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Den of Geek

25 Awesome Spooky Movies

With Halloween upon us, we picked 25 appropriately spooky movies...

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Sick of Halloween films about axe-wielding maniacs and razorblade candy? Weary of vampires, werewolves and the odd zombie apocalypse? Sometimes we just need to get back to basics: A dark and stormy evening, a creaky old house, and things that go bump in the night.

It’s said that the veil between the worlds of the dead and the living is at its thinnest around Halloween, so how better to celebrate than to turn the lights off, ignore the trick or treaters and enjoy one of these awesomely spooky movies?

25. The Awakening (2011)

This BBC film is set in the 1920s and is an amalgam of several ghost stories (lifting certain scenes almost verbatim from  Haunted ). However, what it lacks in originality it makes up for in elegance; it’s worth a mention for its stunning cinematography alone. It also features a high quality cast, with Imelda Staunton as a school housekeeper, Dominic West as a teacher with guilty secrets, and Rebecca Hall as Florence, a cynical “ghost hunter” out to debunk all this supernatural nonsense. They are investigating the odd circumstances surrounding the death of a schoolboy, and Florence is certain there will be a rational explanation. Guess who’s going to get her faith in science shattered? Extra points for a cheekily ambiguous ending.

Watch The Awakening on Amazon Prime

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24. The Gift (2000)

Directed by Sam Raimi , this film is unusual in that it boasts an all-star ensemble cast, including Keanu Reeves as a (convincing!) bad guy, Hilary Swank as trailer trash, and a pre-Cruise Katie Holmes as Jessica, the good time girl whose future involves the bottom of a lake. That’s what local psychic Annie Wilson ( Cate Blanchett ) sees when she looks at her, but how can you tell someone that they certainly will not live “happily ever after”? And how do you stop ghosts from dripping pond weed all over your carpet?

further reading: 81 Genuinely Creepy Horror Movies

Written partly by Billy Bob Thornton as a fictionalised version of his own mother’s “gift,” this Southern Gothic movie revels in the atmosphere of a slightly claustrophobic small town and the actors use their best hillbilly accents (kind of like a prequel to  True Blood ).

Watch The Gift on Amazon

23. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

Would you believe me if I told you that this was a bit like an Enid Blyton story? (If Enid Blyton wrote about ghosts, and the Spanish civil war, and murder…) Well, there is a secret stash of gold. And there are certainly high jinks in the boys’ dormitory. And the children do have to band together to outsmart the bad guys. See? It’s practically a Famous five book.

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Of course, being directed by Guillermo del Toro , there is more to this story than midnight jaunts and keeping secrets from the grownups. Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is the new arrival at the orphanage; he soon learns that the building is haunted by something the boys call the “one who sighs.” Despite the sunny daytime scenes which could fool channel hoppers into thinking they’ve stumbled upon  Chocolat , this is full of tense moments and some imaginative special effects.

Watch The Devil’s Backbone on Amazon Prime

22. Haunted (1995)

Haunted begins like the cheesiest story ever, but bear with me – it gets better once the childhood flashbacks are over. Aidan Quinn stars as Professor David Ash, who is (of course) sceptical when he’s contacted by “Nanny” – an elderly lady who needs some poltergeist elimination work done. David’s visit is enlivened by the three adult children of the house, who are stripping off for naked frolics in the lake before you can say “So that’s how it is in their family.”

further reading: The Best Haunted House Movies of All Time

David is enchanted with Christina (Kate Beckinsale, who has enough charisma here to carry several movies) but finds her brothers somewhat odd. When they’re not painting nude studies of their sister, they are playing silly practical jokes which could certainly explain the “supernatural” happenings in the house. David uncovers some creepy family secrets in this slow burner of a Brit flick, and Sir John Gielgud makes an appearance as a seemingly helpful doctor.

Buy Haunted on Amazon

21. The Uninvited (1944)

Horror film production was banned in Britain during WWII (maybe it wasn’t considered sufficiently mood-enhancing?) but evidently chillers slipped through the net; this was also one of the first movies to portray supernatural events as genuine.

further reading: Essential Gothic Horror Movies

Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland) and his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) fall in love with a mansion overlooking the sea (after a somewhat unorthodox viewing, climbing in through a window and having a good nose around) and buy it despite the protests of the owner’s granddaughter Stella (Gail Russell). Pamela clearly hasn’t seen any episodes of Phil and Kirstie’s finest, as she proclaims the room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the sea as “the only ugly room in the house.” Funny how flowers wilt so fast in there and the dog won’t go anywhere near it….

Buy The Uninvited on Amazon

20. Dark Water (2002)

Here’s a story we can all relate to: a crappy apartment which has a leaky ceiling, but you’re stuck there because it’s all you can afford. That’s what Yoshimi (Hitomi Kuroki) faces while divorcing the father of her young daughter Ikuko (Rio Kanno). Then there’s the little bag which her daughter keeps finding no matter how many times it gets thrown away… The suspense builds with the ephemeral appearances of the (now classic) creepy little girl ghost.

further reading: The Best Horror Movies on HBO Go

Despite the presence of the fantastic Pete Postlethwaite and John C. Reilly in the 2005 Jennifer Connelly remake, I’d recommend the original. The Hollywood version ruins the climax of the story with a piece of household decor which would never exist in any house anywhere, for the very reasons shown in the film…

Buy Dark Water on Amazon

Latest Movie reviews

The marvels review: this is no cure for superhero fatigue, five nights at freddy’s review: one night is too many, killers of the flower moon review: martin scorsese’s anti-western about american sin, 19. the sixth sense (1999).

Writer and director M. Night Shyamalan had his big break with this movie, causing quite an uproar with the now infamous twist. The question now is, does the wisdom of hindsight suck all the fun out of it? Actually, it stands up to repeat viewings pretty well. There are strong performances from Haley Joel Osment as the little boy who wishes that he didn’t see dead people, Bruce Willis as his psychiatrist, and Toni Colette as his long suffering mother.

further reading: The Best Horror Movies on Hulu

A young Mischa Barton pukes in the most extravagant way I can recall seeing on screen, and there are plenty of great shocks. In retrospect, the twist seems so obvious, but when this was new, it fooled a lot of people. It didn’t fool me, though, because I‘d already had the film ruined for me before I saw it. Thanks, Jack Dee.

Watch The Sixth Sense on Amazon Prime

18. The Changeling (1980)

George C. Scott stars as Dr. John Russell in this classic ghost story, which is a favorite of  The Others  director Alejandro Amenabár. Following the tragic demise of his wife and son, Dr. Russell moves into a rambling Victorian mansion to compose music and pick up the pieces of his life. He’s soon being woken by relentless booming sounds coming from the heating system, precisely at 6 a.m. every day… Then there’s the old “apparition in the self-filling bath” trick (actually, this may be the first time this happened onscreen, but it sure won’t be the last).

further reading: The Changeling and the Importance of Sound in Horror Movies

This is one of those movies which hits up all the clichés: people go into the dark, gloomy attic to search for clues, and to the library to look up old news archives on the microfiche; they visit the graveyard, and finally, hold a séance (which is overwhelmingly creepy). The eerie soundtrack and skilful storytelling result in a film which peels back its mysterious layers slowly for a satisfying finish.

Buy The Changeling on Amazon

17. Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Remember the good old days, when every newly released Tim Burton film wasn’t a bitter disappointment? This is one of his finest, and possibly the best match of subject matter and his gothic style. If you’re looking for a movie which perfectly evokes the atmosphere of a chilly October night, you won’t do much better than the misty, shadowy world of  Sleepy Hollow . Indeed, those working on the production noted that “The feeling one had walking around  Sleepy Hollow ‘s sets was almost as if you were walking around the inside of Burton’s head.” The jack ‘o lanterns look alive, the buildings look like the traditional crooked haunted houses of fairytales and even the trees seem extra twisty.

further reading: 31 Best Streaming Horror Movies

If anyone else had taken the lead role, the film would have been good. With Johnny Depp, it’s brilliant. He appears to have done some research into fictional genealogy and found that Ichabod is directly related to Niles Crane, playing his role with a prissy self consciousness that David Hyde Pierce would be proud of. Christina Ricci is a goth girl’s dream of Katrina Van Tassel, and Miranda Richardson and Christopher Walken just look like they’re having a damn good time.

