Ghost Fever

My review was written in November 1987 after watching the film on Charter video cassette.

"Ghost Fever" is an earnest but unsuccessful attempt to resurrect the 1940s style of comedy associated with Abbott & Costello. Heavy dose of strained ethnic humor was released on a regional basis last March and is now a home video item.

Sherman Hemsley and Luis Avalosl poetry Buford and Benny, a pair of cops sent to evict two old ladies from their ante bellum mansion. The place is haunted by a spirit of Beauregard, an evil former slave owner (film's previous title was "Benny and Buford Meet the Bigoted Ghost"), who pulls practical jokes on the hapless heroes, while they dally with the beautiful blonde great-granddaughters of Beauregard. Commenting on the action are two other ghosts. Andy, played by Myron Healey, who is Beauregard's son and Jethro, Buford's ancestor (dual role for Hemsley).

Shenanigans climax pointlessly with Benny agreeing to fight ex-champ Terrible Tucker (played by former Heavyweight champ Joe Frazier) in order to raise money to save the mansion. Predictably dumb finish has the heroes better off dead.

Though Hemsley and Avalos are adequate farceurs, the material is lame and only interesting on a poor taste level (endless dialog referring to "spooks" and a wacky scene of Hemsley reading an illustrated Victorian-era porntome entitled "Groins of the Darker Species"). Pic was directed in Mexico in 1984 by Lee Madden, but anonymous later shooting caused him to have his name removed and fictitious Alan Smithee credited.

Especially if you love horrible movies. When I first started watching it, all I could say was "I hope there's a dance sequence in it." Imagine my delight when not ONLY did the two main characters dance, but the main ghost began break dancing as well. AND on top of THAT, Sherman Hemsley sings the break dance song (not to mention the theme song). It makes me a little sad that he went broke because of this movie, but I've never liked him as an actor and he really should have known better. Not even the director would take credit for this movie (and you should check out some of the other films he directed!).

One note of warning, though, the writer seemed to really like jokes about the, um, male lower regions. For example, one of the characters discovers a book called "Groins of the Darker Species." I am not kidding. And that, to me, is the most disturbing part of the film. Other than that, find the most obscure video rental store in your town, get the movie, invite all your friends over, and laugh until you cry with Ghost Fever.

This movie is só incredibly unfunny it makes any man want to cry, the cliché are put on thicker than 5-year old peanut butter and in such a way that it actually sucks humour out of your heart, every single joke was badly timed and wouldn't have been funny if it were timed correctly.

Don't see this movie, there's a real chance you'll never be able to enjoy going to comedies again...ever.

Sometimes a film can be so bad, it's totally enjoyable. God bless the abstraction of a director, Alan Smithee. The real director of the film "Ghost Fever", Lee Madden was too ashamed to take credit for this disasterpiece. It is a celebration in all that is bad in movies, but when it was on rotation in 1999, I couldn't take my pre-teen eyes off of it! There was an appealing creepiness about how truly awful the movie is. I've been waiting for it to air since, but I haven't been able to experience the wonder of a film so bad I ponder how it was ever produced.

Sherman Helmsley keeps his head up through it all. You have to respect a man that gives it all in a film he must have known was a complete mess. His comedic performance is nothing new, but he is a good guide through a tangled web of a story that becomes completely lost in horrible direction. Look for the Mummy scene. It is a genuinely disturbing image that was supposed to be played for laughs.

My question is, why didn't this movie have a cult following? Am I the only person on Earth who loves this messy treat?

I agree with many other here that this movie is SOOOOOO BAD it is good. You will laugh unintentionally at the horrible trainwreck this movie is. Its shot badly, acted badly and the "script" is atrocious. They tried to jump on the Ghostbusters bandwagon but there are sequences in here that will make your jaw drop to the floor and then your jaw will try and leave the room. The break dancing scene is truly memorable and yes, lots of "groin" jokes. Wow!! There is also a long boxing subplot that comes out of nowhere. It is deathly unfunny. And horribly done. All the effects are lame. But....A great bad 1980s disaster. Just the kind of thing those recent great Slate podcasts highlight!