Ghost Busters (1984)

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd (written by) and
Harold Ramis (written by)

Release Date:

8 June 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Here To Save The World Again [re-release]

Plot:

Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.

Plot Keywords:

Ghostbuster | Ghost | Apartment | New York City | University

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Bill Murray	...	Dr. Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd	...	Dr. Raymond Stantz
Sigourney Weaver	...	Dana Barrett
Harold Ramis	...	Dr. Egon Spengler
Rick Moranis	...	Louis Tully
Annie Potts	...	Janine Melnitz
William Atherton	...	Walter Peck
Ernie Hudson	...	Winston Zeddmore
David Margulies	...	Mayor
Steven Tash	...	Male Student
Jennifer Runyon	...	Female Student
Slavitza Jovan	...	Gozer
Michael Ensign	...	Hotel Manager
Alice Drummond	...	Librarian
Jordan Charney	...	Dean Yager

Also Known As:

Ghost Busters (UK)
Ghostbusters (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Brazil:Livre | Portugal:M/6 | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | New Zealand:PG | Australia:M (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Ireland:PG | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

55 Central Park West, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Black Rhino Productions

Trivia:

At their first brush with a ghost, Peter (Bill Murray) chides Ray (Dan Aykroyd) by calling him "Francine" ("Come here Francine."). This may have been Murray poking ad-lib fun - or a jibe by the writers, including Aykroyd himself - at Aykroyd's real-life friendship with Fran Drescher (see her bio).

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Ghostbusters are climbing the stairs to go and meet Gozer on the roof, they get off at the 22nd floor. When the outside shot of the building is shown, there is no way that the penthouse (or top floor) of the building is only 22 floors up. The building is much taller than that.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Peter Venkman: All right, I'm gonna turn over the next card. Concentrate... I want you to tell me what you think it is.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Girls Next Door: Ghostbusted (#1.10)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

HOT NIGHT

A severely underrated film

What's that you say? Ghostbusters, one of the most financially successful and over-hyped comedies of the eighties, underrated? Yes. Precicely because it was so over-hyped and made so much money, there has been a stigma attached to this film identifying it as a childish FX piece, when it is nothing of the sort. Most of the lines people remember("He slimed me," "OK. So? She's a dog," "When someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES!") are not its funniest or wittiest lines, which often are missed on first or even second viewing. I laugh every time I observe a gag or a quip that I somehow missed the other 20 times I viewed a scene; "Egon, this reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head, remember that?" "That would have worked if you hadn't stopped me", or, to the driver of a van from a loony bin, "Dropping off or picking up?" Brilliant.

Not only is Ghostbusters funny, it manages to include some truly scary scenes. And not just lose-your-popcorn moments like the fridge from Hell, but also scenes of quiet, thoughtful chill, like Egon's retelling of how the possessed apartment building came into being, or Winston recalling the Book of Revelation. Which other film has managed to combine the Marx Brothers with HP Lovecraft?

The special effects hold up well, besides some obvious studio sets and models, but what really creates this film's world is the stunning cinematography. Manhattan, perhaps the pinnacle of Gothic architectural evolution, is brilliantly utilised here to create a sense of menacing grandeur. After watching "Ghostbusters" I couldn't imagine the realm of the Old Gods opening into our world from anywhere else. The soundtrack is great, not the overrated theme (Which was in fact lifted from Huey Lewis' "I Need a New Drug"), but the wonderfully blusey "Cleaning Up the Town," the creepy proto-techno chiller "Magic" and also the wonderful score by the late and much lamented Elmer Bernstein.