Watch Sleepy Hollow on Amazon Prime

16. Tale Of Two Sisters (2003)

Don’t you just love films that start out in a mental hospital, with doctors asking the main character “Can you remember what happened?” Su-mi (Im Soo-jung) is soon recalling the odd home life she and her sister Su-yeon (Moon Geun Young) had, adjusting to life after their mother had died and they had gained an unfriendly stepmother.

further reading: The Best Horror Movies on Netflix

The plot is based on traditional Korean fairy tale “Janghwa Hongryeon jeon” (although it bears about as much resemblance to it as  Sleepy Hollow  does to Washington Irving’s short story). Along with beautiful photography, director Jee-woon Kim uses stillness and silence (rather than the usual scary music track) to make the jumps all the more frightening. There is also a healthy dose of good old-fashioned weirdness; some scenes only make sense in the context of later revelations. Along with some truly terrifying moments, the film fools you from the start and you may need a second viewing to really understand what the hell happened. And isn’t that the very best kind of movie?

Watch Tale of Two Sisters on Amazon Prime

15. The Haunting (1963)

Not to be confused with the remake of 1999, this retro gem not only features some classic sequences of spooky happenings, but a philosophical take on the paranormal. As John Markway says, “The preternatural is something we don’t have any natural explanation for right now but probably will have someday – the preternatural of one generation becomes the natural of the next. Scientists once laughed at the idea of magnetic attraction; they couldn’t explain it, so they refused to admit it exists.”

further reading – Movies That Scared Us: The Haunting

Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) is investigating the mysterious Hill House, whose inhabitants often die in odd circumstances. With him he has Luke (Russ Tamblyn), the cynical heir to the home, the psychic Theo (Claire Bloom, way too cool for school) and Julie Harris as Eleanor, who has some ghosts of her own, but figures a free stay in a mansion is as close to a holiday as she’s going to get. Markway is pleased the ladies haven’t done any research into the bad reputation of the house “So much the better. You should be innocent and receptive.” (The old dog.) This is a great, character-driven story with a dry sense of humour, and a mysterious heroine who feels oddly at home with the supernatural.

Watch The Haunting on Amazon Prime

14. The Uninvited (2009)

It’s generally considered a social faux pas to admit to liking a remake more than an original, especially if the original was from South Korea and the remake was one of those dreadful Hollywood productions. All the same, I will confess… I thought The Uninvited was better than   A Tale Of Two Sisters .  While the former was a beautiful, poetic twisted dream of a film, this follows more conventional methods of storytelling and is all the stronger for it (and it will get your heart rate pumping).

further reading: The Best Horror Movies on Amazon Prime

There are some hair-raising moments for Anna after her return from the psychiatric hospital: She has good reason to suspect that her mother’s death was no accident, her dad’s new wife is acting suspiciously and who the hell is that crawling across her bedroom floor? Emily Browning makes a suitably angelic lead, Arielle Kebbel is effective as her smart mouth sister and Elizabeth Banks works well as the potentially wicked stepmother. The nightmarish plot is just different enough to make the film independent from its roots, and the additions create a more intricate and involving storyline. Turns out, not all remakes are bad!

Watch The Uninvited on Amazon Prime

13. Ju-On (2002)

Written and directed by Takashi Shimizu,   Ju-On: The Grudge  teeters precariously on a tightrope above a big pool of ridiculousness, and just about makes it to the other side.

Apparently, getting murdered leaves you feeling a tad irritable, specifically with people who are still alive and live in your former home. Or people who visit that home. Or, dammit, random people who work in the same building with someone who visited the home. Ghosts don’t need valid motivations, ok? Kayako and her son Toshio were killed by her husband Saeki Takeo and since then, the grudge curse has been spreading like a virus.

further reading: The 25 Best Horror Movies You’ve Never Seen

The story is told in a disjointed way, with interlinking stories told separately and with no apparent regard for time and space. Some of the acting (particularly in the first half) is distinctly dodgy.   

As a coherent movie plot which makes sense, it fails somewhat. However, as a series of extremely frightening moments, it works a treat: it features some of the most sudden and imaginative scares I’ve seen on film. Toshio (Yuya Ozeki) is is just a touch too cute to be truly terrifying, although he does pop up in some breathtakingly surprising places. And Takako Fuji makes the scariest descent of a staircase since the famous “spiderwalking” scene cut from   The Exorcist .  Sometimes the simplest things (a weird rattling or an unnaturally bendy body) are the most disturbing.

Watch Ju-On on Amazon

12. The Innocents (1961)

You’ll have shivers down your spine from the first minute of this film, as children softly sing over the blank screen (why are children in films always so frightening?) Deborah Kerr stars in the classic British horror which employs creaks and darkness to much scarier ends than any amount of gore. She is a governess in Victorian England, sent to take care of two apparently sweet little children in a big sprawling house in the middle of nowhere.

further reading: 25 Hidden Horror Movie Gems

It’s one of those houses with lots of weird statues casting eerie shadows, billowing curtains and candles that go out at the oddest times, and it’s not long before she’s seeing faces in the window and hearing the same odd little music box tune wherever she goes. But is there really anything wrong, or is it all in her head?  She’s been told by their father “whatever happens, you must handle it alone. Never, never, bother me,” (what a helpful boss) so she has no choice but to keep quiet about the peculiar events that only she seems to take seriously. Director Jack Clayton creates an incredibly chilling atmosphere and a story which is ambiguous enough to have several interpretations.

Buy The Innocents on Amazon

11. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Found footage has always been a popular gimmick in low-budget filmmaking (not least because you can pretend the shaky camerawork was deliberate). The problem with most of these setups is that the intrepid characters carry on studiously documenting the horror long after any sane person would have chucked the camera and run for the hills. (Really? Gigantic monsters are chasing you and you’re still looking at them through a viewfinder?) Writer and director Oren Peli cleverly sidesteps this by having the characters decide to set up a camera as 24-hour surveillance to document the spooky and possibly demon-based happenings that seems to follow Katie (Katie Featherston) from house to house.

further reading: The Underrated Horror Movies of the 1990s

While most horror films involve scenarios that seem a million miles from your everyday life (unless you have recently murdered a classmate who is now coming to get you) this film actually makes snuggling up in your safe, cosy little bed seem terrifying. Genius.

Watch Paranormal Activity on Amazon Prime

10. Shutter (2004)

Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee) is driving back from a wedding with her boyfriend Tun (Ananda Everingham) when she hits a girl – in a panic, they leave the body lying in the road and try to get on with their lives. They start feeling rattled when Tun’s photography is blighted by misty shadows and they both suffer from the odd hallucination which seems to show that their hit and run victim (Achita Sikamana) isn’t resting in peace.

further reading: The Best Modern Horror Movies

Where would horror films be without photographic dark rooms? Even in the digital age, the dim red light and slowly emerging pictures remain classic tools of terror. Not to mention the room with rows of jars containing pickled animals, and the surprise homage to  Psycho . This story has it all. There are also touches of dark humor throughout (the praying mantis is a recurring motif) and one of the most bone-chilling scenes has a hilarious payoff.

Directors Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom skilfully create real characters and have the ability to communicate some of the most powerful and eloquent moments without dialogue.  The mystery deepens as more sinister evidence comes to light and the climax is truly chilling. This is one which will stay with you long after Halloween.

Buy Shutter on Amazon

9. What Lies Beneath (2000)

Robert Zemeckis directs Michelle Pfieffer and Harrison Ford in this glossy supernatural thriller, with predictably high quality results. Clare and Norman Spencer live the perfect life – especially now their daughter has left for college and they’re enjoying empty nest syndrome. But the neighbors are causing some concern – especially when the wife disappears and Claire believes she is trying to communicate with her from “the other side.”

