Into the Forest discussion

Ghost folklore runs from white ladies to hitchikers who progress from carts to cars. Ghosts who appear in literature as well. Perhaps the attraction is not only the aspect of life after death, but also of the bloody gruesome tales that go along with such spirits. Additionally some ghosts, like black dogs or banshees foretell what is to come. Today, every where you go seems to have either a Ghost walk and/or a collection of ghost tales. Do you have a particular favorite ghost story? Do you like ghost folklore?

I love ghost stories of all kinds although can't think of a favorite off the top of my head

YES I like ghost folklore. The "real" collected stories like "ghosts in Danish castles and manors" are my favourites. Kind of gives an extra feeling of atmosphere if I'm close to one of those haunted places :-)
I don't know English/American ghost folklore (or at least can't think of any right now) but my favourite not-folklore "ghost"story is Neil Gaimans Season of mists, chapter four.

I just finished a contemporary romance/mystery that had ghosts in it. The ghost dog helped to solve the mystery and save the main character! It seems that ghosts are still very much alive in literature. I love the Silver John books by Manly Wade Wellman. He wrote about the people of Southern Appalachia and while they're maybe not technically "ghost" stories, they're pretty creepy and spooky! I'm not sure if the stories are truly legends of the mountain people or if Wellman made them all up, but if you like to shiver try them: The Old Gods Waken, After Dark, and The Lost and the Lurking.

As a kid I always loved to watch those Saturday morning TV 40's movies about ghosts -- The Canterbury Ghost, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Topper, and all the Abbot & Costello haunted house movies.

The scariest book I've read about ghosts was Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. I recently acquired E.F. Benson's Collected Stories, and The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, but they are still sitting on my TBR shelf.

What I like about ghost stories is the relationship between the ghosts & the living, particularly when the relationship is helpful or productive.

actually i'm very afraid of ghosts so i don't read a lot of ghost stories, but i love the Hui-Buh-Audioplays my so loves listening to. XD
(they're about a rather clumsy, egoistic ghost named hui-buh, who was cursed to haunt a castle after cheating at a game when lghtning struck him, together with kin julius he has to fight, demons, ghost-hunters and other creatures in each episode)

as for books, does E.T.A. Hoffmann count? I also liked Oscar Wildes "The Ghost of Canterville"

Hoffman counts. So they are good? I've been wanting to read them.

Chris wrote: "Hoffman counts. So they are good? I've been reading to read them."


I've just ordered The Best Tales of Hoffmann... thank you for mentioning this Martina, I think they are not to be missed.

(and yes, Canterville Ghost was the one I was thinking of :)

I discoverd Hoffmann years ago through a childrens theatre-subscription (i was 11) and i saw "Coppelia" - it fascinated me but after i got nightmares from Poe-Stories (my mother was a fan of theAlanParsonsProject, they intonated the raven, i read it - thats how a 11-year-old comes to read poe *haha*) i decided not to read any Hoffmann-Novels.
Until i HAD to read the Sandman for German-Classes at 16 and i absolutely loved it, so i read of Hoffmann what i could get in my hands :D