Ghost Archetypes in Fiction: From Restless to Ridiculous
Not all ghosts want the same thing. Some want justice. Some want revenge. Some just want you to pay attention. A while back I put together an Instagram post on eight different ghost archetypes and it made me want to tie them into some films and books … and inject some of my opinions. Especially since I write ghosts myself.
So here’s a “listicle” for you.
One caveat straight up: many ghosts are combinations of more than one archetype, and some stories have more than one ghost in them. I struggled over that because it’s always so much nicer and easier when things fit neatly into little boxes. But in the end, rather than give up on this post (which I almost did), I’m presenting it having mostly chosen one archetype from each book or film, and doing my best to place them in their most natural fit. But it’s far from an exact science.
Now, onto ghost archetypes. I've landed on eight major ones, with examples from literature and film for many. Let’s go!
The Lovely Bones (2009)
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (2020)
Archetype: The Restless Ghost
I read this while it was still new and really enjoyed it. It’s one of those novels that goes back and forth between times & it works very nicely that way. The ghosts haunting the Sun Down Motel are textbook Restless Ghosts: murdered women who linger because their deaths went unresolved and their killer unpunished. They're stuck between worlds with unfinished business, unable to move on until the living finish what the women were not able to. It's a deeply satisfying example of the archetype, and St. James handles it very well.
Off-topic but it must be said: the cover was stunning.🥰 📕
The Others (2001), directed by Alejandro Amenábar
Archetype: The Restless Ghost
I can't say too much without ruining this one. Grace (Nicole Kidman) lives in stunning but dark and curtained, locked-in mansion on the island of Jersey in 1945 with her two light-sensitive children. There are odd happenings, and Grace believes the house is haunted. What Amenábar does well is play with the audience's understanding of who is haunting whom. There are ghosts here with genuine unfinished business, and the film brings one of the great twists in modern horror.
By the way, The Others made it onto my Best Modern Horror Films for Haunted House Fans. Read it here.
The Woman in Black (2012), directed by James Watkins
Archetype: The Vengeful Ghost
Vengeful ghosts are like pure rage given physical form. In life, Jennet Humfrye was wronged. Her child was taken from her, and she was framed as crazy. So, in death she punishes, relentlessly and without discrimination, making the living pay for her suffering regardless of their guilt. She's not a demon (which would come under the malevolent spirit archetype), but this is absolutely a ghost you want nothing to do with, which might be why Vengeful ghosts, like Jennet, are such a rich source for horror fiction and film.
The Strange Brew by M. N. Cox (2022)
Archetype: The Vengeful Ghost
My debut paranormal mystery is set in the fictional Queensland town of Deepwell, where café owner Dora Hermansen has spent years doing her best to ignore the ghosts she can sense. It's been working — until a death in town forces her to question whether her PTSD is flaring up or the dead are genuinely stirring. The Strange Brew features more than one type of ghost, which felt right for a town with secrets. The most dangerous is a vengeful ghost with a particular hatred for one of the characters. This ghost joins forces with another entity to cause serious harm. But there's another in the mix as well, not exactly friendly, but grudgingly useful as a source of information. It's the kind of uneasy dynamic I enjoy writing.
The Lovely Bones (2009), directed by Peter Jackson (based on Alice Sebold's novel)
Archetypes: The Tragic Ghost + The Guardian Ghost
In The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon is fourteen years old when she's murdered. It’s such an unusual story because she is the ghost. Susie narrates not so much from within the world, but from just outside it, though she can still see her family and friends from her position. The helplessness that comes from not being able to fully reach her loved ones makes her a Tragic Ghost. But at the same time she is watching over them and is able to nudge certain situations toward what she wants: truth and justice. That makes her a Guardian Ghost as well. I haven't read Sebold's novel, but the film was both heartbreaking and, somehow, quietly comforting.
The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin
Archetype: The Malevolent Entity
This is actually a really difficult film for me to include because the film itself had some really icky parts, yet I can’t deny that it is a classic in the horror genre, and that it provides a clear, if stomach churning, example of a deeply malevolent entity. The demonic force at the centre of The Exorcist is implied to be ancient, with no backstory to suggest it ever had humanity, and that’s the key with malevolent spirits. They were never human and you can’t reason with them.
The entity is so predatory, intent on bringing sickness and foulness to the human realm and this film and plot have been studied and referenced by many because it really pushed the boundaries when it came out in the early 1970s. Due in part to the involvement of catholicism within the plot during a time when some were (for better or worse) moving toward atheism, as well as its portrayal, not just of a single working mother but, of the daughter — just a tween — who was the main victim of the entity.
The Elementals by Michael McDowell (1981)
Archetype: The Malevolent Entity
I truly loved McDowell's The Elementals though it’s for reasons unrelated to the post topic. In this novel there are creatures that are primal and bound by the place itself. Essentially, ancient forces tied to a remote Alabama Gulf Coast property where one of three Victorian houses is slowly being consumed by sand. The setting and writing style had me right from the start, unsurprisingly, as I’ve got a sweet spot for Southern settings and characters, and I like a bit of gothic. Then the unsettling confusion and fear about what was really happening in this little area of the world brought it home as an excellent read. I had to seek out this title, too. It’s not one you’ll easily pick up at your local library, which is a shame.
