If I had to sum up this movie in two words, I wouldn't get much further then... pretty retarded. I know this is supposed to be a comedy, but "Computer Ghosts" is simply beyond silly. The kind of movie where most of the time you just shake your head and sigh instead of laughing it up. The opening credits look like something conjured up with a Commodore 64 computer at the time. Naturally, while gazing at the screen while the credits unfold, you actually start laughing, while also fearing the worst for the rest of the movie. Surprisingly, the film itself isn't all that amateurishly put together and you can tell it has been made with a certain amount of enthusiasm. But good stuff, it ain't.
Harlan Newson is a nerdy teenage computer genius who lives with his uncle Oscar. Harlan's latest invention is a high-tech (haha!) computer system that can create demonic holograms. It's designed as a burglar alarm, guaranteed to scare any burglar witless. Uncle Oscar enlists some dubious co-workers and starts selling it to all the rich people in the neighborhood, putting the invention to use for his own greedy plans. But then a mysterious couple arrives, buying a fancy house and they don't seem impressed with those fake demons floating around in there house. Naturally, there's also a love-interest in the plot for our nerdy teenager. Oh boy.
"Computer Ghosts", like the title already implies, is an incredibly ridiculous mixture of genres. It's basically a supernatural comedy. The horror elements are obviously there to provide chuckles. But none of it really works. It's all so silly, it's plain retarded at times. Most acting performances are deliberately over the top. The special effects are laughably embarrassing. And the climax of the movie features a downright dumb chase in a warehouse with working carts - little electronic cars - and a forklift. And you can include a happy end that'll make you yawn.
All this nonsense makes you basically ask one question: What exactly was the target audience for this movie? Seems like it was made for little kids, five-year-olds who can enjoy stupidity like this. But the video package displays "PG - some scenes may be unsuitable for young children". Which scenes? Oh, yeah, right, those demonic holograms were pretty damn scary. Not.
