Research: Ghosts and Ghost Stories

As we are looking at having a paranormal feature within the story of our trailer I thought it would be ideal to have a look at some of the characteristics that go into ghost stories and the roles of ghosts in those stories.

Ghost generally tend to have several roles in a ghost story depending on what the story is about. These roles can include:

- the ghost acting as a sentinel/prophet of events to come
- the ghost acting out of aggression in need for revenge
- the ghost with unfinished business
- the ghost out to cause trouble and mayhem
- the ghost acting as a guardian

M.R. James

M.R. James, the author of Some Remarks on Ghost Stories notes five keys features present within typical English ghost stories. These are:

- Pretense of the truth
- "A pleasing terror"
- No gratuitous bloodshed or sex
- No "explanation of the machinery"
- Setting: "those of the writer's (and reader's) own day