Spooks & Spectres

Spooks & Spectres

Find out about these famous ghouls from around the world - if you dare!

Tales of ghostly apparitions hold a fascination for many people. A spooky story has the power to capture your imagination and give you a sleepless night! The interest is probably partly due to the un-provable nature of these elusive phantoms. People report seeing ghosts but their existence has never been definitively proven. However, this makes spooks more intriguing because most people love a good mystery!

Whether you're a firm believer in the paranormal, or if you're a hardened sceptic eager to debunk the ghosties, here are some of the globe's most famous phantoms.

Resurrection Mary

You're driving along a lonely country road, when suddenly a pretty, young girl appears asking you to stop and give her a lift. Of course you want to help. But perhaps you should think twice if her name is Mary, because you might be opening the door to a dead girl! Resurrection Mary is a pretty teenager with light blond hair and blue eyes who wears a white party dress and ballerina pumps. She's looking for a lift home after a night of dancing. The problem is that Mary has been dead since the 1930s. Many places have their own versions of the ghostly Mary, but witness reports are most frequent from the little town of Justice, Illinois in the USA. Not one to be shy, Mary thumbs a ride towards Resurrection Cemetery. But as you drive past the gates of the cemetery Mary vanishes from your car. She's said to be the spirit of a young girl who was hit by a car and killed in the 1930s, after a night at a local dancehall. Now Mary just can't stop living her last night of partying - over and over again...

White Lady

Gliding through the shadows, the white lady is the most universal of ghosts. From the weeping white ladies who stalk British castles lost in their centuries-old grief, to the wailing banshees of Ireland foretelling a death, to the terrifyingly vengeful dark-haired white ladies of Japanese folklore. These girls are not to be messed with. One of Ireland's most famous ghosts is the White Lady of Kinsale. During the late 1600s, so the story goes, a soldier married a local girl. The wedding celebrations were held during the day as the soldier had to be back at his post by evening. Unfortunately he then fell asleep at his post, exhausted by the day's revelry. He was found slumbering by his captain and was shot on the spot for this dereliction of duty. His new wife, still in her wedding dress, found the dead body of her husband and in her sorrow, she flung herself from the ramparts of the fort. According to reports, the bride has never left Kinsale Fort, instead she walks the ramparts mourning her lost husband for eternity.

Queen Anne Boleyn

The second wife of Britain's notoriously fickle monarch, King Henry VIII, Anne captivated the king with her with her razor-sharp wit and beauty. Unfortunately, her homicidal husband quickly grew tired of her when the marriage did not produce a son. So Henry had poor Anne's head lopped off. Her spirit is often in places she frequented during life, such as the Tower of London, Hever Castle, Blickling Hall all located in England. Despite her sad end, Anne is having the last laugh - from beyond the grave. It was her daughter, not Henry's longed-for boy, who became one of the world's most powerful women: Queen Elizabeth I.

Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait

Not all ghosts are dead people. Spectres of animals and even vehicles, such as ships or trains have been reported. One such haunting is a ghost ship which appears in flames in the waters between Prince Edward Island and Novia Scotia in eastern Canada. Sightings of the spectral ship have been reported since 1786, with the most recent report being in 2008. The vessel is described as an elegant, old fashioned sailing ship with three masts and pure white sails. Not knowing its ghostly legacy, people have attempted to rescue the crew aboard the burning ship, only to find it disappears before their eyes. Speculation on the identity of the phantom ship ranges from a British warship to a French cargo boat or even a pirate vessel. Whatever the truth, if you see the ship, it's sure to be a spookily spectacular sight!

La Planchada

This friendly Mexican ghost turned heartbreak into heavenly help. La Planchada

 was a nurse at Hospital Juarez in Mexico City - her name refers to her stiffly starched early 20th century nurse's uniform. A love affair with a doctor turned sour when he abandoned her to wed another. La Planchada's work suffered following her heartache and a patient died because of her mistake. The nurse became ill and died shortly after. But La Planchada turned a sorry story into a message of hope and love - from beyond the grave. Her spirit remains at the hospital tending to patients - especially those neglected by over-worked staff. Patients in intensive care have reported a nurse in an old fashioned uniform coming to care for them during the night, with their condition always greatly improving after a visit from La Planchada.