The richly entertaining Ghost touches on themes of love, loss, and revenge as it merges the genres of romance and supernatural thriller. Directed by Jerry Zucker, one member of the team that came up with Airplane! and The Naked Gun, the film manages to stay away from mawkishness; instead, it achieves a surprisingly affecting level of emotion. Offering something for everyone, the film has an afterlife story to placate those less interested in the romance between Demi Moore and Patrick Swazye, and a romance for those left cold by the supernatural elements. Whoopi Goldberg gives her hack-psychic character a near-perfect mix of comedy and dramatic gravity; she took home an Oscar for her spirited supporting turn, as did Bruce Joel Rubin for his original screenplay.