Horror-Wood Blog-a-Thon: Casper

 

“Seeing is believing.” Quite true about this one

I knew at some point I had to toss in a family movie that had some relevance to the holiday other than E.T. Among the many that get airtime on networks, I’m surprised to see how many times they play the 1995 live-action/CGI hybrid Casper. Its very much become a staple on ABC Family to the point its this generation’s Rankin Bass. Its not Halloween until they play it and its not Halloween without people seeing it. Seriously, its getting airplay at least three or four times this year. But to be fair, I watching movie a lot as a kid and have fond memories remembering what scenes I liked and some notable quotes. But over the years, there comes a point where as an adult, you have to revisit those films and TV shows that you grew up with to see how well it holds up. And for the longest time, I didn’t get a full look because I didn’t think it would live up to my expectations. Thus, I finally sat down to watch one of my childhood favorites and surprisingly, it still holds up. Ok, technically there’s problems but it still holds up in my books.

The first problem I should address is how much time we spend with the villain. The first 20 minutes focuses on a greedy woman named  Carrigan who hopes spending time with her off-screen dying father would give her some dough. With everything going to charity, she is left with nothing but a condemned mansion in Friendship, Maine (and yes, this town does exist in real life oddly enough.)  But it’s revealed a treasure of some value is buried and she plans to see what gold lies in the rundown place. To be fair, Cathy Moriarty is a good actress as playing characters like this but the entire character of Carrigan is just uninteresting. We’ve seen this kind of villain before. Its the Cruella de Vil kind of character that is self-centered and wants what she wants. What saves it from being boring is Moriarty’s performance who is clearly having fun but there has to be more to this character than being a selfish brat that wants hard cold cash. Even at her side is a bumbling butler named Dibs played by a surprisingly unfunny Eric Idle. And don’t get me wrong, I like Monty Python but his character really doesn’t do much for me. He’s the lackey that always gets the shaft and its a bit predicable at times. There’s a moment near the end they do this twist with him trying to turn tables but its very brief and doesn’t affect the narrative in anyway.

Carrigan and her sidekick find that getting rid of ghosts won’t be easy as they thought

Well, its revealed the entire place is haunted by a friendly ghost named Casper and his unruly uncles who don’t tolerate “fleshies” in the household. Carrigan tries every method in the book to get rid of them from exorcisms to even a pointless one-note joke of a Dan Aykroyd cameo. Her last resort is in the form of a therapist that claims to have helped ghosts psychologically pass on who agrees to try and rid the spirits with his odd methods. Bill Pullman as Dr. Harvey is not too bad seeing how much invested he is in the supernatural. But at one point, when he runs into the Ghostly Trio, they start to mess with him so much that he acts like he’s doing this for the first time. A bit weird considering someone who claims to have dealt with ghosts before. Its never fully explained if he’s a con man or really dealt with spirits but its up for debate.

Casper interacting with the anti-social Kat showing just how well special effects can be done if right

The center of the picture is really between his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) and Casper. The two have a connection of social problems and try to work out each other’s faults. Casper is kind but his status as “undead” keeps people away and Kat wants to be a normal teenager like everyone else but her father’s work gets in the way or has trouble fitting in. Its the usual family film teenage schlock but its done ok. Even more so, she the more she bonds with the chipper spirit, the more she learns being a ghost is much harder than living. The way the world of a ghost is simple. You die, you loose memory. You go from hair and clothes, to an abstract blob. At least that is what I get from it because the universe and plot of Casper is so weightless that its hard to consider what kind of story its going for. Heck, the Carrigan character is not bothered with until the very last third and it just feels like she’s tossed in as something to move the story than be an effective villain.

Who you gonna call for a pointless cameo?

I’d go into the many problems it has but that would be spoiling a lot for new viewers. In short, the story is not really there and is all over the map. Each moment feels more like a vignette that wonders with a purpose but ends without one. The only one I can think of that truly pays off is a storyline involving Dr. Harvey’s dead wife which I admit concludes nicely. But the rest of the movie feels like its on auto pilot most of the time. For example, when the Ghostly Trio meet up with Dr. Harvey, they try to mess with his mind or at least try and scare him. It leads into this whole fight scene which is cool but what’s the point. How did we go from scare the pants off this guy to fencing with umbrellas in the main hall? Speaking of which, the magnitude of cameos range from enjoyable to pointless. There’s a whole scene where Carrigan hires people to rid the ghosts like Father Sarducci and a Ghostbuster but it feels too obvious. Also, I don’t kids will remember Don Novello’s SNL character THAT well. There’s even a scene when Fatso, Stinky and Stretch posses Harvey into shape shifting into different celebrities. As a kid, I honestly thought it was the Ghosty Trio’s true forms when they were human. But as an adult, they feel like pointless cameos.

