Being a cinematic paranormal investigator is no easy task. You’re required to put your life on the line while fighting any number of supernatural and elusive forces. Whether it’s demons, ghosts, or other creatures from the great beyond, there always seems to be an endless hoard of terrifying evil to eradicate.
In movies, some paranormal investigators are better than others. The characters who rise above the rest are featured in films that rely on unique interpretations of the spectral, unnatural visitor trope to entertain. The investigators who give their kind a bad name often ignore their intuition and find themselves in way too deep. This list pays tribute to both the best and worst paranormal investigators in horror movie history.
Best: Venkman, Stantz, Spengler, and Zeddemore In Ghostbusters (1984)
Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters merges comedy and horror perfectly. The trio of parapsychologists who establish the ghost-catching business at the heart of the movie is composed of actors Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis. Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler – respectfully – are evened out by Ernie Hudson’s character Zeddemore.
In the film, they manage to stave off an ancient shape-shifting god named Gozer, who dispatches his servants Zuul and Vinz Clortho to inhabit human bodies and prepare for his arrival. When he does assume a physical form, Gozer rampages through New York City as a giant version of the Stay Puft marshmallow man. The Ghostbusters use their ray guns to blow Gozer’s gooey bits all over Manhattan.
Worst: Claire And Luke In The Innkeepers (2011)
While Ti West’s slow-burn ghost story is a convincing addition to the genre, the two amateur ghost hunters who are the film’s focus prove ill-prepared to handle the supernatural creatures stalking the hotel that employs them. These ghosthunters, Claire and Luke, are played by Sara Paxton and Pat Healy.
On their last night working at the almost-shuttered Yankee Pedlar Inn, they decide to use their DIY equipment to figure out whether or not the stories about the spirit of Madeline O’Malley are real. The legend goes O’Malley hanged herself in the hotel after being stood up at the altar. As they dig deeper into the lore, Claire and Luke are exposed to forces and experiences they aren’t prepared to handle.
Best: Ed And Lorraine Warren In The Conjuring (2013)
James Wan is responsible for making horror movie stars out of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a real-life married couple who made names for themselves as demonologists. In The Conjuring movies, the Warrens are portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The fictionalized Warrens are more harmonious and less controversial than their real-life counterparts, and the movies dig into cases the Warrens actually investigated.
The first film follows the Warrens as they help the Rhode Island Perron family. The Warrens rely on their Catholic faith, fine-tuned instincts, and brute force to discharge the demons haunting the Perrons. They apply the same tactics to save a British girl in The Conjuring 2, and they will continue to slay apparitions in 2020’s third installment.
Worst: Edward Carnby In Alone In The Dark (2005)
Not only is Christian Slater’s paranormal detective character Edward Carby considered one of the worst of his kind, but Alone in the Dark is considered one of the worst movies ever made. Based on the video game of the same name, the film makes a mockery of the game’s iconic protagonist.
In the movie, Carnby specializes in solving occult mysteries. A wannabe Indiana Jones, Carnby works alongside his archaeologist girlfriend, played by Tara Reid, to investigate the disappearance of an ancient civilization known as the Abkani. It turns out the demonic creatures worshipped by the Abkani have returned, and they are using museum artifacts as portals into the present. Stephen Dorff plays Carnby’s friend turned rival Commander Richard Burke.
Best: Tangina In Poltergeist (1982)
“Now, let’s go get your daughter.” In Tobe Hooper’s creepy feature that decimates the middle-class suburban dream life, Zelda Rubenstein plays one of the most memorable spiritual mediums in cinematic history. As Tagina, she helps the Freelings rescue their daughter Carol Anne from an evil force lingering in the home, a poltergeist that has lured the young girl into its alternate dimension.
Despite her diminutive stature, Tangina is a powerful presence. She is able to guide the Freeling mother, Diane, through the other dimension, where he finds and saves her daughter.
Worst: Alice Arnolds In Slumber (2017)
Slumber is an uninspiring and cliched horror film about an outsider who attempts to save a family from a demonic entity. This British film sloppily employs Slavic mythology to develop its plot, which pursues a family being terrorized by a nocnitsa, also known as a nightmare demon.
Maggie Q plays a reluctant sleep doctor turned paranormal detective named Alice who, upon spending time with the family, realizes she’s up against a lot more than neurological issues. She starts thinking outside the box in order to help them, but no amount of good acting can save the movie’s washed-up plot. Ultimately, Slumber is a total sleeper.
Best: John Constantine In Constantine (2005)
Director Francis Lawrence brings Alan Moore’s cynical demon killer to life in this film, which stars Keanu Reeves in the title role. While casting Reeves as the iconic, chain-smoking British paranormal investigator was controversial, his acting matches the style and pacing of the film.
Constantine is bestowed with a special ability he also considers a curse: he can sense and communicate with both angels and demons. As he battles lung cancer, Constantine travels the streets of Los Angeles trying to save the world from the evil forces brewing below the surface. The movie verges on silly at times, but Constantine proves himself a formidable opponent against malevolent forces.
Worst: Dennis Randall In Dark Tower (1989)
In this forgotten dud, Michael Moriarty plays Dennis Randall, a security consultant who oversees the construction of a high rise apartment building in Barcelona. As members of the construction crew continue to die under strange circumstances, Randall comes to believe there is something supernatural at play.
The film evolves at a snail’s pace, giving audiences little to be excited about. Moriarty proves to be a lackluster hero, imparted with a poorly-defined extrasensory ability to allows him to perceive spirits and entities. By the end of the movie, none of the detective work or paranormal investigating leads to interesting conclusions.
Best: Elise Rainier In Insidious (2011)
James Wan is also responsible for the Insidious franchise, which transforms esoteric concepts about the spirit realm into entertaining fodder for mainstream moviegoers. In the franchise, Lin Shaye plays Elise Rainier, a powerful psychic who works with a pair of idiosyncratic paranormal detectives.
In the first movie, they are tasked with helping the Lamberts retrieve their son, Dalton, from an astral dimension. It turns out that like his father Josh, played by Patrick Wilson, Dalton can astral project. This ability makes him vulnerable to ghosts who want to inhabit his body, and Elise guides Josh through the terrifying realm where his son is being held hostage. Shaye revives the characters in the rest of the Insidious films.
Worst: The Vloggers In Grave Encounters 2 (2012)
The Grave Encounters films, directed by the Vicious Brothers, capitalize off the profitable found-footage trope in horror. The second installment tries to make some meta-narrative headway by following diehard fans from the first film as they visit the same psychiatric hospital and record their experiences.
This brigade of vloggers have no idea what they are in for, and the bloodthirsty ghosts trapped within the facility take them out with ease. As far as the film is concerned, it achieved commercial success but no critical acclaim.
