'Mean Girls' meets 'The Sixth Sense' in Hulu's new 'Darby and the Dead'

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Amid new holiday films and action-packed blockbusters comes a supernatural teen comedy that critics are calling this generation's "Clueless."

I spoke with the cast of the new 20th Century Studios film "Darby and the Dead", which is streaming on Hulu.

It stars the voice of a Disney princess in a very different kind of role.

It's about a girl named Darby, who can see ghosts after suffering a near-death experience in her childhood.

One of those ghosts is her high school arch nemesis.

"We had our North Stars of like 'Clueless' and 'Mean Girls,'" says Auli'i Cravalho, who plays Capri.

But "Darby and the Dead" has a supernatural twist.

"It took a spin on the paranormal factor," says Chosen Jacobs, who plays Alex.

"It's literally 'The Sixth Sense' meets 'Mean Girls,' which I think is really cool," says Asher Angel, who plays James.

Darby sees dead people, including Capri, who dies in a freak accident and proceeds to haunt her.

Director Silas Howard calls it: "the nightmare of being stuck in another realm with your 'frenemy.'"

Cravalho is the voice of Disney's beloved Moana, and this is her first turn as a "villain" of sorts.

"It's a new character for me," Cravalho says. "And that was really why I gravitated towards Capri. I've had so many lovely roles where you're rooting for my character, you're falling in love with my character. That's not who Capri is. She is the head cheerleader. She is a hot girl. I just leaned into my 'hot girl' era."

Riele Downs, who plays Darby, says she loves this film because it challenges cliques.

"The line between good and bad is sort of blurred in a sense," Downs says. "It's not as straightforward as you may think. Both of them are judgmental. Both of them are closed off. Both of them long for acceptance."

"Darby and the Dead" is streaming now on Hulu.