The Bookkeepers of Death

by Breumaster | created - 13 May 2021 | updated - 04 Jun 2021 | Public

In some movies, the karma of souls is balanced by a bookkeeper of morals. In most of them the bookkeeper is shown as some kind of devil; in others he even might be friendly. He is there to help the soul(s) decide which way to take and where to go at least. Sometimes he "helps" when they are still alive, but - anyway - his mission's end is most of the times inevitable for the delinquent's hereafter.

Which of these movies containing a bookkeeper of death is your favorite?

Tell us here.

(This list may contain spoilers because of the poll's subject.)

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1. Ghost Ship (2002)

R | 91 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

28 Metascore

A salvage crew discovers a long-lost 1962 passenger ship floating lifeless in a remote region of the Bering Sea, and soon notices that its long-dead inhabitants may still be on board.

Director: Steve Beck | Stars: Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington

Votes: 108,976 | Gross: $30.11M

2. The Mortuary Collection (2019)

Not Rated | 108 min | Fantasy, Horror

69 Metascore

An eccentric mortician recounts several macabre and phantasmagorical tales that he's encountered in his distinguished career.

Director: Ryan Spindell | Stars: Tristan Byon, Eden Campbell, Hannah R. Loyd, Clancy Brown

Votes: 14,563

3. Soul (2020)

PG | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

83 Metascore

Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.

Directors: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House

Votes: 379,380

4. What Dreams May Come (1998)

PG-13 | 113 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

44 Metascore

Chris Nielsen dies in an accident, and enters Heaven. But when he discovers that his beloved wife Annie has killed herself out of grief over the loss, he embarks on an afterlife adventure to reunite with her.

Director: Vincent Ward | Stars: Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., Annabella Sciorra, Max von Sydow

Votes: 114,361 | Gross: $55.49M

5. Needful Things (1993)

R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy

43 Metascore

A mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.

Director: Fraser C. Heston | Stars: Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, Amanda Plummer

Votes: 27,484 | Gross: $15.19M

6. The House That Jack Built (2018)

R | 152 min | Crime, Drama, Horror

42 Metascore

In five episodes, failed architect and vicious sociopath Jack recounts his elaborately orchestrated murders -- each, as he views them, a towering work of art that defines his life's work as a serial killer in the Pacific Northwest.

Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Siobhan Fallon Hogan

Votes: 91,896 | Gross: $0.09M

7. The Seventh Seal (1957)

Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy

88 Metascore

A knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.

Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe

Votes: 198,369

8. The Sixth Sense (1999)

PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

64 Metascore

Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, starts treating a young boy, Cole, who encounters dead people and convinces him to help them. In turn, Cole helps Malcolm reconcile with his estranged wife.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams

Votes: 1,050,814 | Gross: $293.51M

9. The Others (2001)

PG-13 | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

74 Metascore

In 1945, immediately following the end of Second World War, a woman who lives with her two photosensitive children on her darkened old family estate in the Channel Islands becomes convinced that the home is haunted.

Director: Alejandro Amenábar | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann

Votes: 393,077 | Gross: $96.52M

10. Die Geschichte vom Brandner Kaspar (2008)

96 min | Comedy, Drama

70-year old Brandner Kaspar lives with his granddaughter Nannerl in the mountains at the Schliersee. As he is visited by the Death and wants to take him, Brandner Kaspar tricks him and gets another 20 years of life.

Director: Joseph Vilsmaier | Stars: Franz-Xaver Kroetz, Michael Herbig, Lisa Maria Potthoff, Peter Ketnath

Votes: 899

11. The Meaning of Life (1983)

R | 107 min | Comedy, Musical

72 Metascore

The comedy team takes a look at life in all of its stages in their own uniquely silly way.

Director: Terry Jones | Stars: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones

Votes: 125,285 | Gross: $14.93M

12. Meet Joe Black (1998)

PG-13 | 178 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

43 Metascore

Death, who takes the form of a young man killed in an accident, asks a media mogul to act as his guide to teach him about life on Earth and, in the process, he falls in love with the mogul's daughter.

Director: Martin Brest | Stars: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani, Jake Weber

Votes: 264,702 | Gross: $44.62M

13. Macario (1960)

91 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

Poor and hungry peasant Macario wishes to have a good meal for All Saint's Day. After his wife cooks him a turkey he has three apparitions: The Devil, God, and the Death.

Director: Roberto Gavaldón | Stars: Ignacio López Tarso, Pina Pellicer, Enrique Lucero, Mario Alberto Rodríguez

Votes: 4,336

14. The Orphanage (2007)

R | 105 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

74 Metascore

A woman brings her family back to her childhood home, which used to be an orphanage for handicapped children. Before long, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend.

Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep, Mabel Rivera

Votes: 163,564 | Gross: $7.16M

16. Last Action Hero (1993)

PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

44 Metascore

With the help of a magic ticket, a young movie fan is transported into the fictional world of his favorite action movie character.

Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance

Votes: 163,716 | Gross: $50.02M

17. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

G | 85 min | Comedy, Drama, Family

64 Metascore

The Muppets present their own touching rendition of Charles Dickens' classic tale.

Director: Brian Henson | Stars: Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson

Votes: 70,628 | Gross: $27.28M

Including all other movie versions of the same Charles Dickens story.



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