Ghostbusters (1984)

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts, with cameos from Reginald VelJohnson, Larry King, and Casey Kasem
Grade: Classic

Because Ghostbusters has forever lived rent free in my head, I regularly say to myself at random points in the day, “I’m the Keymaster. Are you the Gatekeeper?” in Rick Moranis’s voice and chuckle every time.

Summary

In the New York Public Library in New York City, librarian Alice (Alice Drummond) puts some books back in the basement of the library by herself. Behind her, some of the books float in the air to the other shelves. She walks by some filing cabinets, and a couple of them open and shoot out index cards everywhere. It starts to make enough noise for her to turn around to look. It freaks her out, and she runs away as more filing cabinets open and do the same thing. She gets to the end of the hall and screams into a white light, as she has presumably run into a ghost.

At Colombia University in Weaver Hall at the department of psychology, we go to the laboratory for Paranormal Studies. This is where Dr. Peter Venkman (Murray), Dr. Ray Stantz (Aykroyd), and Dr. Egon Spengler (Ramis) all do their studies at. Written in red marker on the door is the message “Venkman Burn in Hell”. Inside, Venkman is doing a test with two students. He holds up an unknown card with a shape on the other side of it that only he can see. They are to guess what it is. If they get it wrong, they are shocked. The boy guesses it’s a square and is wrong. Venkman shows him that it was a star. Next, the girl guesses a star. Unfortunately, it’s a circle, but since she’s pretty, Venkman tells her she’s right. He asks the boy again, and he guesses circle. This time, it’s a square, so Venkman shocks him again. It goes back to the girl. She guesses it’s a figure eight, but it’s actually a cross. Even so, Venkman says she’s right and reveals that she’s had a perfect score of 5/5. The boy starts to get nervous, especially with Venkman reminding him there are “only” 75 more to go. He guesses the next one correctly, as they are a couple of wavy lines, but Venkman tells him he’s wrong again as he smiles at the girl and shocks the boy. Finally, the boy flips out on Venkman because he didn’t even know he was going to be shocked, despite being paid for the study. The boy asks what he’s trying to prove, so Venkman reveals that he’s studying the effect of negative reinforcement on ESP ability. The boy tells Venkman that the effect is that it’s pissing him off and how he can keep the $5, which Venkman is cool with. After the boy storms out, Venkman goes over to the girl and gives her advice to get used to this sort of thing because her “ability” will provoke this reaction from some people. As he gets closer to this Jennifer, Ray Stantz barges in with big news that at 1:40PM at the main branch of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, 10 people witnessed a “free-floating full torso vaporous apparition” and how he needs UV lenses for the video camera and the blank tank Venkman had erased the day prior.

An annoyed Venkman hits him because he was in the middle of this thing with Jennifer and wants him to come back in an hour and a half or so. Venkman insists Ray should go without him, but Ray tells Venkman he has to come with. Egon is already there and took PKE valences. Apparently, they went right off the top of the scale, buried the needle. They are close on this one, and Ray can feel it. Realizing there’s no way out of this, Venkman asks Jennifer to come by later that night. She suggests 8PM, and he lies and says he was legitimately thinking the same time, calling her a “phenomenon”. On the way there, Venkman is skeptical and talks about how Ray and Egon have gone throughout the five boroughs talking to anyone who has claimed to have seen a ghost. He seems to liken it to a wild goose chase and knows Ray hasn’t seen anything. Ray points out how he was there at an “undersea, unexplained mass sponge migration”, though Venkman comments that they only “migrated” about a foot and a half. The two show up behind Egon as he investigates a table in a crouched position with a stethoscope on. To mess with him, Venkman knocks on the table and slams a book on it to make him jump. Egon turns to see them and lets them in on what’s going on. Egon knows this is big, but Venkman thinks it’s like the time Egon tried to drill a hole in his own head. Egon still swears it would have worked had Venkman not stopped him. Just then, worker at the library Roger Delacorte interrupts them and takes them to meet Alice in hopes of doing everything quietly. Alice is lying down and details how she doesn’t remember if the ghost had legs, but it had arms because it reached out for her. Still skeptical, Venkman asks Alice if anyone in her family have been diagnosed as schizophrenic or mentally incompetent. She admits that her uncle thought he was St. Jerome (“I call that a big Yes”). She denies using any stimulants though. Venkman then asks if she is menstruating, prompting Roger to ask what that has to do with anything. Venkman tells him to back off because he’s a scientist. Egon interrupts everyone to tell Ray that “it’s moving”.

