High Spirits

Name: High Spirits
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Released: November 18, 1988
Duration: 99 min
Rating: 47
Cast: Donal McCann, Hilary Reynolds, Isolde Cazelet, Liz Smith, Mary Coughlan

1988

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Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

Cineplex Odeon Films | Release Date: November 18, 1988 | PG-13

Starring: Donal McCann, Hilary Reynolds, Isolde Cazelet, Liz Smith, Mary Coughlan, Peter O'Toole, Steve Guttenberg, Tom Hickey, Tony Rohr

Summary: When a hotelier attempts to fill the chronic vacancies at his castle by launching an advertising campaign that falsely portrays the property as haunted, two actual ghosts show up and end up falling for two guests.

Director: Neil Jordan

Genre(s): Fantasy, Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 99 min

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Critic Reviews

Pauline Kael

Once you get past the clumsily antic early scenes, the moody texture can take hold of your imagination. At its best, the film is a soft Irish kiss.

Janet Maslin

Luckily, High Spirits has a good cast and enough joie de vivre to rise above some of its underlying clumsiness. Read full review

Empire William Thomas

It's safe, it's mainstream and it's silly, but Guttenberg and Hannah strike up enough chemistry to give this big budget apparition at least a little depth. Read full review

Dave Kehr

The film shows very little of the nar-rative assurance that has character-ized Jordan's previous work. [21 Nov 1988, p.2C]

Rita Kempley

Writer-director Neil Jordan shows no knack for comedy, nor is he as kinky as he was on Mona Lisa, and kinky is what is called for. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Despite considerable production support and a relatively high budget (it was shot on location in Ireland and on a massive interior set at England's famed Shepperton studios), this is easily the weakest effort in director-screenwriter Jordan's solid career. Read full review

Jay Carr

Neil Jordan's High Spirits wants to be a supernatural comedy. But it isn't super, it isn't natural, it isn't high, and it isn't spirited. [18 Nov 1988, p.33]

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Rcavey92212

Apr 5, 2020

Sexy Steve Guttenberg (Police Academy), Sexier Liam Neeson (Taken), Daryl Hannah (Splash), Jennifer Tilly (Bride of Chucky), Peter O' Toole (Supergirl), Beverly D'Angelo (National Lampoon's Vacation) and hunky Peter Gallagher (While you were sleeping) star in this supernatural, criminallySexy Steve Guttenberg (Police Academy), Sexier Liam Neeson (Taken), Daryl Hannah (Splash), Jennifer Tilly (Bride of Chucky), Peter O' Toole (Supergirl), Beverly D'Angelo (National Lampoon's Vacation) and hunky Peter Gallagher (While you were sleeping) star in this supernatural, criminally underseen comedy gem from the 80s. A haunted castle in Ireland is about to be repossessed when the owners decide to turn it into a funhouse for American tourists creating fake supernatural hijinks and end up getting the real deal. The movie is hilarious and romantic with great FX and make up. It surprises me that this movie never became a bigger thing.

Budget: $17m
Domestic Box Office: $9m
Worldwide Box Office: $9m

4/5… Expand

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DawdlingPoet

Nov 28, 2021

This is a slapstick style comedy drama, which is quite amusing in parts. The story is pretty far fetched but its certainly an entertaining watch. I felt uncomfortable about the fact that it seemed partly a family film, I'd imagine it would, or could, have been aimed at primarily familyThis is a slapstick style comedy drama, which is quite amusing in parts. The story is pretty far fetched but its certainly an entertaining watch. I felt uncomfortable about the fact that it seemed partly a family film, I'd imagine it would, or could, have been aimed at primarily family audiences, (as its so comical in an exaggerated, madcap sort of a way), yet there were some saucier moments, sexual references and mildly risque content. I'd go so far as to say that in some scenes, it seemed pretty sexist, with female characters being laughed at, being scared by certain circumstances and I felt being shown to be (or portrayed as) the more dizzy, weaker sex.

Although this is primarily a comedy drama, it also has a fairly strong fantasy element to it, with the 'real' ghosts and the backstory of the various characters, or 'entities' and particularly the rural castle setting giving it the feel of a Fantasy based film. This film does feature special effects but bare in mind that the film dates from the late 1980s, so don't expect breathtaking CGI - CGI was still in its infancy back then and indeed this is no Avatar but I think it could (just about) be argued that some of its charm is in the dated effects, though I'd also say that you might well end up laughing at it but not for the originally intended reasons, shall we say (there are cringey moments, where it felt hard to take it seriously. One main example being when the various ghostly apparitions come to 'life' (or should that be death - i.e. suddenly appearing in front of living people) via a bright light that is so unrealistic.

As much as there may be a slight sexist undertone to this film, to be fair it doesn't really portray any of the main characters in a particularly brilliant light. The castles inhabitant, Peter Plunkett (portrayed by Peter O'Toole) plays the perhaps unoriginal Irish drunk, who finds it hard to believe his eyes when the real apparitions suddenly appear, blaming it on the drink. There were some very funny scenes involving him and the ghosts - I imagine older kids and teens would quite enjoy it. Due to some of the content and rather mildly scary, or slightly disturbing, scenes for particularly sensitive people (kids etc.), I'd say this film is more suited for mid teens and adults. I believe it originally received a 15 rating (according to IMDB) but I reckon that nowadays (particularly with the special effects being slightly dated by todays standards) it may be more likely to be given a 12 rating, if it were re-released today (at a guess, in as much as it doesn't seem too realistic, though one or two scenes may still make viewers blush).

There is an element of tastelessness about this film but its all a bit tongue in cheek (or should that perhaps be tongue in ghost? wait, is that even possible? yes, it is a case being THAT bizarre, believe it or not). It could be argued that this film is either quite an entertaining slapstick comedy film, not to be taken too seriously or that its a fairly unoriginal, a bit too silly and heavily cliche reliant film with hints of sexism - personally, I think I'll go for a 3 star rating and put it somewhere in the middle. I definitely did laugh at some moments and it is quite 'madcap' but it is also clearly a bit dated and it does have a 'cringe factor' which some may not be especially keen on, I suppose.

I'm not sure, I guess it depends on what your looking for. As a drama, its a bit of a joke really (haha(!) *ahem*) and it doesn't do especially well from a horror perspective - there are cringey moments but their not exactly entirely for the originally intended reasons lol. Personally, as a slapstick comedy with a fantasy parody element to it, I thought it was pretty entertaining and enjoyable enough to pass the time, although I did feel ever so slightly uncomfortable with what I thought were one or two sexist undertones but then the male characters aren't let off entirely lightly either, so I guess maybe that evens things up a bit?. Its all a bit zany and daft - the special effects would have been pretty decent at the time the film was released I'd have imagined (which was in the late 1980s) but nowadays it seems quite amateurish, then again thats due to the passage of time and the improvement in CGI quality, which is hardly an older films fault as such. Still, all in all this is a pretty entertaining film, in a zany, madcap way and as long as its not taken too seriously, I imagine most teens and adults would find it an OK watch but I think ill have to chicken out and go for 'undecided' as far as recommendation is concerned.… Expand

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