Oh, and full disclosure: it's a blog about death.
It's the month of Halloween, and we're celebrating all month long as you may have noticed from the social media posts and the current additions to the website. We're also watching and reflecting on horror films, and we started to ask a lot of questions. Why do we like these films? Where did these ideas come from? Why are we afraid of these creepy characters?
Well, in short, some of us seek the thrill of fear. For others, it's the feeling of bliss that occurs once the fear has passed. One theory even argues that we seek out horror movies to experience negative emotions in a safe space. But why do we fear these fictional threats, and where do they come from? Let's start with ghosts!
Humans fear death, and not just dying, but all things related to death. In normal circumstances, it makes us uneasy to think of mortality. This is an advantage to any living being: life continues for longer if you fear the alternative. However, the idea of ghosts doesn't always create fear. Sometimes, spirits are viewed positively, and people are sympathetic to their existence and struggles. Despite the lack of scientific credibility, many people believe ghosts are very real. Stories of spotting spooky specters have been around for thousands of years as every ancient culture believed in an afterlife and spirts in some form. Reports of ghost sightings go back to ancient Rome.
As for ghosts in entertainment, in ancient Greece, the play "Oresteia" (5 BC) had an appearance by a ghost, and there have been thousands of ghostly characters since in cultures worldwide. Not all ghosts have been written as scary, and not all people find ghosts to be inherently scary. However, there are plenty of ghosts in these stories that aren't always as friendly as Casper. The idea of a vengeful spirit has been around since ancient Egypt. So, humans have been fearful of ghosts for a long time!
Ghosts in films can also be divided into these same two groups, but all are driven by the motivation to fix some unfinished business. We have movies like "Ghost" (1990), "The Sixth Sense" (1999), "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" (1947), and "Field of Dreams" (1989) which depict ghosts as spirits of everyday people who have died, but their souls remain behind. But, in movies like "The Shining" (1980), "Poltergeist" (1982), and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) we see tortured souls who seek peace or revenge, and they will do whatever it takes to get it! As with all popular horror movies, there was a deeper fear in America that led to the success of these films. Fears such as the dangers in suburban neighborhoods, fear of technology, generational trauma, domestic violence, or mental illness.
Whether a ghost is friendly or mean, it's temporary as long as its goal is met. Sometimes, in the case of "Ghostbusters" (1984), they can also just be spirits that don't even look human that need to be captured and held forever in a firehouse. Or they're ancient gods... or criminals... or giant marshmallow men... or they're ghosts of regular people like in the new "Ghostbusters" films who do have unfinished business. You know what, "Ghostbusters" gets a pass because it's amazing.
Since ghosts in movies are temporary obstacles, most aren't really able to hurt the living because they just have unfinished business. I guess I'll conclude this by saying "I ain't 'fraid of no ghost!"