90s | Movies | Pop Culture

10 Things You Totally Forgot About Casper, The Friendly Ghost

He's been haunting pop culture since the the '90s live-action movie, Casper, but your favorite friendly ghost still has some surprises in store for you. No matter how many times you've re-watched Casper over the years, there are some plot points you may have overlooked, or tried to bury in your mind, for good reason.

I'm sure next time you turn this classic '90s movie on, all these memories will come flooding back!

1. Kat's Class Volunteers Her House For Their Halloween Party

I always remember Kat volunteering to host the part to upstage the popular girl, but no I was wrong. Some kid volunteers her haunted house as a great place for the dance. Did no one think of asking her parents? Maybe she didn't want to have a bunch of kids in her house right after she moved in.

2. This Isn't Kat's First Time Moving

Her father is seeking out the ghost of his wife, so it explains by Dr. Harvey chose to land them in this strange house. The fact that journalists interview Kat on her first day of school and describe her as Dr. Harvey's "longer daughter" is just too much.

3. There's a Ghostbusters Cameo!

If you blink you may have missed it the first ten times you've seen this movie, but he's there, ready to bust some ghosts. But, Casper's three eccentric uncles somehow have managed to spook out Ray Stantz.

4. Casper is Actually Creepy In a Way Most Ghost Movies Aren't

No, its not the haunting or the appearing anywhere at anytime that has you spooked, it's the fact that an 8-year-old girl has a ghost "friend" who watches her when she is sleeping and whispering "Can I keep you?". That is more disturbing than any other ghost movie that I have seen.

5. Can Casper Actually Interact With The World, or Not?

Throughout the movie Casper can become all airy, or interact with objects. It's as though he can somehow turn it on or off. Weird.

It gets weirder from here.

6. Casper Somehow Has Some Odd Super Powers With His Ghostliness

He doesn't just have his regular ghostly appearance, but can somehow turn into a bunch of balloons whenever the mood strikes.

7. Being a Ghost Ties to Amnesia, But Only Sometimes

So we know that Casper has a hard time remembering his past, but his memory is very selective. He hasn't forgotten Carrigan's lust for wealth and power, but Dr. Harvey didn't even recognize his daughter.

8. Somehow You Forget The Sobering Fact That Casper IS a Child Who Died From An Actual Disease

While the film is pretty relaxed on the subject of death, killing off Carrigan and Dr. Harvey without batting an eye, we later learn that Casper, The Friendly Ghost was actually a little boy who caught pneumonia and died. Dark.

9. It's Implied That Casper Drove His Father to Insanity

Newspaper clippings in the movie reveal that Mr. McFadden was claiming to be haunted by the ghost of his dead son, which we know to be truth. Since no one believed him, it lead to his institutionalization. Dark, again.

Bustle

10. Kat's Mom Transforms Casper Into a Real Boy For Less Than Five Minutes

So the deal is Casper can stay a real boy until 10 PM, but in real screen time, he only has time for one dance. So what time is it when she changes him? 9:55 PM, because it sure feels like it!

Then he changes back into a ghost, clearly forever having unfinished business, so he will walk the Earth until the end of time. Cheery.

Inspiration: Bustle

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