The malevolent entities in The Elementals, share little in common with that of The Exorcist, aside from being predatory, inhuman, and having no real history to offer motivation for their destructive behaviour. But the basics are there. These are primal creatures. If you’re a Southern Gothic lover, particularly if you also like horror, this is a classic for you. This is an imaginative beach setting that still serves up that moral ambiguity, decay and general awkwardness of the genre.
The September House by Carissa Orlando (2023)
Archetype: The Residual Ghost (primarily)
The haunting in The September House is so busy and multi-layered. I mean this novel has multiple ghosts but it’s also about family, domestic violence, and about how much people can really take, all centred around this house … and fear. Most of the ghosts involved are residual ghosts, though, and are very much a part of the story. The main character, Margaret, has developed rules and routines specifically for managing these residual spirits, separate from the more conscious presences that also occupy her house. In this novel, the same events replay on a loop every September, regardless of who is there to see it. They don't see Margaret, they don't respond, they simply repeat. So, some good examples of the Residual Ghost archetype.
Ghost (1990), directed by Jerry Zucker
Archetype: The Guardian Ghost
Sam Wheat's entire earthbound existence after his murder is motivated by one thing: protecting his partner, Molly. He doesn't linger out of confusion or rage or unresolved grief. He stays because she's in danger and he can't leave until she's safe. It's a clean example of the Guardian Ghost archetype. He’s driven by love rather than unfinished business in any self-serving sense, and it’s actually a lovely story, and a way to enjoy ghost films without veering into horror. It’s been a long time since I watched Ghost and I tell you, writing about this one has given me a real hankering to rewatch it soon. I’ve been Swayzed toward the idea. (Sorry. 😁)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843)
Archetype: The Messenger Ghost
I love, love, love this novella. It’s a true classic. Now, you might assume the three spirits are the classic Messenger Ghosts in this story, and they're certainly purposeful visitors. But Jacob Marley is an example of the archetype as well, perhaps even a better example. He appears once, delivers a specific warning with a purpose: Scrooge must change, and three spirits are coming. Then he’s off. Gone. There is no lingering on the pages. Just the message, delivered and done. I think Marley is an excellent, textbook Messenger Ghost example from books that come to my mind. And from almost 200 years ago, too. Thank you, Dickens.
The Shining (1980), directed by Stanley Kubrick
Archetype: The Messenger Ghost (the Grady girls)
First, some quick trivia. The iconic girls in the hallway are Kubrick's invention not Stephen King’s, and they’re never explicitly identified as twins in the film. But, come now, they were played by real-life twins (Lisa and Louise Burns), so…
Even though I always sensed a Residual Ghost vibe from the girls, in The Shining they are really Messenger Ghosts. Their appearance (which even involves them speaking) is a warning, and they always show Danny, the boy in the film, the bloody aftermath of their murder. A classic and disturbing pair in horror even though they have a small part in film.
Dead[ish] by Naomi Kramer (2009)
Archetype: The Comic Ghost
Not many people will know this obscure novella, or the series it’s part of, and this book is one of those where it’s actually worth repeating the cliché, ‘It’s not for everyone.’ It’s not. But I really enjoyed it. 🤭
Linda is murdered by her boyfriend Mike and comes back as a ghost to relentlessly harass him into finding her body. She's furious, foul-mouthed, and absolutely done with his nonsense. The comedy here comes from the fury and absurdity rather than sweetness or friendliness, which I think demonstrates that the Comic Ghost archetype — where often Casper the Friendly Ghost comes to mind — actually has genuine range. It doesn't have to mean harmless. It just means the tone is reaching for something other than dread, and Dead[ish] achieves that.
Beetlejuice (1988), directed by Tim Burton
Archetype: The Comic Ghost
Beetlejuice himself is selfish, wildly crazed and anarchic and, underneath the comedy, threatening. But the film's broad register, its vibe (if you will), is built around the idea that haunting can be chaotic while being ridiculous and deeply funny. The Maitlands are bumbling newbie ghosts navigating the bureaucracy of the afterlife which they really don't understand and weren’t ready for. Beetlejuice meanwhile is the unhinged freelancer they very unfortunately summon for help. I’m so glad that not every haunting has to be serious and terrifying. Sometimes hilarious and weird is good, too. Beetlejuice brings that.
A bonus 🤗
The Sixth Sense (1999), directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Archetype: The Restless Ghost
I’m not going to tell you about it. Nope. I’m just going to say, watch it for yourself, and have fun.
From the heartbreak of a Tragic Ghost to the vile fury of the Vengeful ones, ghosts in fiction are rarely just one thing. I hope this list has been enjoyable, and maybe added a few titles to your to-read or to-watch pile.
Now I want to know: what are your favourite archetypes? Or favourite ghostly books and films?
Morgan x 💕
P.S. A factor I love in paranormal fiction, and which drives my writing, is the idea of this world as we know it existing alongside ghosts and other supernatural creatures. My town names might be made up, but the broader society and world presented, are recognisable. If that sounds like your kind of reading, I offer a standalone short story set in The Strange Brew world for newsletter subscribers.