Ghosts in The Vampire Chronicles and The Lives of the Mayfair Witches are the souls of humans or other mortal beings who have died. Ghosts are distinct from but similar to spirits, who may or may not have once lived mortal lives.
Ghosts can often be seen by witches or other humans with supernatural powers, but are often no longer able to be perceived by vampires, even if they had the ability to see ghosts in their human life. Some vampires, including Lestat and Armand, are at times able to see ghosts. Some ghosts, particularly those working with the Talamasca, have the ability to form corporeal bodies that can interact with the physical world, hold objects, and wear clothes. Ghosts usually appear as they looked in life, though Magnus and Hesketh, both suffering from physical deformities as humans and vampires, have a more youthful and idealized form as ghosts.