List of Crap #75: Top 50 Ghosts Countdown

[Johnny Unusual]

 

Number 14

The Spectre

(45points on 3 of 12 lists. Top Vote #1 George Harrison)

The Spectre appeared when hard-boiled cop Jim Corrigan was murdered by being stuffed into a barrel (which was then filled with cement) and drowned. His spirit was refused entry into the afterlife however, instead being sent back to Earth by an entity referred to only as "The Voice", to eliminate evil. He saw his body when he appeared at the bottom of the waterfront.
The Spectre began by seeking bloody vengeance against Corrigan's murderers in a grim, supernatural fashion. One of them turned to a skeleton upon touching him. The Spectre was eventually awarded charter membership in the first ever superhero team, the Justice Society of America. Jim Corrigan was resurrected a few years later, after which the Spectre's ghostly form enters and emerges from him, though he also functions independently. Occasionally, the Spectre was subjected to "occult occurrences" such as dislocation an hour back in time, with no explanation.

Later, the Spectre was reduced to playing the role of guardian angel to a bumbling character called "Percival Popp, the Super Cop". When Corrigan enlisted in the military and departed to serve in World War II, the Spectre became permanently invisible and disappeared for a while.  Eventually, the Spectre re-emerged in the 60’s with far greater power.

In the 1970’s, the Spectre became a far more vengeful figure, doling out cruel and unusual death sentences to criminals and murderers with his vast supernatural power.  Eventually, it was revealed that the Spectre had far more divine origins, but often needed to be merged with the spirit of a dead human as a sort of anchor, lest he become far too dangerous and zealous.

 Malevolence
8/10
Though he fights for justice, he seems to relish the opportunity to hand out death sentences to evil-doers.

Spookiness
9/10
He’s a pretty scary dude, despite being in underpants.

[Johnny Unusual]

Number 13

Space Ghost

(48 points on 3 of 12 lists. Top Vote #1 Malt Dismal)

Space Ghost is an interplanetary super-hero who fights crime across the universe with his sidekicks, Jan and Jace, and his monkey Blip.

Later in his life, Space Ghost hosted a talk show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which began broadcasting in 1994 on Cartoon Network. One-time villains Zorak (a giant Praying Mantis or Locust, depending on the particular episode) and Moltar (a lava creature inside a metal suit) were Space Ghost's sidekicks (with guest appearances from many other old  villains, most notably Brak). The show, as well as the short-lived Cartoon Planet, was late-night show that netted Space Ghost more attention than he had in years, which may or may not have been responsible for his erratic behaviour in his later years. Celebrities interviewed by Space Ghost included Beck, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Magicians Penn and Teller, Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Joel Hodgson, Carrot Top, Jim Carrey, Jon Benjamin, Conan O'Brien,Thurston Moore, Pavement, Thom Yorke, Björk, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Goldie Hawn, Timothy Leary, and Mark Hamill.

He also may or may not be a ghost.  He certainly seems convinced he is, though he may simply be mad.

 Malevolence
5/10
He's not malevolent, but in his later years he became increasingly belligerent.

Spookiness
1/10
He himself isn't spooky, but his show went to some unsettling places.

[Johnny Unusual]

Number 12

Nearly-Headless Nick

(49 points on 3 of 12 lists. Top Vote #5 Cole Stratton)

Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, known after his death as Nearly Headless Nick, (d. 31 October, 1492) was a wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. He was a wizard of the royal court as an adult. He was executed by an improper decapitation, after he had a magical mishap with Lady Grieve, in which he tried to straighten her teeth but it backfired and she grew tusks. Since then, he is the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower at the Hogwarts Castle.

Little is known about Sir Nicholas's childhood. He lived in the fifteenth century and was born into the noble Mimsy-Porpington family somewhere in the British Isles.  When he turned eleven, Nicholas attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was Sorted into Gryffindor.  It is unknown at which subjects he excelled in, but he was apparently poor at Transfiguration.   In his adulthood, Sir Nicholas openly associated with Muggles. He was knighted and was a courtier at King Henry VII's royal court.

Sir Nicholas met Lady Grieve while strolling in the park on the evening of 30 October, 1492. She was certain he could straighten her crooked teeth, but his attempt to do so backfired, causing her to grow a tusk.

Sir Nicholas was immediately taken into custody and sentenced to death as a result of this mistake. Before being locked in a dungeon, his wand was taken from him, thus preventing him from using magic to escape. Throughout the night he cried that he would soon undo the damage done to Lady Grieve.

A priest came to Sir Nicholas's cell to comfort him and escort him to the execution site at dawn the following day. He became a "gibbering wreck" when the executioner told him to kneel before the block. However, the executioner's axe was blunt, as the grindstone used to sharpen it had been misplaced. Thus, it took forty-five hacks to kill Sir Nicholas, and even then his head was only partially severed.

