Charlie’s Ghost Strory was a kid’s fantasy film with the Spielbergian bones of something you’d find on video store shelves in the mid 80s. Only this was made in 1995 and with a noticeably absent budget. It follows the classic setup: boy meets ghost, and the restless spirit has unfinished business before he can return to the nether regions. And naturally the adults are mostly useless.
Cheech Marin plays Coronado, the ghost of the 16th-century Spanish conquistadore whose remains are dug up and placed in a museum. Like they belonged there. He shows up in full regalia, politely explains the unfortunate mistake to the movie’s star latchkey kid, and recruits him to help rebury him. That’s the plot. Pretty much.
Anthony Edwards first-time-directed, and the cast feels handpicked from people who owed him a favour: Linda Fiorentino, Charles Rocket, and a few familiar faces turning in solid paid-scale performances. It’s slick and professionally put together, but It never transcends its straight-to-video kiddie-calibre production values.
The film doesn’t end up chasing much suspense or spectacle. It doesn’t seem interested in comedy either. It has a strong after-school special vibe offering up mild inconveniences and an unusual amount of respect for burial rights. It mostly exists to reinforce to the idea that any situation involving school bullies is best dealt with a little supernatural intervention.