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Ghost Chase

Original title: Hollywood Monster
  • 1987
  • PG-13
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
4.3/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
Jason Lively and Jill Whitlow in Ghost Chase (1987)
In an old Hollywood mansion, the spirit of an old family retainer inhabits an old grandfather clock. When a movie company uses the mansion for a film, the spirit inhabits the body of a prosthetic robot based on the photo of the butler who then persuades the two filmmakers to track down the Great Grandfather's fortune before the old house is destroyed, revealing a family scandal.
Play trailer2:11
1 Video
27 Photos
AdventureComedyFantasyHorror

In an old Hollywood mansion, the spirit of an old family retainer inhabits an old grandfather clock. When a movie company uses the mansion for a film, the spirit inhabits the body of a prost... Read allIn an old Hollywood mansion, the spirit of an old family retainer inhabits an old grandfather clock. When a movie company uses the mansion for a film, the spirit inhabits the body of a prosthetic robot based on the photo of the butler who then persuades the two filmmakers to trac... Read allIn an old Hollywood mansion, the spirit of an old family retainer inhabits an old grandfather clock. When a movie company uses the mansion for a film, the spirit inhabits the body of a prosthetic robot based on the photo of the butler who then persuades the two filmmakers to track down the Great Grandfather's fortune before the old house is destroyed, revealing a fami... Read all

  • Director
    • Roland Emmerich
  • Writers
    • Roland Emmerich
    • Oliver Eberle
    • Thomas Kubisch
  • Stars
    • Jason Lively
    • Tim McDaniel
    • Jill Whitlow
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.3/10
    1.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Roland Emmerich
    • Writers
      • Roland Emmerich
      • Oliver Eberle
      • Thomas Kubisch
    • Stars
      • Jason Lively
      • Tim McDaniel
      • Jill Whitlow
    • 10User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:11
    Trailer

    Photos27

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    Top cast14

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    Jason Lively
    Jason Lively
    • Warren McCloud
    Tim McDaniel
    • Fred
    Jill Whitlow
    Jill Whitlow
    • Laurie Sanders
    Leonard Lansink
    Leonard Lansink
    • Karl
    Paul Gleason
    Paul Gleason
    • Stan Gordon
    Ian MacNaughton
    • Frederick McCloud
    • (as Ian McNaughton)
    Chuck Mitchell
    Chuck Mitchell
    • Mr. Rosenbaum
    Julian Curry
    • Lawyer
    Cynthia Frost
    • Secretary
    Andreas Kovac-Zemen
    • Pawn Shop Owner
    Toby Kaye
    • Laurie's Girlfriend
    Larry Pennell
    Larry Pennell
    • Bum
    • (as Larry Pennel)
    Ernie Lively
    Ernie Lively
    • Production Manager
    James Heffernan
    • Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Roland Emmerich
    • Writers
      • Roland Emmerich
      • Oliver Eberle
      • Thomas Kubisch
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    4.31K
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    Featured reviews

    10den-86397

    I loved this movie -

    This movie had a weird feel to it - I loved it - the 80's feel and music, the lovable Lewis - several of the reviewers got the plot wrong - it was fast paced - didn't leave you bored in places, waiting for the movie to pick up again. I felt the acting was quite good - the lead actors were just plain old kids, they had ambition, wanted to make their dream of movie-making come true, and had to figure out how to finance it. The ghost was an additional problem suddenly thrown into the mix - I loved the sets - the gadgets -
    4CuriosityKilledShawn

    Very odd

    It's weird how the writer/director of such exciting blockbusters such as ID4 and The Patriot could create such a strange film. I'll try my hardest to recount the plot.

    Two ultra-cheap filmmakers (art reflects life) have a great idea for a movie and rope in an unwilling but attractive starlet and make up a Muppet-like monster based on the photographs of a long-dead grandfather's butler. A rival studio producer wants to blow up the grandfather's house as the climax to his big budget movie so the butler's ghost comes back to possess the Muppet doll to lead them to hidden billions in the cellar.

    It's not a bad film, by no means, it's quite cringe-worthy in places but inconsistently entertaining. There are no big name stars or SFX but that is made up for with bizarre plotting and storyline.

    This film is more in the style of Roland Emmerich in his Making Contact/Moon 44 days. But if he had the budget he gets these days who knows what this film might have ended up as. I give it 6/10 for weirdness, plot and defying convention.
    1DM-19

    Its a surprise Emmerich got work after this.

    This film is BAD. All the ingredients that add up to make a good film are lacking here, the script - terrible, the acting? - worse. And if you can find a worse director doing (financially) well in Hollywood, I applaud you.
    priest.21

    emmerich's best work to date...BY FAR

    this movie exemplifies the captivating adventure a ridiculous ghost/beast to can add to a somewhat atrocious plot. this ghost is a recipe for fun and comedy as jason lively and friends search for the MILLIONS. as this high-tailed hilarity becomes almost unbearable, this fun loving ghost materializes and just about makes you choke on your own laughter. fun for children and senior citizens, but not middle aged soccer moms. what makes this even better.....jason lively is the pompous idiot from european vacation, only now he has a mullet! pure casting genius! amen.
    Wizard-8

    Derivative, cheap, and just plain bad

    "Ghost Chase" was an early effort by director Roland Emmerich before he moved onto big-budget Hollywood movies, and when he was turning out German-financed movies derivative of famous Hollywood movies. While this movie isn't as derivative as some of his other movies made at this time, you can still see influences, ranging from "Halloween" to "E.T." Actually, this unoriginality is one of the lesser problems I had with this movie. It's a pretty cheap-looking movie, for one thing, with poor cinematography and lighting. Much of the dialogue seems post-dubbed, and many of the special effects are tacky. And they apparently couldn't afford a decent-sounding musical score. But most of the blame falls on Emmerich's direction and script. Emmerich doesn't seem to know how to stage scenes many times (look at how the bicycle crash and the overpouring of coffee in a mug is filmed.) The script almost seems to have been written as the movie was filmed, with the plot taking forever to get going and then progressing at a sluggish pace when it's not being confusing. If you hate Emmerich's major Hollywood studio movies, take a look at this, and you'll see what real bad movie making is like.

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    Related interests

    Still frame
    Adventure
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Louis voice in both German and English version remains unknown.
    • Crazy credits
      The credits revolve around pink objects such as eyes. Also of note are the wording in the credits, some words like "filmproduction" (sic) are found. These are typical of German, as they often put two words together to form a compound noun.
    • Alternate versions
      Director's Cut runs 22 minutes longer.
    • Connections
      Featured in Master of Desaster: Roland Emmerich - eine Hollywoodkarriere (1998)
    • Soundtracks
      Imagination
      Written by Belouis Some

      Performed by Belouis Some

      Courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.

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    FAQ13

    • How long is Ghost Chase?Powered by Alexa
    • What are the differences between the International Version and the German Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 1, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • West Germany
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Hollywood Monster
    • Filming locations
      • USA
    • Production companies
      • Centropolis Film Productions
      • Pro-ject Filmproduktion
      • Hessischer Rundfunk (HR)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 25m(85 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Ultra Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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