List of Crap #75: Top 50 Ghosts Countdown

[Johnny Unusual]

Number 48f

Nip Sui-Sin

(22 points on 1 of 12 lists. Top Vote #4 Stethacantus)

Ning Choi-san is a timid debt collector whose job requires him to travel to rural areas. He arrives at a town but is forced to seek shelter in a deserted temple in the forest on the outskirts because he ran out of money in the first place due to his inability to collect the debt as initially planned. That night in the temple, Ning meets a beautiful and alluring young maiden called Nip Siu-sin and falls in love with her. However, when he later recalls last night's events the next day, he becomes increasingly fearful and superstitious because a Taoist told him that the people he saw at the temple were ghosts. That night, he returns to the temple to spend his night there and confirms his theory that Nip is actually a spirit.

Nip tells him her story of how she became eternally bound to the servitude of a sinister Tree Demoness. She explains that as long as her remains are buried at the foot of the tree, her spirit will be forever enslaved by Tree Demoness. Ning attempts to free her from her suffering. He seeks the help of a powerful Taoist priest and master swordsman called Yin Chik-ha, who he met earlier. Yin battles the Tree Demoness and attempts to free Nip's soul but fails. Nip's soul is taken to the Underworld for betraying her master.

Ning is unwilling to give up on Nip and insists that Yin helps him. Yin manages to open a temporary portal to the Underworld. Ning and Yin enter the Underworld and attempt to free Nip's soul from suffering. They are unable to find her in the midst of thousands of other spirits. Eventually, Ning and Nip are able to see each other briefly near dawn when they come back from the Underworld after the fight. Sunlight shines on the urn containing Nip's cremated remains, but Nip cannot be exposed to sunlight or her soul will disintegrate. Ning holds on to a curtain to shield the urn from sunlight as he has a final conversation with Nip. Nip tells Ning that the only way to save her soul is to place her remains to rest at another more auspicious burial site before she returns to the darkness. Ning follows her instructions and with Yin's advice, Ning buries Nip's remains near the crest of a hill. He burns a joss stick for her and prays for her soul while Yin watches solemnly behind him.

 Malevolence
3/10
She does have song fun scaring Ning with wolf howls.

Spookiness
2/10
She does have the flowing white robes, but they just make her look pretty

[Johnny Unusual]

 

Number 48g

Herne the Hunter

(22 points on 1 of 12 lists. Top Vote #4 Tripe)

In English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. His appearance is notable in the fact that he has antlers upon his head.

The first literary mention of Herne is in William Shakespeare's play, The Merry Wives of Windsor, though there are several theories attempting to place the origins of Herne as predating any evidence for him by connecting his appearance to pagan deities or ancient archetypes.

The earliest written account of Herne comes from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1597:

Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;
And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,
And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.
You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld
Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age,
This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth.
— William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor

This records several aspects of Herne's ghost which is said to have haunted Windsor Forest (covering all of East Berkshire and parts of south Buckinghamshire, northeast Hampshire and northwest Surrey) and specifically the Great Park ever since his death. Further details have entered local folklore from reported sightings , such as those in the 1920s. He appears antlered, sometimes beneath the tree on which he was hanged, known as "Herne's Oak", but more often riding his horse, accompanied by other wild huntsmen and the captured souls of those he has encountered on his journey. He is thus a phantom of ill omen, particularly for the country and, specifically, the Royal Family. He has a phosphorescent glow and is accompanied by demon hounds, a horned owl and other creatures of the forest.

Two hundred years later in 1792 Samuel Ireland slightly expands on Shakespeare as follows: “The story of this Herne, who was keeper in the forest in the time of Elizabeth, runs thus: – That having committed some great offence, for which he feared to lose his situation and fall into disgrace, he was induced to hang himself on this tree.”

William Ainsworth’s romantic novel Windsor Castle which began serialisation in 1842 contains a fictionalised account of the origins of Herne the Hunter set during the reign of Richard II. This fabrication was popular with the Victorians, and has come down to the present day as being the legend.

 Malevolence
?/10   
Difficult to determine.  Though his appearance is an ill omen, it does not mean he himself is necessarily evil.   However, it is very probably that, intentionally or unintentionally, he is dangerous due to his reported wild nature (and a participant in the wild hunts), his sign as an ill omen and his appearance around hellhounds.  Still, nothing can be proven at this stage.  If you see him, be very cautious.

Spookiness
6/10
This is based on the Shakespeare quote above.   Again, he is a bit of a mystery and there are few accounts of encounters in the modern age and those that have been made vary in tone.

[Johnny Unusual]

That's it for tonight.  There will be three more tomorrow, and a couple more on the weekend, but not too many until Monday, and I'll make sure to have it done by Halloween day.

[MightyJack]

Number 48b

Elisa Cameron

(22 points on 1 of 12 lists. Top Vote #4 George Harrison)

Enjoying the list Johnny. Good work.

BTW, the current Ghost is an actual Ghost. From the excellent Kelly Sue DeConnick mini-series...

Elisa Cameron was an old-school reporter, the kind that cared about truth and justice and being the voice for the voiceless. In the midst of an investigation into the disappearance of thirty people in the Chicago area, she falls victim to the same monster she was hunting. Her ghost is brought back by Tommy Byers, an amateur ghost hunter, and his partner, a retired reporter named Vaughn Barnes. Tommy bought a piece of stolen experimental equipment in the hopes that he could use it to summon the woman in white known as Resurrection Mary, but instead summons Elisa. Together the three go on the run, evading the people that want back the stolen equipment, and trying to put together the missing pieces of Elisa’s memory. Along the way they discover mad doctors and demons and an evil greater than anyone knew at the heart of the Windy City.

