High Spirits

Cash-strapped Peter Plunkett converts Castle Plunkett into a bed and breakfast after his father's death ten years earlier. He owes money to Jim Brogan, who is pressuring him to foreclose or move the castle to Malibu to build a theme park unless repaid within three weeks. Peter hopes to attract tourists by staging the castle as 'the most haunted castle in Europe' with help from Lavinia's stories and his staff.

Jim Brogan tightens the squeeze, pressing for repayment before the three-week deadline. If the debt isn't settled, he intends to foreclose or relocate the castle for his theme-park scheme. The desperation pushes Peter to double down on the haunted-promotion idea.

Peter and his staff stage a practice haunting for the first group of American guests, but the ruse spirals out of control on the first night. Parapsychologist Malcolm Clay threatens to expose the deception, heightening the risk for everyone involved. The botched haunt sets the stage for real supernatural trouble.

Jack Crawford, a cynical parapsychologist and guest, learns about Peter's financial trouble and the staged haunting. He discovers that Sharon has lied, using their second honeymoon to help Jim Brogan's plans. The revelation complicates his stay and heightens the tension among the guests.

Jack encounters real ghosts: Mary, Plunkett's six-times great-grand cousin, and her newly wedded husband, Martin Brogan. Martin murders Mary in a jealous rage, triggering a two-century loop that replays each night for nearly 200 years. Jack's presence begins to uncover the tragic love story behind the haunting.

The murder loop repeats each night, with Mary reappearing to be killed by Martin again and again. Jack's interference during the reenactments disrupts the pattern and deepens his involvement with the ghosts' history. Mary starts to respond to Jack, hinting at an unusual bond beyond the cycle.

Realizing the deception isn't enough, the ghosts decide to help Peter by staging a full-scale paranormal event. They strip the Americans half-naked, sabotage transport, knock out phone lines, and drive them back into the castle through a manifested thunderstorm. The plan succeeds in forcing the guests to confront the supernatural reality of the place.

In the chaos, Jack is spirited away by Mary and brought to her, where he learns the full backstory of her murder and her unhappy marriage arranged by her father. The revelation deepens his empathy for Mary and strengthens their bond. Meanwhile, Sharon grows closer to Martin, complicating the love dynamics among the living.

Lavinia hands Jack a crucial clue: true love can restore the dead on Halloween night if lovers do not have sex. The revelation hinges on a cautionary moral that will soon be tested by the castle's imminent festival. The ghostly history suddenly ties directly to the lovers' choices.

On Halloween night, the hauntings intensify as the guests endure more shocks. Jack and Mary feel a deepening connection and confront their feelings, while Sharon grows closer to Martin, further complicating the battened-down plans of the living. The atmosphere crackles with supernatural energy and romantic tension.

Jack and Mary surrender to their true love and have sex, which triggers Mary's transformation into a living but rotting corpse. The act becomes a critical turning point, testing the boundary between life and death within the haunting. The couple's bond is put to a terrifying, breathtaking test.

As dawn approaches, Sharon attempts to embrace Martin and falls from a window, dying. Mary disappears, leaving Jack alone with what appears to be his wife's corpse. In a twist, he discovers the 'corpse' is actually Mary wearing Sharon's clothes, resurrected by their earlier kiss of true love.

Jack and Mary kiss again, and Mary is restored to her original youth by true love. Sharon's ghost appears, now in Mary's wedding dress, and kisses Martin before they vanish together. The living and the afterlife reach a fragile, hopeful balance as the haunting ends.

Despite the chaos, the guests enjoy their stay and Malcolm Clay praises Castle Plunkett as the 'most haunted in the world.' Jim Brogan's foreclosure threat is sidestepped as the venture proves viable. Jack decides to stay and proposes to Mary, while Martin and Sharon's fates hint at a lingering, ghostly aftermath; the night ends with the living and the dead dancing together.