Her daughters Julie and Riley, working actors and former sitcom child stars, return home to celebrate the birthday of their family dog, Ollie.

Belittled by her self-absorbed family, Clara experiences unusual visions around the house, including a ghostly woman begging to be let inside.

Joe reveals that the Reynolds’ home was built in 1862 by a sea captain for his daughter, Adelia; she was institutionalized before ever entering the house, and her father killed himself in the woods nearby.

Ted, having been fired from a project by Julie’s fiancé, criticizes an audition monologue he makes her perform, and nearly drowns Joe in a punch bowl.

Ted breaks down the basement door but is unable to find Clara, and Riley is nearly hit by a flowerpot pushed by an unseen force.

The site's critical consensus reads, "As idiosyncratic as it is ambitious, Clara's Ghost can be as difficult to pin down as a spectral presence -- yet it also has a way of working itself under the skin.

[19] Dennis Harvey of Variety gave the film a negative review and wrote, "In the end, there’s not enough of distinction or substance to make this absurdist family comedy with a haunted-house angle feel like more than a short’s worth of ideas stretched too thin.

"[4] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Infrequent actress Paula Niedert Elliott delights in the titular role with a quirky, sympathetic performance that gradually reveals the extent of Clara's psychological wounds.