Ah yes, all the typical beats of a supernatural encounter movie: family meets ghost, boy befriends ghost, dad starts YouTube channel, fame is achieved, and just when it seems like everything is working out for the better, in comes the CIA. In “We Have a Ghost,” discovering their ghostly housemate turns out to be a blessing in disguise — not only does it make the family internet famous, but it turns out Ernest isn’t even that scary. The poor ghost even gets a little offended when Kevin first sees him and snickers instead of screaming. But evidently it doesn’t take long for their relationship to clear that hurdle because Kevin later teams up with his neighbor (a teen girl played by Isabella Russo) to find out more about Ernest’s life and death.
“Stranger Things” alum David Harbour stars as the eponymous ghost, with much to do but little to say. During a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Christopher Landon said that Harbour was his first choice, explaining:
“I knew that the role was incredibly challenging because there’s no dialog, so he just has to do so much with so little. We had a meeting, and he told me he was terrified of doing it, which I thought was great because it shows that he was feeling vulnerable and intrigued, and excited. By the end of our meeting, I think we both felt really strongly that it was a good match.”
So how exactly does Harbor pull off being a vaguely spooky (but mostly funny) ghost with enough charisma to become an online sensation despise never uttering a single word? I’m guessing it has something to do with melting his face in front of Jenifer Coolidge, but we won’t know for sure until “We Have a Ghost” hits Netflix on February 24, 2023.