Few family movies manage to make a haunted house feel this inviting, but Casper turns its spooky setting into the heart of a surprisingly charming adventure. It is not a particularly sophisticated film, nor does it always know what to do with its darker themes, but its warmth, visual creativity, and sheer entertainment value make it an easy movie to enjoy. The film’s most impressive achievement is its visual effec…

People who grew up in Scotland around my age might recall Glen Michael's "Cavalcade," a Sunday afternoon television program showcasing cartoons, with "Casper," the friendly ghost, being one of the most beloved. Its popularity was likely boosted by its relative scarcity; announcements about it were always cause for excitement. It’s against that nostalgic feeling that I found myself genuinely enjoying this Spielberg ac…

I had a strong sense of familiarity with this movie, but I can’t recall what it was actually about. *Casper* is one of those films I must have watched repeatedly as a child on video; the beginning moments brought back some pleasant memories. However, like I mentioned, I didn't really remember much substantive detail from this 1995 movie. It turns out to be more layered than my childhood memory suggests, with some …

This enjoyable, lighthearted ghost story features Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, and Cathy Moriarty. A paranormal investigator who specializes in communicating with spirits and his daughter (played by Pullman and Ricci) relocate to a rundown mansion situated on the Maine coastline. The house is inhabited by a benevolent ghost alongside three playful troublemakers. Cathy Moriarty portrays the greedy inheritor of th…