One of my favorite films is "Spirited Away." When I saw Kitzie's icon in this comments section, I got to thinking about the elegant spirit No-Face, a character I adore, and my admiration for Hayao Miyazaki, one of my storytelling idols. The movie is a bold work brimming with daring and sweetness and scares. Love.
With fall nearly upon us, at least in the hemisphere where I currently sit, I've been considering ghosts in popular culture. I like ghost stories, but I prefer ghosts that surprise over the traditional chain-rattlers and bringers of warnings.
Put me down as a fan of nontraditional monsters. The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man from "Ghostbusters"? I am MAD for that over-sized walking confection. He probably has the most "what the?" movie-monster entrance in cinema history. His soft, marshmallow-y scowl, too! Ha ha ha ha ha. (I know, he isn't really a ghost, per se, but I couldn't not give my main man a shout-out.)
As for books? I've talked about my affection for Marley in this space. Though I suppose Marley is the quintessential bringer-of-warnings chain-rattler, but he was doin' his thing in "A Christmas Carol" long before movies were around. So he is a proud standard-bearer of the chain-rattling, moan-groan form.
"Wilfair" has a non-ghost in the Lady in Sequins. Fair Finley has never seen her, only the spirit's alleged orange sequins, which are actually dropped by Fair's little brothers so that guests may find the supernatural souvenirs. Except now there are wrong-colored sequins showing up. Is a real ghost muscling out The Wilfair's fake ghost? And do ghosts have muscles?
Who is your favorite cinematic or literary ghost and why? Do you prefer traditional or offbeat?
Photo: Chandelier at the said-to-be-haunted Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
