Cindy Prascik's Review of We Have a Ghost

 

My dear readers, yesterday I caught up with a cute little streaming offering called We Have a Ghost.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

In search of a fresh start, a family moves into a haunted house and finds that supernatural housemates sometimes beget earthly troubles.

We Have a Ghost is typical of most streaming options I've found lately, a decent enough way to pass a couple hours, if nothing particularly special. This one starts off with enough creepy ambiance that I wondered why it wasn't released as a "family" Halloween offering. It then evolves into an action movie that doesn't work well at all. Weaving the two together is a superficial but engaging family drama that's elevated by a very good cast, led by the young standout Jahi Di'Allo Winston. There's a fair bit of humor that's more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny. While the house itself is beautifully spooky, the ghostly effects, and David Harbour's otherworldly turn as the titular spirit, are too cheesy to provide a good fright. The movie runs a bit long, but a solid classic rock soundtrack is an unexpected plus, and a reference to the Wizard Clip (a haunted property in my home state) was a grand surprise.

We Have a Ghost clocks in at 126 minutes and is rated PG13 for "language, some sexual/suggestive references, and violence."

We Have a Ghost is a fun but forgettable offering that's fine for streaming, but you'll be glad you didn't pay cinema prices to see it. Of a possible nine Weasleys, We Have a Ghost gets five and a half.

We Have a Ghost is now streaming on Netflix.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: FREAKY

 

A mystical, ancient dagger causes a notorious serial killer to magically switch bodies with a 17-year-old girl.

Director: Christopher Landon

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran, Celeste O'Connor, and Alan Ruck.

Release Date: November 13, 2020

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller 

Rated R for strong bloody horror violence, sexual content, and language throughout

Runtime: 1 h 41min

Review:

Christopher Landon obviously loves horror movies it was obvious in his 2017 debut Happy Death Day and even more so in his newest film Freaky.  Horror aficionados will find plenty of little Easter Eggs scattered throughout the film.  The film itself is a fairly hilarious riff on the Freaky Friday trope with Vince Vaughn delivering one of his best performances in recent memories.  Vaughn is thoroughly committed to the role and his comedic timing makes him the best thing on screen throughout the film.  Watching him channel a teenage girl in his massive frame is just comedic gold especially as the situations get more and more absurd.  Kathryn Netwon isn't asked to do much outside of holding a steely gaze and look menacingly at her victims.  She does have a few moments were she lets loose a bit but them moments are few and far between.  It's mostly Vaughn's showcase but that doesn't mean that supporting players like Celeste O'Connor and Misha Osherovich don't get their time to shine with the latter leaving a memorable impression.  Those looking for real scares might be a little let down since there are a handful of jump scares and gore aplenty but you'd be hard pressed to ever call it scary.  Freaky leans much more on the comedy side and it works well as a farcical horror comedy where you can leave your brain at the door.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U

Collegian Tree Gelbman wakes up in horror to learn that she's stuck in a parallel universe. Her boyfriend Carter is now with someone else, and her friends and fellow students seem to be completely different versions of themselves. When Tree discovers that Carter's roommate has been altering time, she finds herself once again the target of a masked killer. When the psychopath starts to go after her inner circle, Tree soon realizes that she must die over and over again to save everyone.

Director: Christopher Landon

Cast: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Phi Vu, Rachel Matthews, Suraj Sharma, Ruby Modine

Release Date: February 13, 2019

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for violence, language, sexual material and thematic elements.

Runtime: 1h 40 min

Review:

Happy Death Day was one of those rare surprises in the horror genre that just come out of nowhere.  It had a nice twist on the slasher genre and a likeable lead that carried the film well.  The sequel is sadly a bit of a downgrade in quality, since it’s sapped of the original’s fun tone in favor of a more convoluted and complicated story.  Christopher Landon switches up the first film’s trope by throwing in a sci-fi slant that could have led to some fun situations if they’d explored the concept a bit more than they do.  Jessica Rothe is still great in this entry, she’s such a fun actress who shows a healthy bit of range, more so than in the first film.  Sadly, her comedic talents aren’t used to their fullest extent here and it’s to the film’s detriment since it never as consistently fun as the previous film.  It’s a shame because you could see a healthy amount of possibilities in the concept and Rothe within this series.  Sadly, the sequel just ends up coming off as a pale imitation of the first film with far less pop and energy.   

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES

A young California Latino named Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) is designated for possession by the same malevolent demon who previously claimed Kristi and Katie. Christopher Landon (son of Highway to Heaven actor Michael Landon) wrote and directed this spin-off/sequel produced by Oren Peli and Jason Blum. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Christopher Landon

Cast: Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz, Gabrielle Walsh, Gloria Sandoval

Release Date: Jan 03, 2014

Rated R for pervasive Language, Graphic Nudity, Some Drug Use and Some Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 24 min.

Genres: Horror

Review:

If you’ve paid to see Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, the new spin off but not direct sequel, to the continuing found footage horror series chances are that you’ve enjoyed the series in some form or fashion. If you haven’t this entry won’t change your mind about the series. The general plot points are the same even though they get a Hispanic spin. The Hispanic spin is a bit heavy handed with just about every cliché thrown in you can think. Thankfully it’s a solid set up from the 4th film which was a lazy waste of time. The Marked Ones does deliver some interesting little scares even if they are cheap. The story is rather brisk and it rarely lingers too long on anything too long to bother you. The character and actors are fairly likeable with a surprisingly funny first act. As the film progresses it does reach a certain point of silliness ending with a climax that involves gang bangers and witches. It’s a fun cheap little horror film which is as enjoyable as it is predictable.

B-

[Trailers] The Grand Budapest Hotel & Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

A couple of new trailers hit yesterday and they couldn’t be any different. First up is Wes Anderson’s next film The Grand Budapest Hotel. Personally I love Anderson and this looks like it’ll be another fun film in the tradition of Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenenbaums. An added bonus is seeing Ralph Fiennes in a comedic role, check it out below;



Next up is the trailer for the new spin off, Hispanic aimed Paranormal Activity because the franchise really needed a spin off. Personally, I enjoyed the first 3 PA films but the last one was just lazy and bad, perhaps they could have focused their energy on fixing the actual franchise before spinning it off, either way check it out below;