Ghosts vs. Demons

Which otherworldly entity would you rather have to deal with? Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re pitting ghosts against demons to see which is the superior supernatural being.

The belief in the existence of spirits, ghosts, and other apparitions has been a prominent feature of nearly every culture throughout history; often going hand in hand with the belief in life after death. Ghosts are typically depicted as the incorporeal souls of the dead trapped between this life and the next, or else as manifestations of the deceased who have already reached the afterlife that are reaching back into this one. Whether they’re benign or vengeful depends on the ghost itself, as well as those who believe in their presence. Demons have also been a staple of mythology and religions the world over. They have a number of different origins, and forms - though most are associated with the assorted versions of the underworld as it is interpreted by the respective cultures. Their alignment can vary though, between good and evil. Demons in Christianity, for example, are generally in service to Satan and spread disbelief, pain, and misery among humans. Hinduism, meanwhile, features creatures sometimes referred to as demons called rakshasas or asuras, which can be helpful, harmful, or benign. Despite their prominence in many cultures, demons’ lack of uniform definition does hurt them somewhat. Demons have a rich lore behind them; however tales of ghosts are more widespread and are more consistently defined, and so they get our pick for this round. WINNER: Ghosts 1 / Demons 0

As is the case with any mythical or supernatural entity, descriptions of ghosts can vary depending on where it is and who’s describing it, but on the whole their appearance can be broadly broken into several categories. Firstly, there are the ghosts who look like apparitions of the dead. These can appear as they were in life, or in the moments before death, and will often be semi-transparent. Next are the ghosts who appear only as spectral lights, such as will-o’-the-wisps. Lastly, ghosts can sometimes take on the appearance of whomever, or whatever, they’re possessing. While easy categorization is handy, the various appearances are rather hit or miss. The appearances of demons are quite varied. Each culture that believes in them has their own ideas on what constitutes “demonic.” Some commonalities exist though. Christian demons, when not possessing others, are usually depicted as devilish, horned creatures akin to Satan. Japanese demons, called oni, are also horned, but are more similar to the Western notion of ogres. The Asuras of Hinduism often feature multiple arms and faces, unnatural skin colors, and sharp teeth. Overall then, it’s safe to say that most demonic beings are roughly human-shaped creatures with horns, sharp teeth, and bright, unusual skin pigments. This round goes to the demons. Despite the iconic nature of ghosts, there’s no denying that demons are, across the board, more compelling and varied on a visual level. WINNER: Ghosts 1 / Demons 1

Ghosts have a number of spooky powers at their disposal. For one thing, lacking a physical body allows them to pass through solid matter, which they can use to move about undetected. Speaking of undetected, along with intangibility, invisibility is another of other their purported skills. Ghosts are also known to possess people, animals, objects, or even buildings, which they utilize to interact with the corporeal realm in many ways - often to very strange effect. All these abilities give spirits significant advantages over the living, but their lack of physical form can also be a disadvantage in some cases. Demons are credited with a number of abilities by religions and mythologies. First is their own innate strength, as many take the shape of hulking monsters or creatures with superhuman strength. Others possess more insidious abilities. One of these is the possession of people’s bodies and forcing them to commit horrible acts against their will. Other subtle powers include spreading disease and disbelief in the true god or gods. Still more are capable of creating mystical contracts with mortals in exchange for a price, like the infamous Faustian bargain. Unlike ghosts though, demons are, with a few exceptions, physical beings with corporeal bodies. Ghosts’ abilities are indeed impressive; however, their greatest powers – their transparency and intangibility – can also force them to work more indirectly than demons, so we have to give this round to demons. WINNER: Ghosts 1 / Demons 2

Despite the universality of belief in them, virtually no credible scientific evidence of ghosts has been documented. As supernatural entities, the existence of spirits of the deceased presupposes the existence of life after death, which has yet to be scientifically proven as well. Ghost “experts” abound, and they’re found all over TV, but their methods have only cursory links to actual science. Even so, there are some things related to ghost sightings that remain unexplainable, and while that’s not evidence as such, there is enough smoke to suggest a fire; although what’s really burning, is anyone’s guess. There’s absolutely no proof that demons exist either. Historical sightings of them were usually no more than various large animals, men in armor made to look frightening, or religious rationalizations. Modern ones are much the same, with even the possession of people by “demons” explained as an elaborate act or else undiagnosed mental illness in the one possessed. The main issue with finding evidence of demons is that too often it requires belief in not only an afterlife, but in evil forces as well. Still, the commonalities among descriptions of demons are suggestive of a source, even if it is just zeitgeist. The evidence is universally lacking on both sides, but if we had to pick one, it has to be ghosts, for which the claims are at least based in pseudoscience. WINNER: Ghosts 2 / Demons 2

Ghosts are frightening. The idea alone – that the dead can return to torment the living – is a terrifying one, and variations on it are found all over fiction and mythology. The world is scary enough without having to worry about being haunted by spirits we can’t touch, or even see in some cases – especially if they were family or someone we knew in life. As scary as they are though, their insubstantial nature and questionable existence do lessen their scare factor somewhat. Those Halloween bedsheet ghosts and Casper don’t really help either. Demons are worthy of fear as well. The majority of them are objectively frightening from a purely aesthetic point of view, as they’re essentially monsters. Horns, fangs, and all manner of appendages add up to some very alarming creatures. Their physical prowess is also fearsome, since, unlike ghosts, many are depicted as being corporeal and far stronger than mortal men. When one factors in their ability to possess people’s bodies and inflict other woes on the lives of humans, demons are quite scary indeed. Like ghosts though, the unlikelihood of their existence hampers just how visceral the fear they inspire can be. This round is a close call, but ultimately we had to award it to demons, because while ghosts can inspire fear, if they exist, bodily harm (and worse) seems much more likely should demons be a real thing. WINNER: Ghosts 2 / Demons 3 And with that, demons secure the round and the victory. Was our argument transparent, or not transparent enough? Be sure to haunt us in the comments and to subscribe to WatchMojo.com for additional versus videos.