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Ghosts in the Movies
Part 2 |
Who you gonna call for sheer madcap, zaniness in the field of ghost extermination? Ghostbusters, of course. Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver star in this hilarious pseudo-scientific adventure with the unforgettable theme song. This may well be one of the most popular ghost movies ever made. Pass the popcorn, put your feet up and relax. For an entire evening's worth of ghostly entertainment watch both Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters2. But be warned, Ghostbusters2 is not nearly as much fun as the original.
If you like slapstick ala the Three Stooges don't miss the wacky Ghost Crazy, starring Shemp Howard, Billy Gilbert, and Maxie Rosenbloom. Here's another haunted house tale that gives us goose pimples and frightens all those who dare to enter, much to our amusement.
A ghost with an attitude? Charles Laughton as the scheming spirit in the 1944 film version of The Canterville Ghost fits the bill rather nicely. He's been quite happy in his ancestral home all these years in Merrie Old England. Enter a family of interlopers, and let the battles begin. For a well rounded look at Oscar Wilde's story watch the 1998 remake starring Ian Richardson.
Ghost Dad is a funny little film that stars Bill Cosby as a father who dies in an auto accident before he can straighten out the family finances.
Romance
Ghost meets woman and falls in love at a seaside cottage. It's delightfully eerie. But alas, the obstacles to their romance are insurmountable. There's plenty of gentle humor in the Ghost and Mrs. Muir starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison. Like Topper, this movie also spawned a popular television series in the 1960's. The sit-com of the same name starred Hope Lange as the widow and Edward Muldare as the handsome ghostly sea captain who resided in her home.
More ghostly love in Ghost starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Whoopie Goldberg. Keep a box of tissues close at hand. You will need them while watching Ghost. The story is a bittersweet tearjerker.
Suspense and Drama
In recent years, drama seems to be the most favored genre for filmmakers whose films have a paranormal theme. Sixth Sense is probably one of the best of this type ghost film. The ending caught the unsuspecting off guard just as the ending of the more recent, The Others, did. What Lies Beneathe starring Harrison Ford is another entertaining, if somewhat unnerving, look at the spirit realm. Stephen King's The Shining starring Jack Nicholson is a classic terror filled haunted house film. Another interesting haunted house film, is the 1973 version of The Legend of Hell House. Carnival of Souls is a black and white oldie from the 1960's. Nonetheless it is worth watching, at least once.
When it comes to ghosts, suspense sells. So does fear. And if it's a vicarious fear we share with the movie's hero or heroine, so much the better. What we are watching is only a movie. It's not real. It's only Hollywood's portrayal of the spirit realm. And Hollywood has always exercised its collective imagination to the fullest when it comes to ghosts.
© Thundermountain Productions Press
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