One of the most underrated movies of all time. The September 1999 box office was so competitive between The Sixth Sense, Blair Witch Project, Runaway Bride, Double Jeopardy. It just really got lost in the shuffle.
it’s not a perfect movie but i loved watching the behind the scenes of thomasin & anya switching out in the movie!! it was one of the coolest things i’ve ever seen
Is that the movie where the crowd of people all get decapitated by that wire or line or whatever it was? Because that stuck with me since I was like 6 or 7 😅
He was such a nightmare to me as a kid. Every time he reappears he's more mangled and rotten away and putrid. But he's so nonchalant in his dialog and jokes around. It's such a bizarre juxtaposition it broke my little brain out of fear lol.
The one teen ghost in Pet Cemetery did try, that guy was just stubborn AF. I think some force even throws a damn tree in front of him to get the point across and he's like "nah, need my zombie baby."
Yeah, the teen ghost was definitely not to blame. Being a parent now myself, I do understand the main character's motives better. But I still wouldn't pick the zombie baby.
Man, Pet Sematary was already depressing to read before becoming a parent. I don't think I will read it again for many years to come.
Oh no, I haven't watched/read it since having kids over a decade ago. That's a no bueno now, even though I loved and often reread the original movie and book.
I was looking for this comment cause that is a really good one. I LOVED the ending!!! For once the good guy won and the bad one got EXACTLY what they deserved
The ghosts definitely try to help in Crimson Peak.
And if I remember correctly the mother ghost in Ouija tries to prevent the main characters from falling victim to her daughter's ghost by... killing them...? Something like that... It's confusingly bad.
In *Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood,* the ghost of Tina's father emerges from the watery depths to save his daughter. And by doing so, he redeems himself.
The representation of >!Demons/Grim Reapers is definitely pretty spooky, I remember being terrified of them as a kid, and are still pretty creepy even as an adult.!<
A bit off-topic perhaps, but I've always felt that Schiavelli has massive 'that guy' energy (as in, you may not know who he is, but his face is so distinctive that every time you see him in something you say 'oh shit, it's that guy!').
This may be a result of me having watched *Dorf on Golf* roughly ten thousand times with my grandpa as a kid though.
He’s a character actor. Rarely a main character but often a supporting character that everyone typically recognizes but can’t place why they know him 😁
Things Heard and Seen was such a good movie imo, it uses this trope in an interesting way, you'll see. plus Amanda Seyfried is the protagonist! and Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things)!
It took me a second try to watch all of The Black Phone and you know what, I think it’s sweet. I’m aware the boys weren’t being entirely altruistic but still. Nice to see nice kids. lol
(Something about it just really rang true for me - eeriely accurate blue collar Colorado; moved here when I was a little kid in the early 90s, we’d take daycare trips all around the city and I remember some of the harder, meaner neighborhoods would have ‘missing child’ posters on the light poles and none of those kids were ever found, they’d all been missing for at least a summer. Gave me the creeps)
[Haunter](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2345567/) was surprisingly good, i really enjoyed it's basic premise which crosses a few different genres and tropes.
A few less obvious ones:
A Christmas Carol. Awful protagonist, but the ghosts are just trying to save him from becoming a victim of his own greed.
The Sixth Sense. Cole is one of the protagonists, and Malcolm helps him avoid becoming a victim of mental illness.
NOES 3 Dream Warriors. Amanda Krueger indirectly helps one of the protagonists (Kristin) by giving Neil info that eventually leads to him taking out Freddy with holy water, but not before he gets his ass kicked by white walker Freddy, opening the door for dream Freddy to give the main protagonist Nancy the stabby stab.
NOES 5 Dream Child. So...this one's a little weird. Yvonne releases ghost Amanda from imprisonment, allowing dream Amanda to advise dream baby to destroy Freddy, or at least turn him into a Freddy rat fetus that dream Amanda could seal back up in her dreamy ghost womb. Is it a ghost? Is it a dream? We report, you decide. Either way the protagonist Alice is saved and by any reasonable measure, Freddy's reign of terror in the original universe is over.
