Thirteen Ghost Stories (2025) is not your typical horror anthology—it’s a chilling, emotionally layered descent into grief, memory, and the terrifying idea that the past never truly dies. Rather than offering disconnected scares, the film weaves thirteen supernatural tales into one cohesive nightmare, where every ghost carries not only terror, but truth.
At the center of the film is Millie Bobby Brown’s Lena, a young paranormal investigator whose curiosity borders on obsession. Brown delivers one of her most restrained yet haunting performances, portraying a woman who believes knowledge can protect her—only to discover that understanding the dead often means confronting the parts of yourself you’ve buried deepest.
John Boyega’s Marcus provides the perfect counterbalance. A former detective hardened by loss and skepticism, Marcus enters the story as the voice of reason, only to slowly unravel as logic fails him. Boyega brings quiet intensity to the role, allowing fear to creep in gradually, making his transformation deeply unsettling rather than melodramatic.
Rosario Dawson’s Helen, a seasoned psychic weighed down by years of spiritual exhaustion, adds emotional gravity to the film. She is not the mystical guide who enjoys her gift; she is someone burdened by it. Dawson’s performance grounds the supernatural elements, reminding us that seeing too much can be just as damning as seeing nothing at all.
Then there is Oscar Isaac’s “Keeper,” a character wrapped in shadows, half savior and half threat. Isaac plays him with eerie calm, making every line feel like a riddle. His presence looms over the film like a judgment waiting to be passed, and his true purpose slowly becomes one of the film’s most disturbing revelations.
Each of the thirteen ghost stories is visually distinct, from abandoned hospitals soaked in flickering fluorescent light to drowned villages frozen in time. The directors use atmosphere over cheap jump scares, letting silence, whispers, and lingering shots do the real damage. The horror here is patient—and far more cruel for it.
What elevates the film is how each ghost reflects a human failing: betrayal, obsession, guilt, neglect, vengeance. These spirits are not monsters by nature; they are consequences. The film quietly suggests that haunting is what happens when truth is denied for too long.
As Lena uncovers the connections between the ghosts, the narrative tightens into something almost mythic. The anthology format slowly dissolves, revealing a single, terrible pattern—one that links every spirit to her own fractured past. The realization lands with devastating force.
The emotional payoff is where Thirteen Ghost Stories truly excels. Instead of a simple victory over evil, the climax forces its characters to choose between survival and accountability. The film understands that some curses are not meant to be broken—only acknowledged.
Visually, the film is stunning in its restraint. Cold color palettes, distorted reflections, and unsettling symmetry reinforce the theme of souls trapped between worlds. The sound design is equally effective, using breathing, static, and distant cries to create constant unease.
⭐ Final Verdict: Thirteen Ghost Stories is a haunting, intelligent horror film that respects its audience. With powerful performances from Millie Bobby Brown, John Boyega, Rosario Dawson, and a chilling Oscar Isaac, the film transforms ghost stories into meditations on trauma and consequence. It doesn’t just ask you to fear the dead—it asks you to consider why they refuse to leave.
