ghost tales
Haunted house narratives
Ghost tales are stories about ghosts, spirits, or supernatural hauntings.
The term emphasizes the narrative tradition—tales told around campfires, passed down through generations, or collected in anthologies: We stayed up late swapping ghost tales.
Ghost tales range from folklore to literary fiction, united by their aim to unsettle or thrill.
- haunted locationsSites of alleged paranormal activity
- cold spotsAreas notably colder nearby
- apparitionsSupernatural visible manifestations
- hauntingsSupernatural lingering presences
- restless spiritsSouls unable to find peace
unfinished business · banshees · horror stories · poltergeists · phantoms · urban legends · ectoplasm · séances · revenants · liminal spaces · spirit mediums · wraiths · folklore · cursed objects · ancestral spirits · campfire stories · specters · supernatural thrillers
- folktalesfolktales, animal fables, folktale, moral fables, fairy tale
- Japanese folkloreyokai, kitsune, tanuki, tengu, oni
- Japanese LiteratureNorwegian Wood, Rashomon, Confessions, Kappa, Genji
- Caribbean Folklorejumbie, duppy, Anansi, moongazer, river spirit
ghost talesrealistic fiction
Invented yet plausible storytelling
literary realism · social realism · documentary · slice of life · true crime
ghost talescomedy
Work meant to amuse
romantic comedy · heartwarming tales · farce · slapstick · inspirational stories
ghost talesutopian fiction
Stories set in perfect societies
science fiction · futurism · coming-of-age stories · adventure stories · origin stories