Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 9 wins & 9 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlmost none of the scenes were filmed as scripted, most had at least one ad-lib. Most of Bill Murray's lines are ad-libs.
- GoofsRay declares that the phenomena they are witnessing may be as important as "the Tunguska blast of 1909." It actually occurred on June 30, 1908.
- Quotes
Dr. Raymond Stantz: Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by dickless here.
Walter Peck: They caused an explosion!
Mayor: Is this true?
Dr. Peter Venkman: Yes it's true.
[pause]
Dr. Peter Venkman: This man has no dick.
Walter Peck: Jeez!
[Charges at Venkman]
Mayor: Break it up! Hey, break this up! Break it up!
Walter Peck: All right, all right, all right!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Well, that's what I heard!
- Crazy creditsDuring the end credits, as the Ghostbusters are leaving in Ecto-1, three priests can be seen giving the last rites to a chunk of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man
- Alternate versionsAll German TV versions omit the line by Peter Venkman: "He's a sailor, he's in New York, we get this guy laid, we won't have any trouble." The video and DVD versions are uncut.
- ConnectionsEdited into Muppet Babies: Good, Clean Fun (1984)
The main story follows three eccentric parapsychologists Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. A fairly concrete premise for a horror comedy intact, and the end result goes from a series of the group catching ghosts across Manhattan to then having to take down the supernatural threat Gozer who could lead the gates of Hell into the city. In addition to being an ambitious comedy, Ghostbusters is also somewhat of an imaginative horror feature with numerous ghosts and ghouls inspired by Dan Aykroyd's fascination with the supernatural. The laughs come in large part from the buddy chemistry of Murray, Aykroyd and Ramis and their individual quirks and personalities bounce off one another well as they try to catch all of the different ghosts in town. In addition, a small romance builds between Venkman and cellist Dana Barrett whose own apartment leads to the gates of Hell, and while the laughs and thrills are what makes this film work so well, this small love angle keeps the film's heart close in contact.
In addition to the three leads, the cast as a whole make this film work well on its own, especially Sigourney Weaver as Dana who is as beautiful as she is tough, even while being possessed by Zuul. Rick Moranis is also a nice addition as Dana's neighbor Louis Tully whose geeky personality contrasts once he gets possessed as well, although it is quite obvious how his arc with Dana fares out compared to Venkman. Ernie Hudson portrays the newly hired Ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore with a slick suaveness and Annie Potts delivers some of the funniest deadpan lines as secretary Janine Melnitz whereas William Atherton captures the EPA representative Walter Peck with a cynical and overzealous array that makes you question how much he cares for the well being of others compared to his own beliefs. The ghouls themselves are quite a fright to behold, and the mere presence of Gozer is elevated by the sinister voice of Paddi Edwards. With a high budgeted action horror comedy like this, the cast are what truly make Ghostbusters a fun watch.
But of course, another big reason to watch this movie after four decades is the incredible special effects and creature designs led by Richard Edlund. Considering the production team had a fairly tight schedule to work with, the numerous amount of detail and compositing they did for the ghosts is still quite fascinating, even if some of the greenscreen compositing looks a bit outdated. While many people remember the marketable designs of Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to this day, the horrific stop motion and regular puppet models of Zuul and Vinz still hold up in just how threatening and freaky they are in pure motion. When one considers how much puppetry was used in this film before CGI became the industry norm, then the Ghostbuster laser effects are cool to marvel at from the mere tensity alone, although the actual action sequences are pretty tame on their own, possibly due to technological limitations at the time. Add on Laszlo Kovacs' naturally grim cinematography and Elmer Bernstein's timeless eerie score and you've got a film filled with state of the art special effects.
By blending humor and horror seamlessly along with its great cast, Ghostbusters still holds up as a unique supernatural comedy that has impacted pop culture and cinema so well over the last four decades. Now that the latest installment Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has come out for audiences to enjoy, this year truly is a worthwhile time to celebrate and honor the original movie for all the success it garnered over the years. As Ray Parker jr.'s endlessly catchy theme song said it best, bustin makes us feel good even after all these years.
- elicopperman
- Jul 21, 2024
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Los cazafantasmas
- Filming locations
- Fire Station 23 - 225 E. 5th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(interiors: Ghostbusters headquarters)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $243,578,797
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $13,578,151
- Jun 10, 1984
- Gross worldwide
- $296,578,797
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