What Is Ghost Fever About?
The premise of Ghost Fever in 305 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the sweltering heat of Greendale County, Georgia, a routine eviction notice becomes the gateway to a world where the past refuses to stay buried. The crumbling plantation at the heart of the story is steeped in history, its grand rooms echoing with memories that have never truly rested. As the living step onto the ancestral grounds, they quickly discover that the house is far from empty; mischievous spirits linger, yearning to protect what they consider theirs.
Detective Buford, a hard‑headed city cop played with swagger by Sherman Hemsley, is the film’s driving force. He approaches the supernatural with the same relentless determination he brings to any case, treating restless ghosts as another kind of criminal to be apprehended. His no‑nonsense attitude collides with a reality that bends logic, setting up a dynamic tension between law‑and‑order protocol and the untamed realm of the afterlife.
Joining Buford are his partner Benny, whose street‑wise sensibility balances the detective’s rigidity, and a pair of enigmatic sisters, Linda and Lisa, who inhabit the mansion and seem to know more about its lingering inhabitants than anyone else. When a seasoned medium, Madame St. Esprit, is called in to make sense of the spectral activity, the air crackles with an uneasy mix of dread and dark humor. The ghosts themselves, including former owner Andrew Lee and the tragic former slave Jethro, hover between helpful mischief and stubborn resistance, hinting at deeper ties to the land.
The film sways between Southern gothic melancholy and off‑beat comedy, inviting the audience to feel the weight of history while laughing at the absurdity of a detective chasing phantoms. It paints a portrait of a place where the living and the dead are forced into a fragile partnership, each wary of the other’s motives, and where every creak in the floorboards promises a new, uncanny discovery.
What Happens in Ghost Fever?
The complete story of Ghost Fever, from the first scene to the last, in 443 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 5 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In Greendale County, Georgia, Buford / Jethro and Benny are two police officers tasked with serving an eviction on a historic plantation, a mission that tangles the living with a haunted, stubborn past. Two ghosts, Andrew Lee, a former owner, and Jethro, a former slave, resolve to keep their old home from being foreclosed upon, setting a supernatural motive into motion from the moment the ink dries on the eviction papers.
As the pair search the mansion, [Buford] uncovers a hidden laboratory once used to experiment on and torture the plantation’s enslaved people, and a surge of aggressive, otherworldly happenings erupts around them. The two ghosts—still feeling bound to the land—are baffled and angry, not fully responsible for the dangerous acts now tearing through the hallways and grounds. The mansion creaks with unsettled histories as the living and the dead circle one another in a fragile, uneasy truce.
Buford and Benny soon meet the home’s residents, two striking sisters, Linda and Lisa. The sisters explain that their racist dead grandfather may be the malevolent force prowling the plantation, and they introduce the men to Madame St. Esprit, a respected spiritual medium summoned to hold a séance. The ritual sparks a vicious display of supernatural power, with lightning-like energy crackling through the air and the walls themselves seeming to breathe with malice.
Night deepens the strange disturbances, and the ghosts’ intrigue becomes fear as more phantoms and poltergeist activity bloom across the property. Jethro comes to a startling realization: the enslaved people placed a voodoo curse on their master, transforming him into an immortal vampire. The apparition of the vampire finally emerges, and the grounds fill with undead figures and eerie hostility. Benny meets a grim challenge, staking the vampire through the heart to end his terror, a moment of courage carved from desperation and the aid of the lingering dead.
Linda and Lisa reveal a long, sorrowful secret: they have been dead for many years and remain tethered to the house they loved. To save the plantation from foreclosure, Benny competes in a boxing match, drawing on a bit of help from Lee and Jethro, and uses the prize money to secure the property’s future, buying time for the living and the dead to coexist in peace.
As the night winds down, [Lee] and Jethro close in on the living officers, and a fatal car crash on a rural road seals Buford and Benny’s fates. Yet their spirits are freed to return to the plantation, where they join Linda and Lisa in a tranquil afterlife, ending the night with a hopeful, if haunting, sense of belonging on the land they all once protected.
Ghost Fever Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “Eviction notice served at the plantation” to “Ghosts return to the plantation for the afterlife”. 12 events name a place, across 9 locations.
- 1
Eviction notice served at the plantation
Buford and Benny are dispatched to serve an eviction notice at the historic plantation in Greendale County. They begin to explore the mansion to locate the proper paperwork. From the moment they set foot inside, the house feels unsettled, hinting at a long-buried conflict.
