horror movies about ghosts are as classic as seasonal Halloween scares, and some of them are even scary enough to deserve an R rating. Despite their ubiquity as horror movie villains, ghosts rarely cross PG-13 boundaries, counting more with tension, blood and mysterious scenes than pure gore, as is the case in many other horror genres such as slasher films. However, a select few are able to push the limits of spectral scares enough to be considered true R-rated horror films, suitable only for the scariest of audiences.
Ghost movies can achieve an R rating through a few different means. Sometimes the subject matter or circumstances surrounding a specter’s death can be drastic or macabre enough to warrant an R rating on its own. In other cases, the best ghost films are simply so frightening in their depiction of ghosts that they demand classification for pure horror.
10
We are still here
2015
Critically acclaimed at the time of its release but woefully underrated almost ten years later We are still here is a great example of how to make an R-rated horror film work. The film centers on a young couple who are in mourning after their son dies in a tragic car accident. Moving to an isolated residence in New England to help ease the grieving process, the apparent presence of her son’s ghost in the house soon gives way to an ancient, unknowable evil associated with the place.
We are still here takes advantage of some powerful performances to inflict terror and sadness on the viewer, making it one of the best horror films of the 2010s. But where the film really earns an R rating is in the shocking gore, with some of the most intense violence inflicted on living mortals. by ghosts already shown on the screen. As exaggerated and exaggerated as it may be, We are still here makes the most of an R rating with visceral fear.
9
Shake of echoes
1999
A mystery thriller and a supernatural horror film all in one package, Echo Shake is a macabre hidden gem in Kevin Bacon’s lauded film career. Bacon stars as a factory worker who begins having vivid visions of violence after agreeing to be hypnotized by his sister-in-law. These haunting premonitions soon betray a connection to the disappearance of a disabled teenager and her own son’s supernatural powers of perception.
In 1999, Echo Shake was sadly lost in the shuffle of other horror icons like The mummy and The Blair Witch Project. This is a real shame, considering how well Bacon does in the role, conveying the dizzying barrage of supernatural intrigue as a relatable everyman. Some of its visions also make painful use of the otherwise underrated R rating, especially in the infamous tooth extraction scene.
8
Crimson Peak
2015
An underrated entry in horror visionary Guillermo del Toro’s filmography, Crimson Peak is an atmospheric ghost tale equaled by few peers. A period drama set in the early 20th century, the story centers around the titular mansion, a rotting English fortress built on blood-red soil that causes everyone who steps on it to leave red trails in their wake. When a young American comes to live in the mansion after marrying its owner, her new sister-in-law’s icy reception soon turns into a macabre conspiracy.
Crimson Peak is more of a gothic romance melodrama than a traditional horror film, with the ghosts serving as connective tissue to a twisty story rather than the main theme. But make no mistake, the film is full of bone-chilling scares that take full advantage of the R rating, with stylized violence, intense sexual imagery, and gallons upon gallons of fake blood. The end result is an intriguing and twisted narrative that clearly takes cues from the likes of Hitchcock. Rebecca.
7
13 Ghosts
2001
Even though 13 Ghosts It’s not the most technically proficient narrative, but it carries undeniable weight as one of the scariest ghost films ever conceived. The film revolves around a team of ghost hunters tasked with investigating a dangerous mansion to capture the terrifying specter known as the Juggernaut. The group soon discovers that the mansion is haunted by dozens of macabre specters, each more terrifying than the last. To stop them permanently, team leader Arthur will have to sacrifice himself, becoming the 13th ghost.
Tradition and the construction of the world of 13 Ghosts It may be all over the place, but that doesn’t stop the R-rated film from having some fun scares. Each of the ghosts has their own terrifying form of body horror in their bloody spectral appearances, all conveying the terrible cause of their death. Pepper in a great performance by Matthew Lillard from Scream and Scooby-Doo fame as a seer, and 13 Ghosts it’s worth a fun Halloween night despite its flaws.
6
Talk to me
2022
A brilliant horror film from Australia, Talk to me is another exploration of grief through the literal means of horrific encounters beyond the veil. From the perspective of 17-year-old Mia, still mourning the recent loss of her mother, a paranormal object is discovered in the possession of her new group of friends – a severed hand that allows whoever holds it to become a spokesperson for spirits. . The problem? After 90 seconds, the possessions become more and more intense, and Mia soon becomes crazy about the opportunity to see her mother again.