Egon, Ray, and Venkman walk down to the basement of the library, though Venkman is still doing so half-heartedly. They find a stack of books in the middle of two shelves, and it reminds Ray of the “Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947”. Egon concurs, but Venkman sarcastically agrees that no human being could stack these books. The three venture deeper into the basement after smelling something, and they see the rest of the mess in the basement. A lot of the open cabinets contain ectoplasmic residue, so Egon has Venkman get a sample. Venkman gets some of it on his hands but still hands it over to him. They turn the corner, and an entire shelving unit falls behind them, almost crushing them. Ray confirms to Venkman that this is the first time this has ever happened to him. They go to another part of the room and finally see the ghost not too far from their faces. They can’t believe it. Calmly, Venkman asks, “So what do we do?”. The other two are dumbfounded, as it never occurred to them that they would get this far. He pulls them back behind the corner to discuss their next step. Ray and Egon agree they need to make contact with the ghost and one of them should try to speak to it. They both look to the annoyed Venkman to do it, so he does. He introduces himself and asks where the female ghost is from originally, but she just turns and shushes them, as Ray and Egon take pictures. They need a new plan. With this, Ray leads them, and they go to jump at her, but she morphs into a skeleton of sorts and screams at the three of them. They run out of the library in a fright, as Venkman tells Roger they will get back to him. Afterwards, Venkman makes fun of Ray for his “big plan” being to jump out and “get her”. Ray admits he got a little excited but is more enthusiastic than ever because they touched the etheric plane and how it could mean huge things for the university. Egon adds that according to their readings, they could catch a ghost and hold it indefinitely. Venkman gives credit where it’s due, handing Egon a Crunch bar.

Sadly, the three go back to their laboratory at Colombia and find Dean Yeager, who is having people clean the place out to move them off campus. The Board of Regents have decided to terminate their grant, and they are to vacate the premises immediately. Venkman demands a reason. Yeager tells them that the university believes that the purpose of science is to serve mankind, but he argues that Venkman seems to “regard science as some kind of dodge, or hustle. Your theories are the worst kind of popular tripe, your methods are sloppy, and your conclusions are highly questionable”. He calls Venkman a poor scientist and says he has no place in this department or university. Following this, Venkman and Ray are outside discussing what to do next. Ray knows M.I.T. and Stanford are out of the question now, but Venkman isn’t worried. Ray points out this is because he’s never been out of university. Ray has worked in the private sector, and they expect results. He’s worried because the university allotted them money and facilities without having to produce anything. Now, the pressure is on. Venkman thinks this happened for a reason, and they are supposed to go into business for themselves. They share a small bottle of liquor as they talk. Ray says this ecto-containment system that he and Egon have in mind is going to require a lot of money. Neither are sure how they are going to get it. Sometime later, Venkman, Ray, and Egon leave the bank. Venkman tells Ray he’s not going to regret having three mortgages on his childhood home, even if his parents left it to him. Ray gets mad at Venkman for not even bargaining with the guy and accepting the 19% interest rate. Egon only piles on by doing the math and saying that the first five years alone will cost him $95,000. Staying positive, Venkman says they are on the threshold of establishing the indispensable defense science of the next decade: professional paranormal investigations and eliminations.

“The franchise rights alone will make us rich beyond our wildest dreams”. In hindsight, Venkman was right on the money with this one.

Following this, they purchase an abandoned firehouse station that should be condemned. They were on the fence at first, but Ray was too excited about it, especially due to the fireman pole that allows them to swing between floors, so they relent. Elsewhere in Manhattan, Dana Barrett (Weaver) takes her groceries to her apartment. She’s almost to her door but is stopped in the hallway by her annoying neighbor Louis Tully (Moranis) who likes her. He tries to invite her in, but she turns him down. Even so, he continues to talk to her as she inches towards her apartment. Apparently, he’s hosting a party for his clients, as its his four-year anniversary of being an accountant. He invites her to his party, and she politely tells him she will try and stop by. Once she opens her door, Louis also adds to not keep her TV on so loud when she leaves her apartment because someone in the hallway snitched on her to the manager. Dana didn’t even realize she left it on. As Louis talks about how he tried to climb on the ledge to try and disconnect the cable but couldn’t get in, so he decided to turn his TV on loudly to make it seem like both of their TVs had something wrong with them, Dana shuts the door in his face. Following this, Louis goes over to his apartment, but he locked himself out. On Dana’s TV, the first advertisement is shown for the Ghostbusters, as Venkman, Ray, and Egon proudly exclaim “We are ready to believe you!”. Dana shuts off the TV and puts her groceries away. Suddenly, the eggs she bought start bursting and she hears a rumbling in the fridge. She opens it to find what looks to be a portal to another dimension. A dog-like animal appears and says the word “Zuul” in a demonic voice, resulting in her screaming and shutting the door. Back at the Ghostbusters firehouse station, the sign outside is being put in and Ray drives over the 1959 Cadillac he bought for $4,800. Unfortunately, there’s a list of problems with the car that need to be fixed. They’ve also hired a secretary in Janine Melnitz (Potts), though she’s not doing much of anything because they haven’t had any calls or customers yet.

