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When Ghosts Attack

2013–MiniseriesOngoing1 season9 episodes~60 min/epMidcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows

True stories of families who face deadly ghosts in their homes.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch When Ghosts Attack?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists When Ghosts Attack streaming on discovery+ and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

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Highlights

What stands out about When Ghosts Attack?

When Ghosts Attack earns 2 badges, led by Cult Classic and Unsettling.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is When Ghosts Attack worth watching?

When Ghosts Attack's Midcredits score is the 30th percentile of all shows, from 308 ratings across 2 sources. 64% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

30th percentile

Better received than 30% of shows

23rd percentile among Documentary29th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)24th
Approval (how many liked it)39th

Acclaim

Cult Classic: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

64 /100

24th percentile of all shows

16th percentile among Documentary24th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

Approval

How many liked it

64% liked it

39th percentile of all shows

33rd percentile among Documentary37th percentile among 2010s
64% rated it 7–1036% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

21st percentile

306 ratings across platforms

41st percentile among Documentary28th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 4% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps note the show relies on dramatic re-enactments and personal storytelling rather than evidence, differing on whether that makes it thrilling or fraudulent.

Fans praised

  • based on real people's firsthand accounts
  • professional directing, scarier than typical horror films
  • distinct from cheesy ghost-hunter shows, each episode improves

Detractors panned

  • feels like a parody, cheap production with grainy footage and stock music
  • dramatic re-enactments and voiceovers lacking empirical evidence
  • stories sometimes unverifiable or derivative of horror movies

What stands out

AtmosphereDivisive55

Eerie stock music and grainy visuals; fans call it scary, detractors call it cheap

TensionDivisive50

Fans find it thrilling; detractors find it campy and un-scary

Plot and storyDivisive45

Story-driven reenactments; fans see authentic accounts, detractors see unverifiable stories

OriginalityDivisive45

Based on real accounts vs. derivative of horror films; divisive

Acting40

Performances limited to fearful looks and screams; detractors call them debased

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2013 · 2 episodes

  • S1E1
    S1E1

    There's No Place Like Hell

    Oct 20, 201360 min
  • S1E2
    S1E2

    Deliver Us From Evil Spirits

    Oct 27, 201360 minFinale

Watch experience

What is When Ghosts Attack like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and intense — an even-paced watch that leaves you unsettled.

Themes

  • Survival
  • Trauma

Setting

  • Contemporary
  • Horror supernatural
  • Domestic
  • Rural

Style

  • Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
  • Campy

What it asks of you

  • Even-paced
  • Engaged
  • Affecting
  • Resolved

How it leaves you

  • Unsettling
  • Haunting

Story

  • No archetype

Feelings

  • Dread
  • Tense
exact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Heaviest: throughout
Told as
Procedural · 7% of showsStatus quo each season
ToneThe show presents true ghost stories with earnest horror intent, but low-budget reenactments and melodramatic storytelling give it a campy, brooding feel.
The rideSustained dread and tension pervade each episode as families are under constant threat.
StructureEach episode is a self-contained docudrama with no overarching narrative device.
Episode formatEach episode presents a self-contained haunting story with a different family, following a formulaic investigation and confrontation pattern.
Season formatBoth seasons consist of interchangeable episodes about different families facing ghosts, with no overarching arc or serial progression.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Why it leaves you this wayViewers are left unsettled by the real-life horror stories, with a lingering sense of dread about the paranormal.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThis is a documentary anthology series presenting self-contained true ghost stories; it does not follow a single narrative arc.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9% (this title): Survival 12% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% (this title) · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Survival

Survival · 12% of showsTrauma · 5% of shows
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeFamilies fight to survive deadly hauntings and the lingering trauma they inflict.
StanceThe show warns that domestic spaces can harbor deadly supernatural dangers, with each family's story as a cautionary tale.

The world

AmbientSupportive music · original score
Settingordinary American homes where families are terrorized by ghosts
MusicLikely ambient score to build tension, but no composer confirmed.

Cast and crew

Who is in When Ghosts Attack?

Cast

Karen Gavelan
as Friend
Courtney Dykstra
as Michelle
Johnny Alonso
as Ricky
Miranda Robbins
as Jules Ness
Richard Adams
as House Painter
Lizzie Mears
as Tiffany
Jimmy Bacon
as Murdering Husband
Zach Steffey
as Husband
Pete Garvey
as Ghost
Bonnie Webster
as Toni

Crew

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