When hearing ghost stories, people have a tendency to get the bejesus scared out of them or laugh their heads off.

But either way, the thought of the afterlife and a pasty, almost-human figure appearing out of the thin air really grabs people by the neck hair and compels them to pay attention.

This is probably why the Bath Community Theatre Guild chose to produce their newest play, "Sight Unseen," by Rosemary Foster and Warner Law.

Directed by MaryAnn Mendrea, the story starts when Barnsley Manor goes up for sale by its occupant, Lady Judith Elliot, played by Jamie DeRocher, simply because she can't afford rent any longer.

When interested buyers come to the manor to check it out and place a bid, the home's quartet of ghosts - Gen. Sir Thomas Elliot, Lady Penelope Elliot, Lady Hortense Elliot and Matt, the stable boy - starts to stir in the woodwork because the ghosts don't want to be sold to another family.

The war begins when Lady Judith demands for the ghosts to come downstairs one evening after dinner and materialize in front of her guests - Mrs. Millicent Malone, played by Emma Dowd, and Henry Malone, played by Kevin Knights.

All of the spirits decide to boycott against Lady Judith - except for Lady Penelope, played by Molly O'Boyle, who instead is craving a man more than a pregnant woman wants ice cream. Lady Penelope decides to pursue Henry Malone and thus break the bond with her fellow phantoms.

But Henry takes a wrong turn when he assumes that Lady Penelope is simply a lost cousin who has been locked up in a tower for years instead of a ghastly ghost.

And the mumble-jumble of confusion just gets deeper and deeper.

Henry falls in love with Lady Judith, who's already engaged to flamboyant Archibald Andrews, played by Bob Murrell, and he doesn't believe his eyes when he sees the family of ghosts.

Despite the cluster of plots stirring together in one pot - love, spirits, life, death, family - "Sight Unseen" is only mild.

The ghosts, by far, are the winning aspect of the gentle comedy.

Matt, who is played by Ben Winkel, has been silent all of his life. But regardless of the fact he can't speak, his character is filled with wit, curiosity and vigor.

How does he manage to display all of those traits without speaking? By way of some of the best facial expressions displayed in local theater all year long.

His counterpart, Lady Penelope, who causes all the problems for the ghosts, is a bubble of teenage hormones portrayed flawlessly by O'Boyle.

When O'Boyle is on stage with her character's object of desire, Knights' Henry Malone, she gives her best girly, giddy performance.

But the cast of "Sight Unseen" needs to work on those English accents a bit harder.

Too many times, actors would dip back and forth from the English accent to their usual voice, and it caused problems in wondering who was from where and where exactly the mansion was resting.

Despite the small faults, "Sight Unseen," is a comedy tame enough for any member of the family to see.

The show will have one more performance at 8 p.m. on May 1. For more information, visit the theatre guild on the Web at www.bctg.org.