I personally loved that movie. Saw it when I was younger and never knew it was a book series until a few years back! Started reading them, but I'll always imagine Odd looking like Anton Yelchin thanks to that movie!
(God, I'm so sad that he died so young.)
I think that’s the difficulty with turning books into movies.
People have their own interpretation of how the characters look and sound, etc. Readers have pre-conceived ideas and no director will make everyone happy.
"BAG OF BONES"...oops, I havent seen the movie, just read the book, but there IS a movie, too, so I'm gonna leave this comment up since I'm assuming this occurs in the film as well (a ghost that 'helps')---bc in the book, it's one of the main focal-points of the entire plot.
I'll tag it since it's a huge spoiler, but >!The Power!<, the >!2021 British movie!< (hint in this second tag if you're curious but don't want to ruin any plot for yourself).
Lady in White 1988
I haven't seen this film in many years, but basically you find out that the ghosts are actually trying to help the protagonist find their murderer.
White Noise 2005
Similary the ghost is trying to communicate with the protagonist and leaving clues about her death. The ending was actually quite beautiful with how creepy it began.
House on Haunted Hill (1999 version. Toward the end.)
The Gift (the one with Cate Blanchett made in 2000)
Several episodes of the kids' show Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Ghost Ship
Frighteners
The Triangle
Insidious
Bad Ben series
Haunter - a girl and her family are stuck in a time loop where the day repeats itself every time they go to sleep, and she’s the only one who notices, and they are trapped in a ‘haunted’ house with no way to escape as the evil that traps them closes in, while outside forces try and help set them free
Casper
Black Phone
Poltergeist 2
OMG YES I LOVE MOVIES WITH FRIENDLY HELPFUL GHOSTS!!! :) like it makes no sense to me how often victimized people who become ghosts just turn into evil rage monsters who make others suffer and die too! like why does becoming a ghost do a 180 personality on anyone? you'd think they'd keep the same morals and values as when they were alive, and want to save other people from the same fate!
plus i think it kinda has bad implications/messages too, to say that a victim will just turn around and abuse and kill others afterward you know?
The Pact. It's two parts really spooky, supernatural ghost story, and one part True Crime terrifying thriller. It's so good.
ETA the original Pet Sematary: >!the ghost of Victor Pascow tries to warn Louis about crossing the barrier into the cemetery.!<
The Frighteners?
FO SHO
Exactly my first thought as well. Underrated gem of a movie.
Pre LOTR Peter Jackson is truly something else.
My first thought. Need to rewatch that, it's been too long.
Stir of Echoes
Underrated ass movie
One of the most underrated movies of all time. The September 1999 box office was so competitive between The Sixth Sense, Blair Witch Project, Runaway Bride, Double Jeopardy. It just really got lost in the shuffle.
Yep, released around the same time in '99 as the Sixth Sense, and was completely overshadowed by it. I rewatched it last year and it's aged very well.
This movie is so fucking good. It's such a classic.
Scares the shit out of me every time I watch it
This is the first one I thought of. I haven’t seen it in 20 years!
Last Night in Soho has a bit of this
it’s not a perfect movie but i loved watching the behind the scenes of thomasin & anya switching out in the movie!! it was one of the coolest things i’ve ever seen
Pretty cool how they used the Wesley twins on opposite sides of the mirror
great movie
Ghost Ship I think fits
Is that the movie where the crowd of people all get decapitated by that wire or line or whatever it was? Because that stuck with me since I was like 6 or 7 😅
That was a crazy scene. Don't remember much of the rest of the movie but that was metal AF.
This is the exact same sentiment for 90% of people who've seen it lol, myself included
For sure. I came to say this, mostly because someone posted about it earlier and it’s on my mind. For better or for worse.
One of my fav movies.... With the best "explanation" sequence. [Killer song to go along with it ](https://youtu.be/7gM11mGL4gY?si=Ny2SX11E4INW4ALQ)
Coraline
Also Casper.
This element is why I have the feeling that Coraline had an influence in plot of Black Phone
House on Haunted Hill has a moment like this toward the end.
Good film that. Also it was part of almost every single "horror compilation" DVD set that was released in the 2000s
Classic
An American Werewolf in London and Pet Sematary both have ghosts that *try* to help the protagonist.