Sir Nicholas chose to linger as a ghost rather than "go on", because, by his own admission, he feared death. He became the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "Nearly Headless Nick", as he was called by the majority of the student body, was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction when late to class.

 Malevolence
1/10
Heck, he might be the most helpful ghost on the list.

Spookiness
4/10   
He's not too spooky except for the nearly headless bit.

[Johnny Unusual]

Number 11

Casper, the Friendly Ghost

(54 points on 6 of 12 lists. Top Vote #5 Raven)

Casper the Friendly Ghost is, as his name indicates, a ghost, yet he is quite personable. According to some sources, his family name is McFadden, making his "full" name Casper McFadden.

Though there are other "friendly ghosts", Casper's friendliness is still unique among ghosts, since even more benevolent ghosts are shy, pranksterish or mysterious, but Casper is warm, friendly and polite.  However, Casper's visage is so horrifying that some people's bodies have been warped and twisted in bizarre ways, simply by looking at him.  However, despite this impediment, Casper's determination usually win out and humans can overcome their deep seeded instinctual repulsion to his hideous features and see the sweet little boy deep, deep down inside.

Given that Casper is depicted as a ghostly, portly little boy, there is a controversy among fans and critics of the series as to whether or not he is a dead child. Early reports seemed to suggest this, as they portrayed him residing beside a gravestone.  Casper's death (as well as the reason why he became friendly) has been long disputed.

This other reports surmise ghosts like Casper are merely a type of supernatural beings, similar to ghouls, goblins, etc. He was reported to have feet and is thought to have ghostly parents and became slightly slimmer from the early tales. The stock answer provided by the ghost experts at Harvey Comics, in response to those wondering how Casper died, was that he was a ghost simply because his parents were already ghosts when they were married. Other reports suggest that Casper was a young adolescent who went sledding all day and died of pneumonia.

 Malevolence
1/10
If there was  a zero setting, I'd put it here.

Spookiness   
10/10   
To see him is to know fear in its purest form.

[Tripe]

Given that Casper is depicted as a ghostly, portly little boy, there is a controversy among fans and critics of the series as to whether or not he is a dead child. Early reports seemed to suggest this, as they portrayed him residing beside a gravestone.  Casper's death (as well as the reason why he became friendly) has been long disputed.

This other reports surmise ghosts like Casper are merely a type of supernatural beings, similar to ghouls, goblins, etc. He was reported to have feet and is thought to have ghostly parents and became slightly slimmer from the early tales. The stock answer provided by the ghost experts at Harvey Comics, in response to those wondering how Casper died, was that he was a ghost simply because his parents were already ghosts when they were married. Other reports suggest that Casper was a young adolescent who went sledding all day and died of pneumonia.

I thought that in life he was Richie Rich and then committed suicide due to the emptiness that not even extreme wealth could fill.

[Johnny Unusual]

No, no, common misconception.  Richie went down the Daniel Plainview route of mad wealthy person, went to Hell and eventually returned in a new form.



Anyway, that's it for tonight.  I'll finish this tomorrow!

[Tripe]

That was the reference, yes.

[Johnny Unusual]

 

Number 10

Dr. Malcolme Crowe

(61 points on 5 of 12 lists. Top Vote #5 ScottotD)

Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist in Philadelphia, returned home one night with his wife, Anna Crowe (Olivia Williams), after having been honored for his work. As Anna was telling Malcolm that everything is second to his work, a young man appeared brandishing a gun, and accused Malcolm of failing him. Malcolm recognized him as Vincent Grey, a former patient whom he treated as a child for hallucinations. Vincent shot Malcolm in the abdomen before turning the gun on himself.

The next fall, Malcolm began working with another patient, eight year old Cole Sear, whose case was similar to Vincent's. Malcolm became dedicated to the boy, though he was haunted by doubts over his ability to help him after his failure with Vincent. Meanwhile, his wife hardly paid any attention to him. At the same time, Malcolm had repeated difficulty opening the door to his basement office. Cole eventually confided his secret to Malcolm: he sees dead people, walking around like regular people, not knowing they're dead.

At first, Malcolm thought Cole is delusional and planned to drop him. Remembering Vincent, Malcolm listened to an audiotape from a session with Vincent, then a child. On the tape, Malcolm is heard leaving the room, and when he returned, Vincent was crying. Turning up the volume, Malcolm hears a weeping man instead of a child, and now believes that Cole was telling the truth and that Vincent may have had the same ability. He suggested to Cole that he should try to find a purpose for his gift by communicating with the ghosts and perhaps aid them with their unfinished business. At first, Cole was unwilling since the ghosts terrified him, but finally decided to do it.