Zemeckis has admitted that this is his homage to Hitchcock, and true to form, the suspense builds deliciously slowly. When Claire starts seeing faces in the bathtub (where else?) she goes to talk it over with a psychiatrist. A session with a Ouija board proves that somebody is trying to contact Claire, and it’s not long before she’s stealing keepsakes from grieving parents and reading books with chapters helpfully entitled Conjuring the Dead.

The result is a strong movie whether you’re enjoying the ghost story or the “Yuppies in peril in a beautiful house” aspect of it (and it doesn’t hurt that Michelle looks luminously beautiful).

Watch What Lies Beneath on Amazon Prime

8. Ringu (1998)

I didn’t really want to include this entry, as  Ringu  is ostensibly not about ghosts, but about the horror of a cursed videotape (so retro!) which somehow causes the death of anyone who watches it. But by now most people know that is not the end of the story; plus I know I’ll get complaints from all the whiny crybabies if I don’t list it, so here it is. Sadako (Rie Ino’o) is a very scary ghost. You can tell she’s scary because she has really long hair which pretty much covers her whole head, kind of like Cousin It. She’s the one behind the video which seems to scare the life out of everyone, but what’s her story? Journalist Reiko (Nanako Matsushima) has no choice but to investigate, as she’s already watched the tape and now has a mere seven days to live.

Unfortunately, by the time I got round to watching the infamous TV scene in  Ringu , I had already seen the clip numerous times on all of those “Scariest movie moments” compilations, which somewhat ruined the surprise for me. If, however, you were watching the horror unfold for the very first time, I imagine you would have needed a fresh pair of underpants afterwards. But let’s not be precious about this; there isn’t a massive difference between  Ringu  and its American remake, and Naomi Watts is always good value.

Buy Ringu on Amazon

7. Ghostbusters (1984)

If you’re looking for some light relief… who you gonna call? Well, duh. As a stupendous comedy, it’s easy to forget that  Ghostbusters   actually gets pretty creepy at times (no wonder I was never allowed to watch it as a kid).

Not only does it feature slime, a possessed Sigourney Weaver and an unnervingly large marshmallow man, it’s one of those classic ’80s films which made everyone fall in love with New York. (Plus, as we all know, it has the best theme tune ever.)

further reading: The Scariest Episodes of The Real Ghostbusters

Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis are the supernatural pest control of the city, becoming heroes for the way they fearlessly capture the green ghouls that seem to be popping up everywhere. Could this be a sign of worse things to come? Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria? It’s time for the boys to step up to the plate and save us all from the end of the world… all together now, “Let’s show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown…”

Watch Ghostbusters on Amazon Prime

6. Poltergeist (1982)

The Steve and Diane Freeling (Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams) have a picture perfect house, cute kids, and a golden retriever, so I don’t know why they’re so surprised when their furniture starts moving around; they’re prime poltergeist fodder. Interestingly, at the first signs of supernatural activity, Diane is elated and is soon sliding the kids along a magical pathway on the kitchen floor. (Well, wouldn’t you think it was kind of cool if there was ‘something’ benign in your house?) Things aren’t so fun when their kids get sucked into a tree and the TV, respectively.

Robbie is pried from the er, jaws, of the tree but Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) has been lost into the netherworlds, although they can still speak to her through the TV (“This is probably going to seem a little strange. We hear better on this channel….”) In desperation, they bring in some parapsychologists – can anyone get their little girl back?

Tobe Hooper was the official director, but Steven Spielberg wrote and produced (and features heavily in every “behind the scenes” anecdote) so it’s safe to say that he was a strong influence in creating the genuinely frightening and moving film. Poltergeist has inspired many imitations (notably James Wan’s  Insidious ) and remains legendary, not least for its apparent “curse.” (I bet they’re ruing the day they got genuine skeletons to cut costs. What was that about respecting the dead?)

Watch Poltergeist on Amazon Prime

5. The Woman In Black (1989)

Try saying to a movie buff “So, what did you think of  that  scene in  The Woman In Black ? ” and just watch them start trembling. Pauline Moran as the lady of the title led a generation of British teens to wet their pants in unison as she paid Adrian Rawlins a surprise bedtime visit in the BBC movie.

Rookie solicitor Arthur Kidd (Rawlins) is sent to tie up some loose ends on behalf of a recently deceased old lady, and soon finds that the townsfolk look at you oddly when you say you’re going to the Drablow place, but seem strangely reluctant to take you there.

To watch this film is to experience an overwhelming sense of dread on behalf of our protagonist Mr Kidd. He is determined to investigate the past of the mysterious woman whose lost child is still heard crying every night. Even if it means staying in the weird house longer than any sane person would, while the audience screams at him to get out while he can.

For once, the story doesn’t suffer from being updated; James Watkins’ 2012 remake starring Daniel Radcliffe is possibly even more frightening, along with a superior soundtrack and exquisite sets.

Buy The Woman in Black on Amazon

4. The Others (2001)

Every ghost story introduces an element of uncertainty: are these things really happening, or are they in your head? Like  The Innocents ,   The Others  is partly inspired by Henry James’ novella   The Turn Of The Screw .  Grace (Nicole Kidman) has turned being neurotic into a fulltime job; her children apparently suffer from a sensitivity to light, which means the gothic mansion they inhabit must be swathed in thick curtains at all times. This makes things difficult for the new servants, who have turned up in a most mysterious manner… (Incidentally, one of the great pleasures in this movie is the sight of Eric Sykes and Nicole Kidman on the same screen. It’s just delightfully surreal.)

Grace’s daughter has an imaginary playmate called Victor; her insistence that there are “other people” in the house vexes Grace until she begins to hear them, too. A piano playing by itself, shaking chandeliers and some truly traumatic hallucinations add to the panic as Grace questions exactly who she is sharing her home with. The tension builds to almost unbearable heights before a truly haunting ending. An intelligent script with a superb twist, quality acting and an atmospheric set (complete with graveyards, mist and autumn leaves) – what more could you want in a Halloween movie?

Watch The Others on Amazon Prime

3. The Orphanage (2007)

Laura (Belén Rueda) is returning to her childhood orphanage with her husband and son in order to open it as a care home for children with disabilities. She’s busy, but still has time to notice that seven year old Simón (Roger Príncep) has found an imaginary friend, Tomas. He might have a sack over his head, but what’s a little creepy mask between pals?

Simón is adopted, so it’s only a little odd when a social worker shows up without an appointment. It’s slightly more odd that she’s snooping around in the shed at night. During a daytime party, Laura has an encounter of her own with a masked child, and then experiences every parent’s nightmare: Simón is missing. What follows is the story of a mother who takes the search for her son to the limits of her sanity. Geraldine Chaplin makes an appearance as the medium who conducts possibly the most spine-tingling of all onscreen séances, and there are some truly terrifying shocks during Laura’s search for the truth.

Director JA Bayona makes every shot count; the movie is visually beautiful as well as fantastically sinister. By the way, this is a bona fide horror film but the ending might make you cry.

Watch The Orphanage on Amazon Prime

2. Don’t Look Now (1973)

Because every scary movie list should feature something written by Daphne Du Maurier. This film about grieving parents won infamy for a (possibly unsimulated) sex scene which in retrospect is a little embarrassing (armpit biting? Really?).

Donald Sutherland (who ups the creepiness factor of any film merely by being in it) tries in vain to rescue his daughter from drowning in the opening scenes. (These days, a tragedy before the opening credits is standard; back in the ’70s, it was shocking.) In the aftermath of their daughter’s death, John (Sutherland) and his wife Laura (Julie Christie) travel to Venice, where Laura befriends two elderly sisters. One of them is blind, but claims to “see” in other ways – she accurately describes their little girl, down to the “shiny little mac” she wore. John is sceptical, but soon finds himself haunted by that red raincoat, worn by an elusive figure always just out of reach…

There is something in the crispness of the film stock and the natural rhythm of the conversations which makes this film feel oddly documentary-like. Venice is shrouded in mist and shadows, the old ladies would frighten small children through no fault of their own, and the stars are fantastic in their respective roles. If you don’t already know how the movie ends, it’s a stunner.

