:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/christina-ricci-casper-051525-359fe77f0acd4c7eb341c29b6e73e554.jpg?w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1 "The biggest pop culture references")
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Casper may be looked back on as simply a sweet, kid-friendly ghost story, but its sensibility is way more forward-thinking in its storytelling. The 1995 adaptation of the Harvey Comics fan favorite character Casper the Friendly Ghost is chock-full of pop culture references, from clever cameos to blink-and-you’ll-miss-it visual gags, preceding similarly meta hits like Shrek (2001) and Deadpool (2016).
Casper‘s screenwriters, Deanna Oliver and Sherri Stoner, told EW in 1995 that executive producer Steven Spielberg wanted this tone to help broaden the enjoyment for both child and adult moviegoers. Stoner and Oliver kept Casper‘s topical gags flying fast, but with purpose — just like in their teleplays for Animaniacs or Tiny Toons. “You have to be specific with your humor,” said Oliver. “The more specific you are, the funnier it is.”
In honor of the film’s 30th anniversary, we’re breaking down some of Casper‘s most notable pop culture references.
Apocalypse Now (1980)
Universal
Casper’s uncles fly in to the sound of roaring helicopters, humming Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” and paraphrasing Robert Duvall’s Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore.
Poltergeist (1982)
Universal
In a Spielberg-suggested variation on that film’s gruesome bathroom-sink scene, Dr. Harvey (Bill Pullman) morphs into Clint Eastwood, Rodney Dangerfield, Mel Gibson, and…
Home Alone (1990)
Universal
The Crypt Keeper is the last cameo featured in the mirror scene, but that’s not the end of the reference — the creepy host of Tales From the Crypt puts his hands to his face in a manner that’s unmistakably evoking Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) in Home Alone (1990).
Saturday Night Live (1975–present)
Universal
The first exorcist to try driving out Casper’s uncles is Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello), the old Saturday Night Live “Weekend Update” regular.
Ghostbusters (1984)
Universal
Spirit remover No. 2 is Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz, in full paranormal-containment regalia.
A third guest ghostbuster didn’t make it into the picture: Poltergeist‘s Zelda Rubinstein. “We pictured her shooting out the chimney, screaming ‘Go toward the light!'” said Oliver.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Universal
Casper’s uncles have beds with their names carved in them, just like the Seven Dwarfs. Asks Christina Ricci’s Kat Harvey: “I wonder where Doc and Dopey sleep?”
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Universal
The uncles parody the Wicked Witch of the West’s “I’m melting” death scene, though they don’t get doused with water — they pretend sunlight causes their end. (30-year-old spoiler alert: It doesn’t.)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Universal
Casper turns into a steroid-pumped action hero, invoking Arnold Schwarzenegger when he says, “Come wit’ me if you wahnt to liff.”
Citizen Kane (1941)
Universal
This reference is a little more oblique, but classic film fans will recognize the parallels between Casper and the title character of Citizen Kane (1941) having a traumatic childhood association with a sled.