Dr. Harvey (Bill Pullman) tries to find out why the Ghostly Trio won’t pass over. Again proving how great CGI animation can be

So for all the negatives, there’s at least some good stuff that balances it out. For one, the CGI is amazing. This is the first film to utilize computer-generated characters instead of using them as effects. You could also argue, its the first live-action/CGI hyrid movie seeing the computer is making characters and not effects. For the longest time, CGI was used to bring things like dinosaurs or morphing effects for movies like Willow or T2. Here, they pushed to the next level by making a three dimensional character as opposed to a special effect. And that is really the true star of the show. There are times I want to marvel at the blend between computer effect and live-action. But it gets so blended to the point I feel like I’m seeing ghosts with a soul and personality. This was ILM in their prime and it shows.

As said before, the stuff with Dr. Harvey and her daughter Kat are the better written parts of the movie. I feel its also because of how much they sell the fact they are interacting with CGI effects to the point you really feel like they are there. They are practically talking, fighting, flying and interacting with something not there which isn’t easy to do. They way they play off these characters can be a lot of fun. Again, Casper and Kat trying to fit in with who they are and Dr. Harvey’s long battle with the Ghostly Trio. Speaking of which, Fatso (Brad Garrett), Stinky (Joe Alaskey) and Stretch (Joe Nipote) are surprisingly entertaining. I find myself wishing the whole movie was more about them and less about Casper at times. Not to say that friendly spirit is uninteresting but there’s so much material written for these three that I can’t help but smile when I see them. Yeah the stuff they do is mean and cruel but they are just poltergeists. You expect them to be these nasty spirits that are mischievous and dangerous to be with. They are a huge highlight of the movie and even if some of the pop culture jokes they spew is unneeded, it still gets a laugh by the timing and delivery.

Great CGI, great atmosphere and decent acting…shame there was no sequel

To say Casper is a perfect movie is an understatement. Its really a technical achievement but still packs entertainment value. The whole tone of the movie is so cartoony that you can’t help but admire its light tone and comedic beats. And that’s the correct term here, its a cartoon. Its very much what Roger Rabbit did for hand-drawn animation as this movie did for CGI animation. It provided you can give a three-dimensional being heart and soul no matter if they are meant to be living or dead. I don’t think its a masterpiece but you can tell there is a lot of effort and heart being placed here even when it starts to lag at times. This is my definition of the kind of movie that is mindless but ghostly fun at the same time.

Horror-Wood Blog-a-Thon: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

 

The movie that captivated hearts…and gets no play around Halloween on TV

I’m surprised to say not one person has thought of the idea of Steven Spielberg’s E.T. being suited as a movie for Halloween. Yeah it has elements that make it the perfect movie for kids and family but when you really start to look at it, it does have the feeling of being a movie to pop on during the spooky season. After all, the iconic fly over the moon shot has to feel at least exciting yet Halloween-ish. Now granted, its not because there’s a scene where trick or treating is involved but the whole movie from tone to narrative wise feels perfect for the season. Don’t believe me? Let’s break it down a bit.

We have the opening scene when E.T.’s kind arrives on Earth. Its played up for wonder with an eerie tone. Its interesting to see visitors from another planet but at the same time, it feels unsettling. The fact that the creatures are kept in the shadows and there’s not a single spoken word of dialogue makes this opening intense but with awe. Sure they are not here for an invasion but are more like intergalactic botanists that have who knows how many alien plants collected. But even then, we don’t know if they are good or just examining the planet for a possible invasion.

Elliot (Henry Thomas), Gertie (Drew Barrymore) and Michael (Robert MacNaughton) look over their new found friend

Anyway, the aliens leave when a group of people come close by but unfortunately one of them gets left behind. It seeks refuge in a nearby town where in a nearby home, a 10-year-old boy named Elliot is really having a tough time. His sister Gertie is mischievous yet simple minded and his older brother Michael likes to make fun of him of lot. Worse, they are going through a huge divorce with their parents and its effecting everyone. The idea of someone being young at that age and having a hard time coping with an issue like that can be really tough. In short, Elliot’s life is a mess.

But sure enough, he starts noticing that something other than a coyote exists in his backyard and this is when things get really good. Again, the build-up to E.T.’s reveal is genus. All we get are hands and shadows that again make us wonder if this being from outer space is here for explore or a danger. Well, as you can imagine, it turns out he’s not a bad being after all but there is that sense that we don’t know what to expect from him. Sure he’s kind-hearted but with the ability to levitate objects mentally, bring flowers back to life and connect through other people it only makes you wonder what does he use these abilities for. It adds to the mystery while not demystifying it too much.