Once Venkman goes to his office, which is just a table behind Janine, she makes conversation with Egon, and they discuss hobbies. One of hers is racquetball, and his hobbies are collecting “spores, molds, and fungus”. Dana walks into Ghostbusters station and right past Ray who is working on fixing the station wagon. Dana goes up to Janine wanting to talk with someone about her situation. Venkman sees her from his desk and runs right over to talk to her, as he’s obviously attracted to her. Next, Dana tells Venkman, Ray, and Egon about the whole situation at her apartment and how she hasn’t been back to it for two days. Because of his special equipment attached to Dana as she speaks, Egon can see that she’s telling the truth, or at least as she thinks she is. She insists she’s telling the truth, asking who would make up something like that, so Venkman admits some people just want attention and others are nuts. Ray suggests it could be past-life experience intruding on present time. Egon wonders if it could be erased memories stored in the collective unconscious, though he wouldn’t rule out clairvoyance or telepathic contact either. Dana doesn’t believe in any of this. Going along with it, Venkman lies and says he doesn’t either but calls this part their “standard procedures” that have given them results. Ray pipes in to say he can go to the Hall of Records and check out the structural details of the building because it’s possible that the building itself has a history of psychic turbulence. Egon will look for the name “Zuul” in related literature. Venkman takes Dana back to her apartment to check her out… I mean her apartment. At Dana’s apartment, Venkman analyzes the place in an almost sarcastic manner while subtly flirting with Dana. When he checks the bedroom, she tells him nothing happened in there to which he replies, “What a crime”. She comments that he acts more like a gameshow host than a scientist. They venture into the kitchen, and he finds the eggs still on the counter. He checks the fridge, but everything is as normal. Dana tries to plead her case, but she knows she looks crazy to him. Venkman assures her that he doesn’t think that.

Dana is getting noticeably annoyed with Venkman as he tries to have a conversation with her. Then, he goes for broke by admitting he likes her. She’s not in the mood and tells him to leave. He still messes with her a bit while promising to fix her problem and how she’ll be thinking about him once he’s gone. Even so, she kicks him out. When he’s in the hallway, Louis pops out to see him and then tries to get back in his apartment. He locked himself out again. That night, Venkman, Ray, and Egon have dinner at the station and toast to their first customer. In the guise of not wanting to lose their first customer, Venkman thinks he should use some of their petty cash to take Dana out to dinner. Unfortunately, Ray reveals their current dinner is the result of the last of the petty cash. As they continue to eat, Janine gets a customer call and it’s legit. She assures the customer they will be discreet. They finally got someone! She rings the buzzer to alert the guys, and they are even shocked. They go down the pole, put on their jumpsuits, and drive out in the fixed and newly painted white Cadillac rechristened as the “Ecto-1” all the way to the Sedgewick Hotel. Arriving loudly and right through the front door, Venkman asks publicly if anyone has seen a ghost. The hotel manager approaches them and talks about how the guests have been starting to ask questions. Apparently, most of the original staff knows about the 12th floor and how there have been reports of it being haunted before, but it’s been quiet for years until 2 weeks ago. It’s never been this bad though, and he’s never reported it to anyone. The owners don’t even like when the workers talk about it. He just wants it handled tonight and quietly. Knowing full well this is their first real job, Ray assures him they will because they handle this sort of thing “all the time”. They get to the elevators, and a guest asks if they are supposed to be cosmonauts, but Venkman tells him they’re exterminators and how someone saw a cockroach on 12. In the elevator, Ray realizes they never had a successful test of their equipment. Egon blames himself and Venkman agrees with him.

They are about to walk into the unknown armed with unlicensed nuclear accelerators on their back.

They reach the 12th floor and are startled by a maid. All three shoot their proton packs at the cart and almost kill the lady before apologizing. Venkman sees this as the successful test they were looking for, and Ray concurs. With this, they split up to see if they can find the ghost. Ray finds the disgusting green ghost eating food off a cart. This is the ghost that will affectionally become known in the Ghostbusters universe as Slimer. Since Venkman isn’t near, Ray attempts to catch the ghost himself. He misses and it shoots a massive straight line into the wall. Slimer escapes and flies through another wall. At the same time that Egon uses a device to analyze some random guest at the hotel, Venkman walks through a separate hallway. At the other end of the hall is Slimer. They make eye contact, so Venkman calls on his walkie-talkie to Ray. After Ray excitedly says he saw it, Venkman tells him his situation. Ray is sure the ghost won’t hurt him, but Slimer flies straight at Venkman. Ray makes it over to Venkman once Slimer is gone to find that Venkman has been slimed. He’s covered in this goo and can’t move all that well, but Ray is very happy that someone made actual physical contact with a ghost. Just then, Egon calls in to Ray. After Ray updates him on Venkman getting slimed, Egon wants him to save some as a sample and then calls for them to get to the ballroom because that’s where Slimer went. They get there and Ray tells the hotel manager to make sure the staff stays outside of the room, as they will take care of everything. They lock the door behind them. The three find Slimer near the ceiling and they fire their proton packs at it. They miss and destroy the chandelier. Egon uses this moment to remind them to not cross streams. To explain the result if they did, he tells Venkman to imagine “all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light”. It would be total protonic reversal.

