2. Common Themes in Ghost
Stories
Revenge
AHS Hayden comes back to haunt Ben
after he decides to leave her, his
mistress, behind to patch things up with
his wife and family
Unreliable narrator (psychological
breakdown)
The narrator, or main character in AHS,
often has a psychological break that
causes them to become less reliable as
the story goes on. In AHS, Ben Harmon
seems to be manipulated by the ghosts
the most, with the maid appearing to him
as a tempting vixen
Haunted house/ haunted person
To give warnings
They‟re “stuck”
Living attempting communication with ghost
Or…
4. Good Ghost vs. Bad Ghost
What makes a
ghost good or bad?
In life as in death,
there are good people
and bad people. Many
times, this trait carries
on with people into the
afterlife.
Some ghosts are jaded in death
because of events that took
place while they were living.
5. What makes them “bad” or
“good”?
They were bad people
Miss Jessel and Quint
from Turn of the Screw
Craddock from HeartShaped Box
They have bad intentions
The ghosts in AHS want
to steal Vivian‟s baby
They had bad lives
Tate goes on a
Columbine-esque
murder spree and his
victims come back to
„haunt‟ him
Anna aka Florida was
molested and then
murdered by her
stepfather
6. How can they help us?
Give us warnings
Protect us from bad ghosts
Show us things we‟re missing
7. How can they hurt us?
Mess with psych
Murder us
Harm people around us
Make lives living hell
Bring back memories we don‟t want