Watch Don’t Look Now on Amazon Prime

1. The Shining (1980)

The Shining  may well be the ultimate haunted house movie, packed full of memorable moments which will be parodied, imitated and analysed forever. And ever. And ever.

Anyone not familiar with the story? Jack ( Jack Nicholson ) and his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) are going to live in an isolated mountain hotel, so that Jack can work as winter caretaker while he writes his book. 

His employers warn him that a previous caretaker suffered from “cabin fever” – to the extent that he chopped up his family and “stacked them neatly” like kindling. Hmm. That’s a little extreme. It doesn’t bother Jack, though – he’s happy in isolation, so he’s sure his family will just love it too. No adverse effects here. Did I mention the hotel was built on an Indian burial ground?

Writer Stephen King wasn’t too keen on Jack Nicholson in the lead role – he wanted a more ordinary looking guy, so that the descent into madness would come out of left field. The trouble with Nicholson is, he just looks like a bad guy, with his wicked eyebrows and wolfish grin. It’s not hard to imagine him telling Wendy “I’m not gonna hurt you… I’m just gonna bash your brains in,” even without the ghostly ex-caretaker advising him that his family needed “correcting.”

further reading: How The Shining Explores the Immortality of Evil

The whole family is quite the motley crew, with Shelly Duvall appearing like a big weepy china doll, and Danny in the running with the dead twins for the creepiest kid award, what with the croaky voice he employs for Tony, the “little boy who lives in my mouth.”

Visually and conceptually stunning, the story is full of iconic moments (Stanley Kubrick got the river of blood past the censors by convincing them it was “rusty water”). It’s hard to say what’s more nauseating – Nicholson snogging a decomposing old lady or the 1970s decor.

The whole film is wired with dread from the start; the nerve jangling soundtrack makes you believe something scary is just about to happen  all  the time, but you have no idea what. Before all the screaming starts, this is a slow release atmospheric time bomb. Perfect for Halloween…

Watch The Shining on Amazon Prime

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Rebecca Clough

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Definition of spook

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of spook  (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

intransitive verb

• intelligencer
• alarum

Examples of spook in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Dutch; akin to Middle Low German spōk ghost

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

1883, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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Cite this entry.

“Spook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spook. Accessed 13 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of spook.

Kids Definition of spook  (Entry 2 of 2)

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Meaning of spook in English

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spook noun [C] ( SPIRIT )

• astral plane
• astral projection
• incorporeal
• necromancer
• reincarnation

spook noun [C] ( PERSON )

• agent provocateur
• industrial espionage
• intelligence
• secret service
• spy on someone/something
• chill someone to the bone/marrow idiom
• doom monger
• heart-stopping
• make someone's blood curdle idiom
• scare someone into doing something
• scare someone shitless idiom
• scare/frighten the life out of someone idiom
• scaremongering
• the heebie-jeebies

spook | Intermediate English

Spook verb [t] ( frighten ), examples of spook, translations of spook.

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moral victory

an occasion when you prove that your beliefs are right, although you lose an argument

Reunions and housewarmings (Words for different parties)

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SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

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Top 100 Spooks Type Films/Shows

• Movies or TV
• IMDb Rating
• In Theaters
• Release Year

1. The Take (2016)

R | 92 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A young pickpocket and an unruly CIA agent team up on an anti-terrorist mission in France.

Director: James Watkins | Stars: Idris Elba , Richard Madden , Charlotte Le Bon , Kelly Reilly

Votes: 49,805 | Gross: $0.04M

2. Strike Back (2010–2020)

TV-MA | 45 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

Follows the actions of Section 20, a secretive unit of British military intelligence. A team of special operations personnel conduct several high risk missions across the globe.

Stars: Philip Winchester , Sullivan Stapleton , Michelle Lukes , Daniel MacPherson

Votes: 32,996

3. Berlin Station (2016–2019)

TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Thriller

Follows a CIA team in Berlin and their clandestine activities.

Stars: Leland Orser , Michelle Forbes , Mina Tander , Rhys Ifans

Votes: 10,071

4. 24: Live Another Day (2014)

TV-14 | 46 min | Action, Crime, Drama

Four years after Jack Bauer went on the run, the CIA agents in London manage to capture Bauer; one of their agents called Kate Morgan suspects he is up to something, and President Heller's condition is sparking worries with his staff.

Stars: Kiefer Sutherland , Yvonne Strahovski , Tate Donovan , Mary Lynn Rajskub

Votes: 46,410

5. Survivor (I) (2015)

PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

A Foreign Service Officer in London tries to prevent a terrorist attack set to hit New York City, but is forced to go on the run when she is framed for crimes she did not commit.

Director: James McTeigue | Stars: Milla Jovovich , Pierce Brosnan , Dylan McDermott , Paddy Wallace

Votes: 35,271

6. Our Kind of Traitor (2016)

R | 108 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A couple finds themselves lured into a Russian oligarch's plans to defect, and are soon positioned between the Russian Mafia and the British Secret Service, neither of whom they can trust.

Director: Susanna White | Stars: Carlos Acosta , Radivoje Bukvic , Stellan Skarsgård , Mariya Fomina

Votes: 23,296 | Gross: $3.15M

7. A Most Wanted Man (2014)

R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A Chechen Muslim illegally immigrates to Hamburg, where he gets caught in the international war on terror.

Director: Anton Corbijn | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman , Rachel McAdams , Daniel Brühl , Robin Wright

Votes: 79,159 | Gross: $17.24M

8. Unlocked (I) (2017)

R | 98 min | Action, Thriller

A CIA interrogator is lured into a ruse that puts London at risk of a biological attack.

Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Noomi Rapace , Orlando Bloom , Toni Collette , John Malkovich

Votes: 37,822

9. Deep State (2018–2019)

What happens when a man who believes he has retired from MI6 is called back to do one more job to regain his life, only to discover that this job may mean he has no life to go back to.

Stars: Joe Dempsie , Karima McAdams , Anastasia Griffith , Alistair Petrie

Votes: 6,582

10. Bodyguard (2018–2024)

TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

Troubled war veteran turned Police Sergeant David Budd is assigned to protect controversial Home Secretary Julia Montague.

Stars: Richard Madden , Sophie Rundle , Vincent Franklin , Ash Tandon

Votes: 140,428

11. Cleanskin (2012)

Not Rated | 108 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A British secret service agent is faced with the task of pursuing and eliminating a British-born suicide bomber and his terrorist cell.

Director: Hadi Hajaig | Stars: Sean Bean , Charlotte Rampling , Abhin Galeya , Tom Burke

Votes: 21,042

12. Red Mercury (2005)

R | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

Three young Muslim men, part of a terror cell, are making a bomb in a London flat, when they get a call to vacate immediately with their gear. The Police have been alerted and they are ... See full summary  »

Director: Roy Battersby | Stars: Rachel Bell , David Bradley , Jessica Brooks , Alex Caan

13. The Gunman (2015)

R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Mystery

A sniper on a mercenary assassination team kills the minister of mines of the Congo. Terrier's successful kill shot forces him into hiding. Returning to the Congo years later, he becomes the target of a hit squad himself.

Director: Pierre Morel | Stars: Sean Penn , Idris Elba , Jasmine Trinca , Javier Bardem

Votes: 42,952 | Gross: $10.64M

14. Taken (2017–2018)

TV-14 | 41 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

As former CIA agent Bryan Mills deals with a personal tragedy that shakes his world, he fights to overcome the incident and exact revenge.

Stars: Clive Standen , Jennifer Beals , Adam Goldberg , Jessica Camacho

Votes: 11,525

15. The Defender (2004)

R | 91 min | Action, Thriller

Lance and his team are bodyguards for NSA's head, who is sent by the President to a secret meeting in an empty hotel outside Bucharest. During the meeting, the hotel is attacked. By whom? And why?

Director: Dolph Lundgren | Stars: Dolph Lundgren , Jerry Springer , Shakara Ledard , Thomas Lockyer

Votes: 1,788

16. London Has Fallen (2016)

R | 99 min | Action, Thriller

In London for the Prime Minister's funeral, Mike Banning is caught up in a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.

