Denis Lewiston

Delightful family fantasy about an aristocratic spirit doomed to wander the grounds of his ancestral grounds, until an American teenager arrives who may be able to set him free.

Patrick Stewart stars as the otherworldly host to an American family in this contemporary adaptation of Oscar Wilde's charming and witty tale, THE CANTERVILLE GHOST. When Professor Hiram Otis gets a research grant to study in England, his family is thrilled to learn that they will live in a real castle called Canterville Hall. The castle's most notable feature turns out to be the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville (Patrick Stewart), who died 400 years ago, visible only to Virginia Otis (Neve Campbell), 16, and her two younger brothers. Though he goes through the motions of being terrifying, Sir Simon turns out to be a rather friendly fellow once proper introductions have been made. He gives Virginia helpful advice on her blossoming romance with Francis, a young neighbor, and even agrees to perform Hamlet, playing the role of the Ghost, of course. Eventually, Sir Simon confides his situation to Virginia: he is doomed to haunt the castle forever, unless a "Golden Girl" can be convinced to travel to the Other World and plead his case before the Angel of Death. Virginia, feeling that after 400 years there is no time to be wasted, immediately agrees and the two disappear into the fireplace. The next day, the Otises are just starting to panic when Virginia reappears. Sir Simon, his story told, has been freed to rest in peace next to his beloved wife. But best of all of Virginia, who is wrestling with her growing feelings for Francis, Prof. Otis announces that he has been offered a permanent teaching post in England and that the family will remain at Canterville Hall.