I’m not the biggest fan of horror comedies but We Have a Ghost might be one of the funniest horror comedies I’ve seen in years. Netflix likes to throw a lot at the wall to see what sticks but this movie is one of the better original films they’ve put out in a while. It has some good family drama and a lot of funny action involving a ghost played by a popular Santa Claus who fought a bunch of home invaders in Silent Night David Harbour.
Frank (Anthony Mackie) is a father trying to give his family a new start. So they move from Texas to Oklahoma. They buy a fixer-upper home that has a history to it. The problem is his youngest son isn’t happy with the move. That is until, while playing his guitar in their attic he notices a ghost in the mirror standing behind him. The ghost was dubbed Earnest (David Harbour) because of the name on the bowling shirt he was wearing He becomes of his friend and eventually the entire family.
The family capitalizes on Earnest being in their home. In this day and age YouTube, and tiktok videos can make a lot of money from likes and subscriptions to the channel they are on. This helps the family come together. Earnest is a fun guy to be around even though he’s a ghost. He has some hidden talents that get a huge following online. The problem is this also catches the eye of the government, namely the CIA.
What was good about this film is David Harbour never says a word. And his ability to make this character come to life is amazing. He gives a funny and very entertaining turn as this ghost who doesn’t remember where he comes from. Harbuor is known for Stranger Things as Harper and he just brings a likeability to that character, Santa Claus in Violent Night and as Earnest. He’s so hilarious in this role.
There are a couple of subplots in the movie that I love but I don’t want to spoil anything for viewers watching at home on Netflix soon. The thing that is a surprise is how amazing the visual effects are. They create a way for Harbour’s Earnest to go in and out of solid objects. Jump into cars and sometimes hold solid objects. These are some of the coolest visual effects I’ve seen. And the filmmaker Christopher Landon blends them perfectly with the real-world environment he directs.
There has been a huge influx of young actors who have come onto the scene lately and this film has another young actor who has come into his own. Jahi Di’Allo Winston as Kevin is fantastic. He came into prominence in Charm City Kings about a youth in Baltimore. He just has a look that jumps off the camera. He has an innate ability to get people to focus on him in a good way. He has a big career ahead of him but We Have a Ghost is another good one on his resume.
We Have A Ghost blends comedy with horror elements but the laughs and action scenes outway the horror elements. The cast is fantastic but once again David Harbour shines in a Netflix prperty. The real star besides Harbour is Winston who is on the rise in this business. Another amazing aspect is the visual effects involving Earnest the ghost. I loved how they blended with the live-action scenes seamlessly. Landon combines some nice family drama and comedic action scenes to make a fun February film for the whole family.
This film is streaming on Netflix on Friday, February 24th
4 stars
Dan Skip Allen
From the Fourth Row! 