Director: Babak Najafi | Stars: Gerard Butler , Aaron Eckhart , Morgan Freeman , Angela Bassett

Votes: 166,635 | Gross: $62.68M

17. Page Eight (2011 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 99 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Johnny works for MI5. His neighbor Nancy approaches him. When his best friend and boss suddenly dies, Johnny's left to sort out things about the PM, MI5 and US.

Director: David Hare | Stars: Bill Nighy , Rachel Weisz , Tom Hughes , Michael Gambon

Votes: 18,717

18. Turks & Caicos (2014 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 95 min | Action, Drama, Mystery

Worricker is a retired spy living in the Caribbean. He realizes he is in trouble when four "businessmen" show up. They look like mob bosses, but one actually works for the CIA. He gets help from two former MI5 colleagues back in London.

Director: David Hare | Stars: Winona Ryder , Christopher Walken , Bill Nighy , Hansel Piper

Votes: 7,003

19. Salting the Battlefield (2014 TV Movie)

TV-PG | 93 min | Action, Crime, Drama

MI5 officer Johnny Worricker and Margot Tyrell are on the run together across Europe. But Worricker knows his only chance of resolving his problems is to return home and confront his nemesis, the prime minister.

Director: David Hare | Stars: Ralph Fiennes , Shazad Latif , Felicity Jones , James McArdle

Votes: 4,529

20. Legacy (I) (2010)

R | 93 min | Thriller

An AWOL Black Ops soldier mentally unravels when holed up in a Brooklyn motel room.

Director: Eromose | Stars: Idris Elba , William Hope , Monique Gabriela Curnen , Richard Brake

Votes: 1,398

21. Hunted (2012)

TV-MA | 59 min | Action, Drama

Meet Sam. A spy. A hunter. And herself hunted by an enemy more ruthless and determined than any she's ever known.

Stars: Melissa George , Adam Rayner , Patrick Malahide , Morven Christie

Votes: 9,352

22. The Fixer (2008–2009)

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Ex-special forces operative and convicted murderer John Mercer is awarded an early release from prison on the condition that he becomes an assassin for the government.

Stars: Andrew Buchan , Jody Latham , Tamzin Outhwaite , Peter Mullan

Votes: 1,124

23. Secret State (2012)

42 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Secret State explores the relationship between a democratically elected government, big business and the banks.

Stars: Gabriel Byrne , Ralph Ineson , Charles Dance , Jamie Sives

Votes: 2,775

24. The Foreigner (I) (2017)

R | 113 min | Action, Thriller

A humble businessman with a buried past seeks justice when his daughter is killed in an act of terrorism. A cat-and-mouse conflict ensues with a government official, whose past may hold clues to the killers' identities.

Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Katie Leung , Jackie Chan , Rufus Jones , Mark Tandy

Votes: 121,030 | Gross: $34.39M

25. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

Ethan and his team take on their most impossible mission yet when they have to eradicate an international rogue organization as highly skilled as they are and committed to destroying the IMF.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise , Rebecca Ferguson , Jeremy Renner , Simon Pegg

Votes: 402,537 | Gross: $195.04M

26. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

PG-13 | 147 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise , Henry Cavill , Ving Rhames , Simon Pegg

Votes: 367,974 | Gross: $220.16M

27. The Bureau (2015– )

TV-MA | 52 min | Drama, Thriller

A very unique and captivating series about the "bureau des légendes", the mythical powerhouse within the French Secret Service and its dare devil ghost agents.

Stars: Mathieu Kassovitz , Florence Loiret Caille , Jonathan Zaccaï , Sara Giraudeau

Votes: 13,421

28. The Border (2008–2010)

60 min | Action, Crime, Drama

The cases of the Canadian Immigration and Customs Security Squad.

Stars: James McGowan , Graham Abbey , Jonas Chernick , Mark Wilson

29. Informer (2018)

Not Rated | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A young East London man is coerced by an officer to work undercover for him.

Stars: Paddy Considine , Nabhaan Rizwan , Bel Powley , Reiss Jeram

Votes: 6,376

30. The Diplomat (2009 TV Movie)

190 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A British diplomat is arrested on charges of working with Russian mafia. After death threats to his wife, they are taken into protective custody. Then the MI6 shows up with a new piece of the puzzle.

Director: Peter Andrikidis | Stars: Dougray Scott , Rachael Blake , Jeremy Lindsay Taylor , Richard Roxburgh

31. The Assets (2014)

60 min | Thriller

CIA counter-intelligence officer Sandy Grimes works to save Soviet intelligence officers from being exposed by a mole inside her organization.

Stars: Jodie Whittaker , Paul Rhys , Harriet Walter , Ralph Brown

Votes: 2,324

32. Crossing Lines (2013–2015)

TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A special crime unit investigates serialized crimes that cross over European borders, to hunt down criminals and bring them to justice.

Stars: Tom Wlaschiha , Donald Sutherland , Lara Rossi , William Fichtner

Votes: 13,577

33. Condor (2018–2020)

TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

A brilliant, young, idealistic CIA analyst finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that kills everyone else at his office. Can he, with no field experience, stay alive long enough to get to the bottom of it?

Stars: Max Irons , Kristen Hager , Bob Balaban , Sam McCarthy

Votes: 17,205

34. Spectre (I) (2015)

PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

A cryptic message from James Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover the existence of a sinister organisation named SPECTRE. With a new threat dawning, Bond learns the terrible truth about the author of all his pain in his most recent missions.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig , Christoph Waltz , Léa Seydoux , Ralph Fiennes

Votes: 458,341 | Gross: $200.07M

35. All the Devil's Men (2018)

A battle-scarred War on Terror bounty hunter is forced to go to London on a manhunt for a disavowed CIA operative, which leads him into a deadly running battle with a former military comrade and his private army.

Director: Matthew Hope | Stars: Milo Gibson , Sylvia Hoeks , Gbenga Akinnagbe , Joseph Millson

Votes: 3,341

36. The International (I) (2009)

R | 118 min | Action, Crime, Drama

An Interpol agent attempts to expose a high-profile financial institution's role in an international arms dealing ring.

Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Clive Owen , Naomi Watts , Armin Mueller-Stahl , Ulrich Thomsen

Votes: 98,390 | Gross: $25.45M

37. The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch (2008)

Not Rated | 108 min | Action, Thriller

After a powerful billionaire is murdered, his secret adoptive son must race to prove his legitimacy, find his father's killers, and stop them from taking over his financial empire.

Director: Jérôme Salle | Stars: Tomer Sisley , Kristin Scott Thomas , Predrag 'Miki' Manojlovic , Mélanie Thierry

Votes: 14,643 | Gross: $0.01M

38. The Burma Conspiracy (2011)

Not Rated | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

Largo Winch, the newly appointed CEO of the W Group, is accused of crimes against humanity on the very day he announces his intention to sell his corporation and use the proceeds to create a humanitarian foundation.

Director: Jérôme Salle | Stars: Tomer Sisley , Sharon Stone , Ulrich Tukur , Napakpapha Nakprasitte

Votes: 8,184

39. No Time to Die (2021)

PG-13 | 163 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

James Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga | Stars: Daniel Craig , Ana de Armas , Rami Malek , Léa Seydoux

Votes: 432,109 | Gross: $160.87M

40. He Who Dares (2014)

82 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

A group of ruthless masked terrorists kidnap the Prime Ministers daughter, fortifying themselves in an underground car park rigged with explosives. A crack SAS team are sent in and must take the building one level at a time.

Director: Paul Tanter | Stars: Tom Benedict Knight , Simon Phillips , Christina Bellavia , Ewan Ross

Votes: 1,094

41. Age of Kill (2015)

Not Rated | 86 min | Action

A black ops sniper is blackmailed by a psychotic international terrorist into killing 6 unrelated people in 6 hours... but there is more to the victims than meets the eye.

Director: Neil Jones | Stars: Martin Kemp , Dani Dyer , Donna Air , Phil Davis

42. He Who Dares: Downing Street Siege (2014)

Not Rated | 87 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

Following his actions in 'He Who Dares,' Christopher Lowe is summoned to 10 Downing Street to be dishonourably discharged from the SAS for disobeying a direct order, despite the fact that his actions saved the Prime Minister's daughter.

