Hollywood loves a ghost movie. These are the best ones to watch this Halloween

A g-g-g-ghost!

That — spluttering and all — was the usual reaction to Casper, the Friendly Ghost. Ghosts scare people. Even if, like Casper in the old cartoons, they just want to be your friend.

Ghosts, as a matter of fact, often have more on their minds than just saying "boo!"

Sometimes, as in "Macbeth," "Julius Caesar," and "Hamlet," they come back to scold, warn, prod. Sometimes, as in "A Christmas Carol," they do interventions.

And sometimes — as in "Ghostbusters" — ghosts just wanna have fun.

At Halloween, our annual festival of fear, they'll always have a place of honor — if only because their costume is a gift to the lazy. White sheet, two holes, done. Coincidentally, ghosts are also among the simplest of Hollywood's special effects. Double exposure is as old as film itself.

Maybe that's why ghosts have haunted movie theaters for 120 years — ever since Georges Méliès made "The Apparition" in 1903. And Halloween is a great time to catch up with the best of them. Here are some of our favorites.

Never fear! There are over 100 scary Halloween things to do, read and see in North Jersey

With this caveat: Hollywood's ghosts, like all ghosts, have mixed motives. Not every ghost movie is meant to scare you.

Some movie ghosts are wistful. Or romantic. Or funny. Or even thought provoking.

But others? BEWARRRRRE!!!!!!

'A Ghost Story' (2017)

There are sad ghosts, just like there are sad clowns. Casey Affleck, for instance — killed in a crash, who comes back to his old home to haunt his grieving wife, Rooney Mara. Ludicrously, wistfully, he looks exactly like a trick-or-treat ghost — the sheet with two eyes. This minimalist meditation on time, grief and memory, from writer-director David Lowery, is slow, unsettling. Haunting, in a word. Vudu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google, Apple.

'The Others' (2001)

The other whats? Not humans, for sure, in this moody tale of a woman (Nicole Kidman), her photo-sensitive children, and her servants, in an isolated house in the Channel Islands where — it turns out — they are not quite so alone after all. Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu.

'Sixth Sense' (1999)

"I see dead people." And there's a reason for that, in M. Night Shyamalan's much-discussed thriller featuring a psychologist (Bruce Willis), a disturbed and disturbing child (Haley Joel Osment), and a famous "shock" ending that we won't spoil — though you probably know it already. Peacock, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Prime.

'Ghost' (1990)

The ghost: Patrick Swayze. The widow: Demi Moore. The medium: Whoopi Goldberg. The revelation: pottery. Who knew it was sexy? This iconic '90s film may or may not be a classic of supernatural love. But it's certainly Hollywood's greatest advertisement for ceramics class. Max, Roku, Spectrum TV, Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Redbox.

'Beetlejuice' (1988)

Leave it to Tim Burton to tell a ghost story from the ghost's point of view. In this case, about a ghostly couple (Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis) who hire an ectoplasmic exterminator (Michael Keaton) to rid their house of its human pests. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! There, we've said it. Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV.

'Ghostbusters' (1984)

Who could resist Slimer, Zuul, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? Apparently only Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd — which is why they had to be called in in the first place. This monster hit earned a place in comedy history, but — heretical opinion — we prefer "Ghostbusters II" (1989), with its demonic spirit Vigo (Norbert Grupe), a sort of ectoplasmic Vlad the Impaler, and his nutty enabler Dr Janosz Poha (Peter MacNicol, borrowing the Polish accent of his "Sophie's Choice" co-star, Meryl Streep) who warns the heroes that to Vigo "you are like the buzzing of flies!" USA Network, OXYGEN, SYFY, Bravo, E!, Prime Video, ROW8, Apple TV, Vudu.

'Poltergeist' (1982)

This Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg shocker goes a bit over the top in the last act. But the early scenes, involving a nice suburban daddy (Craig T. Nelson), his nice normal family, and his sweet little daughter (Heather O'Rourke), who gets sucked into the TV set, are notably creepy, and Zelda Rubenstein is unforgettable as the medium with the happy message: "All are welcome in the light!" Max, Philo, Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu or Redbox, or on TCM 12:30 a.m. Oct. 18.

'The Shining' (1980)

Just because you're dead, doesn't mean you don't have to earn a living. In "The Shining," Stanley Kubrick's epic rendering of the Stephen King novel, the ghosts include butler Grady (Philip Stone) and bartender Lloyd (Joe Turkel), who do their best to make homicidal Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) comfortable as he plots to murder his wife and child in an empty, snowbound hotel. Kubrick brought a new twist to ghost movies: all the scary stuff happens in broad daylight. Which makes it worse. Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and Vudu.

'The Fog' (1980)

"It's not the fog. It's what's in the fog!" Carcinogens? No — it's the ghosts of an evil ship's crew lurking within the creepy mist that blankets Point Reyes, California. John Carpenter's flashlight-in-the-face ghost yarn, starring the inevitable Adrienne Barbeau and Jamie Lee Curtis, is good spooky fun. Prime Video, Apple TV or Vudu.

'The Haunting' (1963)

Even ghosts gotta live somewhere. Hence, the Haunted House — one of Hollywood's favorite pieces of real estate. This one is especially nasty, with its middle-of-the-night pounding, cold spots, and a memorably unstable spiral staircase. Naturally, the 1999 remake (both are based on Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House") upped the shocks — and naturally, no one talks about it. Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, or on TCM 1:30 a.m. Oct. 21.

'Carnival of Souls' (1962)

This unique low-budget chiller, featuring a haunted amusement pier, has a twist that out-Shyamalans M. Night Shyamalan. Recommended. Amazon Video, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Apple TV.

'The Innocents' (1961)

Two sweet children. A spunky governess. But this isn't "The Sound of Music." Because these kids are haunted by evil spirits. Or else the governess is losing her mind. And either way, this gorgeously photographed, subtly spooky rendering of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" is probably the best ghost movie ever made. Deborah Kerr's performance is a tour de force. Netflix, Amazon, Vudu.

'The Ghost and Mrs. Muir' (1947)

Is a ghost your ideal mate? eHarmony might not think so. But Hollywood has occasionally thought otherwise. The best of all the otherworldly love stories is probably this one — about an independent-minded widow (Gene Tierney) circa 1900, who is romanced by the ghost of a cranky sea captain (Rex Harrison). It sounds trite — but the movie has a depth and melancholy that is hard to forget. A lot of it has to do with the seaside setting, and Bernard Herrmann's exquisite music. Prime Video, Apple TV or Vudu or TCM 8 p.m. Oct. 20.

'Dead of Night' (1945)

This omnibus film of the uncanny — a sort of dry run for "The Twilight Zone" — includes several ghost stories. Best of all is the convalescing patient, and the ghostly hearse driver who calls up to him: "Just room for one inside sir!" Guess who, a week later, is driving the bus to take him home from the hospital. iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu.

'The Uninvited' (1944)

It sounds like a problem for Miss Manners. But it's actually a problem for Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey, whose lovely seaside house on the Cornwall coast is plagued by ghostly sobbing, inexplicable cold drafts, and the scent of Mimosa that was associated with the murderess who lived there years before. Hollywood's first attempt at a "serious" ghost movie — though mild by today's standards — still holds up pretty well. TCM 11:45 p.m. Oct. 20.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Best ghost movies for Halloween: Here are our recommendations