History Film / Ghost

* MurderByMistake: [[spoiler:Carl]] never wanted Sam dead -- he just wanted his ''wallet''. Once he's turned into a ghost himself, he actually seems pleased to see Sam again, if only briefly.

** Molly tells the movers to put the angel statue in the bedroom. Sam "wakes up" to find the statue besides him.

* LivingShadow: The demons that carry off Carl and Willy.

** And according to Molly, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments this is also how he got her to agree to go out with him]]!

* MoodWhiplash / GenreShift: Other than the surreal opening, the movie starts out as a regular drama with some romance. Once Sam is killed and starts investigating his murder, things get even more dramatic and elements of horror appear... but then he meets Oda Mae Brown and the movie switches to a comedy. Most scenes with her remain funny (if at times in a GallowsHumor way) even as they are interspersed with Sam's continued investigation, his attempts to protect Molly, and [[spoiler:Carl]] [[RomancingTheWidow putting the moves on Molly]] to cover his tracks, get the password, and eventually eliminate her as a witness. Finally, after the horror returns and an action climax, the movie ends with a TearJerker. Whew.

* RealDreamsAreWeirder / PsychicDreamsForEveryone: Although it happens after he's died, Sam's bizarre dream about waking up in bed with the angel statue instead of with Molly seems like an example of a nonsensical everyday dream. It isn't till later that Sam realizes it's {{Foreshadowing}} that Molly, his angel, is in grave danger (the image of the statue getting broken).

* SomethingTheyWouldNeverSay: Sam nearly blows it trying to prove it's him by [[BodySurf relayin]]g "I love you" until he changes it to [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay "Ditto"]]

''Ghost'' is a 1990 movie starring PatrickSwayze, DemiMoore and WhoopiGoldberg in the performance that won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar (which she attributes to Swayze insisting on her being cast in the part).

Not to be confused with the 1997 short film ''Ghosts'', starring MichaelJackson, or the book ''Literature/{{Ghost}}'' by Creator/JohnRingo.

!!Examples:

* BadassLongcoat: The Train Ghost.
* BarredFromTheAfterlife: The movie is all about this--some souls aren't ready for one place or the other at the time they part with the body, and the main character had some things to resolve on Earth before his soul could be at peace.
* BeverageSpill: [[spoiler:Carl]] fakes one of these while [[AloneWithThePsycho visiting Molly]] so that he has the excuse to [[ShirtlessScene take off his shirt]] and romance her. Molly doesn't catch on, but Sam sees it and is suitably disgusted.

* BittersweetEnding: With a little help from Oda Mae, Sam saves Molly from [[spoiler:Carl, also bringing an end to the money laundering he was behind, and he finally tells her he loves her.]] But after all is said and done, he's ''dead'', [[spoiler: he just watched his best friend get dragged to hell,]] and can never come back.

* CementShoes: [[spoiler: Carl]] pulling his hair over the (newly-drained) bank account while Ghost!Sam looks on impishly. Sam tosses out observations about how the mob is going to bury him "right next to [[StockUnsolvedMysteries Jimmy Hoffa]]."

** ChekhovsSkill:

* CouldntFindAPen:

* CurbstompBattle: Once Sam learns how to manipulate objects in the real world, Willy [[spoiler: and Carl]] really never stood a chance.
* DeadpanSnarker: Sam, especially once he drains [[spoiler: Carl's]] bank account.

* FakeoutOpening - The intro of this film makes it seem spookier than it really is. It also comes across as something of a BigLippedAlligatorMoment, since all it does is establish Carl's friendship with Sam and Molly and show that Sam is rich enough to afford breaking into and completely refurbishing an expensive [=SoHo=] loft; aside from providing the surreal imagery for Sam's later strange dream, it never gets referenced again until the climax when Sam chases the BigBad through other abandoned or under construction portions of the building.

-->'''Sam:''' [[spoiler: "'WHY?! YOU WERE MY FRIEND!'']] I HAD A LIFE, YOU BASTARD! ''I had a life...''

* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:Carl's brand new, bright red Testarossa. How'd he afford that?]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Carl]], courtesy of a shattered window pane.

* {{Jerkass}}: The Subway Ghost.

* LoudOfWar: Sam terrorizes Oda Mae with Herman's Hermits until she agrees to help him.
-->'''''♪ OHHH I'M 'ENERY THE EIGHTH, I AM! 'ENERY THE EIGHTH, I AM, I AM... ♪'''''
-->[[BrokenRecord Second verse, same as the first...]]

