Let’s find out together, in this dedicated review, what are our impressions of the film A Ghost in the House, the Horror comedy that arrived on Netflix on February 24 starring David Harbor
ORIGINAL TITLE: We Have a Ghost. TYPE: Commedia. NATION: United States of America. REGIA: Christopher Landon. CAST: David Harbour, Anthony Mackie, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Tig Notaro, Erica Ash, Jennifer Coolidge, Faith Ford, Niles Fitch, Isabella Russo, Steve Coulter, DURATION: 127 minutes. DISTRIBUTOR: Netflix. PRODUCER: Legendary Pictures, Temple Hill Entertainment. EXIT: 24/02/23
From Ghostbusters to Casper, cinematography has often portrayed ghosts with a satirical and comedic twist, either to exorcise fear or because there are so many horror films every year. And Christopher Landon (Congratulations on Your Death, Disturbia) also tried in this case with Un Fantasma in Casa (We Have a Ghost), film arrived last February 24 in the Netflix catalog and which presents, already on the cover, the main reason (and perhaps the only one, we admit it already in principle) to recover the film: David Harbour. Find out with us, in this dedicated review, if it’s worth spending 127 minutes in the company of A Ghost in the House!
A Ghost in the House: a scary review (more or less)
A new beginning. Who knows how many times, you too, have tried to start your life over by changing city, job or simply home. The same goes for the Presley family who, in search of the elusive “new beginning” moved to Chicago, in an old and more than dusty house which, in addition to a repainting, is in a spasmodic search for a restructuring from the ground up. There are many guests in this ancient shack: from the classic cockroaches, to more or less small mice up to… Ernest. A ghost.
The youngest of the Presleys’ children, Kevin (Jahi Winston) comes across the ghost Ernest, played by David Harbor (who interspersed this film with work for Stranger Things apparently) in an ordinary night, when he ventures into the attic to check for unusual noises. The young man’s reaction to seeing the ghost is the same as we had to witness the scene: uproarious laughter. Ernest, in fact, try as he might, doesn’t seem to be able to scare the young man (and neither does the spectator, considering the low-level special effects) and immediately forms a solid relationship of trust with Kevin, determined to help him “get over it”.
ET | Review A Ghost in the House
If so far it seems to be faced with a Horror comedy of the late 90s, to bring A Ghost in the House in recent times is the presence of Social Networks as co-protagonists of the story. Once the strange tenant is discovered, in fact, the head of the family Frank (Anthony Mackle) and his eldest son Fulton (Niles Fitch) they decide to upload numerous videos of the ghost to the net, making him an immediate star on YouTube. All this despite the fact that Mrs. Presley, Melanie (Erica Ash), insists on not wanting to be the classic black family of horror films and on wanting to get as far away from that madness as possible.
The wise words of the woman are useless: Frank is determined to embark on the “fresh start” with as much money and prospects for his children as possible, and not only. Right from the start of the film, we notice a strong family component in the management of relationships: Frank is in a deep crisis with his younger son, for reasons that are gradually outlined in the film, but which, we already tell you, have nothing new or exciting.
rant | Review A Ghost in the House
And if we had stopped here, perhaps we would not have even felt the need to tell you about Un Fantasma a Casa in a dedicated review. The film takes a path, from just before the middle of the film onwards, that defining exaggerated seems reductive to us. In fact, Ernest’s social explosion, in addition to attracting television and mediums from all over the world, also captures the attention of a special CIA team aimed at capturing and hunting ghosts. Yes, you read that correctly.
Therefore, from this point on, a screenwriting path is undertaken that leads to useless narrative lengths, which simply amplified the boredom and disinterest as the film continued. We had already started from not exactly exciting premises, but we were expecting at least a light B-movie with some funny moments and a heartbreaking ending. Final which obviously we will not talk about in any way because it is, on balance, the best part of the film. And for one reason only: David Harbour.
Thanks David Harbor | Review A Ghost in the House
The actor is in fact the only reason why we can recommend the vision of A Ghost at Home and which raises the vote written at the bottom of this review. Despite being completely mute (in fact he can only emit noises and not too human cries), Ernest is the most successful character in the whole film: does not remember how he died, knows nothing of his past life and still fails to move on. He is doubly linked to earthly life by a trauma that he can’t remember, but his current existence is the saddest and most melancholy one can think of.
And this is exactly what Harbor manages to convey with a long series of looks, expressions and smiles: melancholy. The Man’s great acting skills make the Phantom much more human and sensitive than almost all the other members of the cast, by a householder who seems to have not passed the adolescent stage to… two teenagers who rightly haven’t done it yet.
Kevin, the Presleys’ youngest son, he is the one who immediately forges a strong bond with Ernest and tries in every way to find out more about his past. The subplot of Ernest’s death is definitely the most successful part of the film (although, even in this case, the development was slightly exaggerated) and also the most touching and emotional part of the film. All seasoned with a finish that was certainly too “honey”, but which at least closed a terribly long-winded and indisputably forgettable second part.
If you really don’t know what to do…
In conclusion of this review, we reiterate once again how forgettable a viewing of A Ghost in the House was. A horror comedy too verbose in the second part, which goes to eclipse the few interesting ideas of the first. The only exception remains David Harbour, a giant among the dwarfs who has brought to the screen a “mute” interpretation that will impress you with just the depth of his gaze. Recommended if you really don’t know what to watch one evening.
A Ghost in the House is currently available in the Italian Netflix catalog. Let us know if you’ve seen the film below in the comments and stay tuned with us at TechGameWorld.com for all the news and reviews on the subject of cinema and TV series!
Plus points
- David Harbor and his interpretation
Points against
- Unnecessarily long-winded and drawn out narrative
- Cast bidimensionale
- Poor special effects
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