Ever been haunted by a flapper? No. Probably not. That’s a pretty specific poltergeist. I love how ghosts are stuck to the time where they died, huh? Like they can’t update and thrust themselves into whatever century they’re haunting. I wonder why we think that – is it just a way of giving us clues as to when and how they died, or is there something different there? Like people can’t handle the thought that while ghosts may not be able to move on spiritually, they can move on fashionably.
Cole Sanchez (Michael Cimino) is haunted by the cutest.ghost.ever. I swear the mediocrity that is Girl Haunts Boy might be worth it just to get a load of Bea Jenkins (Peyton List), an upbeat high schooler who died immediately after pilfering a museum artifact in 1928 New Jersey. She looks like something straight out of a Great Gatsby party, which, fittingly, is the book Cole has to read for English class.
Bea was on a class field trip to the museum, which seems normal, until she took off to have her own field trip, spied a double-ring set on display in the next room, took one of the rings from under glass, and now she turns invisible while being stalked by black riders. Wait. That’s a different ring. This one just allowed her ghost powers after she gets hit by a car. Oh, and, more importantly, when Cole puts it on, he can see and talk to the ghost hanging out in his room, which is pretty cool.
Yeah, we’re not going to go into how Cole managed to find the ring and Bea’s scrapbook hidden behind a closet slat, both somehow in pristine condition and completely dust-free after being touched for the first time in 100 years. The movie isn’t really concerned about how or why they got there; it only wants us to relish Cole having a personal relationship with Bea. Cole has been introverted and reclusive since his own father died, and Bea needs to re-kindle Cole’s musical gifts and, hence, his commitment to the living.
The plot ain’t great, but we can see the film has its heart in the right place, can’t we?
The first thing is that while Bea has been dead for almost a century, she hasn’t really kept up with 
anything. She’s still stuck in 1928 with a 1928 mentality. There are a few cute moments that come of this, like when the very-modern-for-1928 Bea professes a love for aviation and an envy of Amelia Earhart, Cole indulges briefly, yet resists telling Bea the true fate of her idol: “Amelia Earhart died (!) … old and happy and surrounded by people she loved.” Sure, man, go easy on the ghost; they’ve been through enough already.
The ”science” or whatever you’d call it here is as silly as that of My Old Ass, but at least this film makes no claim of being anything other than a fantasy. I found Girl Haunts Boy amiable fluff, like the stuff in the middle of marshmallows. I don’t think there’s anything here of honest substance, which isn’t to say the film is bad. I think it’s an ideal watch if you want something playing in the background while you scroll on your phone for 90 minutes. This strikes me as the kind of film people trot out two decades from now to show you how an actor/actress has progressed, like citing Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2. I’m not predicting Peyton List or Michael Cimino will ever reach Pfeiffer level, but it could happen, and this is how Girl Haunts Boy will be treated if it does.
There was once a young flapper named Bea
Who got killed by a new-fangled buggy
Turns out, she never left
Though in life she’s bereft
She still gets to screw with gen Z
Rated PG, 100 Minutes
Director: Emily Ting
Writer: Dustin Ellis, Cesar Vitale
Genre: Ghost-trusting!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: How into “life beyond the grave” stories are you?
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: “I don’t believe in ghosts. Even cute ones.”