Keeping this in mind, the three continue to shoot around the room to try and get Slimer, but he keeps eluding them. At this point, the ballroom is destroyed. Since they have to make room for the ghost trap, they even toss around some tables as well. This doesn’t bode well for the hotel manager waiting outside because he can hear the destruction and planned on using the ballroom for guests that night. Once they get enough room for the trap, Ray has Egon shoot a confinement stream and Venkman soon follows suit once Egon grabs a hold of Slimer. They start to lower Slimer, as Venkman comments to the ghost not to slime a guy with a “positron collider”. As Egon yells at Venkman to shorten his stream so his face won’t be burned off, Ray opens the trap and tells them to not look directly at it, though Egon accidentally looked at it. Ray tells them to turn their streams off as soon as he closes the trap. Thankfully, the three are able to pull it off at the perfect time, locking Slimer into the trap. Just as the hotel manager was about to get someone to break the door down, Venkman, Ray, and Egon pop out to tell him the good news. As Ray holds up the trap, he explains that it was a “focused, non-terminal repeating phantasm, or a class-five full-roaming vapor”. With no better time than now, Venkman brings up the bill of $4,000, though he does say they’re having a special this week on “proton charging and storage of the beast” and this will only be an additional $1,000. The hotel manager refuses to pay it, so they threaten to put the ghost back in the room. Panicking, he relents and agrees to pay it. Soon after, a news report on Dana’s television details how the entire eastern seaboard has been reporting numerous incidents of paranormal activity like alleged ghost sightings and related supernatural occurrences. It has all been reported consistently around the tri-state area.

It looks like Venkman, Ray, and Egon got into the ghost-busting business just in time!

My Thoughts:

It was the start of a phenomenon…

When one thinks back to the 1980s, there are a select few topics that everyone will reference. There’s Ronald Reagan, Indiana Jones, Eddie Murphy, an assortment of action movies, Saturday morning cartoons, and of course, Ghostbusters. Born out of the brainchild of comedy legend Dan Aykroyd and his love for the paranormal came one of the biggest comedies of all time. It became larger than life and captured the heart and imagination of millions, still continuing to this very day because of how once-in-a-lifetime this production was. Everyone knows it’s one of the funniest movies ever as the comic talent involved in front of and behind the camera was second to none. Along with star Bill Murray at his absolute best and director Ivan Reitman, who’s rapport with the actors was already well known with Meatballs and Stripes, Harold Ramis and Aykroyd himself succeed at both rounding out the cast as being iconic characters in their own right, but also putting together a wildly creative screenplay that was dually scary enough for fans of the supernatural and inventive enough as a science fiction film that all comers are welcomed to join in on the fun. Essentially, this production consisted of cinematic geniuses coming together with their own set of ideas, while on the same page in terms of their objective, and putting out the best product possible in a rare moment of everything and everyone coming together at just the right time and place. In doing so, this team created a movie that would help define an entire decade and beyond. For all intents and purposes, films like Ghostbusters are why we go to the movies in the first place, to experience a story that will capture your imagination and potentially for a lifetime. It makes you want to consume everything about the film from then on out. Ghostbusters did that, which is why it became a billion-dollar multimedia franchise. Granted, the rest of the series has been mishandled, and arguably fumbled depending on who you talk to, but the first film was too legendary to not explore further.

On that fateful day in 1984, Ghostbusters created a legacy for itself with just one, singular, original, unforgettable feature that brings joy to anyone who watches it to this very day. Moving forward, their cinematic destiny was always to create adventures for this adored team to fight through for years to come. In that sense, yes, it was fumbled, but more on that later. Right now, let’s talk about one of the most beloved movies of all time.