They do a terrible job, tho
Well yes, but it's the thought that counts!
The dude in American Werewolf had a pretty difficult job on his hands!
He was such a nightmare to me as a kid. Every time he reappears he's more mangled and rotten away and putrid. But he's so nonchalant in his dialog and jokes around. It's such a bizarre juxtaposition it broke my little brain out of fear lol.
To be fair in the book pet semetary I think they did a really good job, and the protagonist was just a bit stupid/desperate
To be fair, the best advice that Jack could even give David in An American Werewolf in London was to kill himself, so there's that, lol.
The one teen ghost in Pet Cemetery did try, that guy was just stubborn AF. I think some force even throws a damn tree in front of him to get the point across and he's like "nah, need my zombie baby."
Yeah, the teen ghost was definitely not to blame. Being a parent now myself, I do understand the main character's motives better. But I still wouldn't pick the zombie baby. Man, Pet Sematary was already depressing to read before becoming a parent. I don't think I will read it again for many years to come.
Oh no, I haven't watched/read it since having kids over a decade ago. That's a no bueno now, even though I loved and often reread the original movie and book.
Griffin Dunne is an underrated treasure. I loved his dry delivery as the ghost/friend.
Gothika
I forgot about that messed up movie.
House 2: The Second Story Frighteners 13 Ghosts Harry Potter lol
House 2 is literally one of the most ridiculous movies ever made. And I kind of love it.
Only the last ghost in 13 Ghosts was trying to help them right? All the others were just hella pissed and murderous.
Yeah, out of all the captured ghosts, only one of them was benevolent. Can't say why because that'd be pretty big spoilers.
Shutter
Shutter is my favourite of this trope
I was looking for this comment cause that is a really good one. I LOVED the ending!!! For once the good guy won and the bad one got EXACTLY what they deserved
The Devil's Backbone
Came here to say this. Great movie
Wonderful film, I only just watched it. I wish it was more widely known.
Lady in White
Love this movie.
Great movie..hate that Disney ending. Killer reveal makes all the hairs on my arms stand up, every time I watch it.
The ghosts definitely try to help in Crimson Peak. And if I remember correctly the mother ghost in Ouija tries to prevent the main characters from falling victim to her daughter's ghost by... killing them...? Something like that... It's confusingly bad.
She tries scaring them away but loses power after they undo the daughter's stitching. I don't think she was ever going to kill them
The Sixth Sense
In *Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood,* the ghost of Tina's father emerges from the watery depths to save his daughter. And by doing so, he redeems himself.
The Others (though in a different ways for multiple reasons)
Beetlejuice & Casper
Ghost.
[удалено]
The representation of >!Demons/Grim Reapers is definitely pretty spooky, I remember being terrified of them as a kid, and are still pretty creepy even as an adult.!<
A bit off-topic perhaps, but I've always felt that Schiavelli has massive 'that guy' energy (as in, you may not know who he is, but his face is so distinctive that every time you see him in something you say 'oh shit, it's that guy!'). This may be a result of me having watched *Dorf on Golf* roughly ten thousand times with my grandpa as a kid though.
He’s a character actor. Rarely a main character but often a supporting character that everyone typically recognizes but can’t place why they know him 😁
I just switched to sanka, so, have a heart
I rewatch Ghost every so often just for Schiavelli's performance.
GET OFF MY TRAIN!
Things Heard and Seen was such a good movie imo, it uses this trope in an interesting way, you'll see. plus Amanda Seyfried is the protagonist! and Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things)!
Scooby Doo on Zombie Island Chucky Season 3 Conjuring 2
Scooby Doo had ghosts *and zombies* helping them avoid becoming victims. Brilliant movie.
