Ghoster

If you are looking for a good, family friendly movie that you can feel comfortable letting your children watch, then you could do worse than this. Admittedly, it's not going to be winning any awards, but today... that's a good thing. There is no agenda - social or political - whatsoever. It's just good clean fun.

Sure, the acting is a tad corny at times, but remember when being a kid meant that you enjoyed corny? There isn't some deep, philosophical message, either... but remember when movies were just entertainment?

I watched this mainly because it looked like a low-budget Casper flick from the cover photo, but the physical similarity is about as far as that goes. This is a unique story all unto itself that I frankly have never seen.

If you are looking for a fun, family night at the movies... give this a try.

I sat down with my 12 year old son to watch the family adventure movie titled "Ghoster" from writers Nick Pollack, Jerome Reygner-Kalfon and Sebastien Semon. Needless to say that I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to watching it. So I wasn't sure what I was in for here, aside from it being a movie much akin to "Casper" from the movie's synopsis and cover/poster.

Sure, "Ghoster" was watchable for what it turned out to be, but neither my son or I were particularly impressed or overly entertained by director Ryan Bellgardt's 2022 movie. Maybe the storyline was aiming at a younger audience.

The storyline was fair enough, and I am sure that there is a young audience out there for a movie such as this, and they will find much more enjoyment and entertainment in "Ghoster" than we did.

The acting performances in the movie were good. I wasn't familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list.

Visually then "Ghoster" was okay. Not the most impressive of CGI effects, but the effects served their purposes well enough. And for a family movie, then the CGI effects were adequate enough, as this was not supposed to be scary.

While having sat through the entire movie, then I can honestly say that this is not a movie that I will ever return to watch a second time.

My rating of "Ghoster" lands on a four out of ten stars.

This was such a fun movie for the whole family! The kids absolutely loved it with just the right amount of humor and suspense! My wife and I loved it too! It's really rare to find a movie that all of us can enjoy equally these days! My daughter has told all of her friends about this movie and has watched it no less than 5 times already!

Without giving any spoilers, the story told here is unique, entertaining and not just some rehash of older ghost movies with a fresh look.

The young lady who played Elizabeth was phenomenal and great work by everyone involved! Perfect movie to get you into the Halloween spirit this year!

I was surprised to see the Lionsgate logo at the start, because this has everything you would expect from a The Asylum movie.

I don't think this movie even try to hide the fact its a Casper ripoff from the name, the poster, the plot, there is not much originality in there. So i knew what i was gonna watch. Now Casper is almost 30 years old, so its not necessarily a bad thing to have something similar that is new. The issue is everything was done better in Casper and hold up to today standards and is a much better movie still on all front.

The CGI in this is kinda servicable for what its going for. Its clearly not meant to be a realistic movie. But my main issue is there is barely any atmosphere or identity to the movie. For instance when they arrive to the "mansion", we do see a few rooms to show its big, but we barely ever seen anything again of it. Almost every mansion scenes are filmed in broad daylight so you never get that Halloween/Spooky vibe you had in Casper despite being a family movie.

The budget must had been very low. The third act do offer a few more interesting stuff, and a TINY bit of originality but it ain't much.

If you reading this on Letterboxd, i am giving the movie 2.5 Stars because its barely an average movie at best, but i will make an exeption and give it a yellow heart anyway (wich i usually reserve for 3 stars/6 and up) because i can't say i disliked it, it was late at night and i was bored and it "entertained" me enough. The young lead actress was also likable. But note i am someone easy to please when it comes to movies and i am a big of an "adult kid".

But even for young kids, i doubt they will want to return to this movie like i did myself many times with Casper as a kid. Obviously these days you have much more choice and accessibility, wich we didn't in the 90s, but even taking that into consideration.

Ghoster is a spooky family film with twists, puzzles, and some comedy mixed in that is perfect for an autumn night. This exciting film invites you into a world of ghosts, dragons and legends that is both entertaining and filled with surprises. I was drawn into the magic, the unbreakable family ties, and the collaborative efforts of the characters as they race against time.

In Ghoster, Elizabeth (Sophie Proctor) learns she's the heir to Echoville Manor. Yuto, a wicked ghost dragon, is trying to fulfill a task that intertwines with the lives of Elizabeth, and those around her. When she and her father (J. R. Brown) arrive, she encounters Ghoster,(David Henrie), who implores her and her new friend, Mateo, (Josh Escayg), to help him find the light knife and destroy Yuto. They must work together or risk losing everything they care about.

My favorite scene is when Elizabeth and the rest of the "scare squad" forge a plan to scare away the bankers who want to take possession of Echoville Manor. The scenes are both suspenseful and humorous. The reactions and facial expressions of the characters to the hauntings are delightfully entertaining. However, some of the scare tactics didn't seem as though they would really scare anyone. Elizabeth and her father share a bond that is unbreakable, even in several trying situations. The actors work together to make this bond believable and touching. Elizabeth (Proctor) and Mateo (Escayg) also forge a great friendship and work well together in the film. The setting of Echoville Manor is well decorated to portray an older estate. The old furniture and details of many of other furnishings, like the mirrors throughout the manor, showcase the age well. The CGI is meticulous in detail, such as the spikes on Yuto which are very detailed. The background music and sound effects really capture the moods, especially the suspenseful ones. Some of the storyline is predictable but there are enough twists in the plot to keep the viewer entertained.

The message in this film is that it sometimes takes courage to do what is right and to conquer your fears. Elizabeth is nervous about the challenges she faces to defeat Yuto. However, she knows it is the right thing to do to help Ghoster, so she faces it head on with the help of her family and friends. Parents should be aware there are some scenes which may be scary for young viewers.

I give Ghoster 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it to ages 12 to 18. Ghoster releases on Digital, VOD and DVD October 11, 2022. By Carlee S., KIDS FIRST!