HallowScream - Casper (1995)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and I'm back with more HallowScream. When you think of a definitive '90s Halloween flick, you probably think of two movies: Hocus Pocus, and the subject of today's review: Casper. Based on the cartoon character of the same name created by the Harvey Entertainment Company, Casper was directed by Brad Silberling, written by Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver (both writers on such shows as Tiny Toons and Animaniacs), and produced by Amblin Entertainment. The movie's cast consists of Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, and Eric Idle, with voice performances by Malachi Pearson, Joe Alaskey, Brad Garrett, and Joe Nipote, and featuring appearances by Ben Stein, Rodney Dangerfield, Don Novello, Dan Aykroyd, Devon Sawa, and Amy Brenneman. 

       The movie is centered around Whipstaff Manor, which sits on a seaside cliff on the outskirts of Friendship, Maine. The mansion itself has been recently inherited by a greedy woman named Carrigan Crittenden, who learns of a "treasure" somewhere in the mansion. So, along with her attorney, Paul "Dibs" Plutzker, Carrigan heads to Maine to claim her inheritance. Unfortunately, the house is already occupied by Casper, a youthful and friendly ghost, and his three uncles: Stretch, Fatso, and Stinkie, also known as the Ghostly Trio. While Casper tries to befriend the newcomers, Carrigan and Dibs are scared of by the Ghostly Trio. 

       The next day sees Carrigan try many attempts at ridding the mansion of the four ghosts, by first hiring the services of Father Guido Sarducci, followed by Ray Stantz of the Ghostbusters, and finally a demolition crew to rip the mansion down. But, they're all sent packing by the Trio. Whoops. But, that night, Casper finds himself flipping through channels on the TV, where he sees a story on Hard Copy talking about Dr. James Harvey, who after the death of his wife Amelia, has changed his profession to being a psychiatric therapist for ghosts, traversing the county along with his teen daughter Kat, short for Kathleen. Casper, seeing an opportunity, flies to where Carrigan is staying, and showing her the Hard Copy story on Dr. Harvey, who is currently in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Carrigan calls him, and he and Kat pack up and drive all the way to Maine to set up shop in Whipstaff. 

        Things go about as expected. Casper tries to befriend Kat and Dr. Harvey, both are scared off by him, the Ghostly Trio comes back and has their fun messing with both Dr. Harvey and Kat, which ends with Dr. Harvey sucking the Trio into a vacuum. However, communication between Casper and Kat goes much better the next morning, as Casper makes a hearty breakfast for her and her father, and heads off to pick up a copy of the Hong Kong Press newspaper for Dr. Harvey. The Ghostly Trio arrives, gets their own breakfast, and eat like slobs, leaving a mess on the floor. And, after an argument between Stretch and Kat, Dr. Harvey rushes her out of the kitchen so she can get to school on time. While at school, Kat befriends a boy named Vic, and when she reveals to her class that she and her father are living at Whipstaff, the class decides to hold the upcoming Halloween dance, which was almost cancelled due to a long process of removing asbestos from the school gym, at Whipstaff. 

        The rest of the movie sees Dr. Harvey working with the Ghostly Trio, who pretty much troll him throughout the movie, Kat and Casper forming a bond, and Kat finding some of Casper's toys from when he was alive. And, it's while interacting with the toys that Casper begins remembering his human life, and finds his mother's old dress, and puts it on Kat for her to wear at the party. And, while looking at old newspaper clippings, Kat learns that Casper's father, haunted by the ghost of Casper, built a machine to bring his son back to life: the Lazarus. 

         Casper and Kat head to the lower areas of the mansion, and Carrigan and Dibs follow them. Unfortunately, Dibs falls victim to an invention of Casper's father's design, the "Up and At 'Em" machine, which was to help Casper's father get himself groomed and ready in the morning. Honestly, coffee would have been easier. Anyway, Kat presses a button to lift the Lazarus machine out of its watery holding area, and Casper enters the machine and uses a red elixir made to bring a single ghost back to life to try and bring himself back from the dead. Unfortunately, Dibs steals the elixir, and the machine doesn't work. 

        After a back-and-forth attempt to kill each other, Carrigan falls to her death and becomes a ghost, so she and Dibs can claim the treasure, which is located in a vault within the lower areas of the mansion. Meanwhile, Dr. Harvey is having fun with the Ghostly Trio at a bar, and they consider killing him to add a new member to their ranks. However, in a bit of drunken idiocy, Dr. Harvey falls into a deep trench and dies. Whoops. Back at the mansion, Kat juggles with Carrigan's ghost, the party guests arriving, and Casper. Carrigan gets rid of Dibs, admits she no longer has unfinished business and crosses over, which reveals the treasure to simply be a baseball signed by Duke Snider, who was Casper's favorite player. Dr. Harvey and the Ghostly Trio arrive, and Casper leads Dr. Harvey into the Lazarus machine, plugs the elixir into the machine, and uses it on Dr. Harvey, who is brought back to life. 

       At the party, things are going well, and a hilarious bit sees Vic and his friend Amber scared off by the Ghostly Trio. In his toy room, Casper is visited by the angelic spirit of Amelia, who commends Casper for his selfless act of bringing Dr. Harvey back, as Kat needs her father in her life, and also commends Casper for fulfilling his own father's dream. And, because of this, she's there to grant Casper's wish, but just for that night, and only until the clock strikes ten. Casper, now a human, goes to the party and shares a dance with Kat, all while Dr. Harvey and Amelia have a moment together, with Amelia revealing she had no unfinished business, and gives her husband a few tips on how to raise their teenage daughter. But, the clock strikes ten, Amelia returns to heaven, and Casper is a ghost again, scaring everyone off. Casper, Kat, and Dr. Harvey have their own fun dance, with the Ghostly Trio rocking out to end the movie. 

         Casper is definitely one of those '90s movies that is more fondly remembered by the generation of kids who grew up on it. But, looking back at it, some elements held up better than others over the course of time. The performances by the human cast were a bit mixed, with Bill Pullman as Dr. Harvey being really good, Christina Ricci as Kat being a bit more mixed in places, and both Cathy Moriarty as Carrigan and Eric Idle as Dibs being ridiculously over the top. However, as I get older, I enjoy some of the cameos throughout the movie, such as Ben Stein as an attorney, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz from Ghostbusters, Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci, and even things like archived clips of Fred Rogers from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, or Terry Murphy hosting an episode of Hard Copy. 

       But, what still stands out about Casper is the visual design and the performances of the four ghosts. Malachi Pearson as Casper was fantastic, as were Joe Nipote as Stretch, Brad Garrett as Fatso, and Joe Alaskey as Stinkie. The overall look, both interior and exterior, of Whipstaff looks like if R.L. Stine, Stephen King, and Tim Burton design a bed and breakfast. And, major props to Industrial Light & Magic for the visual effects that brought Casper and the Ghostly Trio to life in a mix of realistic and cartoonish visual effects. 

       Overall, Casper is a fun watch during the Halloween season, but definitely not an absolute banger. I'm giving the movie a rating of 4/5. 

      Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off. I'll be taking a few days to myself, but I will pick up HallowScream with a review of a Universal classic: Frankenstein.