It has been eons since I last watched the family-friendly horror film Casper. But I still remember it as a touching gateway genre picture that left its mark on me. What I forgot until I happened upon a random social media post recently is that the film features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo from a number of familiar faces, including Clint Eastwood. Weird, right?
In a comical mirror montage, Bill Pullman’s character (Dr. Harvey) CG-morphs into a variety of well-known media personalities, including Rodney Dangerfield, Mel Gibson, The Cryptkeeper, and Clint Eastwood. You can scope the clip in the player below. And if this post has you feeling nostalgic for a rewatch, you are in luck, dear reader. The film is streaming on Prime Video as of the publication of this post.
Looking back on the film, I remember Casper as a surprisingly poignant meditation on life and death. That’s not exactly what one expects from a children’s movie. But director Brad Silberling handles the subject matter delicately enough not to traumatize youngsters. However, he still conveys a powerful message that resonates years on from the film’s release.
Another aspect that stands out to me after all this time is that Casper has such a fantastic cast. I don’t think this YA horror effort would be remembered half as fondly as it is if there wasn’t such great onscreen talent bringing these characters to life. In addition to Pullman (and the stars featured in the cameo roundup), the film features appearances by Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle, Ben Stein, and Devon Sawa (as Casper in human form).
The screenplay was penned by Sherri Stoner and Deanna Oliver. Their script is based on characters created by Joseph Oriolo.
The setup goes like this: Casper (voiced by Malachi Pearson) is a kind young ghost who peacefully haunts a mansion in Maine. When specialist James Harvey (Pullman) arrives to communicate with Casper and his fellow spirits, he brings along his teenage daughter, Kat (Ricci). Casper quickly falls in love with Kat, but their budding relationship is complicated not only by his transparent state but also by his troublemaking apparition uncles and their mischievous antics.