The simple bed sheet has provided countless kids and adults with an easy go-to Halloween costume. But why do we associate white sheets with ghosts anyway?
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know Summary
Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly spooky history of the classic bedsheet ghost costume, tracing it back to 17th-century burial shrouds in Britain and exploring how this simple disguise became synonymous with ghosts in popular culture. Along the way, they uncover a tragic true story of mistaken identity from 1800s London and chart how the bedsheet ghost evolved from genuinely terrifying street robbers to beloved children's cartoon characters like Casper. It's a fun, eerie journey through the origins of one of Halloween's most enduring and laziest costume choices.
A Ghost Story
2017
R
1h 33m
★ 7.1
"Our friend Toby produced a movie that it featured in recently a ghost story. — Referenced as a recent film featuring a bedsheet ghost worn throughout the entire movie."
— Josh
Beetlejuice
1988
1h 32m
★ 7.4
"It's been in a gazillion pieces of pop culture, like Beetlejuice and Scooby-Doo and Charlie Brown. — Referenced as an example of pop culture featuring bedsheet ghosts."
— Josh
Casper
1995
PG
1h 40m
★ 6.3
"Look at Casper, the ghost or whatever, they are white, transparentish, and generally featureless. — Referenced as an example of how bedsheet ghosts evolved into transparent ghost imagery."
— Chuck
Lonesome Ghosts
1937
NR
9m
★ 6.9
"There's a really famous example of Mickey Mouse cartoon from 1937 called Lonesome Ghosts. — Referenced as a notable early example of bedsheet ghosts in children's cartoons."
— Chuck
Parks and Recreation
2009
★ 8.0
"Starring Natalie Morales of Parks and Recreation and Dead To Me. — Mentioned in advertisement for the 13 Days of Halloween podcast starring Natalie Morales."
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
1969
★ 7.8
"It's been in a gazillion pieces of pop culture, like Beetlejuice and Scooby-Doo and Charlie Brown. — Referenced as an example of pop culture featuring bedsheet ghosts."
— Josh
Sleepy Hollow
1999
1h 45m
★ 7.2
"Ghosts were synonymous with wearing suits of armor, particularly Hamlet. — Referenced as an example of ghosts depicted wearing armor instead of bedsheets."
— Chuck
The Walking Dead
2010
★ 8.1
"Starring Natalie Morales of Parks and Recreation and Dead To Me. — Mentioned in advertisement for the 13 Days of Halloween podcast starring Natalie Morales."
💬 Comments
Log in to leave a comment.