When Mike and Alison Cooper learn that Alison has inherited a house in the English countryside from a distant relative, the news could not have come at a better time. They’ve been looking for a place, and the stately historic mansion is far more than they could have ever afforded on their own. They end up with more than they bargain for, though, when Alison has a nearly fatal accident. Its lingering side effects include her being able to see the quirky, tragic ghosts who haunt the place. And wow are there a lot of them, from all different time periods. They range from the surprisingly astute caveman Robin to the over-the-top melodramatic Romantic poet Thomas to the snobby grand Edwardian lady Fanny to more modern ghosts. We won’t even get into all the ghosts crammed in the furnace room. Hilarious complications ensue.
Kelli suggested this delightful British show to me, and I am so glad she did. Thanks for the great recommendation, Kelli! It’s a hilarious show with a lot of heart. Despite the ghostly subplots, it is not really horror, though it does have some amusingly effective jump scares. So, if you want to watch something appropriate for Halloween but are in the mood for something that’s not horror or just don’t have a high tolerance for scary stuff to begin with, check out this show instead.
I have always had a special fondness for depictions of the afterlife that delve into how mundane it would be. Near Dark and What We Do in the Shadows both do that for vampires, and Ghosts does that for, well, ghosts. If you’ve ever wondered what you’d do for all eternity, the answer here is bad charades, a poorly organized program of activities, and lots of petty infighting. So much petty infighting.
The resident ghosts are initially horrified that someone new will be moving in, so they organize–as best they are capable of–to haunt away the intruders. However, they’re not very good at it, and they soon start to see benefits to keeping Mike and Allison, who have grand plans for renovating the neglected mansion into a hotel. Namely, DVD box sets to help stave off their profound boredom, someone who can interact with the temporal world on their behalf, and a new face to converse with.
The show is a great blend of smart wit and sillier physical comedy, but where it really shines is the characters. They’re all fully realized, with their own idiosyncratic hopes and foibles, and that includes both the living and the dead. The ghosts themselves are a rather socially awkward bunch–your social skills would deteriorate too if you don’t get to use them for a few centuries–but the show also recognizes the underlying loneliness that drives much of their worst behavior. The result is some incredibly sweet scenes in the midst of all the otherwise hysterical chaos.
I highly recommend this series! I watched the first season for this review and am really excited to continue with it. We currently have the first three seasons on DVD. (There is also an American remake, but I strongly suggest instead sticking with the original British version.)
Are you a Ghosts fan? What’s your favorite horror comedy? What are you watching for Halloween? Tell us in the comments! As always, please follow this link to our online library catalog for more information on any of these items or to place them on hold.
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