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{{trope}}
[[File:calvinandhobbes-ghost.jpg|link=Calvin and Hobbes (Comic Strip)|frame|Hobbes can [[Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant|make anything scary]].]]
 
 
{{quote|''Well, while I can appreciate your classic look, I don't think anyone has been scared of the 'bedsheet phantasm' ensemble for a long time.''|'''Antimony''' to Mort, ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court (Webcomic)|Gunnerkrigg Court]]''}}
 
{{quote|''The sheet phantom is a ghost....that materializes as a sheet. I think it's based off the old "hey, it's just a guy with a sheet over him pretending to be a ghost" joke. But the idea of a haunted bedsheet just isn't cool at any speed.''|'''[http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article73.htm Head Injury Theater]'''}}
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* In the graphic novel ''Odd Is on Our Side'' (a tie-in to the [[Odd Thomas]] novels) a young girl killed by poisoned candy appears to Odd still wearing her bedsheet Halloween costume.
* The Dark Horse character Ghost has a cape/hood ensemble for her costume that evokes shades of this.
* German detective ''[[Nick Knatterton (Comic Strip)|Nick Knatterton]]'' once disguised an one - but there are also real ones looking like this!
* [[Tintin (Comic Book)]]:
** In ''Tintin in the Land of the Soviets'', Tintin disguises himself and Snowy as these to scare off the villains. Unfortunately, he can't see where he's going after that and falls into a manhole.
** In ''Destination Moon'', Captain Haddock dresses as one in one of several unsuccessful attempts to frighten Calculus out of his amnesia.
 
== [[Film]] ==
* This was lampshaded in the film version of ''[[Beetlejuice (Film)|Beetlejuice]]''. The Maitlands actually are ghosts, and have the ability to manipulate their appearance into grotesque forms, and manipulate material objects as well. However, they're completely invisible to everyone except Lydia, so in an attempt to scare the Deetzes out of their old house, they put on bedsheets so they would be visible. This does not turn out to be as scary as they'd hoped. It doesn't help that they use floral-patterned designer sheets of the Deetzes.
{{quote| '''Adam:''' Aren't you scared?<br />
'''Lydia:''' I'm not scared of sheets.<br />
'''Barbara:''' If I'd seen a ghost your age, I would have been scared out of my wits. }}
* In the horror film ''[[Halloween (Filmfilm)|Halloween]]'', killer Michael Myers briefly dresses as a bedsheet ghost while toying with one of his victims. Over top of the sheet, he's wearing the glasses of the victim's boyfriend (whom he just knifed), causing her to think it's her boyfriend.
* Played for drama in ''[[The Sixth Sense]]''. When Cole is sitting in his bedsheet fort and the ghost of a vomiting girl suddenly appears and frightens him, he runs away, inadvertently covering her with the bedsheet. It's only when he gathers the courage to go back and pull the sheet off, that he realizes that the ghost is not scary at all, but just a poor, sick little girl who needs his help.
* A surprisingly scary scene in the third ''[[Scream (Filmfilm)|Scream]]'' film features this. When the killer attacks Sidney in the set recreating her Mother's death, under a sheet covered in blood no less!
* In ''[[Charlie and Thethe Chocolate Factory]]'', a child Willie Wonka goes dressed as a bedsheet ghost for Halloween. When his sheet is lifted, we find he probably picked this costume because his [[Braces of Orthodontic Overkill|headgear]] wouldn't fit in any other costume.
* ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'''s version of The Ghost of Christmas Past, which also somewhat resembles a [[Ghost Lights|Will'O the Wisp]].
* In ''[[E.T. the Extraterrestrial (Film)Extra-Terrestrial|ET the Extraterrestrial]]'', when Eliot has to take his little sister out for trick-or-treating, he dresses ET up as this.
* In a rare completely traditional, completely straight example of this trope in modern film, ''[[Paranormal Activity]] 3'' features an actual, honest to evil Bedsheet Ghost scene.
 
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* [[Clive Barker]]'s ''Confessions of a (Pornographer's) Shroud'' uses this as an intentionally ridiculous core premise for what can either be read as a fairly serious horror story or a black comedy. The main character manages to come back as a ghost by transferring his spirit from his body to the shroud used to cover him at the morgue.
* In Clifford D. Simak's ''The Goblin Reservation'', the character of Ghost (yes, that's how he's called) is depicted this way.
* One of the solve-it-yourself mysteries of the ''[[Clue (Tabletop Gamegame)|Clue]]'' books features Mr. Boddy's six guests all dressing up as ghosts to try to scare each other, which makes them all feel a little silly—until they notice there are ''seven'' ghosts in the room, and one of them doesn't have feet...
* This is Johnny's costume for the Halloween party in ''[[Johnny Maxwell Trilogy|Johnny and the Dead]]''. Unfortunately, the only sheet his mum would let him cut eyeholes in is a pink floral one, leading to inevitable comments like "What are you, a gay ghost?"
 
