Netflix
There are a handful of films that were made to be featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Perhaps that’s a little too dated for the Netflix generation (though the streamer rebooted the hilarious movie commentary show in 2017)—think CinemaSins, the snarky movie analysis YouTube channel, but less cynical and more goofy. If Netflix were still releasing new episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 today, its new movie We Have A Ghost would be the perfect sci-fi romp to be jeered and teased by Joel and The Mads.
Without that as an option, you’ll have to prepare the witty commentary on your own. Before watching We Have A Ghost, a horror comedy featuring David Harbour as a friendly house ghost, make sure to gather a handful of friends, who will add commentary like, “Why is Anthony Mackie trying to pimp the phantom out into porn?” The movie feels like a bloated SNL Halloween sketch—which, if you like to laugh at cheesy movies, is probably a good thing. Like the Fear Street trilogy, We Have a Ghost boasts good humor, a few thrills, and a gaggle of larger-than-life characters to keep the Amblinesque sci-fi comedy fun and lighthearted.
Because We Have a Ghost has an unnecessarily long two-hour-and-seven minute runtime to fill, the movie reiterates everything to its audience over and over again. Before the main family can move into the haunted house and bring us into the heart of the film, we’re forced to watch the previous owners race out of the abode of terrors in fright to signal that, yes, the house is haunted. The frazzled realtor offering an unbelievable discount wasn’t enough to deter these initial owners. Nor were the creaky old floorboards or the dusty attic. It’s already in the movie’s title—we get it, there’s a ghost. No need to reiterate this 17 times over before our awkward leading teen Kevin Presley (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) finally runs into ghastly Ernest (Harbour) in his attic.