Director: Paul Tanter | Stars: Tom Benedict Knight , Simon Phillips , Russell Kilmister , Merissa Porter

43. Born of War (2014)

R | 109 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

After her family is killed, Mina finds out her real father is a terrorist, and behind the killings. To get revenge, Mina works with British Intelligence to take him down.

Director: Vicky Jewson | Stars: James Frain , Sofia Black-D'Elia , Lydia Leonard , Michael Maloney

44. The November Man (2014)

R | 108 min | Action, Thriller

An ex-C.I.A. operative is brought back in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high-level C.I.A. officials and the Russian President-elect.

Director: Roger Donaldson | Stars: Pierce Brosnan , Luke Bracey , Olga Kurylenko , Bill Smitrovich

Votes: 69,829 | Gross: $24.98M

45. No Easy Days (2018)

45 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

The President's daughter is kidnapped and held ransom by a British mercenary, and a rebellious Navy SEAL is the only hope of saving her.

Stars: Sean Brosnan , Simon Phillips , Michael Hogan , Peter Outerbridge

46. The Contractor (2007 Video)

R | 99 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

Ex-C.I.A. Agent James Dial (Wesley Snipes) is asked to take out terrorist Ali Mahmud Jahar (Nikolai Sotirov), only to realize he's been set up by his former employer, Jeremy Collins (Ralph Brown).

Director: Josef Rusnak | Stars: Wesley Snipes , Eliza Bennett , Lena Headey , Ralph Brown

Votes: 9,759

47. Stratton (2017)

R | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

A British Special Boat Service commando tracks down an international terrorist cell.

Director: Simon West | Stars: Dominic Cooper , Austin Stowell , Gemma Chan , Connie Nielsen

Votes: 5,519

48. Shadow Dancer (2012)

R | 101 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Set in 1990s Belfast, an active member of the IRA becomes an informant for MI5 in order to protect her son's welfare.

Director: James Marsh | Stars: Clive Owen , Andrea Riseborough , Gillian Anderson , Aidan Gillen

Votes: 12,937 | Gross: $0.10M

49. Eye in the Sky (2015)

R | 102 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare.

Director: Gavin Hood | Stars: Helen Mirren , Aaron Paul , Alan Rickman , Barkhad Abdi

Votes: 90,195 | Gross: $18.70M

50. Legends (2014–2015)

TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama

Follows a deep-cover operative named Martin Odum, who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. But his own identity comes into question when a ... See full summary  »

Stars: Sean Bean , Morris Chestnut , Ali Larter , Tina Majorino

Votes: 13,406

51. The Enemy Within (2019)

TV-14 | 43 min | Drama

FBI agent Will Keaton enlists the most notorious traitor in American history to help catch a spy.

Stars: Jennifer Carpenter , Morris Chestnut , Raza Jaffrey , Kelli Garner

Votes: 6,951

52. Casino Royale (2006)

PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.

Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig , Eva Green , Judi Dench , Jeffrey Wright

Votes: 682,304 | Gross: $167.45M

53. Quantum of Solace (2008)

PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery

James Bond descends into mystery as he tries to stop a mysterious organisation from eliminating a country's most valuable resource.

Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Daniel Craig , Olga Kurylenko , Mathieu Amalric , Judi Dench

Votes: 464,280 | Gross: $168.37M

54. Skyfall (2012)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig , Javier Bardem , Naomie Harris , Judi Dench

Votes: 720,057 | Gross: $304.36M

55. Final Score (2018)

R | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

After deadly terrorists abduct his niece at a soccer match, an ex-soldier with lethal fighting skills wages a one-man war to save her and prevent mass destruction.

Director: Scott Mann | Stars: Martyn Ford , Gordon Alexander , Alexandra Dinu , Peter Pedrero

Votes: 13,936

56. The Hunter's Prayer (2017)

An assassin helps a young woman avenge the death of her family.

Director: Jonathan Mostow | Stars: Sam Worthington , Odeya Rush , Allen Leech , Amy Landecker

Votes: 10,215

57. Sons of Liberty (2013)

TV-14 | 94 min | Action, Sci-Fi

A special operations unit races to find and prevent the construction of a devastating micro nuclear device created by a group of radical mercenaries whose political beliefs blur the line between terrorist and revolutionary.

Director: Drew Hall | Stars: Tamer Hassan , Keith David , Elyse Levesque , Mark Sheppard

58. 31 North 62 East (2009)

R | 105 min | Thriller

A psychological thriller about how an elite S.A.S. unit's position is revealed by the British Prime Minister to ensure an arms deal goes ahead, and to secure his re-election.

Director: Tristan Loraine | Stars: Heather Peace , Lee Godfrey , Aurélie Bargème , John Rhys-Davies

59. The State Within (2006)

TV-14 | 360 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

After a plane explodes over Washington D.C. panic begins to envelop the British embassy, and its ambassador to the U.S. Mark Brydon finds himself caught up in a potentially damaging diplomatic incident.

Stars: Jason Isaacs , Ben Daniels , Eva Birthistle , Neil Pearson

Votes: 2,423

60. The Veteran (2011)

R | 98 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

A soldier returning from the war in Afghanistan uncovers a conspiracy involving the intelligence services and a gang of drug dealers.

Director: Matthew Hope | Stars: Toby Kebbell , Adi Bielski , Tony Curran , Ashley Thomas

Votes: 7,353

61. A Line in the Sand (2004 TV Movie)

R | 100 min | Action, Drama, War

Gavin Hughes, an illegal arms dealer turned government informant, must travel to Iran in a terrorist sting that will earn him immunity from his checkered past, but nothing will go as planned.

Director: James Hawes | Stars: Ross Kemp , Saskia Reeves , Mark Bazeley , Brana Bajic

62. Der Tel-Aviv-Krimi (2016– )

Crime, Drama

An Israeli detective, Sara Stein, investigates a terrorist attack; the crime scene is the fortress of Masada and Aaron Salzman, an archeologist, the victim.

Stars: Katharina Lorenz , Itay Tiran , Samuel Finzi , Gil Frank

64. 24: Legacy (2016–2017)

TV-14 | 41 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A military hero who returns to the U.S. with a whole lot of trouble following him back. With nowhere else to turn, the man asks CTU to help him save his life while also stopping one of the largest-scale terror attacks on American soil.

Stars: Corey Hawkins , Miranda Otto , Anna Diop , Teddy Sears

Votes: 11,493

65. The Fixer (2015)

44 min | Action, Thriller

After a devastating accident involving a freighter and an oil rig, NAIA Investigator Ellie Molaro is approached by an enigmatic man named Carter, who claims the event was planned, and part of a massive country wide conspiracy.

Stars: Eric Dane , Kathleen Robertson , Andrew Airlie , Kyle Switzer

66. Kidnap and Ransom (2011–2012)

47 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

From the first phone call with kidnappers to risky excursions into exotic and dangerous locales, negotiator Dominic King places himself in the line of fire to bring the victims home.

Stars: Trevor Eve , Helen Baxendale , Natasha Little , Scott Sparrow

67. Ailiseu (2009–2013)

TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Mystery, Romance

The National Security Service (NSS) is a secret South Korean black ops agency that takes on a secret terrorist organization, called IRIS.

Stars: Yeong-cheol Kim , Yun Ju-sang , Seung-woo Kim , Lee Jeong-kil

Votes: 2,231

68. Hanna (2019–2021)

TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama

In equal parts high-concept thriller and coming-of-age drama, HANNA follows the journey of an extraordinary young girl raised in the forest, as she evades the relentless pursuit of an off-book CIA agent and tries to unearth the truth behind who she is.

Stars: Esme Creed-Miles , Mireille Enos , Áine Rose Daly , Cherrelle Skeete

Votes: 41,346

69. Fauda (2015– )

The human stories on both sides of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Stars: Lior Raz , Itzik Cohen , Neta Garty , Rona-Lee Shimon

Votes: 35,753

70. Homeland (2011–2020)

TV-MA | 55 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A bipolar CIA operative becomes convinced a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil.