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'''Ted and Dougal:''' *scream louder* }}
* In the British kids' show ''[[The Ghosts Of Motley Hall]]'', the ghosts want to scare off some people who've been hanging around their house, but the problem is they're invisible to most humans. Solution: One of the ghosts covers himself with an old bedsheet. In other words, a ghost [[Lampshade Hanging|dressing up as a ghost]].
* In ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', Willow was originally going to go out on Halloween in a sexy outfit that she and Buffy made. She chickened out and, mostly to cover up, went as a Bedsheet Ghost instead. Then all of their costumes were enchanted to turn them into the things they were dressed as. Cue scantily clad ghost Willow.
{{quote| '''Willow:''' I'm a ghost!<br />
'''Giles:''' Yes. Um... the ghost of ''what'', exactly? }}
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* Subverted in ''[[Pushing Daisies]]'' where in a flashback, young Ned is shown on Halloween in a sheet with fire engines on it.
** However, Chuck shows up in a white sheet later that episode.
* The Janitor on ''[[Scrubs (TV)|Scrubs]]'' dresses up as one of these to haunt pediatrics.
** As the ''Ghost who hates spills''! Woooooohooooooo!
*** Also, in-line skates.
{{quote| '''Carla:''' You're a monster.<br />
'''Janitor:''' Hey! Do you know how messy kids can be? This place has been spotless since ''the ghost'' showed up. }}
* Subverted in ''[[Malcolm in Thethe Middle]]'': Dewey appears to be dressed up as a bedsheet ghost, but he claims to actually be a marshmallow.
* ''[[Ace Lightning]]'' plays this trope absolutely straight in one episode - and the bad guys are ''terrified'' by a kid stuck under a bedsheet.
* Low-budget sci-fi serial ''[[Rocky Jones Space Ranger]]'' brings us one of the stupidest examples. A [[Fat Sweaty Southerner in Aa White Suit]] [[In Space]] is trying to steal the land rights to some sort of space gold-mine, and is thwarted not by the Space Rangers, but by a couple of kids throwing a sheet over their remote-control airplane so he thinks it's a ghost. Keep in mind, this is hundreds of years in the future, in a civilization on par with ''[[Star Trek (Franchise)|Star Trek]]''...
 
== [[Music Videos]] ==
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== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* As mentioned in the Head Injury Theater quote above, ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (Tabletop Game)|Dungeons and Dragons]]'' has the Sheet Phantom, which is an actual [[Bedsheet Ghost]]. As with some of the other actual Bedsheet Ghosts, the explanation given is that the being's spirit is imbued into his bedclothes as he dies.
** Undead cloakers from the ''[[Ravenloft]]'' setting somewhat resemble this trope, although they were never human, but ghosts of creatures that resemble flying manta rays.
 