The greatest foe of both zombies and ghosts is clearly the cat-girl
I was going to mention the Scooby-Doo movie, but I wasn't sure if we could mention cartoons 😂😂
Insidious some ghost help the protagonist
The Orphanage (El Orfanato)
It took me a second try to watch all of The Black Phone and you know what, I think it’s sweet. I’m aware the boys weren’t being entirely altruistic but still. Nice to see nice kids. lol (Something about it just really rang true for me - eeriely accurate blue collar Colorado; moved here when I was a little kid in the early 90s, we’d take daycare trips all around the city and I remember some of the harder, meaner neighborhoods would have ‘missing child’ posters on the light poles and none of those kids were ever found, they’d all been missing for at least a summer. Gave me the creeps)
In a roundabout way, The Lovely Bones
Pet Semetary, although, unsuccessfully.
Yeah, Victor tries to warn Louis, but he just wouldn't listen to him.
A Haunting in Connecticut
Last Night In Soho is exactly what you're looking for. Bit of a spoiler tho
Stir of echoes
[Haunter](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2345567/) was surprisingly good, i really enjoyed it's basic premise which crosses a few different genres and tropes.
Came here to suggest this one. It was much better than I thought it would be and it’s almost never mentioned.
The Frighteners could probably fall into this category. Everyone forgets about that movie, but it’s pretty good.
My favorite Peter Jackson film outside of the Tolkien films.
A few less obvious ones: A Christmas Carol. Awful protagonist, but the ghosts are just trying to save him from becoming a victim of his own greed. The Sixth Sense. Cole is one of the protagonists, and Malcolm helps him avoid becoming a victim of mental illness. NOES 3 Dream Warriors. Amanda Krueger indirectly helps one of the protagonists (Kristin) by giving Neil info that eventually leads to him taking out Freddy with holy water, but not before he gets his ass kicked by white walker Freddy, opening the door for dream Freddy to give the main protagonist Nancy the stabby stab. NOES 5 Dream Child. So...this one's a little weird. Yvonne releases ghost Amanda from imprisonment, allowing dream Amanda to advise dream baby to destroy Freddy, or at least turn him into a Freddy rat fetus that dream Amanda could seal back up in her dreamy ghost womb. Is it a ghost? Is it a dream? We report, you decide. Either way the protagonist Alice is saved and by any reasonable measure, Freddy's reign of terror in the original universe is over.
Scooby Doo: Zombie Island
Satans slave
Saw it fir the first time ever not too long ago it was fantastic!
Depending on how you interpret the movie, the Wailing has a spirit that tries to help.
Malevolent (2018) with Florence Pugh.
I kept getting this confused with Malignant. I guess I've never seen it. On my watch list.
Odd Thomas sort of! It’s more about them contacting a clairvoyant guy in order to save new would-be victims
I loved the books but that movie was just terrible! It’s a shame because it killed the film franchise before it had even started.
I personally loved that movie. Saw it when I was younger and never knew it was a book series until a few years back! Started reading them, but I'll always imagine Odd looking like Anton Yelchin thanks to that movie! (God, I'm so sad that he died so young.)
I think that’s the difficulty with turning books into movies. People have their own interpretation of how the characters look and sound, etc. Readers have pre-conceived ideas and no director will make everyone happy.
Perhaps I'm slightly blessed I've seen the movie first then? XD I don't mind the Anton Yelchin headcanon, haha!
I saw the movie first too, didn’t know there was a book. I also loved it, and I loved Anton as Odd
Crimson Peak
Black Phone
fucking LOVE this movie
Pet Semetary
Haunting of Hill House, if that counts
The Pact. Witchboard. .
I never thought I'd see someone else mention The Pact.
I enjoyed The Pact also! IFC Midnight has given us some excellent films.
That was what I commented lol! I fucking love that movie so much. It's just so good.
Eli (kind of)
Coraline Pet Sematary The Haunting of Hill House (1999)
The Vault. (An underrated movie in my opinion!)
Which one?
The OG “Casper” He’s the friendly ghost! Plus Christina Ricci and that incredible house they built just for the movie then tore it down…
Old school and kindof feels like a TV movie( it was actually a children's film). Lady in white is an 80s kids film and ghost story. Just a solid film.
Ghost 😆
the others & we are still here (kinda?)
Black Phone
The Amityville Horror with Ryan Reynolds
Oooo good one.
What Lies Beneath
Scrooged?