Stars: Claire Danes , Mandy Patinkin , Damian Lewis , Rupert Friend

Votes: 355,359

71. Missing (2012)

TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

When a woman's son goes missing under suspicious circumstances, she will do anything it takes to find him.

Stars: Ashley Judd , Cliff Curtis , Adriano Giannini , Nick Eversman

Votes: 9,633

72. Luther (2010–2019)

TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

DCI John Luther is a near-genius murder detective whose brilliant mind can't always save him from the dangerous violence of his passions.

Stars: Idris Elba , Dermot Crowley , Michael Smiley , Warren Brown

Votes: 151,344

73. Salt (2010)

PG-13 | 100 min | Action, Thriller

A CIA agent goes on the run after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy.

Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Angelina Jolie , Liev Schreiber , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Daniel Olbrychski

Votes: 325,936 | Gross: $118.31M

74. A Common Man (2013)

PG-13 | 86 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A terrorist plants several bombs throughout the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka and threatens to detonate them unless prisoners are released.

Director: Chandran Rutnam | Stars: Ben Kingsley , Ben Cross , Patrick Rutnam , Frederick-James Koch

Votes: 2,448

75. Person of Interest (2011–2016)

An ex-CIA agent and a wealthy programmer save lives via a surveillance AI that sends them the identities of civilians involved in impending crimes. However, the details of the crimes, including the civilians' roles, are left a mystery.

Stars: Jim Caviezel , Taraji P. Henson , Kevin Chapman , Michael Emerson

Votes: 185,157

76. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

R | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

A spy organisation recruits a promising street kid into the agency's training program, while a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Colin Firth , Taron Egerton , Samuel L. Jackson , Michael Caine

Votes: 700,932 | Gross: $128.26M

77. Body of Lies (2008)

R | 128 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

A CIA agent on the ground in Jordan hunts down a powerful terrorist leader while being caught between the unclear intentions of his American supervisors and Jordan Intelligence.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio , Russell Crowe , Mark Strong , Golshifteh Farahani

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78. Traitor (2008)

PG-13 | 114 min | Action, Crime, Drama

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Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff | Stars: Don Cheadle , Guy Pearce , Archie Panjabi , Saïd Taghmaoui

Votes: 58,776 | Gross: $23.53M

79. Sleeper Cell (2005–2006)

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Stars: Michael Ealy , Oded Fehr , Henri Lubatti , Melissa Sagemiller

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80. Legacy of Lies (2020)

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Director: Adrian Bol | Stars: Scott Adkins , Anna Butkevich , Yuliia Bol , Honor Kneafsey

Votes: 4,071

81. Burn Up (2008)

An oil industrialist, an environmental activist and a politician are in conflict in this drama set around a summit on climate change.

Stars: Bradley Whitford , Neve Campbell , Rupert Penry-Jones , Marc Warren

82. The Shadow Line (2011)

60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Christopher Eccleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in this intricate conspiracy thriller set in a world of blurred morality, inhabited by conflicted characters on both sides of the law.

Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor , Christopher Eccleston , Kierston Wareing , Richard Lintern

Votes: 4,899

83. The Honorable Woman (2014)

60 min | Drama, Thriller

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Stars: Maggie Gyllenhaal , Stephen Rea , Lubna Azabal , Katherine Parkinson

Votes: 11,425

84. The Widow (I) (2019)

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A woman's search to uncover the mysterious disappearance of her husband leads her to the Congo, where she's forced to seek the truth about what happened to the man she loved.

Stars: Kate Beckinsale , Ólafur Darri Ólafsson , Charles Dance , Matthew Le Nevez

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85. Trackers (2019)

Action series featuring various stories of organized crime, diamond smuggling, Black Rhinos, the CIA and terrorism in Cape Town, South Africa.

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86. Unit 42 (2017–2019)

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Stars: Stephen Dorff , Mira Sorvino , Blair Underwood , Sophia Myles

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89. Redemption Day (2021)

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TV-14 | 300 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Following the events of 'Avengers: Endgame,' Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities -- and their patience.

Stars: Anthony Mackie , Sebastian Stan , Wyatt Russell , Erin Kellyman

Votes: 243,825

93. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

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Directors: Anthony Russo , Joe Russo | Stars: Chris Evans , Samuel L. Jackson , Scarlett Johansson , Robert Redford

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94. Tenet (2020)

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98. The Protégé (2021)

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Moscow drone attack: What we know about the strikes

• Published 31 May
• Russia-Ukraine war

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Watch: Footage appears to show drone flying in the south west of Moscow

Russia says Ukraine launched "a terrorist drone attack" on Moscow on Tuesday, with several buildings damaged.

It is the first time Moscow has been so heavily targeted in a single operation, but Ukraine denies carrying out the strikes.

What was hit by the drones?

The Russian military says eight drones were used in the strikes.

It says five were shot down and three stopped with signal jamming technology - causing them to lose control and miss their targets.

By piecing together visual clues in video footage - such as building exteriors and parks - BBC Verify has confirmed the location of three drone strikes in south-west Moscow:

• A residential building hit on the outskirts of Moscow
• A high-rise apartment block, where a drone reportedly flew into an apartment on the 13th floor
• Another high-rise building, reportedly hit earlier this morning

We have also verified footage on the western outskirts of Moscow. It shows an unidentified drone flying over roofs in a village where affluent Muscovites live.

"We don't know what they were targeting yet, a proportion were intercepted by air defence systems, but some struck targets," Jack Watling, an expert on land warfare, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.

Russia said it shot down five of the drones in the Moscow region with the Pantsir-S surface-to-air missile system. This system appeared to have been installed in central Moscow earlier this year .

What type of drones were used?

There was initial online speculation that the Ukrainian-manufactured UJ-22 drone had been used.

However, we know the UJ-22 was not the drone pictured in several videos we checked. These drones have a different wing, wheel position and fuselage design.

Instead, the drone pictured has a short set of wings at the front and larger ones to the rear. The unconventional design has prompted some to wrongly conclude that the aircraft was flying backwards, or that the footage was reversed.

We showed this video and images of the debris to drone specialist Steve Wright, of the University of the West of England, who said the wing span suggests a potential range of "at least tens, even hundreds, of kilometres."

"However, as with the Kremlin attack on 3 May, I expect that it was launched much closer than that for tactical reasons," Mr Wright added.

Several posts on social media have claimed that one of the weapons used to attack Moscow was a "Beaver" drone - a long-range attack aircraft said to be recently manufactured by Ukraine.

Steve Wright cross-examined images of these drones against the verified footage of the strikes on Moscow. He concluded the two examples are consistent in design and the Beaver was "most likely" used.

Elsewhere, a commercial plane flying over Moscow - a Cessna 172 - has been wrongly identified as a drone on the Telegram social messaging platform, popular in Russia.

Throughout the war, both Russia and Ukraine have used commercially-sourced drones as well as established military designs.

BBC Verify is working to identify the exact type of drones used in these reported attacks.

• Russia accuses Ukraine of Moscow drone attacks
• What do we know about drone attacks in Russia?
• Satellite reveal Russias defence before major assault

How many times has Russia been targeted?

Since the start of 2023, the BBC has tracked over 60 suspected drone attacks inside Russia and Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

This includes an alleged attack on the Kremlin Senate building in central Moscow .

However, most of the suspected strikes have focussed on the Bryansk and Belgorod regions in Russia near the north-eastern border, as well as in Crimea.

Oil facilities, airfields and energy infrastructure have all been targeted.

Layla Guest, an analyst at Sibylline security consultancy, says: "Ukrainian forces will highly likely prioritise targeting oil refineries, as well as railway infrastructure and wider Russian logistics, to cause maximum disruption as part of their strategy ahead of the impending counter-offensive."

Additional reporting by: Daniele Palumbo, Paul Brown and Tural Ahmedzade

Read more about BBC Verify: Explaining the 'how' - the launch of BBC Verify

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Spookstock: inside the world’s most secretive concert.

