Background and filming
Ghost was the first film Jerry Zucker directed on his own, as well as his first dramatic film. He had previously been part of the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker directing team, known for their parody films. Zucker stated that his decision to direct Ghost was not made to distance himself from comedies or to mark a new chapter in his career, but he was merely "just looking for a good film to direct." The film had previously been pitched to both Frank Oz and Miloš Forman, who both accepted to direct it, but Oz left due to budget concerns not meeting his vision, while Forman was dismissed by Paramount when the studio and screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin disliked his ideas. When Rubin learned that Zucker was to direct the film and wanted to make changes to his script, he was apprehensive, as he feared Zucker would turn his script into a comedy. However, Rubin changed his mind and warmed up after dining with Zucker and being impressed by how "deeply philosophical" he was.
Harrison Ford, Michael J. Fox, Paul Hogan, Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Kline, Alec Baldwin, and Tom Cruise were considered for the role of Sam Wheat. Bruce Willis turned the role of Sam Wheat down as he did not understand the script and later called himself a "knucklehead" for declining and later stating he wished he had worked with Moore again. Similarly, Fox thought the film wouldn't work, and, in hindsight, regretted turning the role down. Zucker initially refused to consider Swayze for Sam, though Rubin pitched the project to Swayze behind Zucker's back after seeing him talk about his late father in an interview with Barbara Walters. Zucker then changed his mind after Swayze auditioned. Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, and Nicole Kidman were considered for the role of Molly Jensen before Moore was hired who was Zucker and Rubin's preferred choice. Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle, and Oprah Winfrey were either considered or auditioned for the role of Oda Mae Brown. Both Zucker and Rubin initially were not interested in casting Whoopi Goldberg as Oda Mae, but Swayze advocated for her to be cast.
Zucker credited arguments from radio host Dennis Prager with deciding to "lighten" Rubin's original script with a moral message. Rubin noted that he "wanted to tell a ghost story from the ghost's perspective": "One day, I was watching a production of Hamlet, which begins with the ghost of Hamlet's father saying, 'Revenge my death,'" he recalled. "I thought, ‘Wow, let's transpose that into the 20th century; it'd be an interesting story.' And the idea hit me."
Filming for Ghost began in July 1989. Many of the interior scenes were shot at Paramount in Los Angeles. The interior of Sam and Molly's loft is a reproduction of the home and studio of artist Michele Oka Doner, built from plans she provided because she declined to allow filming in her loft. It was reconstructed in an unused loft nearby in her Soho neighborhood and featured many of the same details as the actual loft, such as radiators around columns, open stairs and a house-shaped enclosure for the refrigerator. Filming of the apartment took place at 102 Prince Street, Lower Manhattan. The exterior scenes were shot in New York City, particularly in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Soho, and Wall Street, for about five weeks. The film features about 100 special effects shots.
Demi Moore's famous 'boy cut' in the movie was designed by Manhattan hair stylist John Sahag; Us Weekly declared Moore "the only woman since Audrey Hepburn who has been able to carry off such a hairdo and still look like a woman."
The final scene used digital video effects. Originally, it was meant to show Patrick Swayze kissing Demi Moore before walking up a mylar platform toward a bluescreen with grips in the shot. VFX supervisor Richard Edlund did not think the audience would buy it, and used Quantel's "Harry" video-compositing system to combine the workprint with Swayze with elements that had been shot on an Oxberry animation stand and things like an endoscope of Christmas tinsel.
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