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Marley
A Christmas Carol (various)
Poor Jacob Marley has rattled his chain of guilt and regret since 1843. He’s become so familiar he’s almost not scary anymore. He’s even been played by Statler and Waldorf in The Muppet Christmas Carol. But look closer and you see that Marley has endured because he’s one of the most horrifying ghosts in fiction. He’s not just paying for his crimes but is cursed to be aware of them for all eternity. Marley’s chain is a lovely visual, but it’s also a weight that constantly threatens to tear him apart. As a result, the image of the skies of London full of ghosts labouring with similar chains is as powerful as it is disturbing. The message is clear: make sure you can live, and die, with your choices. Even if you’re sometimes Statler and Waldorf.
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Nearly Headless Nick Harry Potter (2001)
This jovial ghost rarely got too tied up in the drama at Hogwarts, but his kindly disposition and sense of humour have seen him endure. Something of a loveable-but-crazy-uncle figure in the books, casting John Cleese for the role was a stroke of genius. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington was a knight at King Henry VII’s royal court before he met his untimely end. He was sentenced to death the day before Halloween, in 1492, for accidentally giving a lady-in-waiting tusks while trying to fix her crooked teeth. He gained his name when he died after 45 hacks of a blunt executioner’s blade.
SCARIEST MOMENT Not so much a scariest bit as a scariest performance. There are two standouts: Alec Guinness voiced an inhumanly wounded version in the 1971 animated film, while Frank Finlay’s chilling rendition from the 1984 TV movie is often regarded as a definitive version. AS
scariest moment There aren’t many Nearly Headless Nick moments you could describe as “scary”. His most impactful moment didn’t make it into the movies. As Harry mourns the loss of his godfather, Headless turns uncharacteristically sombre: “‘I was afraid of death,’ said Nick softly… He gave a small sad chuckle. ‘I know nothing of the secrets of death, Harry, for I chose my feeble imitation of life instead.’” JW
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Zero
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
And now, the only ghost in this list you can recreate using nothing more than a hanky and a tomato. The hanky may need washing afterwards. Zero was the top dog in this Tim Burton-inspired stop-motion musical fantasy – Jack Skellington was just the lead (ho, ho, ho). When it was time for walkies Jack would summon Zero from his doghouse-shaped grave. We can only guess what kind of dog Zero was in real life – as a ghost he’s just a head with a red nose and a floating shroud thing for a body – but the poor guy seemed ridiculously happy in the afterlife despite having no privates to lick. The red nose came in handy when Jack nicked Father Christmas’s job; on a foggy festive evening, Zero did a Rudolph floating ahead of the skeleton deer pulling the sleigh, lighting their way. At the end of the film he turns into a star. Not sure why. Perhaps it’s a visual pun. Dog star? Siriusly?
scariest moment Zero couldn’t scare a rabbit back in its hole, but some of his “driving” during the sleigh ride scene is hair-raising. DG
Santi
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
“What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again.” Those are the opening words of Guillermo del Toro’s early horror masterpiece and they define this mournful story of a murdered child, buried secrets and political unrest. Set in a haunted orphanage at the tail-end of the Spanish Civil War, The Devil’s Backbone is a beautiful movie that Del Toro has often said is his most personal film, and a companion piece to Pan’s Labyrinth. The ghost that wanders the orphanage’s corridors is Santi – a young boy who was murdered because he stumbled upon a dangerous secret. When Carlos, the film’s young hero first encounters him, he’s a frightening presence with his porcelain-white dead skin and glaring eyes. But it soon becomes apparent that the real evils here are all being carried out by the living.
SCARIEST MOMENT The ghost of Santi chases Carlos through the orphanage and the poor fella is forced to spend the night hiding in a closet. WS the complete guide to ghostbusters
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