Category Archives: ghost

Daniel S. Wise on ghost hunting and the paranormal

I had the privilege of having a conversation with Daniel Wise on the topic of ghost hunting and how this functions as a form of enchantment in late modernity. Daniel wrote his PhD dissertation on this topic.

Titles of Interest – Subversive Spirits: The Female Ghost in British and American Popular Culture

Subversive Spirits: The Female Ghost in British and American Popular Culture By Robin Roberts University Press of Mississippi, 2018 The supernatural has become extraordinarily popular in literature, television, and film. Vampires, zombies, werewolves, witches, and wizards have become staples of entertainment industries, and many of these figures have received extensive critical attention. But one figure […]

Christmas and Ghost Stories

While listening to Christmas music today I caught a part in one of the lyrics for “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” that mentioned telling scary ghost stories. I posted an inquiry on Facebook about the origins of this in the evolution of Christmas, and in addition to its incorporation in Victorian practices, […]

“I ain’t afraid of no ghosts”

The other day I watched Disney’s animated cartoon, Lonesome Ghosts (1937). I caught a line in it I hadn’t noticed before. Each of the main characters has their encounter with a ghost, from Mickey to Donald to Goofy. In connection with Goofy’s spectral encounter he says, “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.” In light of […]

Titles of Interest – Ghosts, Spirits and Psychics: The Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies

Matt Cardin of The Teeming Brain is a good friend and colleague in all things fantastic. I am pleased to announce one of his latest book projects, Ghosts, Spirits and Psychics: The Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies (ABC-CLIO, 2015). This fascinating work provides a complete overview of paranormal phenomena, including the beliefs, attitudes, and notable […]

Trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s “Crimson Peak”

I am really looking forward to this one coming out in October this year, Crimson Peak, by Guillermo del Toro.

Conference on ‘Folk Horror’ at Queen’s University in Belfast

A Friend in the Furrows: Perspectives on ‘Folk Horror’ in Literature, Film and Music 19-21 September, 2014 Queen’s University Belfast ‘A Fiend in the Furrows’ is a three-day conference in association with the School of English and the Institute for Collaborative Research in the Humanities at Queen’s University Belfast, exploring ‘folk horror’ in British and […]

Call for Papers: Representations of Ghosts in Media and Popular Culture

CFP: Representations of Ghosts in Media and Popular Culture Society for Cinema and Media Studies 2013 Annual Conference Chicago, 6-10 March 2013 Deadline for submission of abstracts: 7 August 2012 Spirits and ghosts have been part of our culture for hundreds of years. On the stage of Shakespeare’s dramas and in religious rituals, in Dickens’ […]

Ghost Images: Cinema of the Afterlife

Some recent research turned up a book title that I found helpful, Ghost Images: Cinema of the Afterlife by Tom Ruffles (McFarland, 2004). The back cover of the book describes Ruffles as a teacher in communication skills and film studies in the United Kingdom, but the promotional materials from the publisher indicate another interesting facet […]

Cleansing Our Sanctuaries: Ghost-Hunters and Home-Improvement

What do any number of ghost-hunting and home-improvement television programs have in common? Nothing, you might say? Don’t be so sure. I am working my way through my growing stack of reading relating to the fantastic, and this weekend I read a few chapters in The Philosophy of Horror, edited by Thomas Fahy (The University […]

RSS for Posts RSS for Comments