Ghosts
are everyone’s first exposure to the horror genre, unless you came from weird
parents that didn’t let you watch Scooby
Doo as a child. Despite the proliferation of Vampires and Zombies, ghosts
and ghost stories remain the most prolific (and oldest?) form of horror story.
Even children’s picture books include stories about ghosts. They are,
figuratively (or literally) everywhere, depending on your beliefs.
Maybe
because ghost stories are so commonplace, it’s easy to dismiss them as “not
that scary” or effective as a vehicle for blood-curdling horror. I, of course,
disagree with that. In fact, I think ghosts are the most versatile means of
scaring the bejeezus out of someone.
A
good ghost story, in print or film, should linger long after you’ve finished
it, like too much garlic in a pasta salad. Done well, a good ghost story will
have you questioning your perceptions of what constitutes reality. And it
doesn’t hurt if it makes you not want to sleep for three days, either.