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WASHINGTON — Sometime earlier this year, one of the most elite social events in Washington took place, but without any fanfare or news coverage.

It drew about 1,800 attendees and Grammy-winning rocker Lenny Kravitz performed. Yet there were no written invitations, and the actual date and location were carefully guarded secrets.

The annual charitable event is mischievously known as Spookstock. While many Washington insiders, let alone the public, haven’t heard of it, the gala has become a centerpiece for the capital region’s tightknit intelligence and military special operations communities.

“I’ve done my share of formal events and black dress nights. This is a lot more fun,” said retired Maj. Gen. Clay Hutmacher, the former director of operations for US Special Operations Command. “It’s very casual. If you want to show up in a Def Leppard T-shirt, that’s fine.”

Now in its seventh year, Spookstock has raised millions for the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation , which look after the families of CIA officers and special operations forces killed in the field. Last year, after expenses, each charity received about $400,000, according to Spookstock board member Mark Kelton.

The event is essentially fueled by defense contractors and mainstays of the military-industrial complex that pay big money for a table or a balcony box. Kelton, a retired CIA officer, would only say those corporate boxes are “not cheap.” Other government employees or members of military who secure an invitation pay a much lower, but still undisclosed, rate.

The invitation list and event details are closely guarded by Kelton and the four-member board. Given the clandestine nature of some of the participants’ work life, news coverage and social media postings are avoided. The only real online traces are a smattering of articles, some briefs in intelligence-focused newsletters and a few unauthorized YouTube videos.

A visit to the Spookstock website reveals a parody of the original Woodstock logo, a password box and nothing else. Spookstocks have been held at a warehouse in Springfield, Virginia, and a farm in Loudoun County, Virginia. Previous attendees have included actors Robert DeNiro and Harvey Keitel. Kelton says he’s constantly fending off invitation requests and adds somewhat proudly that he has never extended an invitation to an active politician.

The guests of honor are a few dozen young beneficiaries– college seniors or recent graduates who have had their entire university education paid for by one of the foundations. Last year, 30 beneficiaries were flown in, Kelton said, with a major airline donating the tickets.

While the CIA foundation focuses exclusively on funding higher education, the special operations fund helps cover preschool, tutoring, SAT prep and college visits in addition to a full scholarship.

“We call it cradle to career,” said Hutmacher, the head of the foundation, who estimates that the fund spends an average of $250,000 per child. The standard military death benefit for a soldier killed on duty is a lump-sum payment of $100,000.

Kelton said that losing a parent amid “murky circumstances” can produce a specific sort of trauma among the children.

“You’re always wondering how it happened and you can never know,” he said. “These are closed worlds.”

Kelton said the only networking that’s allowed is among the young beneficiaries. The weekend serves as an informal job fair for the new graduates if they want to pursue a career in defense or intelligence.

Beyond the financial help, Kelton said a large element of the event is having beneficiaries meet each other and forge bonds.

“The most important part is to get them all together, because most of these kids have gone through this ordeal on their own,” he said. “It’s a revelation to them to meet others who went through what they experienced.”

The event has grown into a weekend of activities. In addition to tours of Washington and CIA headquarters for the young beneficiaries, corporate sponsors can pay extra for a day of pseudo special-operations training.

But the centerpiece is the concert. Spookstock headliners have included Peter Frampton, ZZ Top and the Steve Miller Band. Kravitz, 55, reflected an attempt to skew a bit younger, Kelton said.

Although Spookstock is relatively new, the charitable foundations that it benefits are much older. The early version of what would develop into the Special Operations Warrior Foundation was created in the wake of Operation Eagle Claw — the 1980 attempt to rescue the 52 hostages held in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The operation was aborted by President Jimmy Carter and resulted in the deaths of eight servicemen, leaving behind a total of 17 children.

“Senior leaders at the time passed the hat” to help those children, said Hutmacher, a former commander of the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers. But the experience led to the creation of what would become the foundation.

“Now most of the wars being fought are with special operations and intelligence,” Kelton said. “The pace of losses since 9/11 has increased sharply.”

The event may just be growing too fast to remain hidden for much longer.

Kelton had expected about 1,400 attendees this year, which would have been a record. Instead there were 1,800.

The corporate clientele has changed a bit as well.

Kelton said the normal defense contractor crowd has been joined recently by an increasing number of tech companies. Now he said organizers are planning an expansion that would create a springtime Spookstock West event in the tech hub of Austin, Texas.

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Ukrainian officials planned 'mass strikes' on Moscow and other cities 'with everything' they had, but they stood down after US intervention: report

• The Washington Post reports Ukrainian officials had plans for "mass strikes" on Russian cities on the first anniversary's of the war.
• Ukraine's military intelligence chief directed an officer to hit "with everything" available, but the plan wasn't carried out.
• Officials in Kyiv have disputed the Post report based on leaked documents, calling it "strange media" and "sensation."

Officials in Kyiv were planning strikes on Moscow, among other targets, on the first anniversary of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, but US intervention led them to stand down, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing classified documents.

The Post reported that Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, who leads Ukraine's military intelligence operations, known as the HUR, instructed an officer to "get ready for mass strikes on 24 February," adding that the attacks were to be executed "with everything the HUR had." Budanov's reported instructions were attributed to a classified National Security Agency document.

A couple of days before the one-year anniversary though, the Central Intelligence Agency sent out a report noting that the HUR "had agreed, at Washington's request, to postpone strikes" on the Russian capital. The SBU, Ukraine's security service, did not agree to that however, the agency said.

The HUR did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The pair of documents offering insight into Ukrainian planning were part of a significant leak of classified intelligence information that made global headlines in recent weeks and led to the arrest of a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard member suspected to have leaked these documents online, The Post reported . The leaked documents have caused frustration in Washington and in allied capitals.

As Ukraine attempts to fend off Russian invaders, the US has supported the country with billions of dollars in security assistance, arming it with anti-tank weapons, howitzers, rocket-artillery, air defense systems, infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, and more, but Washington has been hesitant to provide capabilities that would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia and Russian-occupied territories.

For instance, though the US provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems ( HIMARS ) to Ukraine with Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets, it has held off on sending Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) with ranges of just under 200 miles, munitions that expert observers say would give Ukrainian forces a greater edge in this ongoing fight.

The notable lack of long-range US-provided capabilities has not stopped the Ukrainian armed forces from conducting strikes far from the front lines of the ongoing conflict, but unlike Russian explosive drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, claimed and suspected Ukrainian attacks have targeted Russian military installations.

Last August, Ukraine struck a Russian military base in occupied Crimea with missiles, causing substantial damage to Black Sea Fleet naval aviation assets, and in December, two air bases deep inside Russian territory were hit , allegedly by Ukrainian drones. Ukraine is also suspected to be behind a number of explosive sea drone attacks on Russian installations.

Ukraine doesn't always acknowledge these attacks, but officials have hinted at Kyiv's involvement. For example, after the attacks in December, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote that Earth is round and that "if something is launched into other countries' airspace, sooner or later unknown flying objects will return to departure point."

In the case of the missile strikes in Crimea, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, wrote in an op-ed that the aim of these attacks is to "make these experiences even sharper and more tangible for the Russians and for other occupied regions, despite the massive distance to the targets."

Ukrainian officials, which have pushed back on other elements of the leaked documents relating to the war in Ukraine, have dismissed reports that it was planning strikes for the anniversary as "strange media/sensation once again."

"Why would there be a need for us to do this? What task would such a one-time action solve? Would it change the course of the war? Would it make the Russians flee? Would it remove the need for weapons?" Podolyak said on Twitter Monday.

He said that such reports problematically "shape public opinion in Western capitals as if Ukraine was an unreasonable, infantile, and impulsive country that is dangerous for adults to trust with serious weapons."

"We approach the war with ironclad mathematical logic: we need long-range missiles to destroy Russian logistics in the occupied territories and various types of aircraft to protect the sky and destroy Russian fortifications. These are the main components of successful counteroffensive operations and minimization of losses," he added, continuing to make the case for providing Ukraine with additional combat capabilities.

Watch: The war in Ukraine by the numbers, one year later