Five Ghostly Films for Your Halloween Movie Marathon

The ancient Celts of Ireland celebrated the end of the summer harvest with a festival day they called Samhain (pronounced sow-in). That day also marked the beginning of winter as Samhain means November. In anticipation of the hard, bitter and shortened hours of sunlight to come, the Celtic Druid priests sought guidance from the spirits and gods.

The Druids believed that on Samhain the fe-fiada, or magic fog, that separated our world from the supernatural world was lifted. The tribe would gather together and the priests would commune with those that had passed over, seeking prophecy and advice.

As Samhain evolved into Halloween, talking with spirits evolved into telling hair-raising ghost stories. It has been a tradition for hundreds of years for people to come together for Halloween parties with the guests telling each other fantastic and phantasmagoric tales.

This year why not expand on that tradition and enjoy a Halloween Movie Marathon. In keeping with the ghost story theme I've selected for you what I consider to be 5 of the creepiest, spookiest, most bone chilling films I've ever seen.

I picked these movies because they express a particularly subtle but still threatening wickedness. These movies will have you peering into the darkness, checking to be sure there isn't anyone or anything lurking in the shadows.

None of these movies are blood filled gross-out films. These screenplays, for the most part, were written with the premise that what you don't see is a hundred times more frightening than some over-exaggerated gooey monster.

I've listed these movies in my preferred viewing order. I believe the sequence will create for you just the right "edge of your seat" pace and shivery mood.

So for this Halloween, invite some people over, get that popcorn popping, douse the lights and delight in the fun of spectral mystery and suspense.

NOTE: I don't recommend any of these movies for young children. They are probably okay for mature teens but as with all movies I suggest parents preview them before letting minors watch them.

THE INNOCENTS (1961): Directed by Jack Clayton. Screenplay by William Archibald and Truman Capote. From the novel The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Starring Deborah Kerr as Miss Giddens, Martin Stephens as Miles, Pamela Franklin as Flora, Megs Jenkins as Mrs. Grose, Michael Redgrave as The Uncle. What is evil? This is the question that permeates this classic moody ghost story. Miss Giddens, played by the fantastic Deborah Kerr, is a 19th century governess sent to a remote English estate. She soon suspects that the two children she's been hired to care for may be possessed by the ghosts of their old governess and her sadistic lover. But it is purely Miss Giddens imagination or are these specters real? Only you can decide.

THE CHANGELING (1980) Directed by Peter Medak. From a story by Russell Hunter. Screenplay by William Gray & Diana Maddox. Starring George C. Scott as John Russell, Trish Van Devere as Claire Norman, Melvyn Douglas as Senator Joseph Carmichael. George C. Scott stars in this terrifying tale of a restless spirit. After a personal tragedy, John Russell (Scott), a famous composer, moves from New York to Seattle. He rents an old historic mansion and soon discovers that though he lives in the house alone he is, well, NOT alone. Loud banging, doors that open by themselves and the discovery of a hidden attic room set him on a quest to bring peace to the house's awakened spirit. But Russell soon discovers that what this ghost wants is more insidious then just recognition of his tragic end. Spoiler alert: According to story writer Russell Hunter, the events in this movie were based on his experiences in the Henry Treat Rogers Mansion in Denver. If you want to read more about the real life haunted house click here.

THE RING (2002) Directed by Gore Verbinski. From the novel Ringu by Koji Suzuki. Screenplay by Ehren Kruger. Starring Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller, Martin Henderson as Noah Clay, David Dorfman as Aidan Keller, Brian Cox as Richard Morgan. Wonderful directing, editing and acting make The Ring one of the scariest ghost stories produced in recent years. It is a remake of the 1998 Japanese Ringu. Tragedy touches the life of reporter Rachel Keller, played by Naomi Watts, when her teenage niece dies a very mysterious death. Keller soon discovers that three of her niece's friends also died at exactly the same time as her niece. The one link is a very odd, very disturbing videotape that apparently all watched together. As the tape's evil spreads, Keller soon realizes that she, her son and the boy's father are all in danger. She must discover the origins of this tape before it's too late. NOTE: There are some interesting similarities between this film and The Changeling. Be sure to watch them back-to-back.

WHAT LIES BENEATH (2000) Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Story by Clark Gregg. Screenplay by Clark Gregg & Sarah Kernochan. Starring Harrison Ford as Dr. Norman Spencer, Michelle Pfeiffer as Claire Spencer. Ford and Pfeiffer play a seemingly idyllic couple whose lives couldn't be more perfect. But as this story unfolds we soon discover that their paradise is marred by the memory of a terrible event Claire Spencer (Pfeiffer) experienced the previous year. In addition, it seems that their lovely recently renovated lake front house is haunted. But is the ghost Dr. Spencer's father, a murdered neighbor or some other entity? This fog-filled, crisp autumn thriller is a perfect Halloween movie.

THE HAUNTING (1963) Directed by Robert Wise. Screenplay by Nelson Gidding. From the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Starring Julie Harris as Eleanor Lance, Claire Bloom as Theo, Richard Johnson as Dr. John Markway, Russ Tamblyn as Luke Sanderson. I think this is the best ghost film ever made. It scares me. Let me repeat that. This movie scares me. Directed by the phenomenal Robert Wise, this film is a faithful adaptation of the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Jackson was noted for her chilling tales, including the famous short story "The Lottery." A thousand times better than the 1999 remake, this classic black and white creates an atmosphere of ever-present, malicious and greedy evil. Julie Harris plays Eleanor Lance, invited by Dr. Markway to participate in a paranormal experiment at the gloomy and dangerously alive Hill House. Hill House is reputed to be one of the most haunted houses in New England. Remarkable acting by Harris, Bloom, Tamblyn and Johnson along with stinging dialogue and simple yet potent camera work bring the viewer inside a world best left to the night. And the dark. And spirits who walk alone.