Learning to live with the ghosts he sees, Cole started to fit in at school and got the lead in the school play, which Malcolm attended. The doctor and patient departed on positive terms and Cole suggested to Malcolm that he should try speaking to Anna while she is asleep.

Malcolm returns home, where he found his wife asleep with their wedding video playing. Asleep, Anna asked her husband why he left her, and dropped Malcolm's wedding ring, which he suddenly discovered he has not been wearing. He remembered what Cole said about ghosts and realizes that he was actually killed by Vincent that night, and was unknowingly dead the entire time he was working with Cole. Due to Cole's efforts, Malcolm's unfinished business—rectifying his failure to understand and help Vincent—was finally complete. Malcolm fulfilled the second reason he returned: to tell his wife she was never second, and that he loved her. His goal complete, he was free to leave the world of the living.

 Malevolence
2/10
He’s very helpful.

Spookiness
2/10
It’d be less, but everyone whispers in this movie.

[RoninFox]

Dude!  Spoilers!

[Johnny Unusual]

That's true, it is an obscure movie that few people know the ending to.

[Johnny Unusual]

 

Number 9

Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Clyde

(63 points on 7 of 12 lists. Top Vote #10 Raven)

These ghosts live in a nightmarishly endless maze located in a black void, constantly chasing the creature known as the Pac Man, in a recurring cycle of murder and gluttony.

Despite the seemingly random nature of the enemies, their movements are strictly deterministic, which Pac Man has used to his advantage. In an interview, ghost creator and mad god (?) Toru Iwatani stated that he had designed each enemy with its own distinct personality in order to keep the game from becoming impossibly difficult or boring to play. More recently, Iwatani described the ghost’s behaviors in more detail at the 2011 Game Developers Conference. He stated that the red enemy chases Pac-Man, and the pink and blue enemies try to position themselves in front of Pac-Man's mouth.  Although he claimed that the orange enemy's behavior is random, a careful analysis reveals that it actually chases Pac-Man most of the time, but also moves toward the lower-left corner of the maze when it gets too close to Pac-Man.

Blinky is a red Ghost that is bad-tempered, bossy, crude, bratty, grouchy, dangerous, sarcastic, wimpy, and greedy. In the "Pac-Man World", this ghost is Clyde.

Inky is a cyan Ghost that is goofy, shy, and unpredictable.

Pinky is a pink Ghost that is mischievous, persistent, and tricky.

Clyde is an orange Ghost that is ignorant, and goofy. The ghost also goes by Sue and Tim

 Malevolence
10/10
It’s eat or be killed!

Spookiness
1/10
Like the Boos, they are cute, yet deadly.

[Darth Geek]

Number 9

Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Clyde

These ghosts live in a nightmarishly endless maze located in a black void, constantly chasing the creature known as the Pac Man, in a recurring cycle of murder and gluttony.

That was hilarious!

[Tripe]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/OTZHI6TxD5A" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/OTZHI6TxD5A</a>

[Johnny Unusual]

 

Number 8

Bloody Mary

(Visual approximation)
 

(66 points on 7 of 12 lists. Top Vote #2 Johnny Unusual)

Bloody Mary is a folklore legend consisting of a ghost or spirit conjured to reveal the future. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is called multiple times. The Bloody Mary apparition may be benign or malevolent, depending on historic variations of the legend. The Bloody Mary appearances are mostly "witnessed" in teenage group participation games, often as part of a game of truth or dare.

Historically, the ritual encouraged young women to walk up a flight of stairs backwards while holding a candle and a hand mirror, in a darkened house. As they gazed into the mirror, they were supposed to be able to catch a view of their future husband's face. There was, however, a chance that they would see a skull (or the face of the Grim Reaper) instead, indicating that they were destined to die before they married.

A modern ritual addition of taunting Bloody Mary regarding her baby indicates the legendary figure's tenuous connection to Queen Mary I, also known as "Bloody Mary", whose life was marked by a number of miscarriages or false pregnancies.

Bloody Mary allegedly appears as a corpse, a witch or a ghost; sometimes covered in blood. The lore surrounding the ritual (if she is summoned properly) states that participants may endure the apparition screaming at them, cursing them, strangling them, stealing their body or soul, drinking their blood,[4] or scratching their eyes out.

Troxler's fading, self-hypnosis, and the Caputo Effect have been posited as explanations for the Bloody Mary phenomena.
 Malevolence
?/10
Really hard to say even if there’s only 1 Bloody Mary
Spookiness
10/10
See, I always imagined her looking sort of like a more human of Augra from the Dark Crystal mixed with a podling, but covered in blood and with a wicked smile.

[MightyJack]

Bloody Mary was on my mind and made my list because she recently showed up in issues of Batwoman.

And I always preferred Spooky over Caspar, because he was a tuff little hard ass. If they ever make a Spooky live action film I hope it's directed by Martin Scorsese.