In a way, Talk to me is strangely realistic about its supernatural phenomena, quickly becoming a party trick rather than a groundbreaking threat. However, the intensity increases as victims of hand possession exceeding the 90-second mark violently attempt to kill themselves, creating a rather harrowing climax that more than deserves the film’s R rating. Tense, funny and genuinely tender at times, Talk to me is a great movie to listen to, a suitably scary, R-rated horror film to celebrate the Halloween season.
5
The Mutant
1980
A horror film from Canada’s Great White North, The Mutant is a scary film that kicked off 80s supernatural horror with a bang. The narrative follows a successful songwriter who moves from New York to a mansion in Seattle after the sudden death of his wife and daughter in a car accident. Soon, the new house quickly reveals itself to be haunted, apparently by the spirit of a sickly young heir who was murdered by his father in an attempt to secure his inheritance.
The dark quality of The Mutant and the tragedy in which its narrative is steeped makes for an atmospheric horror film. In truth, The Mutant is far from the most intense ghost story, mostly earning an R rating for the uncomfortable subject of an innocent child being cruelly killed by his own father for pure financial motivations. That said, the culmination of all of the story’s poignant elements is a challenging journey worth undertaking in the shadow of this spooky time of year.
4
Ju-On: The Grudge
2002
One of the most brilliant horror films ever released in Japan, Ju-On: The Grudge inspired a series of The grudge movies, and for good reason. Told in a non-linear narrative, the film slowly weaves the story of a vengeful family curse that spreads from person to person, infecting new families with pale apparitions of the dead, one at a time. The latest victim is social worker Rika, who must once and for all exorcise the spirits now attached to her or be consumed by her hatred.
The winding non-chronological narrative of Ju-On: The Grudge creates a mysterious story that transcends time and space, breaking the boundaries of typical haunted house stories. Tension is constantly high between the jumpscares and the tortuously creepy scenes of ghosts taking revenge on the living, haunting them beforehand with beats like the infamous staircase scene. Rated R for pure horror only, rather than cheap gore or taboo subject matter, Ju-On: The Grudge is a classic ghost film with one of the most intensely depressing endings ever conceived.
3
The fog
1980
A criminally forgotten John Carpenter film from The thing and Halloween fame, The fog was one of the first films to make ghost stories genuinely threatening. The film revolves around the nautical ghosts of a sunken ship that return from its watery graves to terrorize the residents of a coastal town by descending into the otherworldly fog. The ship’s sinking is soon revealed to have been no accident, giving the ghostly crew a justified target for their revenge.
Like many of Carpenter’s films, The fog it was underrated by contemporary critics, only to gain a dedicated cult following in the modern day. In fact, its R rating is probably the product of 1980s conservatism, not featuring anything especially gory by today’s standards. This does not mean that The fog it’s not scary, however, as Carpenter manages to stretch a meager budget far beyond the frozen sea horizon.
2
The Orphanage
2007
A tortuously scary horror film in Spanish, The Orphanage It’s an award-winning chiller that makes great use of its ghosts. The story concerns a young girl who takes it upon herself to buy and restore the orphanage where she grew up, hoping to turn her happy memories into reality. When her son suddenly disappears during renovations, she becomes increasingly desperate, eventually turning to the orphanage’s ghost children to lead her investigations.
In truth, The Orphanage it probably earns its R rating only for a single scene, in which a woman is violently run over by a bus, with no explicit gore avoided. But beyond this particularly grueling scene, The Orphanage is an atmospheric and psychologically challenging film that lives up to its lofty reputation. The bittersweet ending is the perfect cherry on top of a wonderfully cinematic ghost story.
1
Lake Mungo
2008
The best ghost stories are always rooted in tragedy, as the Australian image proves Lake Mungo. Part supernatural drama and part psychological thriller, the narrative follows a family’s grief after the tragic drowning of their daughter, Alice, in the titular body of water. When Alice’s spirit appears to haunt the grieving process, the family delves deep into her personal life, making some shocking discoveries.
Lake MungoThe R rating revolves around the horrific bloated corpse of Alice’s spectral appearance, which has horrific effects at several points. Her sexual promiscuity is also preserved by classification, adding to the teenager’s complicated inner life that her parents were unaware of before her death. Tragic, intriguing and relentlessly terrifying, Lake Mungo is an excellent horror movie about ghosts to catch as Halloween approaches.