The chemistry of trio Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis is seamless, and they play off each other just like the friends they were in real life. As this group of wacky scientists, they give off the vibe of an almost modern-day, grounded Marx Brothers, as the comic scenarios they find themselves stem from how well-defined their characters are. Though all three are parapsychologists, they couldn’t be more different from each other. Peter Venkman is a cynical, sarcastic, easygoing, womanizing, eccentric PhD who is content with his studies, so much so that his doctorate is called into question by many. The Dean of Columbia thinks he’s wasting the university’s money and is primarily the reason all three are fired, as his lackadaisical attitude is well known. Dana Barrett even likens his demeanor to that of a gameshow host rather than a scientist. Venkman is not someone who shows off his intelligence or comes off as an intellectual outright like his cohorts. He messes around and has fun with them, and he even gives them shit for their obsession with finding ghosts because he’s just as skeptical as the general public. At the same time, he loves messing with strangers, as does the real Bill Murray, which is why the role of Peter Venkman is his best. In fact, it’s the quintessential Bill Murray role. A great way to sum it up is Dana telling him with a smile, “You are so odd”. It’s true that Murray does have this weird charisma about him that allows for him to just get away with stuff that no one else can. When he jokingly asks Dana, “No kiss?” before leaving or professing his love for her soon after meeting her, it’s not off-putting, it’s more Bugs Bunny-like and makes Venkman this strange goofball that the viewer can’t help but be attracted to. It’s the commitment to the humor as well, as Venkman plays it straight even when he knows he’s being funny. Very rarely will he laugh out loud himself other than making fun of Ray for his plan to “Get her!” when they encountered the first ghost. Besides this, he rarely gets rattled, which is what makes it a bigger moment when he does.

In doing so, it shows his true value to the team, other than being a fellow parapsychologist.

For the most part, a majority of the research and work seems to be done by Ray and Egon, but Venkman’s sociable personality, fearlessness when facing public scrutiny, his ability to perform or possess courage under pressure, or his refusal to selling the danger that lies ahead for his teammates benefits and his own shows Venkman’s many heroic tendencies. One great example of this is Venkman meeting EPA representative Walter Peck. Venkman is smart enough to know Peck has already made up in his own head who the Ghostbusters are and that he doesn’t respect what they do at all, so he reacts in kind without getting too antagonistic. He just pokes at Peck enough to where he reveals his intentions. After shaking Peck’s hand and subsequently wiping the slime from his own hand on Peck’s coat, Peck asks almost in disbelief, because of Venkman’s careless demeanor, what he is exactly a doctor of. Once Venkman mentions his PhDs in parapsychology and psychology, they discuss the details of ghost-catching, with Venkman responding vaguely because he can tell Peck is here for a serious reason. It gets to the point where Venkman flat-out asks him why he wants to see the containment unit so badly, so Peck reveals that he wants to assess any possible environmental impact it has. He gives Venkman an ultimatum to either show him the containment unit or he will come back with a court order. In one of the rare cases in the entire series where Venkman gets serious, he gets in Peck’s face with, “You go get a court order, and I’ll sue your ass for wrongful prosecution!”, and it’s powerful. Peck storms out, and it buys the Ghostbusters time to plan things out, just as Egon relays the potentially cataclysmic news by relating a Twinkie to the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area and that morning’s sample basically being a 35 foot long Twinkie weighing approximately 600 pounds (“We could be on the verge of a four-fold cross rip, a PKE surge of incredible, even dangerous proportions”). As smart as Egon and Ray are and essential they are for the business to be in existence, they would not have been able to handle the strong-arming of someone like Peck.

They definitely wouldn’t have been able to convince the Mayor of the rather serious, potential apocalypse that could happen without Venkman’s way with words and ability to appeal to different personalities without being an outright asshole. He knows the Mayor and is able to push him over the edge by convincing him to be ahead of the curve to win over many more registered voters. With a tougher-minded character like Janine coming straight out of Brooklyn, a different approach is needed. Someone like Ray would have conceded in an argument for a raise, as would Egon because he’d be focused on other things. Venkman calls her bluff by subtly insulting her with a backhanded compliment, saying she should have no trouble with her qualifications working in the “foodservice or housekeeping industries”. Basically, he’s telling her to leave if she wants because she’s replaceable. After the phone rings, he challenges her bluff with a, “You gonna answer that?” and she frustratingly does. It’s the little stuff like this where Venkman proves his value to the team, though it goes under the radar under the guise of comedy. There’s also Venkman’s most endearing quality in his calmness under pressure, disguised as deadpan humor. In terms of a comic performance, yes, Murray’s deadpan selling of the script might be the best example of the term, but there’s more to it in regard to the character himself. Maybe it’s Murray’s focus on being the “cool” scientist or a commitment to the deadpan performance, but Venkman reacting with an understated, calm demeanor when facing danger is the coolest and funniest part about him. It could be the reason why he achieved his doctorate status in university, despite coming off as someone who cheated his way through school. In the jail scene, Ray did point out that Venkman never studied. However, this is more indicative of Venkman’s natural aptitude compared to the others, as he is willing to rely on it rather than harness it and scratch the itch like Egon or Ray clearly do. Then again, it also could be that Venkman just responds to things much differently than the others.

