prime Video, the Roku Channel and Tubi. In 2013, James Wan took on real-life 1970s ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren with “The Conjuring,” streaming on Max. That film, starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, has spawned a cinematic universe of ghost movies, all streaming on Max. Finally, “The Haunting of Hill House” auteur Mike Flanagan first showed his facility for ghost movies with the appealing sequel “Ouija: Origin of Evil” (2016), set in 1967 and starring Elizabeth Reaser and Lulu Wilson. Stream it (and “Hill House”) on Netflix.

Again, not all ghost movies are scary, as stories about the afterlife can be about love, grief and all spectrum of human emotions. For something non-horror, check out David Lowery’s meditation on grief through ghosts, “A Ghost Story” (2017), starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, streaming on Paramount+, Showtime and Kanopy.

Another unconventional ghost movie is Olivier Assayas’ 2016 film “Personal Shopper,” starring Kristen Stewart as a woman working as a personal shopper in Paris while trying to get in touch with her dead brother. Stream it on Hulu, AMC+, Tubi and Kanopy. Finally, Jerry Zucker’s 1990 film “Ghost” imagines a ghost story as an action romance, with Patrick Swayze starring as a dead man trying to protect his wife, played by Demi Moore. Stream it on Max.