High Spirits

At a decaying hilltop castle turned makeshift hotel, a weary proprietor tries to boost occupancy by pretending the place is haunted. He tapes together a glossy ad campaign that hints at spectral visitors and age old secrets, hoping the publicity will draw paying guests. What he doesn't count on is that two real apparitions already haunt the halls. The ghosts, a sly pair bound to the manor by unfinished business, encounter the unsuspecting guests who check in, sparking a comedy of misunderstandings, mischief, and unexpected romance. As the living and the dead collide, plans backfire and feuds surface, driving the comic nightmare toward its zany misadventures. The setup leans into farce.

Directed by Neil Jordan and released in 1988, High Spirits is presented as an original screenplay rather than an adaptation, with Peter O'Toole, Daryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg, Beverly D'Angelo, and Jennifer Tilly anchoring a playful, genre mixing cast.

Box office earnings were modest with a worldwide gross of about 8.5 million against a 15 million budget, resulting in a financial shortfall but signaling a routine release for a genre blend that mixed humor and hauntings.

Reception was mixed, with audiences giving around 5.8 out of 10 from roughly 240 votes on IMDb, reflecting disagreement over the film's tonal mix. Some see it as a spirited prank of a ghost comedy, others view it as uneven, inconsistent genre experimentation.