A place, person or object that has a strong association with the ghost of someone who has passed away.
The word haunted is a compound of two Latin terms meaning ‘to be present with’ and ‘to follow closely’. It’s often used to describe a person who feels that they are being followed or watched by something unseen. Alternatively, the place might be the site of a past tragedy or event that continues to trouble or concern them.
Many paranormal phenomena described in haunted stories are explained by scientific methods. For example, electromagnetic fields and infrasound can create sensations that people describe as ghostly. This does not detract from the validity of the supernatural experiences but offers a more mundane explanation.
Most hauntings are about unfinished business. Ghosts who have suffered a tragic or violent death continue to haunt the place they died because they believe that their fate has not been finalized. They may also wish to protect or warn their loved ones still among the living.
Other ghosts are simply narcissistic, wishing to be noticed and admired by their remaining friends and relatives. Their behaviour can be disturbing and creepy. Yet others are simply jerks, so embittered by their tragedy that they choose to haunt their former home in an attempt to frighten or upset anyone who comes near them. The hauntings of these spirits are typically more aggressive and dangerous and can involve claw marks, threats of death or strange creatures.