We Have a Ghost

"We Have a Ghost" is four-quadrant fun for the entire family.

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I’ve become a big fan of writer/producer/director Christopher Landon (son of Michael) in recent years. I had zero interest in his “Happy Death Day” when it came out as PG-13 horror ain’t normally my jam. But after it was enthusiastically recommended to me by a buddy and his wife I checked it out during a theatrical re-release back in 2020 when theaters were reopening and starved for content. I really dug it … to the point where I caught “Happy Death Day 2U” on pay cable in the days that followed and the Vince Vaughn/Kathryn Newton body swap slasher comedy “Freaky” theatrically the following week. Landon’s latest “We Have a Ghost” (streaming on Netflix beginning Friday, Feb. 24) continues his winning streak.

Kevin Presley (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) and his family – father Frank (Anthony Mackie), mother Melanie (Erica Ash) and brother Fulton (Niles Fitch) – have just bought a dilapidated house in the greater Chicagoland area from a shady realtor (Faith Ford, “Murphy Brown”) who failed to disclose that the home is also inhabited by a ghost.

The ghost’s name is Ernest (David Harbour). He died in the dwelling back in the 1970s and sports a killer comb over that’d do Gene Keady proud and a bowling shirt with his name on the lapel. Ernest attempts to frighten Kevin in the home’s attic, but the boy bursts out in laughter at him. The two quickly become pals with Kevin singing and playing songs for Ernest on his guitar.

Kevin doesn’t really have friends unlike his popular brother Fulton, so it’s refreshing when he makes two of them between Ernest and girl next door Joy Yoshino (Isabella Russo).

Things become complicated when Frank and Fulton find out about Ernest and long to exploit him for fame and fortune via Internet videos. These clips draw the attention of West Bay Medium Judy Romano (Jennifer Coolidge, amusingly riffing on Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo) and more distressingly the CIA in the form of Dr. Leslie Monroe (comedienne Tig Notaro), who wants to experiment on Ernest.

Longing to protect Ernest and discover how he perished, Kevin and Joy jack Fulton’s ride and hit the road with the ghost in tow.

That “We Have a Ghost” works as well as it does is largely a testament to the inspired performances of Winston and Harbour. Winston has a smile that lights up the screen and a beautiful singing voice to boot. This kid’s going places. Harbour does wonders with facial expressions and body language in what’s largely a silent role. As good as Harbour is on “Stranger Things,” he’s really been killing it on the big screen of late between “Black Widow,” “Violent Night” and this. Hell, I even liked him in 2019’s much-maligned “Hellboy.” The duo is strongly supported by Mackie who ultimately gives his heel a heart of gold, Fitch who imbues his big brother bully character with actual nuance and Russo who makes the prototypical girlfriend role something funnier and zestier altogether.

My main gripe with the movie is that it’s supposed to take place in Illinois when it was obviously shot in Louisiana. Why not just set it in Louisiana? It’s a state that’s often presented in a supernatural manner. Also, it’s kind of icky to see Kevin and his family (all of whom are black) frequently have guns drawn upon them by the authorities. I don’t know if this is some sort of commentary by Landon about what it’s like to be black in America, but if it is it could’ve been developed better … as is it reads color blind and tone-deaf. Additionally, I was a tad concerned about the film’s hefty 127-minute runtime, but there’s enough going on here that it never drags.

“We Have a Ghost” is far less like Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist” or James Wan’s “The Conjuring” and far more like Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” Jerry Zucker’s “Ghost” (to which there’s a direct reference), Ron Underwood’s “Heart and Souls” or Peter Jackson’s “The Frighteners.” It’s a sweet slice of 1980s Amblin-esque sci-fi/fantasy that trades far more in heart and humor than it does in horror. It’s four-quadrant fun for the entire family.