B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping some undead teen content into the ol’ VCR. 

One of the biggest “trends” in media right now involves teenage ghosts. Let me explain the formula. 

We get a glimpse into a teen’s life, where they’re either super popular or super unpopular. We’re presented with a conflict. There’s some sort of accident, and the teen dies, only to be paired with their popular or unpopular counterpart. 

The two usually strike up a friendship where the undead teen helps the living teen get popular, talk to their crush, start their musical career, you get the picture. The living teen then helps the dead teen move on to the afterlife. Scene. 

If you think I’m exaggerating about how popular this particular sub genre has become, I have four modern examples, one blast from the past, and an honorable mention to support my claim. 

With all of the particulars out of the way, we have some unfinished business to wrap up. 

Boo, Bitch 

Two “unpopular” (I’m using quotes because the “unpopular” teens tend to be the coolest people) besties decide to make the most of their senior year. However, after a fatal accident, they’ll have to make their mark before time runs out. I adore Lana Condor, and at its core, Boo, Bitch has a lot of unbeating heart. Plus, there’s a big, delightful twist to look forward to. 

Man, you couldn’t pay me to go back to high school.

School Spirits 

As the most recent addition on this list, School Spirits chooses to take a less comedic approach than the other media on this list. Think of it as a teenaged Twin Peaks and/or the first season of Riverdale (y’know, before Chad Michael Murray became a cult leader who died on a rocket). When Peyton List’s Maddie goes missing and wakes up amongst the ghosts of other teens who died from her high school, she works to solve her own mystery, with the help of her best friend… who is also the only person who can interact with her. 

I would see this band live. 

Darby and the Dead 

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but for some reason, Darby and the Dead gives me a similar vibe to Do Revenge. But, and I mean absolutely no offense, it’s not as “cool.” Darby and her mother are in an unfortunate accident where Darby is revived but her mother isn’t. After she returns to the land of the living, she discovers she can see ghosts and works to help resolve their unfinished business. Naturally, the most popular girl in school, and Darby’s ex-bestie, dies in a freak accident. The two rekindle their friendship and hijinks ensue. 

Ah yes, old Red Sea High, where students part to make room for someone post-makeover.

Julie and the Phantoms 

Julie and the Phantoms is best known for getting the chop from Netflix, despite high ratings. And honestly, I think it rules. Julie befriends a dead boy band, finds her own voice, and learns how to cope with the loss of her mother. This show absolutely has it all. I hate to give a spoiler up top, but I think y’all deserve the warning: Julie and the Phantom ends on a cliffhanger, so be prepared. 

Oh yeah, I would’ve had this J-14 poster on my ceiling. 

Susie Q 

Man, this movie is iconic. Susie Q earns its spot in this list for many reasons, but my personal favorite is that Amy Jo Johnson (as in THAT Amy Jo Johnson, as in the PINK POWER RANGER, Amy Jo Johnson) stars in it. Susie loses her life in a car crash in the 1950s, only to return to high school in the 1990s to befriend a teenager who just lost his dad. You guessed it, he’s the only one that can see her, and there’s a weird illusion to reincarnation at the end? Idk man, it was the 1990s and was one of those “DCOMS but not really” like H.E. Double Hockey Sticks. Roll with it. 

Where does “restless spirit” land in the list of high school cliches at the end of The Breakfast Club?

Honorable Mention 

Okay, I love this show, and I’ll fully admit this is just me throwing it in. Daybreak finds living teens fighting the undead and is shot like a mix of Resident Evil, Mad Max, and Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide. It’s darkly funny, and, like Julie and the Phantoms, only got one season from Daddy Netflix. Yes, there are a couple of unsavory phrases within the series, but overall, it’s an absolute delight. 

You know this casting call for this included “generic yet quirky attractive teenage boy.”