Monday, April 8, 2013

G is for Ghosts

They're the left over imprints of a human soul. Sometimes lost, sometimes sad, sometimes frightening. They're the often painful reminders that what's no longer alive is not necessarily gone from our lives. Specter. Apparition. Shade. Wraiths. Ghosts . . . 

Warning: This post may contain spoilers. And woefully pathetic writing as it was completed at midnight following a weekend out of town. 

G is for Ghosts 

Fat Friar, Grey Lady, Bloody Baron and Nearly Headless Nick (Harry Potter series) – I always loved the idea of a ghost for each of the four Hogwarts houses. And what's more, I love that Rowling invents a rich back-story for each, going so far as to reveal the Grey Lady as the daughter of Hogwarts founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, and the former lover of The Bloody Baron, who killed her in a fit of rage and then committed suicide in grief over her loss. 

Jacob Marley (A Christmas Carol) – It's Jacob Marley's visit that initially catapults Ebeneezer Scrooge into his emotional journey, which of course includes three other memorable ghosts - those of the past, present and future. Following his death, Marley is condemned to walk the earth, heavily shackled in chains as penance for his mistreatment of the poor and wretched during his lifetime and proving that we take with us the sins of our past. 

Banquo (MacBeth) – William Shakespeare's famous apparition, Banquo's ghostly presence at the banquet feast shows the cracks in MacBeth's psyche and indicates the torment of his conscience. The question of whether the ghost actually appeared or if it was a figment of MacBeth's imagination is a theme debated to this day. 

Delbert Grady (The Shining– The former caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Delbert Grady famously murdered his wife and children and committed suicide in the 1940's. He now haunts the hotel, his whispers urging Jack to kill his own family. Grady is a representation of the fear many carry with them of the dead and their ability to haunt or influence us long after their deaths. 

Dr. Malcolm Crowe (The Sixth Sense) – I hate to join the list of people who say they guessed that Malcolm was a ghost from the beginning, but I have evidence in the form of childhood friend with whom I went to see The Sixth Sense that it's true. I guessed it from the moment he started talking to young Cole Sear, the boy who "sees dead people". 

And last but not least, a few ghostly Honorable Mentions: 

> Grace, Charles and Anne Stewart (The Others) 
> Sam Wheat (Ghost)
> Casper the Friendly Ghost (Casper) – I was never a big fan of the cartoon or comics as a kid, but to this say I still watch the live-action movie with Christina Ricci and Devon Sawa every year for Halloween. 


And there you have it, my Top 5 favorite Ghosts. What are some of your favorites? 
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This post is part of the Blogging A through Z Challenge 2013. My theme (in case you didn't already guess) is character types and tropes. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you’d like to check in on the other participants, simply click here.

29 comments:

  1. Wow. You just ruined the big reveal in The Sixth Sense for all those yet to see it. LOL. Seriously though, I never would've guessed the outcome if it hadn't been for a friend that went out of the his way to inform me beforehand. And yet, I was blown away by the way the reveal was handled.

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  2. I loved the big reveal in Deathly Hallows about the ghosts, it's amazing how much J. K. Rowling had planned out from the first book :)

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    1. I don't remember what that was. Another reason to reread the books. Otherwise I thought this was another thing Rowling kind of forgot about as the series progressed, like the centaurs and dragons.

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  3. The Sixth Sense was the best ghost movie ever. I was so wrapped up in it that the movie was nearly over before it hit me.

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  4. Wait...Malcolm was a ghost from the beginning? I totally didn't get that...

    Just kidding.

    I love the Harry Potter ghosts.

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  5. I loved Casper when I was a kid. Mostly the comics.

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  6. :) Nice to see Casper mentioned. It's easy to forget him as a ghost.

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  7. Who can forget the dashing Rex Harrison in "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" ?? My favorite ghost!

    wearinglemon.blogspot.com

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  8. I love ghosts and you picked some really good ones.
    A couple of my favourites are The Woman in Black and the ghosts from Ju-on: The Grudge. Both films scare the heck out of me and I love being scared :).

    Tasha's Thinkings

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  9. On the day I was planning on seeing The Sixth Sense, some bonehead at my lunch table at work just blurted out, "Can you believe that Bruce Willis was a ghost the whole time?"

    It ruined everything for me. Anyhow, ghosts are pretty awesome. I suppose Slimer from Ghostbusters is pretty high on my list of ghosties.

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  10. Yes, the slimer dude from Ghostbusters was a good one.

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  11. The Grey Lady is one of my fav. "He defiled it with dark magic!"

    And I love Jacob Marley. Have you seen Fred as Marley? http://minaburrows.blogspot.com/2011/12/fridays-with-fred-jacob-fred-marley.html

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  12. The green lady of Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire is a nice one. There's always that lovely man(P. Swayze) in 'Ghost' :-) Nancy at Welcome to she said, he said

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  13. Such great ghost picks! I agree about the Harry Potter ones, the depth they add to the story is fantastic. And Casper, that brings back memories of being a kid.

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  14. It seems strange to apply reason to something that is, at least apparently, irrational--but I've always had a bit of a problem with ghosts, immaterial entities that have no physical substance, that are able to murder physical beings, or pick up material objects that they would otherwise pass through. It just seems contradictory. I find the idea of spirits influencing people to do things much more compelling and plausible.

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  15. Okay, this post totally ROCKS! Great list here. Excellent! Interestingly, I was recently cast as a ghost in a short film for the Wyoming Short Film Contest. My character's name is Clementine. So I've kind of have "ghost" on the brain. LOL

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  16. I have to say that Jacob Marley is my favorite, since he turned a selfish man into a thoughtful and loving one. Thanks for stopping by my blog...happy A to Z!


    MakingtheWriteConnections

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  17. great post! love the shakespeare reference.

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  18. Awesome! Excellent ghosts for sure! Nearly Headless Nick is a new classic!

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  19. Delbert Grady scared the bejeebers out if me. "The Shining" was one of the first horror movies I saw and I still get shivers when I think of "redrum" "redrum".

    We have ghosts at the art center where I am the theatre director. Back when the building was a saloon, in the very early 1900s, two men were shot in the building and some locals think they are the ghosts who roam about upstairs.

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  20. Hamlet's father would be my favorite ghost.

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  21. I don't think I could have come up with that many ghosts on my own--even during my most productive time during the day. Very nice!

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  22. Love your list! I'd have to add Jennet Humfrye (Woman in Black) to the list. There was just no way of destroying her or helping her to move on. She was intent on staying and causing misery even in death.

    I also loved the ghosts from Thirteen Ghosts. Creepy as hell and yet I felt sorry for the way they were being used.

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  23. i love this post--i too love a scary movie---wow the first shining movie, really freaked me out--and i was thinking of casper the other day and how sad the part is where he is dancing and realizes he is not a boy but a ghost and must leave the dance

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  24. I loved the Canterville Ghost from the 40's with Charles Laughton. Rex Harrison in the Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Beetlejuice with Alec Baldwin Geena Davis and Michael Keaton, the craziest dead people ever.
    Katie atBankerchick Scratchings

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  25. Jacob Marely is definitely my favorite ghost, mainly because he changed someone's life for the better. :-)

    Thanks for stopping by my blog! Happy A to Zing! :-)

    http://cbwentworth.wordpress.com

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  26. Great post! I like Jacob Marley best too.
    Thanks for stopping by my Gnomes-post. No, they are NOT trying to take over the world. They are very gentle little people.
    Best wishes,
    Anna

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  27. Brilliant post, loved all the ghosts listed.

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