A Brief Consideration of Ghost Films

Many ghost films involve the struggles of spirits who are stuck between the worlds of the living and the dead.  Earthbound spirits are prominent characters in The Ghost Goes West (1935), Topper (1937), A Christmas Carol (1938), The Uninvited (1944), The Halfway House (1944), The Canterville Ghost (1944), Between Two Worlds (1944), Wonder Man (1945), Blithe Spirit (1946), The Time of Their Lives (1946), Blackbeard's Ghost (1968), Sole Survivor (1970), Beetlejuice (1988), Ghost (1990), The Frighteners (1996), The Sixth Sense (1999) and Ghost Town (2008).

In A Christmas Carol, Jacob Marley is doomed to roam the earth for eternity as punishment for a lifetime of greed and selfishness.  According to The Uninvited, a spirit can remain on the earthly plane after death due to trauma or strong emotional ties. They linger in familiar places, sometimes out of love for someone they cared deeply about.  Sometimes, unresolved business will prevent a spirit from moving on to the afterlife.  This is the case in Wonder Man, which involves a murder victim who is determined to bring his killers to justice.  A spirit can be trapped on the earthly plane due to a curse.  This is something that we see in The Canterville Ghost, The Time of Their Lives and Blackbeard's Ghost.  A spirit is summoned back to earth against her will during the séance in Blithe Spirit.  

These films humanize ghosts.  By making the ghosts humorous rather than horrifying, the films offer us a more lighthearted and comforting view of the afterlife.