Scenario and Review of We Have a Ghost, Appearance of a Ghost that is Trending, a horror film created by Christopher Landon
Moving to a new house, Kevin encounters a ghost in the attic. He wasn’t afraid, he was actually friendly with the ghost, which later became trending because his father spread the video on social media.
Suddenly the CIA arrives at their house to catch the ghost who apparently went with Kevin to find the cause of death.
We Have a Ghost is a humorous horror film created by Christopher Landon, which was launched by Netflix on February 24, 2023. Played by David Harbor and Anthony Mackie, this film again shows Landon’s skills in making scary films that are light and entertaining just like what he did in the film. Freaky (2020).
With an interesting premise about a trending ghost, this film seems to promise a few new things. Its that true? The following review will take a deeper look at the film based on this short narrative created by Geoff Manaugh.
The Presleys witness the home they are about to buy to the Illinois borough. This house has been unoccupied for one year since it was abandoned by its initial family who were afraid of ghosts.
Even though his two sons, Fulton and Kevin, couldn’t believe their father would buy this house, in the end Frank made them move permanently after paying for it.
Quiet Kevin hears a strange sound in the attic. He met a ghost figure immediately recorded his cell phone.
Not afraid, Kevin actually laughed and made the ghost go away. The next day, Kevin finds the ghost back in the attic and tries to talk. But the ghost, whom Ernest had invited because of the clothes he was wearing, could not speak.
Fulton finds the video Kevin recorded and calls their father. Frank and Fulton immediately uploaded it to the YouTube channel where it seemed to be trending.
Mel, who at first didn’t know and was scared the first time she saw Ernest, also agreed to do it for the benefit of their family who was experiencing financial crisis.
Kevin met Joy at school. The neighbor then participated in interrogating Ernest’s true identity.
Ernest’s video became trending and their house was attacked by fans who wanted to watch it. Kevin and Joy motivate Ernest to try to get out of the house and find answers to the questions he’s been looking for so far. They were even chased by some fans.
Their house is attended by religious expert Judy Romano who is about to conduct an interview with Ernest. At Kevin’s suggestion, Ernest arrives and scares them into making Judy jump out of the window. Fulton who recorded this incident uploaded it to his YouTube channel as the latest trending content.
This reputation caught the attention of Dr. Leslie Monroe who was called a CIA agent. He visits the Presleys’ house to arrest Ernest but is thwarted by Frank and Mel.
Kevin and Joy find a clue from a bar where they find a photo of Ernest the ghost with Ernest the owner of the house in the past period. The three of them finally travel out of town to meet Ernest the owner of the house.
In a park, Ernest shows himself and tries to approach a girl who is playing. Recorded by the camera, the CIA gets the authority to arrest Ernest. They then detained the Presley family at his residence and spread information that Kevin was stolen by Ernest.
In a mini market, the police shot them. Attempts to escape, instead they participate in acts of chase on the highway.
The action of the chase ended up causing several accidents and damage, including the car they were driving. After spending the night in a motel, they continue their journey in a stolen car.
Arriving at Ernest’s house, they hear a story that visualizes that Ernest the ghost, whose real name is Randy, is an irresponsible father.
He had left his little daughter with them just before he disappeared. However, they were rushed into custody by the CIA before the story was finished.
Kevin and Joy are sent home, while Randy is held captive in a powerful research facility. The Presleys are surprised by the arrival of Ernest who attacks them in the house.
What mysticism did Ernest smuggle? Can Randy get out of the facility and help the Presleys? Keep watching the excitement of this film until it’s finished to get the answer.
At first, We Have a Ghost looks like an ordinary lighthearted horror film where the living in the house will be terrorized by ghosts.
Interestingly, it seems that the ghosts that exist are not really terrible and can be recorded on camera well. And not taken into account, apparently the video uploaded by this family made the ghost trending.
Christopher Landon is indeed known as a specialist in spooky filmmakers who doesn’t talk much about frightening things, instead making light and entertaining ones. Can be seen in the films Happy Death Day, Happy Death Day 2U and Freaky.
Likewise, this film has a duration of 2 hours and 6 minutes, which has lots of gaps to insert a number of things that can make the audience entertained.
The scary nuance is only felt in the first 15 minutes of the film, apart from that we are treated to other things that can provoke laughter, the excitement takes the form of action episodes and interrogations about the figure of Ernest the ghost.
It can be said that this film tries to stir up a number of things to the storyline, but instead makes the film seem to have no clear direction.
Compressing various components in a film is not easy, especially keeping the various components in balance.
We Have a Ghost has not been successful in maintaining that balance and is constantly betting one component for the other. For example, the scary nuance is only felt at the beginning of the film, then it enters the realm of humor which is quite comforting.
However, it seems that Christopher Landon has no intention of delving deeper into Ernest’s trending videos on social media, even though this is actually a very interesting factor in this film.
It was shallow enough to present a number of netizen comments which were followed by a crowd of fans and the media in front of the house. These components are not enough to describe it.
Not having fulfilled our expectations regarding the excitement in this part, the type of film switches lanes back to action with episodes of gunfights and car chases.
Indeed, the pressure of the film increases with this excitement, but we are made to forget the nuances of humor and horror that existed beforehand. When again we hope that there will be a continuation of the action episode, we are saddened because the film’s narrative has shifted back to another path.
The interrogation regarding the identity of Ernest the ghost is an important point that leads us to the end of the story. However, even in this section there are more shortcomings, one of which is the unclear pattern of some of his personalities.
Ernest the owner of the house is revealed as the actor in Randy’s murder, the true identity of Ernest the ghost. But it felt like he was too fast to directly attack the Presley family without another narrative bridge making him obliged to do that fight.
Was he afraid that the murders committed would be discovered? It seemed impossible, because Randy himself could not speak. Kevin and Joy haven’t thought that far. There are story jumps that should be bridged better.
Likewise Leslie’s pattern of suddenly releasing Randy from the research facility. The relationship with Randy is not recognized but he seems to have an emotional bond that is not told where it comes from. We think he has some connection to Randy’s death, but in the end it doesn’t connect at all.
Although there are many holes that Christopher Landon, as the writer of the document, should have been better able to cover, this film has a positive value from the good performance of its actors.
David Harbor is likely to get the role easily, because without a single discussion. But he has to be able to convey it through gestures, which he does quite well.
Meanwhile, Anthony Mackie still displays strong acting talent. Even though it looks like an ordinary father’s role, when he conveys his heart to all his family members for everything he has done so far, it feels very touching and reaches our hearts.
Mackie succeeded in visualizing that parental work is apparently not easy, especially in difficult economic conditions.
And the most sparkling is Jahi Winston who plays Kevin. He appears completely natural and gives confidence as a quiet child who tends to be introverted.
But with the kindness of his heart, he is willing to risk his time to help Randy not to be trapped as a ghost forever. And Winston successfully displays the sincerity without any particular intention that is in Kevin’s character well.
In the end, We Have a Ghost is a film that has an entertaining idea with the support of its talented actors. However, the storyline is not explored more deeply, leaving a number of questions unanswered until the film is finished.
Even though it’s not horror and it’s not that funny, this film can still entertain with a series of great episodes that can bring a smile. Currently it is still suitable as a filler in free time at the end of the week, this film can be seen on Netflix right now.
