In his most recent tenure at Blumhouse, writer-director Christopher Landon showed a talent for making movies fun. His horror-comedies Happy Death Day and Freaky got a lot of mileage out of their (sub)genre-mashing conceits, but the self-awareness was tempered with a lack of self-seriousness, eschewing parody or satire for something purely playful and appreciative. We Have a Ghost, Landon's new Netflix adaptation of Geoff Manaugh's short story "Ernest," accentuates those strengths and weakness. In place of a slasher sensibility, We Have a Ghost chases an Amblin-esque sense of spooky adventure, at times very successfully. The funnier it lets itself be, the better it is; the forays into heartfelt drama are less convincing. Landon's latest will be best remembered for its multiple laugh-out-loud set pieces, and with the craftsmanship and performances on display, viewers will likely be willing to forgive its less-impactful stretches.
