Ghosts Can't Do It (1989) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A grieving couple attempts to overcome death and physical separation through ghostly intervention, murder, and possession.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

Love Against Mortality

Scott and his wife live passionately until a heart attack destroys Scott's sexual function. Denied a transplant, Scott chooses suicide rather than prolonged decline.

Key Events

• A Passionate Marriage — Scott and his wife share an active, passionate marriage despite their age difference. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Scott's home
• Horseback Riding — Scott suffers a heart attack while horseback riding with his wife. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Horseback-riding area
• Loss of Sexual Function — Scott survives but learns that he can no longer have sex. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Medical setting
• Transplant Denied — Scott is denied a heart transplant because of his advanced age. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Medical setting
• Scott Chooses Death — Scott chooses suicide rather than living on borrowed time. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Scott's home
• Arrival in Afterlife — Scott enters the afterlife and meets Angel, the first soul in her care. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Angel Location: Afterlife

The Ghostly Return

In the afterlife, Scott meets an inexperienced guardian angel and persuades her to send him back. As a ghost, he can remain near his grieving wife but cannot touch her.

Key Events

• Arrival in Afterlife — Scott enters the afterlife and meets Angel, the first soul in her care. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Angel Location: Afterlife
• A Ghostly Bargain — Scott persuades the uncertain Angel to let him return to Earth. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Angel Location: Afterlife
• Return to Earth — Scott returns as a ghost to remain near his grieving wife. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Scott's home
• Only One Can See Him — Scott discovers that only his wife can see or hear his ghost. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Scott's home
• The Touch Barrier — Scott and his wife are frustrated because ghosts cannot make physical contact. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Scott's home
• The Possession Plan — Scott proposes murder as a way to obtain a body he can possess. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Scott's home

Hunting For A Body

Scott develops a plan requiring his wife to obtain a living body for possession. She travels under the cover of estate business and evaluates potential victims through sexual compatibility.

Key Events

• The Possession Plan — Scott proposes murder as a way to obtain a body he can possess. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Scott's home
• Searching For A Vessel — Scott's wife travels while presenting the journey as business related to his estate. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: International locations
• Business Negotiation — A business negotiation occurs during the search for a suitable victim. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Business meeting
• Compatibility Testing — Scott encourages sexual encounters with potential victims to test bodily compatibility. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott Location: Various travel locations
• Fausto Is Selected — Scott and his wife settle on Fausto, a young handsome petty criminal. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Travel location

Desire And Hesitation

Fausto is selected as the intended vessel, but repeated intimacy makes murder emotionally difficult. Scott becomes increasingly frustrated and suspects that affection is changing the plan.

Key Events

• Fausto Is Selected — Scott and his wife settle on Fausto, a young handsome petty criminal. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Travel location
• The Delayed Murder — Repeated intimacy makes it increasingly difficult for Scott's wife to kill Fausto. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Travel location
• Scott Demands Action — Scott grows impatient and questions whether his wife has fallen in love with Fausto. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Travel location
• Caught Beneath Water — Fausto becomes trapped in a fishing net underwater and accidentally drowns. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Snorkeling site

The Living Vessel

Fausto accidentally drowns, yet Scott cannot possess his dead body. CPR restores Fausto to life, enabling Scott to take over the body and complete the unusual reunion.

Key Events

• Caught Beneath Water — Fausto becomes trapped in a fishing net underwater and accidentally drowns. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Snorkeling site
• The First Possession Fails — Scott cannot possess Fausto's dead body, contradicting the intended plan. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Snorkeling site
• Revival And Possession — CPR revives Fausto, allowing Scott to possess the living body. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Snorkeling site
• Marriage In A New Body — Scott, permanently possessing Fausto, marries his former wife's body-compatible partner. Characters: Katie O'Dare Scott, Fausto Location: Scott's home

Story Breakdown

• Passionate Marriage — Scott and his wife begin in a deeply loving and sexually active marriage.
  • Active Shared Life — The couple enjoys horseback riding and frequent intimacy.
  • Age And Devotion — Their thirty-year age difference does not prevent deep love.
• Medical Catastrophe — Scott's heart attack removes the physical intimacy central to the marriage.
  • Heart Attack — Scott suffers a heart attack while horseback riding.
  • Transplant Denial — His advanced age prevents access to a heart transplant.
• Chosen Suicide — Scott decides to die on his own terms instead of living on borrowed time.
  • Loss Of Function — Scott learns that he can no longer have sex.
  • Death By Choice — He commits suicide after facing his medical limitations.
• Ghostly Return — Angel allows Scott to return from the afterlife as a ghost.
  • Fledgling Guardian — Angel is uncertain because Scott is her first soul.
  • Earthly Reunion — Scott returns to remain near his grieving wife.
• The Body Plan — Scott searches for a way to overcome the ghost's inability to touch or have sex.
  • Physical Barrier — Scott and his wife cannot make physical contact.
  • Possession Scheme — Scott proposes obtaining a body through murder.
• Fausto Selection — The search ends with Fausto, whose body is considered suitable for possession.
  • Compatibility Testing — Sexual encounters are used to test whether potential bodies are compatible.
  • Emotional Hesitation — Growing intimacy makes killing Fausto increasingly difficult.
• Accidental Drowning — Fausto's underwater accident disrupts the planned murder and creates a new opportunity.
  • Fishing Net Trap — Fausto becomes caught in a fishing net while snorkeling.
  • Dead Body Failure — Scott cannot possess Fausto while Fausto is dead.
• Possession Resolution — Fausto's revival makes the planned physical return possible.
  • CPR Revival — Scott's wife revives Fausto through CPR.
  • New Physical Life — Scott possesses the living Fausto and marries his former wife.

Directed by

John Derek

Key Cast

• Bo Derek — Katie O'Dare Scott
• Anthony Quinn — Scott
• Don Murray — Winston
• Julie Newmar — Angel
• Victoria Burgoyne — Sabine