A new regular series from DeConnick is coming this November. Yay! (yeah I'm a geek, so what 

Oh, and a Ghost can wield guns the same way they can throw chairs or kick a can in a subway.

As for the supplemental list. I've been watching the original Kolchak series on DVD, I've always liked the show and I can't believe I forgot Carl on my list. I guess I was thinking more paranormal folk, psychics and sorcerer's, rather than reporters.

[Johnny Unusual]

Yeah, I was tempted to lump them in together since they are rather closely related, but in the end I decided against it.

[Quantum Vagina]

Oh snap, list is going. Interesting so far. The mere IDEA of the Overlook Hotel creeps me out.

[Johnny Unusual]

 

Number 41a

Ghost of Christmas Present (modern)

(23 points on 1of 12 lists. Top Vote #3 Raven)

The more modern Ghost of Christmas Present is a woman dressed as a pixie who delighted in beating up sleazy media mogul Frank Cross, while at the same time, showing him events of his friends, family and acquaintances in order to convince him to become a better person.

It is unclear what relation this newer ghost might have to the original ghost, except that they play similar roles in trying to convince a cruel person to become more sympathetic and empathetic towards other people.

Malevolence
6/10
Not evil, but very violent and delights in it.  Still, it is for a higher purpose… mostly.

Spookiness
2/10
She only gets an extra point because you will be afraid she will learn that the calls are coming from inside the house.

[Johnny Unusual]

 

Number 41b

Merlyn Temple

(23 points on 1 of 12 lists. Top Vote #3  Stethacantus)

Merlyn is a spirit/angel who haunts the town of Trinity, South Carolina and acts as a guide to help keep her brother Caleb on the straight and narrow while he tries to escape the clutches of Sheriff Lucas Buck. She when she was 5 years old, she was present for her mother's rape by Buck and became emotionally disturbed. Her mother eventually committed suicide some time after giving birth to an illegitimate child.  On Caleb's tenth birthday, she “cast a spell" by saying "Someone's at the door" (a key word connected the event of the rape) over and over again until her father, Gage, who became demented after his wife's death, came after her with a shovel. The sheriff arrived, and finding Merlyn still alive, "put her out of her misery" by breaking her neck. Her father was accused of the killing and Lucas convinced him to kill himself in jail, leaving Caleb with no known family.

Merlyn usually has been visible only to Caleb and no one knew he was in contact with her until she "borrowed" the life of an unborn infant and came to life briefly. Merlyn is sometimes a bit vindictive, and still has not mastered the subtleties of being an angel, but she's trying.

Malevolence
5/10
For the most part, she is trying to protect her little brother from beyond the grave, but is not afraid to do some dirty work of her own if it means she can stop Sheriff Buck.

Spookiness
3/10
For the most part, she’s not too scary to look at but she certainly has a dark side to her.

[Johnny Unusual]

Number 41c

Eva Galli/Alma Mobley

(23 points on 1 of 12 lists. Top Vote #3  George Harrison)

Eva/Alma is a manitou, an evil spirit that can take many forms, including that of a beautiful woman that haunts a group of elderly friends known as the Chowder Society.  In the 1920’s, it took the form of a young woman named Eva Galli and made men fall head over heels for her.  After a night where she both flirted with and belittled the Chowder Society (and not generally not acting like the woman they knew), its members accidentally killed her in a struggle.  The men conspired to hide her body but as they drove to hide it, the body disappears.
Years later a writer and teacher named Donald Wanderley (a nephew of one member of the Chowder Society) meets and falls for a grad student named Alma Mobley.  However, over time he begins to sense an inexplicable feeling of something not being right with her.  He decides to stop seeing her and she eventually just vanishes.  When Donald decides to look her up, he discovers much about her was fabricated.   Eventually, Donald’s twin brother David marries Alma and mysteriously dies.
After Eva/Alma returns to kill more the Chowder Society years later, Donald and the surviving members of the society learn of the truth and work to defeat it.  Eventually they do, but Alma/Eva escapes.  Later Donald finds her in Florida in the form of a little girl and when she tries to escape in the form of a wasp, she is destroyed.

 Malevolence
9/10
This one does seem pretty darn evil   

Spookiness
2/10
I dunno she doesn’t seem so bad.

Yeesh, OK, 7/10

Gah! 9/10

[Johnny Unusual]

Sorry for it being so short today.  Starting Sunday/Monday morning, I'll post some more so that we'll have almost 10 a day, leading to Halloween. 

[Darth Geek]

HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT! Well, no sleep for me tonight. 

[ScottotD]

HOLY MOTHERFUCKING SHIT! Well, no sleep for me tonight. 

What movie is this from!? I MUST SEE IT!

[Johnny Unusual]

It's called Ghost Story.  I haven't seen it, but reviews were sort of mixed.  Still, it is interesting since it actually has a cast largely comprised of old, stately actors like Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and John Houseman.

The vote was based on the book that inspired it (also called Ghost Story) by Peter Straub, which was better received.

[Malt]

Someone needs a kiss goodnight.

Loving the list so far btw.

[MightyJack]

Ghost Story the movie was okay, but the book is better. I remember reading it all in one night and part of the day, I couldn't put it down. Scared the crap out of me.