In their first real ghost sighting, he is startled but is calm enough on the surface to collect the group and try to help strategize a plan. When facing off against Slimer at the end of the hallway at the hotel, they share eye contact and Venkman is frozen. He’s not sure how to go about things, but he’s not responding frantically. It’s just the way he processes things. None of the Ghostbusters would get as far as Venkman did upon seeing the state of Dana once she becomes the Gatekeeper. Immediately upon the door opening, he notices the change in attitude and appearance, and every response he has to her ghoulish statements are just as funny as the last. What’s cool about it is that Venkman is aware something is up right after she closes the door in his face when he says he’s not the Keymaster. From then on, he gets the hint, tells her he is a friend of the Keymaster after knocking again, and they walk and talk, with Venkman pressing just far enough to see if more vital information as to what is going on is revealed. Once she refers to herself as Zuul when he slyly says, “I didn’t get your name”, she goes on about how they must prepare for the coming of Gozer, the Destructor. Venkman looks around the apartment and notices the supernatural changes and straight-faces, “Are we still going out? You could pick up the place if you’re expecting someone”. It’s hilarious and classic Venkman, especially with Zuul asking if he wants this body and him saying, “Is this a trick question?”. He’s basically playing chess with a demon and seeing how far he can take it before she attacks. It’s actually riveting to watch the master of words in Venkman at work. She continues to try to seduce him, and he comments that he made it a rule to never get involved with possessed people, though he still considers it (“It’s more of a guideline than a rule”). Then, she tells him, “I want you inside me” and Venkman aloud tells himself, “Go ahead – No, I can’t”. It’s gold, but then he transitions all of this to getting answers. He finds that Zuul has taken over Dana’s body and reveals a demonic voice that would have anyone else sprinting out of there, but Venkman just calls it a lovely singing voice.

Even though he has no plan to combat Zuul in this moment, he tries to give her to the count of three to give up Dana, resulting in Zuul calling his bluff and having Dana’s body float above the bed. Though she makes him flinch after growling at him like a dog, he later calls Egon to tell him that he shot her up with 300 cc’s of Thorazine to sedate her, how she’s referring to herself as the Gatekeeper, and how “We have to get these two together” when Egon tells him he has the Keymaster in Louis at the station. Nothing fazes Venkman. He is the prototypical example of “Act like you’ve been there before” and thriving under the pressure. When Dana and Louis are turned into mythical dogs for Zuul, he just accepts the fact that this is Dana in the present moment and goes about his business, refusing to be intimidated by the appearance of Gozer (“Lets show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown!”). Apparently, this is the “biggest inter-dimensional cross-rip since the Tunguska blast of 1909” and when the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is destroying New York City like Godzilla, Venkman just goes, “Well there’s something you don’t see every day”. In the climax, the group is freaking out and Egon’s idea of reversing the particle flow through the gate by crossing the streams could save the day, but there’s a slim chance of survival. They are noticeably worried at the thought of it. Even so, they kind of know it’s the only way, and Venkman breaks the ice by saying he loves the plan and is excited to be a part of it. He’s even the first to shoot his stream as if to say, “If we have to do this to save the world, let’s do it”. Venkman’s way of showing courage empowers the others, and it’s in this moment, they come together as a collective and are willing to sacrifice themselves to save the known universe. This is why Murray’s performance as Venkman is so much bigger than a great comedic role. He is the one who rallies the troops as the leader (“Alright, this chick is toast!”). Special credit goes to Aykroyd and Ramis for coming up with the crux of the idea and still deciding to take a backseat onscreen to let Murray shine as the face of the group.

Dan Aykroyd’s love for this stuff is well documented. With him hosting similarly themed shows like the Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal and The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd over the years, there was no one better to create such a fantastical blend of the paranormal and comedy at the highest level, which is why he was also the best person to rattle off a lot of the mythology behind the dangers they face and does so with great enthusiasm (“The whole building is a huge super conductive antenna that was designed and built expressly for the purpose of pulling in and concentrating spiritual turbulence”). Ray Stanz and Aykroyd seem one and the same, and the excitement with which Ray speaks of these crazy details like everything tracing back to Dr. Ivo Shandor, and him leading a secret society of close to a thousand Gozer worshippers in 1920 that used to perform rituals on the roof of Dana’s building with the intention of bringing about the end of the world, is felt. Their defined characters couldn’t be more evident when Ray talks to Gozer as a law enforcement official with Aykroyd’s signature militant delivery of, “As a dually designated representative of the city, county, and state of New York, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension”. Venkman sarcastically adds “That ought a do it. Thanks very much Ray” while Egon gives Venkman a death stare. You couldn’t write this scene any better. Aykroyd still has some funny moments like getting sucked off by a ghost in the montage or the shot of him hanging his cigarette from his lip after seeing Slimer for the first time, but Ray Stantz is crucial as the heart of the Ghostbusters. Aykroyd played this exactly how he needed to and is arguably the most important piece to this production as a whole. With Harold Ramis, he only has a few acting credits to his name, but he makes them count. The role of Egon Spengler is one the most underrated characters of the 1980s and is arguably just as memorable as Venkman. With his circular spectacles, upright hair, and monotone, scientific way of speaking, Egon won the hearts of audiences all over the world.

