Netflix’s We Have A Ghost is a charming ghost story, but its connection to Netflix’s hit Stranger Things through David Harbour makes it even better. We Have A Ghost follows teenager Kevin, who befriends David Harbour’s ghostly Randy after Kevin’s family moves into the house that Randy haunts. Rather than having an antagonistic relationship like in other horror movies, Kevin attempts to help Randy remember his past life.
Since Randy is unable to speak, little is known about what happened to him when he was alive. However, one of We Have A Ghost’s biggest twists draws a huge parallel between Randy and Jim Hopper from Stranger Things - and it is not just that they are both portrayed by David Harbour. Because of We Have A Ghost’s connections to Stranger Things, Randy’s story is even more impactful and endearing.
We Have A Ghost Mirrors Hopper's Tragic Stranger Things Storyline
Though Netflix’s We Have A Ghost has little to do with Stranger Things other than sharing the same streaming platform, David Harbour’s role as the titular ghost has striking similarities to Jim Hopper. In We Have A Ghost, it is revealed that while Randy was alive, his young daughter was taken from him, resulting in his death at the hands of the real Ernest. Stranger Things’ Hopper has a similarly sad backstory involving his daughter, who in the Netflix show died of cancer. Both Randy and Hopper losing a daughter through no fault of their own, albeit on reverse sides of life and death, makes their stories especially tragic.
Randy and Hopper also share a slightly more uplifting parallel, as they both get a second chance at being father figures. Though Hopper never gets to see his daughter again in Stranger Things, he gets to be a father again when he adopts Eleven in Stranger Things season 2. While Randy does not get a second chance at fatherhood in life during We Have A Ghost, he does get to fulfill this role in the afterlife. At the end of the Netflix movie, Randy gets closure when he is reunited with his adult daughter, which is the event that helps him pass over to the other side.
Why We Have A Ghost Having Parallels To Stranger Things Is Good
The similarities between Randy in the We Have A Ghost movie and Stranger Things’ Jim Hopper are actually good for the Netflix movie. Parallels between Randy and Hopper are evident early on in the Netflix movie, and they become even clearer once Randy’s backstory with his daughter is revealed. Rather than feeling derivative of Hopper’s backstory in Stranger Things, Randy’s similarities to Hopper actually make Randy’s story stronger. Since audiences are familiar with the immense pain that Hopper feels over his daughter’s death in Stranger Things, they will relate to Randy losing his daughter and empathize with him even more, making Randy’s story much sadder.
Since Jim Hopper is one of the heroes in Stranger Things, audiences are likely to identify with Randy in We Have A Ghost more, even though they are very different characters otherwise. Because of this, audiences can be sure Randy is good, so when the real Ernest says Randy was a bad father, it is clear that Ernest is lying. This makes it even more satisfying when the truth is revealed and Randy is reunited with his adult daughter. Though it can be argued that playing similar roles is not always positive, David Harbour plays father figures well, which makes his roles in We Have A Ghost and Stranger Things so great.