The Ghoulish Plot: Years after a terrible car accident left a man’s wife killed and him suddenly able to see spirits, he uses his gift to con locals desperate for help against a growing tide of supernatural weirdness in the town. As more and more people are suddenly dying of a sudden heart malady, the con man realizes he may be the only one equipped to deal with the problem, which ties into a murder spree at a hospital years ago and a woman who is still alive and who may have been more involved in those murders than people think.

This all sounds like the makings of a pretty spooky and terrifying nightmare, but then Director Peter Jackson cast The Most Likable Man In the World, Michael J. Fox, as the con man, and added in cartoony ghosts like his sidekicks in period costumes and funny animations and zany subplots about malicious destruction of property. This movie could have been a real bummer, but instead it’s more of a silly ghost story featuring some pretty gross special effects for 1996 that ends up feeling pretty low-stakes. On the plus side the bad guy is played by Jake Busey, and anybody who grew up trying to understand the ramblings of Gary Busey is gonna have a pretty good idea about how to play “super duper crazy.”

The whole thing wraps up in a cacophony of silly weirdness and gruesome effects in a fairly satisfying way, including the elaborate death of one character who is mostly annoying and superfluous throughout the rest of the movie.

The Scariest Part of the Movie: after making this insanely weird little horror movie, New Line Cinemas saw it and thought, “this director needs a billion dollars to make a very epic trilogy about dwarves and elves throwing a ring into a volcano.” Hollywood!

Spookiness Factor: this is mostly a comedy-horror, but there are enough gruesome deaths and effects that I wouldn’t show it to kids until they’ve either made it to about 13 years old, or if you found out that when they’re at Grandma and Grandpas they’re forced to watch Fox News all day. After THAT, this will seem like a wacky romp. Sure, there is a ghost crushing hearts but you know what I’m MORE worried about? Comrade Kamala’s plans to crush our economy with regulations and cancel culture!

Rating: 5 out of 10 Starburst