We Have A Ghost Trailer: David Harbour Gets His Ghostly Feelings Hurt In A New Netflix Comedy

What happens when you take a modern-day dysfunctional family and move them into a haunted house? According to movies of the past, they get the bejesus scared out of them on a daily basis, until they finally decide to get the hell out of dodge and leave the specter-filled home behind. But I think Netflix's upcoming comedy "We Have A Ghost" paints a much more realistic image of how it would go down: Sure, the family is initially scared, but then they break out the cameras, make a YouTube account, and turn their haunting into a lucrative phenomenon known as internet fame.

The film hails from filmmaker Christopher Landon, known for helming the "Happy Death Day" films, and the criminally under-appreciated comedic-slasher "Freaky." This time, Landon's stepping back from horror and further into the realm of comedy with a supernatural thriller that's suitable for the whole family. Written and directed by Landon, "We Have a Ghost" is an adaptation of a story written by Geoff Manaugh, which was published on Vice in October 2017 (and is still available to read on the site).

In the film, "Finding a ghost named Ernest (David Harbour) haunting their new home turns Kevin's (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) family into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest go rogue to investigate the mystery of Ernest's past, they become a target of the CIA."

If that premise isn't enough to convince you then consider this: It also features Anthony Mackie as the dad who becomes a YouTube sensation and Jennifer Coolidge co-stars as a TV medium. (It's so clearly the role she was born to play, how has this never happened before?!) You can check out the first trailer for "We Have a Ghost" below.

Ah yes, all the typical beats of a supernatural encounter movie: family meets ghost, boy befriends ghost, dad starts YouTube channel, fame is achieved, and just when it seems like everything is working out for the better, in comes the CIA. In "We Have a Ghost," discovering their ghostly housemate turns out to be a blessing in disguise — not only does it make the family internet famous, but it turns out Ernest isn't even that scary. The poor ghost even gets a little offended when Kevin first sees him and snickers instead of screaming. But evidently it doesn't take long for their relationship to clear that hurdle because Kevin later teams up with his neighbor (a teen girl played by Isabella Russo) to find out more about Ernest's life and death.

"Stranger Things" alum David Harbour stars as the eponymous ghost, with much to do but little to say. During a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Christopher Landon said that Harbour was his first choice, explaining: 

"I knew that the role was incredibly challenging because there's no dialog, so he just has to do so much with so little. We had a meeting, and he told me he was terrified of doing it, which I thought was great because it shows that he was feeling vulnerable and intrigued, and excited. By the end of our meeting, I think we both felt really strongly that it was a good match."

So how exactly does Harbor pull off being a vaguely spooky (but mostly funny) ghost with enough charisma to become an online sensation despise never uttering a single word? I'm guessing it has something to do with melting his face in front of Jenifer Coolidge, but we won't know for sure until "We Have a Ghost" hits Netflix on February 24, 2023.