Elliot and E.T. wait for the arrival of his ship

The real monsters are the human characters. E.T. is plopped in a world with troubled families and scientists that are fascinated with the discovery and will go as far to entrap a house just to study him. The scene where a group of government agents dressed as astronauts that “quarantine” Elliot’s house is one of the most scariest moments I’ve seen in a family film. The idea of being safe in your own home and have it invaded by your own people (let alone, the government) is a really frightening image and always freaked me out as a kid.

Its funny how Steven Spielberg originally wanted to do a sci-fi horror where a group of aliens terrorize a farm but elements of it changed when he felt that it would be interesting if the aliens were really explorers. Either way, that change was for the best seeing how many invader movies the 1980s would later get. E.T. maybe sweet and heartwarming but it knows when to ground itself into reality while also taking some risks along the way. Its not shy to kill off a character or even afraid to place of heroes in danger. The fact that these kids have no idea how to watch after a 6 foot alien is interesting yet frightening. How would you know its come to make peace or how do you know it arrived to make war? It only adds to the mystery to the character.

From the climatic end that got everyone riding bikes

E.T. is really about childhood. Spielberg’s movies often have a running theme about separation or working together as a family. Here, its a bit darker considering Elliot is trying to find a way to deal with the separation of his father and with the discovery of this alien he eventually learns to love and let go at the same time without giving too much away. I also like how its all from the perspective of kids. A lot of the times, we barley see any faces from adults and when we do, its either they have relevance to Elliot or the story. The performances of Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore are so investing that we really feel like this is what the world of a kid is like. Originally, there was a scene when Elliot meets up with the principal of his school played by an unseen Harrison Ford playing up to the idea of how this is from the view point of a child and how something big like seeing the principal is simple yet intense. The scene was cut (and rightfully so) but clips are on a laserdisc available documentary. With so much attention devoted to an adult character, it would have ruined the view point all together seeing this is Elliot’s world and its our focus.

There is another character played by Peter Coyote, nicknamed in the credits “Keys,” who is smartly seen from the waist down till later on we see his face. This government agent at first is played up to be a villain until we realize he has similar dreams in seeing if other worldly creatures exist. It humanizes him a bit too much seeing the build-up in the first half but I think it works. We go from what could have been a cliche villain to a sympathetic character who has childish dreams like Elliot. The only thing I feel that is weird is how later on he talks to Elliot’s mom played by Dee Wallace as if there’s a hinting romance. Its brief but at the same time, it does feel a bit shoddy.

A deleted scene where Elliot examines E.T. more. Restored in the 2002 cut with a CGI model, it was placed on the Blu-ray as a bonus feature and rightfully so

And yes, I am aware of the 2002 re-release version with the updated effects and stuff. I actually had the advantage to see this at my local drive-in theater and if you want my thoughts, I’d say stick with the original cut. At times, the updated effects did look unique back and did fix a few things up like the flying stiff bike riders and some of the floating objects. But even as a kid, I was bugged by how the Carlo Rambaldi puppet was replaced at times with a CGI model. Granted, it did manage to get a few more expressions but there was a unique charm to the anamatronic that brought it to life more than even the CGI model did. When E.T. mentions how his kind will come get him in broken English, you can’t tell if he’s happy or sad about it. The 2002 version robs this charm by making it clear about how home sick he is. There’s also the two added scenes where Elliot examines E.T. more in the bathroom and Gertie bumping into the mother on Halloween night which are cute but they don’t add much to the narrative. I’m not jumping on the bandwagon and saying the original cut is the one that must be seen. But I will say that while I do prefer the original edit, there were some things that I did appreciate that got fixed but there were only minor things like certain effect shots here and there. Bottom line, there was no reason to re-edit E.T. because its perfect that way it is.

Even he’s ready for Trick or Treating…

Anyway, back to my point, E.T. deserves to be labeled a Halloween movie because it not only has the elements of one but when you think about it, Halloween was a special time for kids. It puts us in the right mindset when we were young and dreamed of being adventurous. We all had similar things we wanted to do like how we wanted to meet creatures from different worlds or go on an epic adventure. Its charming while also knows when to be subtly dark at the right moments. In fact, a lot of our childhoods weren’t always perfect. At times, there was good stuff while at times there was stuff we had to go through that was unbelievably harsh to us as kids but as an adult we accept it as something of the norm. Its been hailed for years as a masterpiece, its one of my all-time favorite movies and you can see why. So if you want to take a break from all the usual monster movies and have something charming but not too sugary-sweet, I’d say pop this in around the bewitching hour for some memorable charm and heart.