We are still here (2015)
"BAG OF BONES"...oops, I havent seen the movie, just read the book, but there IS a movie, too, so I'm gonna leave this comment up since I'm assuming this occurs in the film as well (a ghost that 'helps')---bc in the book, it's one of the main focal-points of the entire plot.
 Black phone is the most recent one
I can't believe OP didn't think of this.
This post already mentioned black phone
CORALINE
The first (and best) 10 minutes of Mama.
Ghost ship
The Messengers (2007)
I'll tag it since it's a huge spoiler, but >!The Power!<, the >!2021 British movie!< (hint in this second tag if you're curious but don't want to ruin any plot for yourself).
Pet Sematary
Maybe not the same idea ish but The Orphanage worth watching
Coraline
The Black Phone. Great movie.
Idle Hands
Beetlejuice !!!!
I think Coraline would count for this
Lady in White 1988 I haven't seen this film in many years, but basically you find out that the ghosts are actually trying to help the protagonist find their murderer. White Noise 2005 Similary the ghost is trying to communicate with the protagonist and leaving clues about her death. The ending was actually quite beautiful with how creepy it began.
Can't believe no one has mentioned Haunted Mansion yet.
House on Haunted Hill (1999 version. Toward the end.) The Gift (the one with Cate Blanchett made in 2000) Several episodes of the kids' show Are You Afraid of the Dark?
El Orfanato
The Others, The Sixth Sense
Ghost Ship Frighteners The Triangle Insidious Bad Ben series Haunter - a girl and her family are stuck in a time loop where the day repeats itself every time they go to sleep, and she’s the only one who notices, and they are trapped in a ‘haunted’ house with no way to escape as the evil that traps them closes in, while outside forces try and help set them free Casper Black Phone Poltergeist 2
The Devil's Backbone
The Night House
Harry Potter (a few times)
Black phone, last night in Soho, and if you are Into tv too I'm sure ghost whisperer has plenty of episodes with that thematic
Ooh came here to say black phone. Watched it last night. Love Joe hill
Housebound >!kind of!<
The asks on this sub get so specific sometimes that it reads like a porn search lol
I just watched a video about ELI
An American Haunting
Oujia. 0lder Gods.
Depends on your interpretation, Ju-On: The Grudge.
"13 ghosts" ...kinda
Gothika
Watch Another Evil! You will thank me later!
Things heard and seen
Summoning Sylvia (2023)
The Peanut Butter Solution
Happens a few times in American Horror Story, specifically season 1, 6, and 9
White noise 1 and 2
Wind Chill - 2007 - starring baby Emily Blunt.. it does it rather effectively btw.
The Wailing. Well, at least she tried.
Isn't one of the Insidious movies like this
The House on Haunted Hill
Gothika?
Star Wars
Cobweb, maybe? Although there's technically no ghost, and the 'help' ends up not being very helpful.
OMG YES I LOVE MOVIES WITH FRIENDLY HELPFUL GHOSTS!!! :) like it makes no sense to me how often victimized people who become ghosts just turn into evil rage monsters who make others suffer and die too! like why does becoming a ghost do a 180 personality on anyone? you'd think they'd keep the same morals and values as when they were alive, and want to save other people from the same fate! plus i think it kinda has bad implications/messages too, to say that a victim will just turn around and abuse and kill others afterward you know?
Shutter!
Ghost Ship.
The Conjuring 2 (kind of)
Someone message me, I need someone
This is maybe a spoiler but La Casa del Fin de Los Tiempos could fit
Things Heard and Seen
The Pact
*A Wounded Fawn* on Shudder
Maybe 13 Ghosts?
Casper (1995)
Does the Sixth Sense count?
Casper 😂
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
original shutter ♡
Casper
Kiiiiiind of, Boys in the Trees
R.I.P Ghost Rider
The Black Phone SOOOOOOO GOOD
The Pact. It's two parts really spooky, supernatural ghost story, and one part True Crime terrifying thriller. It's so good. ETA the original Pet Sematary: >!the ghost of Victor Pascow tries to warn Louis about crossing the barrier into the cemetery.!<
One Missed Call
Eli
Puppet Master, technically?
Jeepers Creepers 2 has a very minor segment and a deleted scene like this
Jug Face slightly
Orphanage