When:Daytime Where:Greendale County plantation mansion
- 2
Hidden laboratory discovered
Buford discovers a hidden laboratory inside the mansion that was used to experiment on and torture enslaved people. The discovery uncovers a dark history that explains the house's supernatural activity. The air grows thick with eerie energy as the lab's presence seems to react to their intrusion.
When:Evening Where:Hidden laboratory, plantation mansion
- 3
Ghosts decide to protect the plantation
Two ghosts, Andrew Lee and Jethro, decide to prevent the foreclosure and protect their old home. They are perplexed by the violent events and insist they are not responsible for what is happening. Their intervention begins to alter the balance of power in the mansion.
When:Evening Where:Mansion halls
- 4
Séance summoned by Madame St. Esprit
Linda and Lisa reveal themselves as residents connected to the house and summon Madame St. Esprit to hold a séance. The ritual triggers a surge of lightning-like spirit energy that lashes through the room. The attack leaves the occupants shaken and the house on edge.
When:Evening Where:Mansion drawing room
- 5
Lightning-like energy attack during séance
After the séance, disturbances intensify as restless energy bursts through the house. Objects move and doors slam while the living struggle to understand the source. Lee and Jethro remain puzzled about who or what is behind the violence.
When:Night Where:Plantation mansion
- 6
Voodoo curse creates an immortal vampire
Jethro realizes that the slaves placed a voodoo curse on their master, turning him into an immortal vampire. The vampire materializes and zombies begin to stalk the plantation grounds. The line between history and haunting becomes frighteningly real.
When:Night Where:Plantation grounds
- 7
Benny defeats the vampire
Benny confronts the vampire and stakes him through the heart, ending the bloodsucker's reign. The immediate danger shifts as the undead wander the grounds. The living must contend with lingering threats while trying to secure the property.
When:Night Where:Plantation grounds
- 8
Linda and Lisa reveal their death and bond to the house
Linda and Lisa explain that they have been dead for years and are eternally tied to the house. They reveal their purpose is to help save the plantation and protect its legacy. This revelation deepens the connection between the living and the dead in the mansion.
When:Late night Where:Mansion
- 9
Benny wins boxing match to save the plantation
Benny competes in a boxing match to win prize money that can keep the plantation from foreclosing. He is aided by Lee and Jethro, though they are spirits guiding his courage. The underdog victory provides the funds needed to secure the property's future.
When:Night Where:Local arena near plantation
- 10
Foreclosure halted
With the prize money in hand, the foreclosure is halted and the plantation's future is secured. The victory feels communal, as the living and the dead share in the triumph. The mansion seems to glow with a fragile, hopeful calm.
When:Night Where:Plantation grounds
- 11
Fatal car crash ends Buford and Benny
On a rural road at night, the spirits Lee and Jethro pull off a fatal car crash that claims Buford and Benny’s lives. The impact is abrupt and tragic, leaving the two men dead in a roadside tragedy. The ghosts of Buford and Benny then begin their afterlife journey back toward the plantation.
When:Night Where:Rural road near the plantation
- 12
Ghosts return to the plantation for the afterlife
The ghosts of Buford and Benny happily return to the plantation to spend the afterlife with Linda and Lisa. The living residents celebrate the new companionship between the worlds. The plantation remains standing, and the spectral guardians ensure its legacy endures.
When:Afterlife Where:Plantation grounds
Who Are the Main Characters in Ghost Fever?
12 characters, among them Linda (Deborah Benson), Lisa (Diana Brookes) and Buford: who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- L(
Linda (Deborah Benson)
Played by Deborah Benson
Linda is one of the two sisters linked to the plantation. She reveals that she and her sister have been dead for years and remain tied to their home, guiding the living through the estate’s dangers. Her connection to the land underscores the blending of history and haunting that drives the plot.
- 👻 Ghost
- 🏠 Plantation tie
- 🌙 Haunted history
- L(
Lisa (Diana Brookes)
Played by Diana Brookes
Lisa is Linda's sister and another long-vanished resident who confirms the house’s spectral links. She helps explain the plantation's past and stands as part of the ghostly chorus guarding the estate. Her presence deepens the sense that the land's memory cannot be easily erased.
- 👻 Ghost
- 🏠 Plantation tie
- 🌙 Haunted history
- B
Buford
Played by Sherman Hemsley
Buford is a Georgia police officer tasked with serving eviction notices on the plantation. He uncovers a hidden laboratory and faces escalating supernatural events as the past asserts itself. He is killed in a car crash orchestrated by the spirits, joining the afterlife alongside Benny.
