How does dickens make chapter 1 of a Christmas carol an effective opening to a ghost story?

"Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that." That opening and Dickens's mastery of suspense combine to make a thoroughly scary story. Remember, it was written for an audience innocent of car chases, special effects, and body counts. Ghosts and spirits were very close to the surface of most people's religion and the story carried a different kind of credibility than it does today.