When it comes to conversations about the afterlife, only one question appears in everyone's minds: Did I make the cut? The reach of heaven or hell's existence phenomena has been explored many times in Hollywood media, but very few know the stakes and what it means to leave viewers thinking after finishing the story on screen.
Here are our top 9 movies about the afterlife worth watching and where to stream them online.
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Based on the novel of the same name by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones tells the story of a 14-year-old girl named Susie Salmon who is murdered by her neighbor and watches the aftermath of her death from her personal heaven. From how her family dealt with her death to her family hunting down her killer, Susie seeks justice for herself as she narrates her story.
Streaming Platforms: Paramount+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Eternity (2025)
Who would've thought that choices are also part of the journey in the afterlife? Eternity stars Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, and Callum Turner, who are forced to make a decision they never thought they'd have to.
In the afterlife, anyone could spend their eternity with their chosen soulmates, but what happens when Joan has to pick between her deceased husband, Larry, and her first love, who died in the war, Luke? A different take on the afterlife narrative that no one might've seen coming.
Streaming Platforms: HBO Max (after its theatrical run ends)
Beetlejuice (1988)
What's good about being a ghost if you can't scare people away? Recently deceased couple, Adam and Barbara Maitland, hire poltergeist Betelgeuse, to make a horrible family move out of their home, only to realize too late that their hired commissioner was more trouble than his worth.
Things went south when Betelgeuse takes an interest in the new resident's daughter (Winona Ryder), who can see ghosts, to become his bride.
Streaming Platforms: HBO Max
Purchase or Rent: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
The Book of Life (2014)
Don't be fooled by the animation, The Book of Life isn't only meant for kids, if you stick around long enough.
A young man named Manolo is torn between fulfilling his family's expectations and following his heart, which forces him to face his greatest fears through three fantastical worlds. Similar to Eternity, this animated film revolves around the power of choice and embracing what you can control.
Streaming Platforms: Disney+, Hulu, Netflix
What Dreams May Come (1998)
Robin Williams stars as a pediatrician named Chris Nielsen in the Oscar-winning film, What Dreams May Come, in which his children die in a car crash before his death comes for him four years later.
The catch? Chris doesn't realize he died and has been lurking on Earth since. When his wife dies by suicide, Chris takes it upon himself to save her so she can join him and not go to Hell.
Streaming Platforms: Netflix
Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)
If you'd prefer a rather morbid afterlife story, Wristcutters: A Love Story is a cult classic. As the title suggests, there is no heaven for those who die by suicide, which is why only three people were forced to spend eternity together in the grim and depressing afterlife. That is, until they discover they could find a second chance at life.
Streaming Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
City of Angels (1998)
The afterlife doesn't always have to be lonely, nor do afterlife movies always only feature humans experiencing it. In City of Angels, Seth, an angel who wanders invisibly in Los Angeles, ends up falling in love with an empathic human heart surgeon, Maggie (Meg Ryan), and gives up his immortality to become human with her.
Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Peacock
Ghost (1990)
Here comes the classic! When Sam (Patrick Swayze) is murdered by his corrupt business partner, Carl Bruner (Tony Goldwyn), he is left to roam the earth as a powerless spirit.
After learning the betrayal behind his scheming, so-called friend, he seeks help from the psychic Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) to set things right and protect the love of his life, Molly (Demi Moore), from his killer.
Streaming Platforms: Paramount+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
If I Stay (2014)
Imagine being a 17-year-old with a near-death experience who has to watch her family struggle to keep her alive without having any control whatsoever in the situation.
Mia Hall slips into a coma after a car accident and experiences an out-of-body-like state. Mia's perspective grapples with life and death as it brings to light how her will to live is impacted by the very people who want her back in the living world.
Streaming Platforms: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV
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