Ghost films (Paranormal month)

I think I'm only reading one book this month about ghosts, but it's Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready and it's one of my favourite paranormal books at the moment. I think Jeri Smith-Ready has done a fantastic job giving ghosts a new mythology and creating a world in which ghosts are visible to a certain group of people and not other and they have a whole new set of rules and restrictions, some of which are still unknown and being newly discovered. It's a great series and I'm very excited about it.

So in that vein, I thought I would talk a little bit about ghosts today.



Ghostbusters - Somewhat randomly, we watched Ghostbusters the other day with the boys. I'm not entirely sure how they liked it, as I was so exhausted from a cold and being up late the night before that I fell asleep part of the way through it. But it's such a classic film from my childhood that I was getting warm-fuzzies just hearing the theme music and seeing New York. So even though I fell asleep before seeing the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and I can't quite recall how the film ends, Ghostbusters is still one of my favourite films. It's just very, very funny. And I'd much prefer all of my ghostly encounters to be funny, wouldn't you?



Casper - Don't laugh! Casper is another one of my favourite ever films! When I was younger, I would watch Casper every single time it was on television! It's the perfect film to watch at Halloween and I really just can't get enough of it. Casper is just adorable, and I love his awkwardness around Christina Ricci. I love the other crazy ghosts and their interactions with Bill Pullman - so it's a really wonderful mix of sweet and funny. Another winner in my book.



Poltergeist - Because then there's this film. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch Poltergeist in well over 15 years however, because I seriously remember it as being the SCARIEST FILM I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Without any exaggeration there. Sometimes just the thought of this film will send a shiver up my spine. Perhaps I should really watch it again, just to see if it really IS that scary or if it's just my memory blowing things out of proportion? Me? I think it's the former. *shudder*



Ghost - OK enough of the scary stuff. Ghost with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore is really the level of creepy ghostiness that I can handle. Which basically means I can handle very little actual scariness. Feel free to leave recommendations (for other people, of course!) of actual movies containing ghosts that are not cheesily romantic...


The Sixth Sense - I saw The Sixth Sense at the cinema when it first came out and I still think it's a really cleverly done film. I really love everything about it, from the acting to the unfolding of the big twist. It's a great film, one that's subtly quite creepy and atmospheric.

So that's my wimp's list of ghostly films. As I said, feel free to share actual *scary* ghost films in the comments, if you like...