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"Hey, she wants a Halloween party, she's gonna get a Halloween party."


―Amber, Casper.

Amber Whitmire (born 1982) is the daughter of a wealthy couple and one of the most popular girls at her school, Marshwood. She is a major antagonist in both the 1995 Casper feature film and its the animated spinoff The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, acting as the main rival of Kathleen "Kat" Harvey.

Amber became jealous of the attention that Kat, who has newly moved into Whipstaff Manor, was garnering from their peers (in particular Victor "Vic" DePhilippi, Amber's close friend and possible love interest). Amber reaches her breaking point when her classmates vote to have the upcoming Halloween party at Whipstaff Manor as opposed to Amber's mansion, which has a recently finished new boathouse.

In the feature film, she is portrayed by Jessica Wesson. Her animated counterpart is voiced by Sherry Lynn.

Background[]

Amber Whitmire was born in 1982. Little is known about her history, although her conceited behavior implies that she is spoiled and undisciplined by her parents. Her almost hysterical laboring to maintain her social status (which is seen both in the film and the animated series) hints at a deep-seated insecurity. She may also suffer from narcissism, a personality trait that has been shown to lead to aggressive behavior in the face of ego threats. This is reflected in by her constant need of admiration (of which she receives not only from her friend group but also from the other students, who either idolize or fear her) and her harsh comments. Noticeably, Amber only makes snarky remarks in front of her peers, simultaneously bolstering her confidence and winning their acknowledgement. It is possible that these feelings are the result of parental abandonment, lack of self-esteem or even loneliness.

Her personal history with Vic is also unknown, although it is heavily implied that they had some form of close relationship prior to the events of the film.

Casper[]

Main article: Casper

"Oh, you gotta see this! People are gonna freak."

―Amber's quote in Casper.

Amber is first shown when she is riding her bicycle to school with Vic in tow, angrily shouting at Kat to move out of her way. While at school, Kat and Vic introduce themselves by their lockers as Amber eavesdrops. She quickly interrupts the two and makes a passive-aggressive remark, annoyed at the attention Vic is giving the newest student in their class.

When Mr. Curtis announces that the Halloween party will be postponed for the couple of months with the asbestos removal from the school gym taking longer than planned, Amber intervenes, eagerly suggesting that they have the party at her house instead. The response is less than unenthusiastic and Vic appears slightly uncomfortable, but Amber doesn't seem to be one bit phased. When Kat is introduced by Mr. Curtis, Amber begins mocking her immediately, looking self-satisfied when the rest of her classmates begin to laugh and tease Kat along with her. Unbeknownst to Amber, Casper has been present the entire time, and has tied her shoelaces together in retaliation for her harassment of Kat. When Kat reveals that she lives in Whipstaff Manor, the class is a bit shocked at first, and one student asks Kat "You actually live there?" before another student remarks to Mr. Curtis that they have to have someplace to hold the Halloween party.

Amber is furious, saying she thought they were going to have it at her house, before suggesting they vote. When Amber votes for her house, she is angry upon realizing she's the only one, while the class unanimously votes to have the Halloween party at Whipstaff Manor instead, having heard of its urban legend. Amber subsequently falls to the ground alongside her classmates when they stand up to leave upon hearing the bell ring for the next class.

Later, Vic arrives at Whipstaff, requesting Kat to go to the dance with him. She agrees immediately, but it's soon revealed that the entire thing was a set-up from Amber. Vic is none too happy about his involvement with the ruse, but Amber brushes his worries aside, confident that her plan will be "absolutely perfect".

On Halloween night, Amber (who is adorning white make-up on her face in order to resemble a ghost) and Vic sneak in through the windows of Dr. Harvey's office, carrying a large burlap sack. Vic is still reluctant to carry out the sabotage, but Amber refuses to listen to him, explaining that Kat deserves to be humiliated for what she did to her. As the party begins, the two prepare to act out their prank. Amber climbs on Vic's shoulders and they stay for a while in a corner but Amber notices her reflection in the mirror and grows excited, lifting the sack for Vic to see. They are entirely caught off-guard by the Ghostly Trio, who reveal themselves and scare the bullies away. Amber and Vic are hysterical, running wildly into the foyer (with Amber still sitting atop his shoulders) as the other students watch in bewilderment. In his panic, Vic accidentally runs Amber into a string of light decorations, dragging her along the floor as they flee the mansion. The other students applaud, convinced that Kat had set the whole thing up for the party.

