High Spirits (1988)

When Peter Plunkett's Irish castle turned hotel is about to be repossesed, he decides to spice up the attraction a bit for the 'Yanks' by having his staff pretend to haunt the castle. The ... See full summary »

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writer:

Neil Jordan

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Donal McCann, Steve Guttenberg

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter O'Toole	...	Peter Plunkett
Donal McCann	...	Eamon
Mary Coughlan	...	Katie
Liz Smith	...	Mrs. Plunkett
Tom Hickey	...	Sampson
Tony Rohr	...	Christy
Hilary Reynolds	...	Patricia
Isolde Cazelet	...	Julia
Little John Nee	...	Gateman (as Little John)
Steve Guttenberg	...	Jack Crawford
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Sharon Brogan Crawford
Jennifer Tilly	...	Miranda
Peter Gallagher	...	Brother Tony
Martin Ferrero	...	Malcolm
Connie Booth	...	Marge

Storyline

When Peter Plunkett's Irish castle turned hotel is about to be repossesed, he decides to spice up the attraction a bit for the 'Yanks' by having his staff pretend to haunt the castle. The trouble begins when a busload of American tourists arrive - along with some real ghosts. Among the tourists are married couple Jack and Sharon. Sharon's father holds the mortgage on Castle Plunkett, so she's hoping to debunk the ghosts. Jack, on the other hand, after meeting pretty ghost Mary, is very eager to believe. Can there be love between a human and ghost? Jack and Mary are going to try and find out.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | castle | tourist | hotel | haunted mansion | 

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Taglines:

He's an American and married. She's a ghost and gorgeous. Vacation romances are always a hassle.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 November 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

El hotel de los fantasmas

Filming Locations:

County Limerick, Ireland

Box Office

Gross:

$8,578,231 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Palace Pictures, Vision PDG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Liz Smith was cast at short notice after the original choice was too ill to work.

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Goofs

In three different shots wires used to "fly" people or objects are visible. First, when Jack Crawford (Steve Guttenberg) gets blown out the front door of Plunkett castle (at around 34 mins). Second, a few seconds later when the roof of the car gets blown off (at around 38 mins) wires attached to it can be seen in the upper left corner of the screen. Third, when Malcolm (Martin Ferrero) gets hit by lightning (at around 13 mins).

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Quotes

[Sharon is flossing her teeth, seemingly unaware of Jack's presence]
Jack: Now that I'm dead, I though I'd let you know. You're as cold as a penquin on an iceburg. You're a dwarf. Yeah, clean those choppers so you can chew up the next jerk that comes along.
Jack: [Sharon slaps him] I'm not dead?
Sharon: No, but if I were you I wouldn't make any long term plans!

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Connections

References The African Queen (1951)

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Soundtracks

"Chantilly Lace"
Words and Music by The Big Bopper (as J.P. Richardson)
Performed by The Big Bopper
Fort Knox Music Inc./Trio Music Co., Inc.
Administrated by Hudson Bay Music Inc./Glad Music Company
Courtesy of Polygram Records

User Reviews

Great!

If you can forgive the less-than-ideal acting by some of the other cast, Peter O'Toole once again shows why he's one of the greatest actors in the English speaking world. From the scene where he's trying to hang himself while arguing with his mother, to where he meets his ghost-Dad, O'Toole is hilarious as the bumbling, scheming drunk Irish fool who is desperate to keep the family castle in family hands.