I’m the first to admit that I’m a coward. I’m afraid of the dark, heights give me vertigo, and, even though I don’t believe in ghosts, I still talk to cold spots nicely. Just in case. You can imagine that horror movies aren’t exactly my thing. So while my roommates watched Insidious in the living room last week, I got into bed and started one of the latest Netflix originals: Julie and the Phantoms.
Julie and the Phantoms is a series that centres on the teenage Julie as she grieves her mother. A year after her mom’s death, Julie is unable to sing or play the piano, as both activities were things they did together. When her father asks her to clean out her mother’s studio (which is so fancy! How wealthy is this family?), she finds a CD by a band called Sunset Curve, which summons three ghosts who died 25 years before. They proceed to make music together while supporting each other through their collective losses.
I know what you’re thinking. This doesn’t sound like horror! That’s because it’s not. It’s really, really not. While Julie and the Phantoms features ghosts (as the title suggests), the scariest they get is startling Julie by randomly appearing. This series has more in common with High School Musical than movies like Insidious, which makes sense, given that Kenny Ortega directed them both. That said, 2020 has been horrific enough, so I think some wholesome ghosties are allowed this Halloween.
This show plays into all of my favourite tropes: found family, one (1) shared brain cell, pining, the power of love and music. It also features a Latina main, an intensely caring friendship between two women of colour, LGBTQ+ representation (Booboo Stewart as a queer love interest, anyone?), and a father-daughter dynamic that doesn’t want to make me pull my hair out. Here’s to supportive dads!
Not to mention that the soundtrack is super catchy. Just ask my roommates. I can’t stop singing it.
While sentimental, Julie and the Phantoms is the perfect ghost watch for all of us that can’t stomach horror at the best of times. Alternatively, if you are a horror fan but need a lighthearted watch to get you through your midterms, this might be the show for you. Here’s hoping for a second season!