Watch Before Viewing Ghost Town

Before checking out Ricky Gervias’ ‘Ghost Town’, Movies.ie recommends the following ghost inspired pics.

After a string of cringe worthy Hollywood cameos, Ricky Gervias finally takes the plunge with Ghost Town – his first Hollywood feature lead. Gervias plays the socially reclusive dentist Bertram Pincus. Desperate to avoid those around him by any means, Bertram gets a severe attitude adjustment when he accidentally dies–for seven minutes–during a routine colonoscopy. When he comes back from the dead, so to speak, he can suddenly SEE the dead–ghosts with unfinished business who follow Bertram around and try to get him to help them. This includes Frank (Greg Kinnear), who wants Bertram to break up the impending marriage of his widow, the very same lovely Gwen. At first, Bertram tries to very hard to ignore the request–until he gets a good look at Gwen and decides it might be worth it after all. Now Bertram just has to convince her he isn’t really the total twit he seems to be…. Appropriately funny, surprisingly sweet, Ghost Town just might give Brit funnyman Ricky Gervais a career in the American romantic comedy milieu–if he wants it, that is.

 

 

 

 

GHOST (1990)






After renovating their expensive loft in the TriBeCa section of Manhattan, Molly (Demi Moore) and Sam (Patrick Swayze), a young successful yuppie couple, are walking home one evening when Sam is tragically gunned down by a street mugger. Molly goes into a deep depression, but, unknown to her, Sam has come back as a ghost in order to protect her from danger–although he isn’t yet aware who or what means her harm, and he has a lot of learning to do in order to make himself known to her. He teams up with an unwilling psychic, Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), and together they try to convince a very skeptical Molly that Sam was actually murdered and has returned spectrally to complete some unfinished business. Moore and Swayze and are excellent as the couple, and Goldberg won an Oscar for her portrayal of the wild and wacky psychic.



 

BEETLEJUICE (1988)






In Tim Burton’s surreally dark comedy, a childless couple, Barbara and Adam (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin), move to the country only to be killed in a car accident while passing over a quaint covered bridge. Their ghosts return to their beloved Victorian home, and find the ‘Hand Book For the Recently Deceased’, which not only lets them know they’re dead, but comes in handy when they learn that they can continue to live in their house, even though a new family–from the land of the living–is moving in. The two set about haunting the newcomers to stop them ruining their home. As a last resort, they call upon the services of the demented, terrifying, but hilarious “bioexorcist,” “Beetlejuice” (Michael Keaton). Director Tim Burton scores big with witty site gags, incredible special effects and sets, and a unique ensemble of characters. Beetlejuice is a visually inventive and imaginative comedy taken to a uniquely grotesque and funny level by the manic performance of Michael Keaton in the title role.



 

THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)






Bruce Willis plays Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a successful Philadelphia child psychologist who is haunted by the sudden reappearance and suicide of a former patient. Months later Dr. Crowe encounters Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a troubled, withdrawn young boy who bears a striking similarity to his earlier patient. Dr. Crowe is compelled to help Cole, not only for the boy’s sake, but for his own redemption. As Dr. Crowe struggles to determine what torments Cole, he must also come to terms with his increasingly distant relationship to his wife (Olivia Williams). Meanwhile, Cole is unable to describe the horrible things he sees even to his worried mother (Toni Collette). The scene where Cole finally tells Dr. Crowe about his supernatural secret is one of the 1990s most quoted and well-known cinematic moments. A gripping ghost story with a stunning finale.


 

 

STIR OF ECHOES (1999)



Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon), husband and father of a precocious young son, finds his blue-collar Chicago existence altered after he is hypnotized at a neighborhood party. What started as a diversion turns disturbing as a post-hypnotic suggestion releases a subconscious power Tom didn’t know he had. Maggie (Kathryn Erbe), his wife, grows increasingly concerned with the strange behavior of her husband and her son, as they become obsessed with the notion that there is an otherworldly presence living in their house. Plagued by searing headaches, horrific visions and the fear that his family is in grave danger, Tom is compelled to discover the source of the visions, even if it means unearthing a horrible neighborhood secret.

 


JUST LIKE HEAVEN (2005)






Suspension of disbelief is a necessity–albeit a pleasurable one–regarding many aspects of this romantic comedy, not the least of which being that either of its good-looking leads would ever lead lonely existences. Reese Witherspoon plays ambitious medical intern Elizabeth, who regularly clocks in 20 hour days at the hospital. Her work is her life, much to the chagrin of her sister Abby, who is married, with kids, and constantly attempting to get Elizabeth to go out more. When Abby finally succeeds in setting up a blind date for her sister, Elizabeth has an accident en route while driving to meet the mystery man, and the stage is set for love. David (Mark Ruffalo) has been apathetically searching for a new apartment in the cutthroat San Francisco housing market, while attempting to overcome his wife’s death two years ago. When he finally finds the perfect place, nothing is going to make him leave, and this includes the blonde control freak (Elizabeth) who suddenly shows up while he’s busy vegetating. She claims the apartment is hers, and it becomes ever clearer that Elizabeth doesn’t remember her past, and shows irrefutable signs of being a ghost. David signs on to help her solve her own mystery, and the the two grow closer even as it becomes ever clearer that they’ll never be able to be together.

 

 

Ghost Town is in Irish cinemas from Friday, October 24th.