He’s the serious one in the group, but Ramis still manages to make it a great comic performance, with a true understanding of his role in the team and the movie as a whole. Despite being third-billed, his take on the character became so popular that his role was increased with each subsequent Ghostbusters production. In The Real Ghostbusters, Egon is treated like the respected unofficial captain while Venkman is more of a goofball but the media’s perceived face of the group. The writers behind the show seemed to respect the character more than the films ever did and treat him as such. Even in the sequel series Extreme Ghostbusters, he’s the only remaining member training new people. When the franchise returned in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the newfound love and admiration for Egon over the years coupled with Ramis’s death led to the character getting a hero’s sendoff that essentially reignited the franchise. Even though Ramis has always preferred to be behind the camera, him being coerced into joining the cast after helping write the film was the best possible outcome for the success of Ghostbusters and kept the film grounded in reality when it could have been too over-the-top with the combined comedic stylings of Murray, Aykroyd, and Rick Moranis. Containing one of the most memorable names in cinema history, the lovable and endearing Egon Spengler is the reason the franchise has been able to sustain its success over such a long period of time. That’s how much Ramis gave the fans in this film, and it goes unnoticed more than it should. Admittedly, Ernie Hudson’s role is smaller because he joins the team after they achieve some success and he’s the only one who doesn’t have a doctorate, but he still wins the fans over as the normal one just responding in kind to the chaos happening around them in a classic New Yorker-type of way. In doing so, he wins over the blue-collar viewers more than anything (“If there is a steady paycheck in it, I’ll believe anything you say”). At the very least, Winston Zeddemore can hang his hat on the fact that he is the one who figured out what was happening after him and Ray discuss Revelations 7:12. Ray talks about how every religion has its own myth about the end of the world, so Winston suggests they may be so busy lately because the dead have been rising from the grave and the world is in fact ending.

You, see? They gave him something! Plus, adding a group member later on gave Ray a reason to explain important details to the audience like the containment unit’s purpose in incarcerating the ghost and how to use it like inserting the trap, setting the entry grid, neutronizing the field, and “when the light is green the trap is clean”. Just Ray’s line to Winston about how it’s where they store “vapors, entities, and slimers” sets up The Real Ghostbusters to allow the show to explore the team facing off against a multitude of fantastical creatures and opponents rather than just ghosts. It’s all by design and serves a purpose.

There’s this sense of unity that I love in Ghostbusters. This team brings together New York and America at its most divided, and the goosebumps are felt as the crowd cheers them on before and after. Some may say it’s nostalgia, but I don’t see it that way. There is something about this group specifically, and how they react against government meddling (“This is a high voltage laser containment system simply turning it off would be like dropping a bomb in the city”), proving the doubters wrong, and going up against a Sumerian demigod worshipped in 6000 BC to save not only the city but the world. The threat is felt, but everyone comes together because these brave heroes are willing to defend Earth with a smile on their faces, knowing all they have is their proton packs and their wits. Something about it just gives the audience this warm feeling inside like they are watching something special. The shot of Venkman, Ray, Egon, and Winston emerging from the smoke in the climax as they stare up at the temple, before they acknowledge that Gozer has to go through them to which Venkman replies, “That’s right. Go get her Ray!” is one of my favorite wide shots of the decade. Going on that note, the montage where the Ghostbusters start picking up traction and gain a lot of publicity is also one of my favorites, as it’s basically predicting the franchise’s real-life future. It’s just a sliver of all the fun and excitement being had. The beautiful Sigourney Weaver was a great foil for Murray, and her reactions to the horror elements of the film brought the viewer back into the serious parts just when it was needed. Rick Moranis was a great final addition to the cast too, as Louis Tully has become just as much a part of the Ghostbusters franchise as the team members themselves. Louis trying to win over Dana and failing, to hosting his party, to becoming the crazed but comical Keymaster spewing nonsense to strangers about how he is “Vinz Clortho” and “Volguus Zildrohar Lord of Sebouillia” before running away shouting that they will all perish just seamlessly fills out the rest of the movie. It gets to the point where Bellevue doesn’t want him, so the cops turn him over to Egon because the Ghostbusters have become that important in society in short order.

Man, I just love how all of this ties together. Can’t you tell?

