From the forward by Anthony D.P. Mann in Hunting Ghosts: Thrilling Tales of the Paranormal, edited by Buck Weiss.
The very first stage play that I ever wrote and produced was a dramatization of those supposed horrible events that transpired at the Borley Rectory in the 1920’s – The Most Haunted House in England, as it was known. It was the early nineties, and I was a teenager who had a healthy (or un-healthy, depending on who you spoke with) fascination with ghosts and monsters and other nasties that went bump in the middle of the night.
As Harry Price, the UK’s most notorious and famous parapsychologist of his day, I started the show by stepping onto the stage and proclaiming to the reality of that realm inhabited by phantoms and spectres. What was immediately obvious to me, even at that inexperienced age, was that everyone in that audience – believers and skeptics alike – was keen to experience a good spooky tale. Now, whether or not the audience got a good show by the end of the evening is a matter unto itself, of course. But this example paints a very clear picture that further illustrates the phenomena that brings us together today (you as reader and I as writer of this foreword): Everyone enjoys a good ghost story.
Fast-forward two decades, and here I am every bit in love with ghost stories as I was when I was a kid. I’m not an avid reader, by any stretch of the imagination, but when I crack open a volume of haunted tales, I am seldom happier. As such, it’s a pleasure to impart some of my own observations and insights into the genre, just as you prepare to immerse yourself in the terrors that await you in the pages of this tome.
I maintain a soft-spot for classics of the genre, and always encourage the uninitiated to delve back into the rich history of ghost stories. Edgar Allen Poe was the grand-daddy of the form, and Charles Dickens certainly churned-out a solid collection of tales that will both chill and amuse. I regularly read and re-read the works of M.R. James, indeed perhaps the most skilled craftsman of uncanny literature. The Mezzotint, A Warning to the Curious, Whistle And I’ll Come To You… – any of Mr. James’ tales are guaranteed to keep your eyes darting about the dark corners of the room as you try to fall to sleep at night. Although often mistaken for a much older work, Susan Hill’s terrifying The Woman in Black (1983) is perhaps the most disturbing haunted house tale set on paper. I recently appeared in a production of Stephen Mallatratt’s stage adaptation of the book, and playing-out the story each night had a lasting (un-nerving) effect on me for the run of the show and then some… of course; I am a believer in spooks.
On film, celluloid has been over-populated with ghost stories dating back to the earliest examples of cinema (see Le manoir du diable, 1896), and spirits have never been bigger business than in this past decade. Film series such as the Ring and Grudge movies, along with the immensely popular and successful Paranormal Activity installments, all speak volumes to the enduring appeal of the subject matter. In the case of the Ring and Grudge franchises, we are treated to ghosts as interpreted by Asian culture, the films themselves American remakes of imported source material… ghost stories are prevalent in every culture around the globe.
If you enjoyed this excerpt, please visit our book page for Hunting Ghosts and pick up a copy, available in both print and digital formats.
