We Have A Ghost Review

The city of Illinois is known for many things, but few things are as intriguing as its haunted houses. In one such house, a family moves in, surrounded by neighbours who claim the house is haunted. The youngest son, Kevin, soon encounters a ghost named Ernest, and together they attempt to figure out his past. However, things take a turn when Ernest goes viral and the entire world, including the CIA, wants a piece of him.

Christopher Landon has established himself as a master of the horror-comedy genre in recent years. With films such as Happy Death Day and Scout’s Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse, he has taken up the mantle of directors like Joe Dante and Ivan Reitman, bringing his unique 21st-century sensibilities and style to the genre.

We Have A Ghost continues Landon's hot streak, albeit with a slightly different tone. While it may be more YA or PG-13 than his earlier, blood-splattered work, it remains a spooky, crowd-pleasing treat that is less Ghostbusters and more Ghost-befrienders.

The film is an earnest, thoughtful genre piece that is less interested in scares and more interested in cares.

Newcomer Jahi Di'Allo Winston delivers a winning performance as the young hero, a Gen-Z-er who cannily undercuts the usual horror tropes of this kind of ghost story.

Rather than screaming, his first reaction to witnessing a phantom ghoul is to film it and go viral, inspiring hashtags, conspiracy theories, and TikTok challenges.

David Harbour's grumpy frustration at his standard-issue ‘wooooo’-ing is very funny as Ernest.

He puts in a wordless performance worthy of silent film, working purely via body language and facial expression. He manages to be both Chaplin-esque funny and winningly warm, utilising the gentle facial expressions that made Chief Hopper a father figure to millions.

Like any Landon joint, the film is stuffed with great performances. Anthony Mackie is a great deadbeat dad, desperate for a win, while Jennifer Coolidge puts in a typically camp and deranged cameo as Judy Romano, ‘The West Bay Medium’.

Erica Ash's obstinate mother also delivers some knowing lines for horror fans, insisting, "We are not going to be like every stupid white family in every horror movie."

We Have A Ghost is a film that is ultimately about families and seems to be designed to be watched by them too, at least families with teenage kids. It is a ghost story that nearly everyone can enjoy.

Christopher Landon dials down the blood and dials up the feels for a fun, heartfelt horror-comedy enlivened by David Harbour’s accomplished apparition-acting

We were graced with some great performances from David Harbour last year. He brought something fresh and exciting to the loveable Jim Hopper in Stranger Things Season 4 on Netflix.

He then shocked fans with his hilarious turnout as a brutal Santa Claus in the dark comedy-action flick Violent Night. Harbour has continuously flexed his acting muscles across his career while still flaunting the recognizable charm that launched him into stardom in the first place.

Now at the start of 2023, David Harbour is giving us another surprising performance as a mysterious silent ghost named Ernest who befriends a family in the new Netflix original film We Have a Ghost.

Based on the famous short story Ernest by Geoff Manaugh, We Have a Ghost follows a young attractive family who moves into a new home only to soon discover that it’s haunted. The ghost in question is Ernest, a balding man in a bowling shirt, which is far from your average Casper.

Instead of packing up their bags, their son Kevin (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) catches the paranormal spirit on camera and posts the evidence online, turning them all into overnight social media sensations.

When Kevin’s family dives deeper into the mystery of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA, forcing the tech-savvy boy and ghost to go rogue on the journey of a lifetime.