The special and practical effects only add to the film’s charm. With the quality of the set design, and the puppets and miniatures used, being a huge part in living up to its big-budget, comedy extravaganza label. The horror of the “Old Testament, wrath of God type stuff” the characters face just wouldn’t feel the same had it consisted of a bunch of CGI like in the films of today. There is an art and a soul with what is done here, a love for the craft and the idea created. What is accomplished in all the practical effects is yet another major part as to why this production is so endearing. The look, the vibe, the aura, all of it came together to make Ghostbusters. It’s one of those movies where you don’t want to change anything because it was such a perfect storm. It doesn’t end there either. When trying to create a film that will make a lasting impact and impression in people’s minds, a big part of a movie’s success is the marketing of it all. Two films that should be considered the blueprint for how to market a movie is 1989’s Batman and Ghostbusters. The marketing teams behind both productions mean just as much to the box office success of the movies as the main actors do. With Ghostbusters, the film still would have done great and matched the level of a Caddyshack or Stripes in terms of fanfare and lasting popularity. However, the detail of the production as a whole is what helped turn it into a pop culture phenomenon, such as the iconic Ghostbusters logo. Are there any movies in existence that can be recognized by millions with just a singular picture (not counting superhero emblems as they are a given)? The list is short, right? Just this logo alone is a major contributor to the lasting impact of the movie. Kids and adults alike can see that red “No” line through the ghost and know exactly what movie it’s from, even if they haven’t seen the film. That is marketing! Along with this, there’s the score. Somehow, Elmer Bernstein managed to create a score that fit the serious elements of the film while keeping things light and whimsical to match the comedic focus just as well. Only a true musician could pull off such a feat, as a misunderstanding of the concept could prove to be drastic in editing, and the viewers’ perception of the movie could change in an instant.

This is why a film’s music is so important, and why Bernstein was yet another important piece to the puzzle in making things work to the level it did. On top of that, we have to mention Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters”, a theme song so good that it was legitimately the biggest song in the country and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In a case of the Academy getting it wrong again, somehow the song still lost the Oscar to Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” for The Woman in Red. Not that Wonder’s song wasn’t good, it’s just that Parker Jr. song is right up there with fucking Star Wars as one of the most recognizable cinematic themes EVER! In addition, the fact that the studio didn’t have a merchandise plan ready and only threw one together over the years is a shame in hindsight because Ghostbusters could have hit Star Wars levels of money had they knew what it was going to be upon its release. Still, they started to merchandise over time, and it coincided with the popular cartoon sequel series in The Real Ghostbusters. Combining the show and developing merchandise with the continued success of the first movie, allowed for the money to start coming in big time, furthering the legacy of the brand. It’s not an accident either. This is a testament to how well thought out the details of the initial production and how underrated the intricacies of Aykroyd and Ramis’s screenplay were. With just one movie, the foundation for an entire seven season show was created, and all of the devices that came from the minds of the team behind the scenes, created some of the most sought-after items for any movie fan to want to own. The invention of the PKE meter, proton pack, and the ghost trap are flat-out awesome ideas that not only serve the purpose of the story but are devices that are so cool in their design and use, the viewer can’t help but desperately want to own it. It’s right up there with the lightsaber! How could Columbia not see why kids wouldn’t want these things as toys from the get-go? Even today, you can see the legacy of the film at virtually every Comic-Con, where adult fans will be dressed in the full gear of a Ghostbuster.

Along with action figures and playsets involving the main characters that every kid wanted, this movie made the attire of a glorified garbage man a desired Halloween costume! Again, the word “phenomenon” cannot be stated enough. Chances are, anyone who grew up in the 80s has Ghostbusters somewhere on their list of their favorite movies. At the very least, they will have fond memories of watching it for the first time. To this day, I get goosebumps on a rewatch when the team gets their first call. Still, it’s not just nostalgia that props this movie up. This is an objective triumph of cinema. It’s one of those movies that defined a generation. With Bill Murray at the top of his game, an original story that delivers in both the departments of comedy and legitimate scares, a bevy of moments and scenes that will live forever in our collective consciences, and an all-time premise that might serve as one of the best pitches ever, Ghostbusters is without a doubt deserving of being considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

Fun Fact: Originally, the idea was vastly different and Dan Aykroyd’s idea would have him paired with John Belushi. After Belushi’s death, the script changed immensely, along with the help of Harold Ramis. Aykroyd wanted Eddie Murphy for Ernie Hudson’s role and was supposed to be a part of the Belushi-led original project, but the role was reduced when Murray was brought in, so Murphy declined, especially after he secured Beverly Hills Cop. Gregory Hines and Reginald VelJohnson were also considered. Julia Roberts, Kelly LeBrock, Daryl Hannah, and Denise Crosby auditioned for Sigourney Weaver’s part and John Candy was offered Rick Moranis’s role. Candy declined after his suggestions were turned down, mostly because he didn’t understand the character. Because Bill Murray’s involvement was always a question mark, names like Chevy Chase, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Steve Guttenberg, and Michael Keaton were all considered for the role of Peter Venkman. For the record, I can kind of see Guttenberg in the role if it wasn’t Murray. For Egon, Keaton, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, and John Lithgow were considered. The idea for Gozer was initially envisioned as a business-suited architect and was offered to Paul Reubens, but he turned it down and the character design was changed.