A ghoul is a monster from old Middle Eastern folklore that lurks in graveyards and deserted places. In the original stories, ghouls were frightening demons that haunted lonely places and sometimes lured travelers into danger.

Today, when someone calls another person a ghoul, they usually mean the person is strangely fascinated by death or tragedy, or acts in a creepy, heartless way around misfortune. You might hear someone described as ghoulish if they seem too interested in gruesome details of disasters, treating serious matters as entertainment rather than showing appropriate respect.

In modern books, movies, and video games, ghouls appear as various types of undead creatures: sometimes zombie-like monsters, sometimes intelligent beings living under a terrible curse. Halloween decorations often feature ghouls as spooky creatures alongside ghosts and vampires, though the word originally described something much more specific than just any scary monster hiding in the shadows.