The Top 10 Scariest Movie Ghosts

5. Freddy Krueger- The Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise

Our next entry on this list of movie ghosts also happens to be one of the most popular horror icons of all time. Fredward Kruger, known as “Freddy” to his friends, was a child murdered in life who got off on a technicality. Well, mob justice ensured that he got what he deserved as they saw to it that he was burned alive. Of course, he didn’t take too kindly to that and returned as a horribly disfigured fashion victim (a Christmas sweater and a Fedora? Really?) to seek revenge. Being the big man that he is, he continues to target children by killing them in their dreams. He ends up meeting his match though when a group of kids discovers lucid dreaming gives them the ability to make Freddy their bitch in the dream world.   

4. Diana Walter- Lights Out

I was shocked to find that Lights Out was a movie I couldn’t get through with the lights actually out. Based on a spine chilling short film, the movie follows a family tormented by the jealous ghost of a mentally disturbed woman who had a fear of light. The fear follows her into the afterlife as it proves to be her one weakness. While it might seem like a pretty big one, the film actually turns darkness into the major weakness for the heroes. She might not be as iconic as some of the others on this list of movie ghosts, but she is absolutely terrifying. She will go to any lengths to make sure that no one comes between her and her “best friend” by attacking them in incredibly vicious and brutal manners. While she might not be able to hurt you in the light, the same goes for her as she uses that to her advantage.

3. Edith Brennan- Mama

One of the most nightmarish movie ghosts in recent memory is Edith Brennan aka Mama. The woman was driven insane years ago over the death of her own child and ended up committing suicide. Unable to rest, she adopts two lost girls int he woods and cares for them over the years. Everything is “fine” (though child services might disagree) until the children are discovered and rescued. The jealous spirit isn’t going to let her daughters be taken away from her and terrorizes anyone threatening to do so. She is truly a sight to behold with her gnarled limbs twitching and hyperextending as she drifts through the background stalking her victims. When she does attack, her twisted mind causes her to fly into a blind, animalistic rage. She’s quite simply a big bag of NOPE. 

2. Kayako and Toshio- The Grudge

It’s hard to choose who is the scarier spirit between these two, so I decided to include them both. After all, they’re trapped together in the same house having suffered terrible deaths that left a stain in the world where they died. That stain becomes a curse killing anyone that enters the home no matter who or what it might be (see Sadako vs. Kayako). The two have very different M.O.’s as Kayako crawls her way across the floor hidden under a mess of black hair, while Toshio tends to watch, howling like a cat. The two prove to be the perfect recipe for full-blown nightmare fuel. It just goes to show that these days, the scariest movie ghosts all tend to come from Japan.    

1. Samara Morgan- The Ring

Speaking of terrifying Japanese ghosts, let’s hear it for out number one entry on this list of movie ghosts, Samara. Whether you catch the original Ringu or the American remake, Samra is definitely the most terrifying evil spirit to ever appear on the big screen. Her tortured life and violent death left her filled with a murderous rage that she takes out on anyone that watches her bizarre Avante-Garde film on VHS. Those that do only have seven days left to live before she comes for them. The only way to stop her from killing you is to pass off the tape to another poor soul before your time runs out. Despite the fact that she’s just a little girl, she proves to be an unstoppable force that definitely deserves the top spot on here.

Honorable Mention: The Black Zodiac- Thirteen Ghosts

One of my biggest guilty pleasures is the haunted house thriller Thirteen Ghosts. The film creates this incredible mythos with 12 ghosts trapped in a house representing elements of a “Black Zodiac.” Each of them is scary enough in their own right, but together they are horrifying. I couldn’t pick just one from the pack, but that’s not going to stop me from giving them all an honorable mention.

Shout-Out: Beetlejuice- Beetlejuice

I have to give a shout-out to the ghost with the most. While Beetlejuice might not have been the scariest movie out there, the titular villain was actually pretty terrifying if you stop and think about it. For one thing, he’s pretty much omnipotent, able to summon all sorts of creatures and beings from the underworld, as well as warp reality around him. His only weakness is that he must be summoned to the mortal realm by someone speaking his name three times. The way to get rid of him is just as easy though. Still, Beetlejuice is a ghost you don’t want to take lightly because he is definitely not afraid to play dirty. As if that wasn’t enough, he tried to take a child bride in order to stay in the human world. Talk about a creepy green card wedding.

Those are my picks for the scariest movie ghosts I’ve ever seen. Of course, ghosts have been appearing in movies for almost long as they’ve been around. Let me know what you think of the spirits that made this list and if there are any that you would have wanted to see on here by leaving a comment below. As always, I’ll be updating this list as new and more terrifying movie ghosts make their big-screen premiere. So, be sure to check back from time to time to see how these rankings change