Ghosts

Born of centuries-old traditions, the ghost (also known as a "phantom", "specter", or "shade") is usually considered to be the visible manifestation of a person's soul (the individual in question is generally, but not always, deceased). Appearing in a good portion of humanity's folklore, such apparitions helped popularize dark novels of the 19th century, a Gothic literary genre which played a strong role in cultivating the horror substrate which still remains the common basis of the ghostly figure, at least in our collective imagination.

Modern and contemporary ghost-themed fiction reached truly magnificent heights, starting with the innovative stories of Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) and continuing on to the works of M.R. James (1862-1936), a true authority in the field of "ghost stories" (but let's not forget some excellent tales by writers such as Algernon Blackwood, Oliver Onions, and Francis Marion Crawford, just to mention a few noteworthy names).

Standing on the shoulders of those literary giants, cinematic horror producers unleashed an exorbitant number of films haunted by spectral presences: We find translucent ones in the cornerstone works of 1920s Expressionism; plaintive, floating ones in 1960s Gothic films; vengeful ones in Asian horror of the late 1990s; and "CGI-friendly" ones in a ghostly revival of the early 21st century.(+)

Some entities that might fall within the scope of this Tag:

• Ethereal apparitions - real or not - of deceased individuals (canonical ghosts).
• Specific spirits characteristic of local folklore (e.g. Tibetan tulpas, the "Kuchisake-onna" of Japanese legends, the "Banshee" of Irish mythology, the "Llorona" and "Siguanaba" of Latin American cultures, etc.).
• Exclusively auditory manifestations limited to a specific location (e.g., poltergeists).
• Ghosts of animals.

 
P.S. In the event of phantasmal infestations in closed settings, it's highly probable that the "Ghosts" Tag would appear along with the "Haunted Houses" Tag. In addition, if the subject matter is treated in (pseudo)scientific terms, the film will also receive the "Parapsychology" Tag. Finally, in the event of astral projections or other out-of-body experiences, the "Doppelgänger" Tag might also apply.