Reel
A dark, cinematic Ghost theme for video creators: every post is a watch page with a big stage, chapters, Up next, a lights-off mode, a mini player and a Continue watching row.
// overview
About Reel
Reel gives video creators a home they own. Every post becomes a watch page with a big stage, chapters, Up next, a lights-off mode, a mini player and a Continue watching row, and members-only videos show a locked poster to free visitors.
Who it is for
- You make videos and want a home for them that you own
- You sell courses or behind-the-scenes films to members
- You post short vertical clips as well as longer films
- You want viewers to binge: playlists, Up next and Continue watching
Probably not for you if
- You publish audio only — see Airwave
- You show still photography — see Noir
- You write long reads with few videos — see Marlowe
Pages and layouts
Page templates: Playlists, Creators, Membership, Signin, Signup, Account.
Extra post layouts: Short.
Getting set up
- Videos: add a Video card anywhere in a post (upload the file or paste it). Reel moves the first video card onto the stage at the top of the post. Set a feature image too: it is the thumbnail on the homepage and the poster for locked videos.
- Chapters: write a bulleted list where every item starts with a time, like 0:00 Intro, 1:30 The shot. It becomes a chapter list that jumps the video.
- Shorts: for a vertical video, add the internal tag #short and choose the Short post template.
- Playlists: create a page with the slug topics and the Playlists template; give each tag a description, an image and an accent colour.
- Upload the theme zip in Ghost Admin → Settings → Design, then fill in the theme settings.
- Import the sample content if you want to start from the demo and replace it with your own posts.
What you download
- The theme, ready for Ghost 6.0 or later (reel_1.0.0)
- Documentation in HTML
- Sample content you can import into Ghost
- 12 months of updates and support from the people who built it
Requirements
A Ghost 6 site: Ghost(Pro) on a plan that allows custom themes, or self-hosted Ghost. Memberships and paid tiers use Ghost's own members feature and its Stripe connection; the theme adds the pages and the paywall design. Demo photos are not included in the download.
// features
What's included
- Watch pages: the first video in a post moves up onto a full-width stage above the title, with a glow in the colours of its poster
- Chapters: a list whose items start with a time (0:00 Intro, 1:30 The shot) becomes buttons that jump the video to that second
- Up next rail beside every video, from the same playlist first; when a video ends, a countdown card plays the next one
- Lights off: a button (or the T key) dims the whole page around the video; Esc brings the lights back
- Mini player: a playing video follows the reader into a corner when they scroll down to read
- Continue watching: the homepage remembers which videos a reader started, with red progress bars on every thumbnail and a Resume button on the video (kept in the reader's browser, no account needed)
- Shorts: posts with the internal tag #short get a vertical stage and their own row on the homepage
- Playlists: every tag is a playlist with a numbered list and a Play all button; a Playlists page shows them all as stacked covers
- Duration chips on thumbnails from the video itself, or from an internal tag like #dur 12:47
- Now showing: the newest featured video fills the top of the homepage
- Locked videos show the poster with a lock and a signup button, so free visitors see what they are missing
- Dark by default, with a warm light mode and a reader toggle
- Short, Playlists and Creators templates
- Membership page with tiers and a monthly/yearly switch; styled paywall for members and paid videos
- Sign in, sign up and account pages
- Self-hosted fonts (Dela Gothic One, Albert Sans)
- Fully translatable, 16 theme settings, no jQuery
Compatibility & tags
Changelog
v1.0.0 · 2026-09-30
- First release.
// faq
Questions about Reel
Read more about Reel
Best Ghost Theme for a Podcast Website in 2026
Your podcast host gets your show into Apple and Spotify. Your website is where listeners become subscribers and members. Here is how to build that site on Ghost.
How to Sell Online Courses with Ghost (No Course Platform Needed)
You may not need a separate course platform. With the right theme, Ghost can run courses from tags and posts, with chapters, progress and quick quizzes.
Best Ghost Theme for Video Creators in 2026: A Channel You Own
Video platforms own your audience. A Ghost site with the right theme gives you a channel you own, with memberships and email. Here is how Reel makes it feel like one.
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