* MoodWhiplash[=/=]GenreShift: Other than the surreal opening, the movie starts out as a regular drama with some romance. Once Sam is killed and starts investigating his murder, things get even more dramatic and elements of horror appear...but then he meets Oda Mae Brown and the movie switches to a comedy. Most scenes with her remain funny (if at times in a GallowsHumor way) even as they are interspersed with Sam's continued investigation, his attempts to protect Molly, and [[spoiler:Carl]] [[RomancingTheWidow putting the moves on Molly]] to cover his tracks, get the password, and eventually eliminate her as a witness. Finally, after the horror returns and an action climax, the movie ends with a TearJerker. Whew.

* RealDreamsAreWeirder[=/=]PsychicDreamsForEveryone: Although it happens after he's died, Sam's bizarre dream about waking up in bed with the angel statue instead of with Molly seems like an example of a nonsensical everyday dream. It isn't till later that Sam realizes it's {{Foreshadowing}} that Molly, his angel, is in grave danger (the image of the statue getting broken).

* RomancingTheWidow: Inverted - [[spoiler: Carl took a shortcut by bumping off her hubby first.]]

* SexByProxy: Sam uses Oda Mae's body for a Makeout By Proxy with Molly.

* VisualInnuendo: Featuring [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative the world's only PG-13 rated clay-pottery-throwing scene]]. (Until of course, the AffectionateParody as seen in ''WrongfullyAccused'', and the one in ''[[Film/TheNakedGun Naked Gun 2½]]''.)

* BittersweetEnding: With a little help from Oda Mae, Sam saves Molly from [[spoiler:Carl, also bringing an end to the money laundering he was behind, and he finally tells her he loves her.]] But after all is said and done, he's ''dead'', [[he just watched his best friend get dragged to hell,]] and can never come back.

* BittersweetEnding: With a little help from Oda Mae, Sam saves Molly from [[spoiler:Carl, also bringing an end to the money laundering he was behind, and he finally tells her he loves her.]] But after all is said and done, he's ''dead'' and can never come back.

** Molly tells the movers to put the angel statue in the bedroom. Sam "wakes up" to she statue in his bed.

* HeAlsoDid: Directed by one of the Zucker brothers. Yes, ''[[Film/{{Airplane}} those]]'' [[Film/TheNakedGun Zucker]] [[Film/TopSecret brothers]].

* JerkAss: The Subway Ghost.

* CementShoes: Carl pulling his hair over the (newly-drained) bank account while Ghost!Sam looks on impishly. Sam tosses out observations about how the mob is going to bury Carl "right next to [[StockUnsolvedMysteries Jimmy Hoffa]]."

* CurbstompBattle: Once Sam learns how to manipulate objects in the real world, Willy and Carl really never stood a chance.

In 2010 a ForeignRemake was made in Japan, where Sam's character is now a woman trying to protect her husband. A musical production of ''Ghost'' hit Broadway in 2012.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Carl's brand new, bright red Testarossa. How'd he afford that?

* ChekovsGun: Sam's "[[{{Irony}} lucky]]" Indian penny. He later uses his ghost powers to make it move while Molly watches.

* AndIMustScream: The fate of Willy and [[spoiler:Carl]] when they die.

* HeAlsoDid: Directed by one of the Zucker brothers. Yes, ''[[Film/{{Airplane}} those]]'' [[Film/TheNakedGun Zucker]] [[TopSecret brothers]].

* MurderByMistake: [[spoiler:Carl]] never wanted Sam dead -- he just wanted his ''wallet''.

-->'''''♪ OHHH I'M 'ENERY THE EIGHTH, I AM! 'ENERY THE EIGHTH, I AM, I AM.. ♪'''''

-->'''Sam:''' [[spoiler: "'WHY! YOU WERE MY FRIEND!'']] I HAD A LIFE, YOU BASTARD! ''I had a life...''

* VisualInnuendo: Featuring [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative the world's only PG-13 rated clay-pottery-throwing scene]]. (Until of course, the AffectionateParody as seen in ''WrongfullyAccused'', and the one in ''[[Film/TheNakedGun Naked Gun 2½]].)

* FakeoutOpening - The intro of this film makes it seem spookier than it really is. It also comes across as something of a BigLippedAlligatorMoment, since all it does is establish Carl's friendship with Sam and Molly and show that Sam is rich enough to afford breaking into and completely refurbishing an expensive [=SoHo=] loft; aside from providing the surreal imagery for Sam's later strange dream, it never gets referenced again until the climax when Same chases the BigBad through other abandoned or under construction portions of the building.

* VisualInnuendo: Featuring [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative the world's only PG-13 rated clay-pottery-throwing scene]]. (Until of course, the AffectionateParody as seen in ''WrongfullyAccused''.)