A Look at the Soap Ghosts that Have Haunted Our Favorite Shows Over the Years

Soaps are known for outrageous plots, but that’s part of why we love our favorite daytime shows so much. One of the plotlines that draw most outside the lines are the ghostly appearances of beloved (and sometimes horrifying) characters that have passed on. Today we take a look at soap ghosts, who they haunted, and why they came back.

One Life to Live – Llanview was one of the least haunted soap settings – perhaps it was the sheer life and death force of ghostly Asa Buchanan [Philip Carey] that kept other specters away. Asa came back twice – once for the 40th anniversary and once again to visit Bo Buchanan [Robert S Woods].

Guiding Light – Although hauntings were not common storylines on this bygone soap, they did happen now and again including when Reva Shayne’s [Kim Zimmer] ghost haunted Joshua Lewis [Robert Newman] and Cassie Winslow [Nicole Forester] was visited by daughter Tammy Winslow’s [Stephanie Gatschet] ghost who tells her to move on.

The Young and the Restless – Genoa City is largely ghost-free except for a couple of apparitional instances. John Abbott [Jerry Douglas] appeared now and then to Jack Abbott [Peter Bergman] and Billy Abbot [Burgess Jenkins] to get them in line. Cassie Newman [Camryn Grimes] appeared to Sharon Collins [Sharon Case] and Nick Newman [Joshua Morrow] as a “real” and fake ghost.

Days of Our Lives – You know a town called Salem has to have its share of supernatural occurrences. Ghostly Lawrence Alamain [Michael Sabatino] haunted both Carly Manning [Crystal Chappell] and Vivian Alamain [Louise Sorel] while Jennifer Horton-Devereaux [Melissa Reeves] played fake ghost at her fake funeral to get a confession from Peter Blake [Jason Brook]. Lexi Brooks [Renee Jones] appeared as a ghost to son Theo Carver [Kyler Pettis] to comfort him from time to time. But Isabella Toscano [Staci Greason] was Salem’s fave ghost who visited Brady Black [Eric Martsolf] occasionally after her death from cancer.

All My Children – In Pine Valley, ghosts came around to help and haunt now and again over the years. Richie Novak [Billy Miller] turned ghost and haunted his sister Annie Lavery [Melissa Claire Egan] for killing him. Jessie Hubbard [Darnell Williams] came to Tad Martin [Michael E Knight] to tell him to turn away from the light and Dixie Cooney [Cady McClain] was a ghost after being killed by the Satin Slayer but then turned out to be a non-ghost and the victim of strange experiments.

As the World Turns – Oakdale, Illinois had a couple of ghost sightings over the years as well. Sofie Duran [Justine Cotsonas] haunted Meg Snyder [Marie Wilson] to warn her Paul Ryan [Roger Howarth] would kill her, but the “ghost” was a side effect of poison. Ghost Cheri Love [Robin Mattson] helped save Dusty Donovan’s [Grayson McCouch] life and Brad Snyder [Austin Peck] was a ghost that Santa gifted a body for a night so he could hang with his wife and son before moving on. And Vicky Hudson [Jensen Buchanan] lurked as a ghost for a couple of years after her death in a plane crash.

General Hospital – Of all the soaps, GH is the “ghostliest.” There must be something in the water of Port Charles, because ghostly apparitions are de rigueur in this New York hamlet. Here’s a look at some of the back-from-the-dead visitors we’ve seen over the years.

• Courtney Matthews [Alicia Leigh Willis] visited son Spencer Cassadine [Nicolas Bechtel] from the great beyond to encourage him to stop calling people “townies.” Ghost mom really knows best.
• Emily Quartermaine [Natalia Livingston] appeared to Nikolas Cassadine [Tyler Christopher] but it turns out he had a brain tumor, not a supernatural visitor. She was also back when AJ died.
• Silas Clay [Michael Easton] bedeviled Ava Jerome [Maura West] in ghost form leading us to think she was his killer – but the real culprit was Madeline Woods [Donna Mills]
• Irina Cassadine [Alyshia Ochse] fooled Ethan Lovett [Nathan Parsons] as a “ghost” at Wyndemere but then was dead for real after mom Helena Cassadine [Constance Towers] shot her.
• Georgie Jones [Lindze Lanae Letherman] visited her sister Maxie Jones [Kirsten Storms] in the hospital and checked in on Damien Spinelli [Bradford Anderson] as well.
• Anthony Zacchara [Bruce Weitz] haunted son Johnny Zacchara until he confessed to the accident that killed Starr’s baby. He was just as mean as a ghost as a human.
• Lila Quartermaine [Anna Lee] showed as a ghost with her beloved Edward Quartermaine [John Ingle] at the Quartermaine Thanksgiving fete in 2012.
• Alan Quartermaine [Stuart Damon], his parents, and Emily all came back to escort AJ Quartermaine [Sean Kanan] to heaven and ghost Alan had other appearances as well.
• AJ Quartermaine came back to haunt Sonny Corinthos [Maurice Benard] who, of course, is still assumed to be his killer even though someone else may have finished off AJ.

Do you have any favorite spirits that didn’t make our list? Share in the comments below and be sure to sign up for the Soap Opera Spy Newsletter so you don’t miss any updates and articles on your favorite daytime dramas.

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