== [[Video Games]] ==
* One of enemies in second ''[[Painkiller]]'' in wonderfully creepy orphanage level is child playing as bedsheet ghost. Do not let them to get close to you.
* A certain variety of [[Mook]] in the ''[[Donkey Kong 64 (Video Game)|Donkey Kong 64]]'' world "Creepy Castle".
* The ghosts from ''[[PacmanPac-Man]]'' are even further abstracted. They look like jellyfish with eyeballs.
** When Pac-Man chomps the ghosts in [[Hanna-Barbera]]'s [[Animated Adaptation]], they get new ghost suits in the appropriate colors out of Mezmaron's closet.
*** The second and third cutscenes in the original Pac-Man game demonstrate this: in the second, Blinky chases Pac only to catch his ghost suit on a nail, and in the third, he chases Pac again, [[Brick Joke|but his crappy repair job didn't stay]]. In both instances, we see part of the creature under the costume.
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* You actually get to ''play'' as one of these in the [[Self Explanatory]] [[Adventure Game]] ''[[Ghost in The Sheet]]''. [[Justified Trope|Justified]] in that his "boss" tells him that if the sheet's taken off, what's left of him will scatter away and be lost forever (He died under an incoming bus, which was "very messy"). {{spoiler|Actually, the "boss" put the sheet on his definitely-not-fragmented body in order to prevent him from [[Intangible Man|phasing through objects]] and getting too much information. It doesn't work, of course, as he still manages to ''get'' said info...}}
* Many games feature an approximately spherical version, such as the Boos from ''[[Super Mario]]''.
** The series also has literal Bedsheet Ghosts in ''[[Yoshis Island (Video Game)|Yoshis Island]]''.
** One thing that's never made clear about Boos is whether they're actual ghosts who are the remaining spirits of people who are dead, or just a species of ghostlike spirit-beings. Which may or may not be relevant to this trope, but it's worth thinking about; does it count as a bedsheet ghost if it's not actually a ghost?
** Special mention to the dopplegangers in ''[[Paper Mario (Video Gamefranchise)|Paper Mario]]'', who are literal bedsheet ghosts who can transform into [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|dopplegangers]] of your partners. In the sequel ''[[Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door (Video Game)|Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door]]'', there's a unique one known as {{spoiler|Doopliss}}, who transforms the citizens of Twilight Town into pigs. He is more [[Nightmare Retardant|humorous]] than [[Nightmare Fuel|scary]], but he's a lot more dangerous than he seems. {{spoiler|Partway through the fight with him, he copies Mario and turns into a shadow of the hero. Upon defeat, Mario and company leave, and you then discover you're the shadow now. You encounter the "real" Mario on your way back to Twilight Town, and he reveals that he is the creature you fought and has stolen your name and body. Only upon discovering his real name and defeating him once more is the curse broken.}}
* One of the puzzles from ''[[Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis (Video Game)|Indiana Jones and Thethe Fate of Atlantis]]'' had Indy dressing up as a bedsheet ghost to try and scare another character. It didn't work very well until the bed sheet was supplemented with some other items.
* In ''[[Sonic 3 and Knuckles (Video Game)|Sonic And Knuckles]]'', Sandopolis Zone Act II featured bedsheet ghosts that appeared as the torches burned down. To start with would be one small one, floating at the top of the screen in a less-than-threatening manner. Then a second one appears and they grow in size and their eyes gain an angry look. When the torches go out completely a third one appears, and all three get bigger and grow horns. If the torches are left off for too long they start swooping down and menacing Sonic. Since the level contains a section where it's very easy to get stuck in a loop and remain stuck well after you've realized you're IN a loop (or even if you were prepared for the loop), these guys can get a little distressing.
* The [[Sega Genesis]] version of ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' uses this in the form of white ''tablecloth'' ghosts. As in: the tablecloth floats off the table, comes toward you, and "ties you up" if you don't eliminate it.
* While I'm not sure if any of the other ghosts in the series used this kind of design, the Axe Ghosts in ''[[Wario Land (Video Game)|Wario Land]] 4'' are pretty much this... with the pointy hood style that's gone out of fashion for most other media.
* The [[True Final Boss]] of ''[[Aero Fighters]] 2'' is a tablecloth ghost.
* ''[[Runescape (Video Game)|Runescape]]'' does this twice. Once with a green bedsheet (to fit in with green ghosts) and once with regular bedsheets for a Christmas Carol parody.
* The ''[[Pokémon (Franchise)|Pokémon]]'' Gastly and Haunter actually both resemble this type of ghost.
* ''[[Uninvited]]'' specifically invokes this, with a ghost who, according to the narration, "looks like the classic spectre" that comes out of the sky and kills you.
* A sort of one-time deal so far: [[Kirby (Video Game)|Kirby]] can get a "Ghost" ability in ''Kirby Squeak Squad'' (it has to be unlocked though). He basically takes on this kind of appearance and can possess enemies. It looks silly on him but also cute.
* In ''[[Jumper (Videovideo Gamegame)|Jumper Three]]'', a ghost bedsheet is one of the buyable clothes for Ogmo in stage 2-5.
* One of the minigames in ''[[Rhythm Heaven (Video Game)|Rhythm Tengoku]]'' has you shooting at bedsheet ghosts with a bow and arrow.
 
== [[Web Animation]] ==
* In ''[[Homestar Runner (Web Animation)|Homestar Runner]]'', Strong Mad once dressed up as this for Halloween.
 
