Netflix's Top Charts Are Being Haunted By The Friendliest Ghost You Know
1995's "Casper" wasn't exactly a critical hit when it first arrived, but as Netflix viewers have proven, you can always count on the friendly ghost for a wholesomely spooktacular time. As a kid, I was happily unaware of the critical response to the movie, and haven't really kept up with the "Casper" discourse since — shameful, I know. I do remember watching it in my local cinema and being transported away from my little English town for a while. Seven-year-old me just found something mesmerizing about the look and feel of the film. Plus, it had ghosts and cool special effects, which was pretty much all I could ask for at that age. I'm not saying it's a classic of cinema, but what are these movies for if not to immerse you in times, places, and feelings that you otherwise wouldn't experience?
I loved the melancholy technical marvel that was "Casper" as a kid, so when my wife recently suggested a rewatch, I was excited to revisit Whipstaff Manor. Of course, as is customary for any modern film fan, I repeatedly distracted myself from said rewatch in order to look up the movie online for some background and cultural context. After all, how are any of us supposed to watch movies without simultaneously staring at our phone?
It was during this expertly-timed research that I discovered the initial critical response to this beloved childhood classic was less than favorable. Imagine being enchanted by a movie as a kid — your burgeoning imagination aglow as you sit, wide-eyed and transfixed — then growing up and reading this on Rotten Tomatoes: "A meandering, mindless family movie that frequently resorts to special effects and transparent sappiness."
Well seven-year-old me is happy to report that justice has arrived for "Casper" in the form of Netflix vindication.
Casper's a Halloween hit
Christina Ricci might not be a fan of her own performance in "Casper," but the Netflixers don't seem to share that opinion. The film hit the U.S. version of the service on October 1, 2023, and as we got closer to Halloween the friendly ghost managed to float upwards through the charts. According to the official Netflix Top 10 website (which, it's worth noting, was created to distract from the company's dubious viewing metrics), "Casper" was the sixth most-watched movie in the States for the week of October 2-8. It would subsequently hit number four in a week that also saw Jordan Peele getting some Netflix shine thanks to "Get Out" and "Us" hitting the charts.
Unfortunately, "Casper" fell back into eighth place for the week of October 16-22. But according to streaming data aggregation site FlixPatrol, the film managed to become the sixth most-watched movie in the U.S. as of October 22. It's since dropped to 10th place as of October 25, signaling what is likely the end of Casper's Halloween resurgence. But if there's one thing the little guy is good at, it's resurrection, so we could see him make a last-minute rally as Halloween arrives.
"Casper" doesn't seem to be available on Netflix in any other countries at the moment, so we don't have a good idea of how many viewers around the world feel similarly enchanted by the friendly ghost. But according to FlixPatrol, Moldova, Qatar, and Vietnam have been buying the film on iTunes, so there's that.
It's about time
Casper the Friendly Ghost obviously didn't start life as a mid-90s CGI fabrication. The character was envisioned as the protagonist of a children's book before first debuting in 1945 as part of a series of cartoons created by Paramount's Famous Studios. He went on to become a hit comic book character for Harvey Comics before finally making it to the big screen in 1995. But when "Casper" made his cinematic debut, he arrived with a much darker tone, which is part of the reason critics weren't all that taken with the film at first — though the movie was far from a critical disaster. It was also a decent enough box office success, grossing $282 million on a $65 million budget.
Look, there's no doubt that when you actually think about it, "Casper" is deeply upsetting in many ways — not least because it deals with some pretty heavy themes of loss and grief and features several characters reeling from the death of loved ones and trying desperately to bring them back. But as a kid, that darkness just felt kind of cool and intriguing in the sense that you felt the film had a little more to it than your average children's entertainment. It was actually kind of moving, even if you didn't quite understand the themes being explored or the implications of it all.
Which is why it's nice to see the film back in the popular consciousness, at least in the United States. It might have gained a loyal following, but I say it deserves a little more widespread recognition. So why not join me and the Netflix masses and scroll through your phone while "Casper" plays in the background?