We all love ghost stories and the film industry never fail to pleasure us by producing movies in such genre. These ghost movies never have to be horror movies. Some belong to comedy, drama or romance genres. A common element in these films is the idea that the ghost is an unrested soul who must settle an unfinished account here on Earth. There are hundreds of such films, and here are ten of them:

The Others

The Others is a 2001 award-winning psychological horror film inspired by the novella “The Turn of the Screw”. Directed by Spanish-Chilean director Alejandro Amenabar, it stars Nicole Kidman and Christopher Eccleston. Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) is a Catholic mother living with her two children in a remote country house in the British Crown Dependency of Jersey during the post-World War II period. Life seems normal for the family until the arrival of three servants, when odd events begin to happen… “Sometimes, the world of the dead gets mixed up with the world of the living.” In the end, Grace Stewart realizes they were the dead and the “intruders,” dead 50 years ago when she murdered her family.

The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense is a 1999 drama film directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Williams, Joel Osment and Olivia Williams. It tells the story of a child psychologist named Dr. Malcolm Crowe and his interaction with a nine-year-old troubled child named Cole Sear. Cole claims to see dead people which Crowe would not believe at the beginning. The child eventually uses his gift to help out some ghosts. In the end, Crowe realizes that he is also a ghost and that he was killed when he and his wife were attacked by one of his patients (shown earlier in the movie). (See full review)

Shutter

Shutter is a 2004 Thai horror film which is remade by Hollywood in 2008 under the same title. The movie revolves about the mysterious images from a photographer’s camera. After a drinking party, Tun, a photographer, and Jane get into a car accident. Scared, they drive away and leave the poor girl behind. Since then, Tun begins to discover mysterious white shadows and what appear to be faces in his photographs. Meanwhile, Jane investigates and finds out that the girl is Natre, a shy young woman who was also once Tun’s girlfriend. But more revelations shall shock Jane… For Tun and his camera have been witnesses to a crime committed to Natre by his friends.

The Invisible

The Invisible is a 2007 remake of a Swedish film entitled “Den Osynlige”. It is about a soul searching for his dying body. Nick Powell is everything a high school teenager could want – smart, good-looking, and well-off. One night, Nick is attacked by a girl named Annie and her boyfriend. Thinking they have killed him, they dump his body in a nearby sewer. But Nick is still alive, but is only injured and unconscious. The next morning, his soul goes out of his body, and in the days to come, he will communicate with his mother and even to… Annie. (See full review)

Ju-on: The Grudge

Ju-on: The Grudge is a 2003 Japanese horror film written and directed by Takashi Shimizu. It has several sequels afterwards and an American remake titled “The Grudge,” released in 2004. It follows volunteer homecare worker Rika Nishida whose humanity leads her to Chiharu, a catatonic old woman slowly dying in a home filled with years worth of accumulated filth. Rika's suspicion is aroused when, during the course of her volunteer duties, she cannot help but sense an overwhelming feeling of dread. Eventually, Rika opens an old wardrobe only to discover a malevolent boy who introduces himself as Toshio. It seems as though the house was formerly occupied by a young couple – Katsuya, Chiharu's son, and his wife, Kazumi. Sadly, Kazumi is killed by Toshio shortly after moving in, and it is not long before Katsuya meets a similar fate. When one of Rika's colleagues alerts the local authorities, an investigation turns the house inside out and exposes an ancient and deadly history.

Ghost

Ghost is a 1990 romantic film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. It tells about the romance of a couple that even death could not part. Swayze played Sam Wheat who is killed after discovering anomalies in the company he is working for. But he comes back to Earth to expose the crime and protect the woman he loves (Demi Moore as Molly Jensen). In the end, Sam departs to the afterlife after an emotional farewell to Molly. (See full review)

A Tale of Two Sisters

A Tale of Two Sisters is a 2003 South Korean psychological horror film directed by Kim Ji-woon. The movie begins with Su-mi being taken to a psychiatrist, only to be brought home afterwards. Su-mi is very close with her sister Su-yeon, and both girls find it difficult living with their stepmother Eun-joo. Then strange things begin happening around the house, especially through Su-mi’s perspective. Appearances of a strange woman. Eun-joo’s abuses. And mysterious nightmares… In the end, Su-mi realizes a life-long guilt she has covered all this time. The movie was remade by Hollywood as “The Uninvited” in 2009.

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones is a movie adaptation of a best-selling of the same name by Alice Sebold. Released in 2009, it stars Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, and Stanley Tucci. The movie is directed by Peter Jackson. On December 6, 1973, fourteen-year-old Susie is murdered by her neighbor George Harvey (played by Stanley Tucci) and her body hidden inside a safe. Her body is not found by her parents since the safe is kept in the killer’s house. For several years, her soul wondered around, finding ways to communicate with her parents and experiencing things she wants to experience. She meets the other victims of Harvey who are also urging her to move to the afterlife. In the end, the crime is discovered, Harvey faces a fateful death, and she enters heaven. (See full review)

Dark Water

Dark Water is a 2005 American horror-thriller film starring Jennifer Connelly and Ariel Gade. It is a remake of the 2002 Japanese film of the same title. The movie begins with a scene dated 1974 of a young girl standing outside after school in the rain, waiting for her mother. Flash forward to 2005, grown-up Dahlia (Connelly) and daughter Cecilia (Ariel Gade) have to move to a dilapidated apartment after a difficult divorce. Their new space is small and worn. What is worse, the ceiling in the bedroom begins to leak dark water. The source is that apartment above, 10F. And when Dahlia investigates, she gets more than what she expected… For she realizes that her daughter has found an imaginary friend. And that she must come to terms with her past and present troubles.

Passengers

Passengers is a 2008 thriller film starring Anne Hathaway and Patrick Wilson. Claire Summers (played by Anne Hathaway) is a psychotherapist called to treat a group of survivors of a recent plane crush. In the process, Claire becomes attached to one of them (Eric played by Patrick Wilson). But other things become more mysterious… Her patients one by one disappear. Her sister is making peace with her. She sees several apparitions… In the end, she realizes that everyone she comes into contact with over the last few weeks are actually dead; "ghosts" of friends and family who are trying to help her come to terms that she, and the other passengers, have died in the plane crash. (See full review)