The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper[]

Main article: The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper

Amber returns in the animated series, continuing her antagonistic behavior towards Kat. She is now shown to have three minions, the Jennifers (all voiced by Debi Derryberry), who willingly do whatever she tells them to and agree with everything that she says. Amber's snobbery and melodramatic attitude have been exaggerated to comical proportion, transforming her into a stereotypical valley girl. Like in the film, she comes across as very talkative, opinionated and argumentative. Not only does she find delight in Kat's low social rank amongst their peers, but is also quite verbally abusive and manipulative towards the Jennifers, making them feel poorly about themselves in order to make her seem superior in comparison.

Personality[]

Amber is stroppy and spiteful, long-accustomed to being handed whatever she wants and easily becoming offended if she does not receive it. She acts out in order to provoke a reaction from other people, whether it be positive or negative, and is so pleased when they take notice of her. She has control and influence over her peers, often manipulating them into conforming to her values and wishes. But what most do not understand about Amber is that her possessive behavior (most noticeable in her interactions with Vic) stems from feelings of doubt and insecurity, and that most of her pretentious attitude originates from a desire to feel better about herself. And she is also known as arrogant, mean, bellicose, egotistical, roguish, witty, heartless, thoughtless, insensitive, menacing, intolerant, resentful and erudite.

Appearance[]

Amber has fair skin, long blonde hair, and green eyes. She is slightly taller than Kat and dresses in designer clothing. In The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, her clothing choices are even preppier, as she is seen wearing a short skirt and knee high boots in each episode she was featured.

Trivia[]

  • She is similar to Claire Brewster from Beetlejuice the animated series.
  • She is also similar to Macy from the movie Trick r Treat, as she wanted desperately to prank another schoolgirl with her boyfriend on Halloween, only for both pranks to go horribly wrong. Both Macy and Amber are blonde bullies who are in love with another bully and who both get badly spooked on Halloween; however Macy's prank ends in her demise unlike Amber.
  • She is one of the the few characters from the movie that appears in the animated series, along with Kat, Dr. Harvey and Vic. Although she makes a brief appearance in The Whipstaff Inmates short alongside the Jennifers, Amber's first official appearence is not until Paranormal Press.
  • In Paranormal Press, it is revealed that Amber is not a natural blonde, and dyes it from the bottle. She states that if she were to go swimming, her hair would turn green. It soon becomes a running gag that her roots show through, implying that her natural hair color is dark.
  • In The Trick's a Treat, she states that Alicia Silverstone is her idol.
  • Casper appears to dislike Amber in both the film and television series, presumably because of her being a bully towards Kat.
  • Is shown to be very possessive of Vic in the film, heavily implying that she is either in a relationship with or has a crush on him. Vic's feelings towards Amber are unknown, although he appears to value her friendship and reluctantly goes along with her schemes.
  • Her age is estimated to be around thirteen years old.
  • In the animated series, she dismisses the idea of ghosts and goes out of her way to prove they do not actually exist. This completely contradicts the events of the film, in which Amber and Vic encounter the Ghostly Trio for the first time and see that ghosts do exist before being driven out of Whipstaff Manor.
  • "Whitmire" is the English spelling of an ancient German-Swiss surname.
  • Like Kat, she is implied to be an only child, but unlike Kat, both of Amber's parents are said to be alive.
  • Owns a cellphone and is implied to have her own e-mail address (Trick's a Treat).
  • In the film, her locker is seen on the left side of Vic's. Her desk is also placed next to his in their classroom.
  • It has been suggested by fans that she may have been class president during the film.
  • In the comic book tie-in of the feature film, Amber is shown with red hair.
  • The name Amber means a frozen tree resin, which reflects how Amber is frozen in narcissism.
  • It is possible that Amber is considered quite boring by her peers and is deluded into believing she is more popular than what she actually is.
  • Her role in the movie is somewhat similar to the Chris Hargensen in the novel and film Carrie. This is evident in Amber's similar prank and her sidekick Vic. In both Carrie and in Casper the tables get turned. Ironically, Kat mentions Stephen King in one scene.
  • Debi Derryberry her voice actress in the cartoon series, also voiced Wednesday Addams in the 90s cartoon series, who is also ironically played by Christina Ricci (who plays Kat) in the Addams Family and Addams Family Values.

Gallery[]

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