Ghostly Types: A Complete Guide To Ghosts & Spirits
Hi gang. I’ve compiled a list of ghosts and spirits from across the site into one handy-dandy file for you. There’s even a quick reference table at the end. Get the ghosts after the jump.
Table of contents
1. Apparitions
Description: Ghosts that appear in full or partial form. They often look like real people and may vanish suddenly. Some are translucent or emit a faint glow.
Signs: Full or partial sightings, cold spots, vanishing figures, silence followed by a sudden presence.
Haunt Locations: Historic homes, theaters, hospitals, hotels, graveyards.
Why They Haunt: Emotional attachment, unfinished business, or simply trying to be seen.
Hunter Tactics: Use full-spectrum or infrared cameras, watch for patterns in timing or location, ask questions during EVP sessions, document visual details quickly.
2. Intelligent Spirits
Description: Aware ghosts that interact with people or the environment. They may try to communicate or respond to investigators.
Signs: EVPs, object movement, responses to questions, visible manipulation of equipment.
Haunt Locations: Homes, hotels, prisons, asylums, schools.
Why They Haunt: Tied to people, events, or places they loved—or feared—in life.
Hunter Tactics: Use spirit boxes, real-time EVP sessions, trigger objects, and respectful dialogue. Observe behavioral changes in your team.
3. Residual Spirits
Description: A repeating energy imprint of a person or event that replays like a recording. These ghosts do not respond or acknowledge people.
Signs: Footsteps, phantom screams, doors opening at set times, apparitions walking the same path.
Haunt Locations: Battlefields, staircases, bedrooms, old workplaces.
Why They Haunt: Strong emotional or traumatic energy imprinted on a location.
Hunter Tactics: Use time-stamped recording equipment, document exact timing of events, compare against historical records.
4. Anniversary Ghosts
Description: Spirits that appear on or near the date of a traumatic event, usually their death. Activity may be intelligent or residual.
Signs: Sudden increase in paranormal activity around the same time each year, strange weather changes, apparition sightings.
Haunt Locations: Sites of deaths, executions, disasters, or family tragedies.
Why They Haunt: The time and date of death act as a trigger for the spirit to reappear.
Hunter Tactics: Plan investigations around key dates, monitor lunar phases, weather conditions, and solar activity. Use layered sensors for short windows of time.
5. Poltergeists
Description: A kinetic haunting involving loud noises, thrown objects, and electrical disturbances. Rarely visual.
Signs: Banging, rapping, flying objects, foul smells, sudden emotional outbursts from witnesses.
Haunt Locations: Private homes, especially near teens or emotionally stressed individuals.
Why They Haunt: May be a spirit, a psychic projection, or energy discharge from an unstable environment.
Hunter Tactics: Set up long-term monitoring equipment (audio, video, motion), document object locations, interview residents for emotional stress factors.
6. Shadow People
Description: Featureless dark figures, often human-shaped, usually seen out of the corner of your eye. May vanish quickly or linger.
Signs: Dread, flickering lights, static charge, fleeting movement in the periphery.
Haunt Locations: Bedrooms, basements, hallways, doorways, hospitals.
Why They Haunt: Unknown. Theories range from malevolent spirits to interdimensional entities or emotional echoes.
Hunter Tactics: Use low-light cameras, grid lasers, motion sensors, and red-light setups to reduce visual washout. Record exact location and reaction times.
7. Orbs / Ghost Lights
Description: Small glowing lights seen by eye or camera. May be round, pulsing, or drifting. Often a sign of other spiritual activity nearby.
Signs: Floating or darting lights, especially near people or spiritual hotspots. Appears in still photos and video.
Haunt Locations: Forests, cemeteries, rural crossroads, ruins, old churches.
Why They Haunt: Energy trying to manifest or signs of an unseen spirit’s presence.
Hunter Tactics: Use burst photography, UV/IR video, compare with natural light patterns. Pair with EMF and EVP data for stronger claims.
8. Ecto-Mist / Vortexes
Description: A fog-like vapor or swirling energy that may signal a spirit forming or moving quickly. Sometimes appears as a green or white spiral.
Signs: Cloudy mass forming in photos or to the naked eye, visible spin or movement, sudden drops in temperature.
Haunt Locations: Old buildings, train tracks, basements, forest clearings.
Why They Haunt: Spiritual movement or a ghost attempting to manifest physically.
Hunter Tactics: Infrared video, high-speed photography, time-lapse footage. Monitor temp and barometric pressure shifts.
9. Vengeful Spirits
Description: Spirits driven by rage, betrayal, or injustice. They may try to harm or frighten the living.
Signs: Unexplained accidents, intense emotional changes, threatening EVPs, oppressive atmosphere.
Haunt Locations: Crime scenes, places of execution, abandoned homes, cursed grounds.
Why They Haunt: To punish or scare those they see as responsible—or to prevent others from repeating the past.
Hunter Tactics: Work in pairs or teams, use psychic shielding techniques, avoid antagonizing the spirit. Document any patterns of harm or targeting.
10. Graveyard Spirits
Description: Spirits tied to burial grounds. They may act as guardians, mourners, or lost souls.
