We're approaching the Halloween season, and pretty soon it'll be time to watch the best horror movies, as well as other, more family-friendly films everyone can enjoy. I'm always down to tune into Freeform to catch their holiday lineup with my daughter (as confused as I am about one inclusion this year), but I may be skipping out on my yearly viewing of Casper after realizing one key part of the story that's completely left out.
For those wondering what my level of Casper fandom is, I currently have a Stretch puppet on my mantle that was given away by Pizza Hut when the movie was released in 1995. All this to say, I have a soft spot for The Ghostly Trio, and I just realized recently we never learned one big thing about them.
We're Never Told How The Ghostly Trio Died
There are a few things about the Casper movie that don't make sense, so I've never really thought that deeply about the Halloween classic. That said, I've now realized that we don't have any context as to why Stretch, Stinky and Fatso are dead, and now that I'm aware of that, I can't get it out of my head.
I'm not the first to realize this, as a quick internet search pulled up theories on how the three uncles died. Did they all die in some group-related accident, or is there just some terrible curse on this family where everyone is doomed to a terrible fate? The McFadden family lost four people in a relatively short amount of time, and yet we're left to wonder how that happened.
Casper Left An Interesting Story On The Table That Could Be Told At Some Point
With Casper celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, there are no current plans for another feature film on the friendly ghost. It's a shame that's the case, because I think there's a wealth of storytelling here left to resolve, and it starts with The Ghostly Trio. We need the stories behind how these men passed away and what the deal is with the McFadden family.
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Perhaps the most interesting part of the story is that Casper and his uncles are doomed to live as ghosts, and yet his parents are not. Why exactly is that? Again, this is another golden opportunity for Hollywood to set up a prequel laying out the twisted and sad story of the McFadden family and how it all went terribly wrong for them.
Casper didn't make CinemaBlend's list of best movies of the '90s, but I'd like to think it was sitting at 101 if not robbed of a few spots lower on the list. With the 30th anniversary happening this year, maybe it's time to get the conversation started on bringing the franchise back for a movie or two.
If not, I guess it'll still be cool to see the movie back in theaters beginning October 3rd. Keep an eye out for screenings as the date nears, and check out CinemaBlend's upcoming movie guide for a look at what's coming out the rest of the year.