== [[Web Original]] ==
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== [[Web Comics]] ==
* Mort from ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court (Webcomic)|Gunnerkrigg Court]]''. Well, he ''is'' a ghost, though it's not clear whether a dead guy or a spirit that always was like this. He [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|takes the form]] of whatever he thinks is likely to scare his latest victim, and uses the default translucent "bedsheet phantasm" appearance as a sort of indication that he's in "friendly ghost" mode ever since Antimony pointed out that no one's been scared of the linen apparition since they went from burial shrouds to bedsheets.
* Paul ([[Catch Phrase|who is a ghost]]) from ''[[Pictures for Sad Children]]''. He actually has [[Jacob Marley Apparel]] (and he's oddly physical, to boot), but he wears a bedsheet over it because he [http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/index.php?comicID=2 "wanted to look ghosty"].
* The [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|Ghost Wizard]] from ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja (Webcomic)|The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]]'' looks like this... with a white mustache and a wizard's cap.
* [http://chainsawsuit.com/2008/06/25/strip-18/ This] strip of ''[[Chainsawsuit (Webcomic)|Chainsawsuit]]''.
* Great-Aunt Pneuma from ''[[Gastrophobia (Webcomic)|Gastrophobia]]'' shows up like this.
* ''[[The Non -Adventures of Wonderella]]'': The ghost from [http://nonadventures.com/2011/10/22/you-cant-always-get-what-you-haunt/ "You Can't Always Get What You HAUNT"].
{{quote| '''Wonderella:''' Dude, you're a sheet with some holes in it! Were you ''Hasidic'' or something?}}
 
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{{quote| '''Tucker:''' Nice costume, dude! Are those flaming bedsheets?<br />
'''Fright Knight:''' Flaming bedsheets '''''of death!''''' }}
* ''[[American Dragon Jake Long]]'' has the episode "Halloween Bash", a [[For Halloween I Am Going Asas Myself]] episode with a [[Muggle]] / Magical Being party. Two Normals show up, dressed as Bedsheet Ghosts, and are annoyed to see how many of the other "costumes" are so much better than theirs.
* In the ''[[South Park (Animation)|South Park]]'' episode "Here Comes the Neighborhood", the townsfolk wish to drive the rich people (who just happen to all be black) out of town, so they figure what scares rich people? Ghosts. They then dress up as bedsheet ghosts and wind up looking like the Ku Klux Klan. There was some kind of message in that but I really don't know what it was.
** Same thing happened in "Pink Eye" from the first season, when Principal Victoria sees Cartman dressed as Hitler and thinks a [[Bedsheet Ghost]] would be a less controversial costume. Er, not so much.
{{quote| '''Cartman:''' Wow, Chef must be really scared of ghosts!}}
* In the episode "Scaredy Pants", [[SpongebobSpongeBob SquarePants]] tries to go as the [[Flying Dutchman]] and scare everybody, but his costume consists of a sheet and wooden clogs. Because of his square shape, everyone called him a "haunted mattress", so he asks Patrick to shave his head down to a round shape. He goes to the Halloween party and almost gets away with scaring all his friends, but he is found out eventually. Just then the ''real'' Flying Dutchman arrives and, insulted by such a pathetic impersonation, unmasks him. He takes one look at him and runs screaming into the night, followed by everyone else, and eventually Patrick. Seems SpongeBob has been sheared down until there was nothing left but his ''brain''.
** "It grows back!"
* The ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' Halloween special featured the "laugh at the bedsheet ghost, oh no there's nothing under the sheet!" scenario, as well as a few variations where other monsters dressed up as bedsheet ghosts.
* Bulkhead from ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' had this as a Halloween costume, but, being a giant robot, the only "bedsheet" that fit turned out to be a fumigation tent.
* In the [[Looney Tunes]] short ''Claws for Alarm'', Sylvester is frightened by a bunch of mice disguised as one of these.
* In the made-for-TV movie ''[[Yogi Bear (Animation)|Yogi's Great Escape]]'', Yogi dresses up as a Bedsheet Ghost to scare away the trapper who's after him. The trapper even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] this: "Here comes some uninvited laundry!"
* An episode of ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' had Beezy being haunted by one. Its sheet is eventually removed, revealing a body of pizza crusts.
* High-Five Ghost and his family in ''[[Regular Show]]''. Then it gets...odd when Mordecai and Rigby are turned into ghosts, and they just look like themselves, with a ghostly squiggle instead of legs.
* In the ''[[Thundercats 2011 (Western Animation)|Thundercats 2011]]'' episode "The Forest of Magi Oar" The Thunderkittens tease Cheetara when she reports feeling the presence of spirits, by playing at being ghosts under a tent canvas. While stumbling under it, they knock their heads together.
* In ''[[Scooby Doo]] Where are you''?, one of the projections used to scare the gang is one of a Bedsheet Ghost.
* ''[[Duckman]]'' has a surprise cameo from the last person you would expect pulling this. {{spoiler|Homer Simpson.}}
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