Signs: Apparitions of caretakers or mourners, phantom bells, cold spots, ghost animals.
Haunt Locations: Cemeteries, mausoleums, battlefield gravesites.
Why They Haunt: Grief, confusion, incomplete funerary rites, or sacred duty.
Hunter Tactics: Record nighttime EMF and audio near headstones or mausoleums. Leave respectful offerings. Never provoke or challenge.
11. Mythic & Cultural Ghosts
Description: Spirits deeply embedded in folklore, such as La Llorona or Bhoota. Often follow specific patterns tied to legends.
Signs: Ethereal clothing, localized behavior (weeping, singing, reversed feet), region-specific sounds.
Haunt Locations: Rivers, bridges, remote homes, crossroads, sacred sites.
Why They Haunt: Death under tragic or dishonored conditions, curses, or cultural taboos.
Hunter Tactics: Learn the legend, observe how local communities interact with the spirit, and respect cultural practices. Use local guides when possible.
12. Spirit Broods
Description: Groups of roaming or bound spirits feeding collectively on life force.
Signs: Intense fatigue among witnesses, collective apparitions, EMF fluctuations.
Haunt Locations: Sites of repeated tragedy or complex death events.
Why They Haunt: To sustain energy by drawing from living visitors.
Hunter Tactics: Multiple investigators, layered monitoring (video, audio, EMF, temperature), staggered shifts, careful emotional support.
… and here’s a handy-dandy quick reference table for you.
Ghostly Type Quick Reference Table
| Ghost Type | Description | Signs | Locations | Reason | Hunter Tactics |
| Apparitions | Full or partial figures, may appear solid or translucent. | Sightings, vanishing figures, cold spots. | Historic homes, theaters, hospitals, hotels, graveyards. | Emotional attachment, unfinished business. | Infrared cameras, quick documentation, EVP sessions. |
| Intelligent Spirits | Aware ghosts that interact or communicate. | EVPs, object movement, interaction with tools. | Homes, hotels, prisons, schools. | Attachment to people, places, or events. | Spirit boxes, respectful dialogue, trigger objects. |
| Residual Spirits | Replay past events, unaware of the present. | Repetitive sounds, apparitions, timed activity. | Battlefields, staircases, old homes. | Emotional or traumatic imprint. | Time-stamped recordings, historical research. |
| Anniversary Ghosts | Appear near the date of death or trauma. | Annual activity spikes, apparitions, temperature shifts. | Death sites, disaster areas, homes. | Trigger from a specific time or date. | Schedule investigations by date, monitor patterns. |
| Poltergeists | Kinetic hauntings causing noise and chaos. | Object movement, loud bangs, electronics malfunctioning. | Homes, especially with teens or stress. | Energy buildup, emotional discharge. | 24/7 monitoring, environmental logging. |
| Shadow People | Featureless, dark humanoid figures. | Peripheral sightings, dread, static. | Bedrooms, doorways, basements. | Unknown; possibly interdimensional. | Low-light cams, motion sensors, witness notes. |
| Orbs / Ghost Lights | Floating lights, may signify spirit energy. | Glowing balls in photos or visible to the eye. | Cemeteries, forests, ruins. | Manifesting energy, spirit presence. | Burst photography, EMF/EVP pairing. |
| Ecto-Mist / Vortexes | Mist or spiral-shaped energy forms. | Foggy masses, temperature drops, swirling air. | Tracks, forests, attics, basements. | Spirit forming or moving rapidly. | Infrared video, time-lapse, airflow tracking. |
| Vengeful Spirits | Angry ghosts seeking revenge or justice. | Threats, accidents, oppressive feelings. | Crime scenes, abandoned homes. | Injustice, betrayal, violent death. | Team investigation, psychic shielding. |
| Graveyard Spirits | Spirits tied to burial sites. | Caretaker ghosts, ghost animals, phantom sounds. | Cemeteries, mausoleums. | Grief, sacred duty, incomplete rites. | Respectful offerings, EMF/audio sweeps. |
| Mythic & Cultural Ghosts | Legend-based spirits with unique behaviors. | Region-specific sounds, dress, actions. | Rivers, crossroads, historic homes. | Cursed deaths, folklore, dishonor. | Local guides, cultural research, folklore respect. |
| Spirit Broods | Groups of spirits acting together. | Extreme fatigue, group apparitions, EMF surges. | Asylums, orphanages, battlefields. | Collective trauma, energy feeding. | Layered monitoring, team rotations. |
Sources
Well, this is tricky since all the ghostly types are summarized from this blog. So, I’ll just give it a whirl and … voilá.
Rice, Jacob. Ghostly Activities: Guide to Ghost Types. GhostlyActivities.com. Accessed May 20, 2025. https://ghostlyactivities.com/.
You can use the tag, ghost types, to find each individual post.
If you’ve encountered any of these ghosts and spirits, leave a comment below.
Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. Much appreciated and take care!
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Jacob Rice has documented ghostly activities and ghastly monstrosities on this blog since 2013. His first paranormal (make that monster) encounter happened on a cold winter’s day in Wisconsin. While living in Chicago, Ghostly Activities was born, and now he calls the mysterious Pacific Northwest his home.