Dead folks who, whether due to dark magic (“Necromancy”), mad science (“Applied Phlebotinum”), lack of a proper funeral or burial (“Due to the Dead”), some old problems they still haven’t solved (“Unfinished Business”), a desire to get revenge on their killers or enemies (“Vengeful Ghost”), or just plain stubborn bloody-mindedness, do not rest in peace. Unable to move on to the afterlife, either period or just yet, they still roam around in the mortal world, sometimes (poorly) trying to behave as if they’re still alive. One way undead vary is the nature of their mind, soul, and spirit (“Our Souls Are Different”). In some cases, including liches, most ghosts, and some vampires, they keep their original soul and personality. They can still remember the simple pleasures of life, but they can no longer experience them, a frustration which may fill them with hatred of the living (“Tragic Monster”), or simply make their existence an unliving hell (“Fate Worse than Death”). Friendly/heroic/sympathetic undead are most often from this category. In other cases, including many traditional vampires and most zombies, the undead are actually animated by evil spirits or demonic entities (“Our Demons Are Different”). They may have access to the memory of the deceased person whose corpse they are wearing, but they are not truly the original person in question. These types are often evil (or at least are used by said evil beings) (“Always Chaotic Evil”), and are much more likely to be vulnerable to religious symbols and sacred rituals (“Holy Burns Evil”). The remaining forms of undead may be little more than puppets of a “Necromancer”, or they may be powered by magic alone, but they have no animating spirit (at least, not a sentient one). See the “Undead Index” to read more about all the related tropes; along with the “Haunted Index”, “Mummy Tropes”, “Skeletal Tropes”, “Tropes of the Living Dead”, and “Vampire Tropes”… ~ The Undead – TV Tropes
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