Warning: Contains SPOILERS for We Have A GhostThe TikTok montage in the horror comedy We Have a Ghost is right about the reality of a modern horror problem. In We Have a Ghost, a family discovers that their new home is haunted by the friendly ghost Ernest (David Harbour). The youngest son in the family, Kevin (Jahi Winston), befriends Ernest after catching him on video. When Kevin's father, Frank (Anthony Mackie), posts videos of the ghost online, Ernest becomes a viral sensation.
To show how famous Ernest has become, Netflix's We Have a Ghost launches into a montage of TikTok videos, in which s re-create elements of the Ernest videos, not unlike TikTokers re-creating the Wednesday dance scene. In We Have a Ghost the videos include people copying the shocked scream of Kevin's mom, Melanie (Erica Ash), when she first sees Ernest, and Ernest's run through a wall. People also film reactions to the Ernest videos and talk about how attractive Ernest is. This We Have a Ghost scene showcases a real problem that modern horror faces.
We Have A Ghost Shows How People Would React To A Real Horror Ghost
The We Have A Ghost TikTok scene is played for comedic effect. However, it's innovative and authentic depiction of modern technology's interaction with the supernatural reveals an uncomfortable truth about how contemporary society would treat the paranormal. Specifically, in real modern life, people would react to a haunting the same way they did in We Have a Ghost: by turning it into TikTok trends.
This makes the idea of a ghost less scary, limiting most other The Ring, which risk becoming comedies if they move into a modern setting.
Why Modern Horror Has An Extra Challenge When It Comes To The Paranormal
Horror movies set in the modern age need to acknowledge the advanced technology of the internet, but it's difficult to do that without compromising the actual horrific supernatural elements. We Have a Ghost can get away with this because it's also a comedy, but not every horror movie wants to be funny. Plus, special effects have come so far that it would be almost impossible to tell if a ghost like We Have a Ghost's Ernest was real or not. Most people would probably think they were part of a social media prank before they would believe they were actually being haunted.
A modern horror movie isn't impossible though. Technology can be used to the horror's advantage if done right, like in M3GAN. We Have a Ghost's classic horror Easter eggs even show how old tropes and supernatural elements can still be effective in a modern setting, if used well. We Have a Ghost may seem like a cynical examination of modern horror, but it's actually paving the way for more horror media to use modern technology like TikTok.
