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l/l//7ere do the stories come from?
By Rhonda Watters
Rarely can ghost stories be traced back to spe
cific facts.
Sylvia Grider, an assistant professor of English at
Texas A&M University who has a doctorate in
folklore, said part of the fun of ghost stories is not
having any definite facts. “People are terribly
entertained by this,” she said.
Grider said that although interest in ghost stories
usually rises and falls periodically, this fascination
for the unexplainable can be traced all the way back
to the witch hunts at Salem. Many of the stories
around now originated as far back as World War I.
But as people become more educated, more
mobile and more scientific-minded, legends such as
these become more of a pastime than something
that people take seriously.
Ghost stories are especially popular among high
school and college-aged people. They are also
found more often in smaller towns than in cities.
Grider said a possible reason for this is that in many
small towns there is little to do, so teenagers must
create their own entertainment.
She said mosty stories have some basic ele
ments in common. Usually there is a mysterious or
eccentric person involved, and some unusual
phenomena such as flashing lights or weird sounds
that take place only late at night. The entertainment
lies in the fun of believing the stories and that they
can not be explained.
Evidence that belief in ghost stories is a real part
of the folklore of an area can be found in the fact that
adults recognize this interest and commercialize it.
Grider said that such things as commercial haunted
houses and ghost towns are the “institution of a
custom that already exists.”
THE CEMETERY is an old
one, as can be seen by the
style of the tombstone
above, so if there is a ghost
he must be experienced.
The tree at left shows one
problem with the accuracy
of ghost stories: to see the
light in the cemetery, one
must drive between the two
largest trees, but which two
are larger could be a dis
puted question. Another
shot of the haunted house,
right, this time the front,
gives the viewer a feeling of
desolation, desertion —
and sometimes a little fear.
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