- 🕵️ Police
- 🧭 Investigation
- J
Jethro
Played by Sherman Hemsley
Jethro is a ghostly figure, a former slave who haunts the plantation alongside Andrew Lee. Though his presence is tied to the land’s history of oppression, he allies with the living to protect the estate and oppose the malevolent forces at play.
- 👻 Ghost
- 🗝️ Legacy
- AL
Andrew Lee
Played by Myron Healey
Andrew Lee is the former owner of the plantation and a ghost who remembers the brutal history of the property. He, along with Jethro, acts to defend the land from new violence and to stop the current foreclosures from erasing the estate’s legacy.
- 👻 Ghost
- 🗝️ Legacy
- B
Benny
Played by Luis Ávalos
Benny is Buford’s partner, a police officer who joins the fight to save the plantation. He participates in the boxing match that provides the crucial prize money and is ultimately killed in the road accident, joining the afterlife with Buford and the other guardians of the estate.
- 🕵️ Police
- 🥊 Boxer
- MS
Madame St. Esprit
Played by Jennifer Rhodes
Madame St. Esprit is the spiritual medium called to conduct a séance. She channels supernatural forces, triggering a powerful confrontation that reveals the extent of the ghostly danger and the need for cooperation between the living and the dead.
- 🧿 Medium
- 🔮 Seance
- TT
Terrible Tucker
Played by Joe Frazier
Terrible Tucker is a famed boxer who appears in the plantation’s boxing match. His presence anchors the film’s climactic sport-driven sequence, where prize money becomes the instrument to save the estate.
- 🥊 Boxer
- 🏁 Championship
- TT
Terrible Tucker's Manager
Played by Kenneth Johnston
The manager handles the boxing career of Terrible Tucker, orchestrating moves around the match and contributing to the dramatic payoff that funds the plantation’s rescue.
- 🎩 Manager
- TT
Terrible Tucker's Trainer
Played by George Palmiero
Terrible Tucker's trainer coaches the fighter through the key bout, guiding him toward victory that facilitates the plantation’s financial salvation.
- 🏋️ Trainer
- RA
Ring Announcer
Played by Patrick Welch
The ring announcer introduces the climactic boxing event, setting the pace for the match that becomes a turning point in the plot.
- 🎤 Announcer
- R
Referee
Played by Ramon Berumen
The referee ensures the boxing match adheres to the rules, providing the formal structure around the sport-based resolution of the story.
- ⚖️ Referee
Where and When Is Ghost Fever Set?
Ghost Fever is set in Historic plantation, Greendale County and Georgia. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Historic plantation, Greendale County, Georgia
Greendale County's historic plantation forms the central setting, a sprawling estate with a storied past. The mansion houses a hidden laboratory from the era of enslaved people, hinting at brutal experiments. The plantation’s haunted atmosphere drives much of the supernatural action and the residents’ connection to the land.
- 🌿 Georgia plantation
- 🏚️ Historic site
- 👻 Haunted location
What Are the Themes of Ghost Fever?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Supernatural, Heritage and Redemption.
-
01
Supernatural
The story centers on a haunted plantation and restless spirits who influence the living. Ghosts Andrew Lee and Jethro interact with the eviction and foreclosure plot, complicating human plans with otherworldly forces. Séances and spectral events reveal that not all threats are mortal, and the living must reckon with the past.
-
02
Heritage
The plantation’s history of slavery and exploitation permeates the present, embodied by the ghosts and the hidden laboratory. The past is not distant; it actively interferes with contemporary attempts to take the land. Preserving the estate becomes a fight to honor the land’s true history rather than erase it.
-
03
Redemption
Resolution comes through unlikely alliances between the living and the dead. Benny’s boxing victory, aided by the spirits, provides the funds to save the plantation, symbolizing a reclamation of community and home. The ending frames redemption as a communal effort rather than a solitary victory, even as tragedy unfolds.
What Kind of Film Is Ghost Fever?
Light in tone, with fast pacing and a straightforward story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Light
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Straightforward
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A fast-paced, goofy supernatural comedy that delivers a barrage of haunted house antics and ghostly shenanigans, balancing spooky chills with low-stakes humor for a bizarre but lighthearted viewing experience.
- spooky
- comical
- cheesy
- supernatural
- playful
- bizarre
- haunted house
- ghosts
- policemen
- plantation history
Content notes: racism, torture, supernatural horror.
Quiz
How well do you remember Ghost Fever? Test yourself on the story.
