Let’s have a little history lesson first though: Casper the Friendly Ghost was created by Seymour Reit and Joe Oriolo for a children’s book which never took off. During World War II, Oriolo sold the rights to Paramount who turned Casper into a cartoon. In the cartoons, Casper lived with other ghosts who enjoyed scaring the living. But he didn’t want to do that and so he set out to make friends amongst the humans. The cartoons ran before movies and soon transferred to TV. Comics staring the ghost were also produced. And in 1995, Casper got his own live-action movie.
Casper, the Friendly SPOILERS!
The movie opens with a bunch of kids sneaking into an abandoned mansion called “Whipstaff Manor.” They were dared to go in because it’s haunted. As they argue over who takes the picture to prove they were there, a mysterious figure says he will take the picture. The kids scream when they see the house is really haunted.
After the title, we are introduced to Carrigan (Cathy Moriarty), a greedy woman attending her father’s will reading. He leaves her only Whipstaff Manor and she’s upset. But her stooge (Eric Idle) discovers what appears to be a treasure map. Carrigan is now interested in the house and drags the Stooge to the house. There they encounter Casper as well as his uncles—Stinky, Stretch and Fatso. The uncles chase Carrigan and Stooge from the building but Carrigan refuses to give up. She hires people to get rid of the ghosts, including Dan Aykrod. dressed in his Ghostbuster uniform. Nothing works.
That night, Casper watches TV and stumbles across one of those Inside Edition-type shows. And the story is about a psychologist…for ghosts, Dr. Harvey. And he is played by Bill Pullman. Clients talk about how amazing the doctor is but the main selling point for Casper is when they show the doctor’s daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci). Casper is immediately smitten and he travels through the town to get Carrigan to see the show. She hires Dr. Harvey and he moves Kat to Whipstaff Manor. She’s less than thrilled.
Especially once they meet their roommates. Casper inadvertently scares Kat while the Trio try to get the intruders to leave their house. It doesn’t work and the group forms an uneasy truce. Over time, Casper and Kat grow closer while her father forms a broship with the Ghostly Trio. And Carrigan still wants the treasure.
Casper shows Kat around his house, including the attic. He gives her a dress his mother wore to use as a costume because Halloween is coming and Whipstaff is going to be the location of the high school Halloween party. Because that’s how these things work in the movies. He also finds a sled and remembers snippets of his life. Namely how he had so much fun riding the sled even though it was getting colder and darker out. He got sick and the movie gets depressing. Because this is Casper recounting his own death.
However, the mood is soon brightened by Casper remembering his father’s inventions, including the Lazarus Machine. What is the Lazarus Machine you ask? Why it’s the contraption Casper’s dad invented to bring the dead back to life! As you do. He shows Kat the machine, located in the
Kat and Casper decide to boot up the Lazarus Machine and try to bring Casper back to life. However they hit a snag when Carrigan steals the elixir the machine needs to bring someone back to life. She plans to use it as a means to entice the Stooge into dying. But he prefers to live and after a chase, Carrigan is the one who ends up dying. Her ghost sweeps into the dungeon and steals the treasure—just as Kat’s classmates arrive for the Halloween party! Casper tries to get his treasure back as Kat leaves her classmates in a room.
The two trick Carrigan into crossing over and she drops the treasure, revealing a baseball and a glove. Which is signed by someone famous. I’m not a baseball person, sorry. Anyway, it was his treasure. And he looks forward to using it again as he and Kat have the elixir for the Lazarus Machine. Kat caught it as it fell after Carrigan crossed over and the Stooge disappeared.
But as Casper gets into the machine, another ghost comes bounding in. It’s Dr. Harvey! You see, he went out with the Ghostly Trio and got pretty drunk. So drunk, he didn’t notice the construction going outside the bar. Or the giant manhole said construction created. So now he’s dead! And in a pretty jovial mood, mostly because he has lost his memories of his time alive so he’s forgotten his daughter. Kat starts to cry and he remembers everything. Casper has him use the Lazarus Machine, giving up his chance to become human again. Because that’s the only elixir left and I guess Casper’s dad didn’t write the formula down so it could be recreated. Or they didn’t think to save a sample to have someone try to recreate it. But then that would add an ethical layer to the movie that’s way beyond children’s film fare.
Anyway, Dr. Harvey’s alive so it’s time to party! There’s been a subplot about this stuck up girl in Kat’s class who is clearly the richest person in town and therefore used to hosting the Halloween party where all the plebs can bask in her wealth and awesomeness. So she’s miffed when Kat’s place gets to host the party. Because Whipstaff is supposed to be haunted, she recruits her boyfriend to help her scare everyone at the party to teach them all a lesson. However, the Ghostly Trio scare them and foil their plan. It’s really pointless and could’ve been cut without hurting the movie.
With the party in full swing below, Casper sulks in the attic. He receives a visitor—Kat’s mother (Amy Brenneman)! She praises him for letting her husband use the Lazarus Machine. So she rewards him by letting him be human until 10 PM. Casper tries to bargain for a midnight curfew but, like a mother, she shuts him down.
Downstairs, Kat is sitting against the wall at her own party. Couples slow dance around her. A young boy approaches her and holds out his hand. She takes it and the camera spins around to reveal Devon Sawa! I’ll admit my younger self thought he was cute. My jaw dropped when I saw him. Anyway, they continue to dance and Casper levitates them. Kat clings to him as she realizes who she is dancing with.
Off to the side, Dr. Harvey is visited by his wife’s spirit. She doesn’t berate him for dying but does tell him that she’s not a ghost. And that their daughter is growing up so try not to be such an overprotective dad. They have a sweet moment before the clock strikes 10. She returns to heaven while Casper reveals to Kat his curfew is up. They kiss but Casper still turns back into a ghost. The partygoers are freaked out and everyone runs away.
The movie ends with the Ghostly Trio rocking out to “Casper the Friendly Ghost” as the others dance.
And that’s Casper the Friendly Ghost! Is it the world’s best movie? Not by a longshot. But it’s a fun Halloween romp. Ricci does some great work and Pullman is pretty fun to watch. So, this Halloween, give it a watch—along with Hocus Pocus—and enjoy the spooky fun.
Next month: Passions
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