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!
Last updated on May 20, 2025 by Jacob Rice
Discover more from Ghostly Activities
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jacob Rice is a ghost hunter searching for ghosts, monsters, and hauntings since 2009. He has published 3 books and produced nearly 20 documentaries on the subject. Jake currently lives in the mysterious Pacific Northwest.