Located in the ambivalent realm between life and death, ghosts have always inspired cultural fascination as well as theoretical consideration.

Ghosts and other supernatural phenomena are widely represented throughout modern culture. They can be found in any number of entertainment, commercial, and other contexts, but popular media or commodified representations of ghosts can be quite different from the beliefs people hold about them, based on tradition or direct experience. Personal belief and cultural tradition on the one hand, and popular and commercial representation on the other, nevertheless continually feed each other. They frequently share space in how people think about the supernatural. In Haunting Experiences, three well-known folklorists seek to broaden the discussion of ghost lore by examining it from a variety of angles in various modern contexts. Diane E. Goldstein, Sylvia Ann Grider, and Jeannie Banks Thomas take ghosts seriously, as they draw on contemporary scholarship that emphasizes both the basis of belief in experience (rather than mere fantasy) and the usefulness of ghost stories. They look closely at the narrative role of such lore in matters such as socialization and gender. And they unravel the complex mix of mass media, commodification, and popular culture that today puts old spirits into new contexts.

Eight whimsical spreads feature fully illustrated pop-ups that tell the story of three silly ghosts and their Halloween adventures.

With entries that range from specific works to authors, folklore, and popular culture (including music, film, television, urban legend, and gaming), this book provides a single-volume resource on all things ghostly in the United States and in other countries. The concept of ghosts has been an ongoing and universal element in human culture as far back as recorded history can document. In more modern popular culture and entertainment, ghosts are a popular mainstay—from A Christmas Carol and Casper the Friendly Ghost to The Amityville Horror, Ghostbusters, Poltergeist, The Sixth Sense, and Ghost Whisperer. This book comprehensively examines ghost and spirit phenomena in all its incarnations to provide readers with a holistic perspective on the subject. It presents insightful information about the contribution of a specific work or author to establish or further the evolution of ghost lore, rather than concentrating solely on the film, literature, music, or folklore itself. The book focuses on ghosts in western culture but also provides information about spirit phenomena and lore in international settings, as many of the trends in popular culture dealing with ghosts and spirits are informed by authors and filmmakers from Germany, Japan, Korea, and the United Kingdom. The writers and editors are experts and scholars in the field and enthusiastic fans of ghost lore, ghost films, ghost hunting, and urban legends, resulting in entries that are informative and engaging—and make this the most complete and current resource on ghost and spirit lore available.

A ghost is an apparition of a person, now deceased, that manifests itself as a living being. But that is only part of the story, and other cultures have paranormal phenomena of their own which have been absorbed into their mythology stretching back through time. This book examines many of the classic cases of hauntings around the world. Not only does it discuss the ghostly tales of kings, queens, nobles, murderers and their victims, and the real story behind "The Exorcist," but it also reveals the ghostly phenomena connected with more modern celebrities, from James Dean to Elvis Presley. Also examined in detail are chilly apparitions of ghost animals, inanimate objects, and even haunted places from the classic haunted house to a possessed shopping mall.

From La Llorona to the Bell Witch, kids will thrill to learn about all kinds of famous ghosts! Chapters cover ghosts of folklore, ghosts from history, and ghost stories told around the campfire.

Pop-up illustrations depict a guided tour through the chilling dungeons, spooky towers, and creepy rooms of a haunted castle. Movable flaps and tab reveal the hideous inmates and the grisly fate in store for the unsuspecting tourists.

In this book Tiya Miles explores the popular yet troubling phenomenon of "ghost tours," frequently promoted and experienced at plantations, urban manor homes, and cemeteries throughout the South. As a staple of the tours, guides entertain paying customers by routinely relying on stories of enslaved black specters. But who are these ghosts? Examining popular sites and stories from these tours, Miles shows that haunted tales routinely appropriate and skew African American history to produce representations of slavery for commercial gain. "Dark tourism" often highlights the most sensationalist and macabre aspects of slavery, from salacious sexual ties between white masters and black women slaves to the physical abuse and torture of black bodies to the supposedly exotic nature of African spiritual practices. Because the realities of slavery are largely absent from these tours, Miles reveals how they continue to feed problematic "Old South" narratives and erase the hard truths of the Civil War era. In an incisive and engaging work, Miles uses these troubling cases to shine light on how we feel about the Civil War and race, and how the ghosts of the past are still with us.

Many people claim to have seen ghosts. Some say they saw an apparition or heard noises in their home when they were alone. Others claim that a drop in temperature signaled a ghostÕs presence. Are these observations credible, or are they all made up? Readers will decide for themselves in this title that throws them into the middle of the mystery.

"Describes ancient history, medieval lore, and modern portrayals of ghosts in today's popular culture"--