Ghostbusters (1984)
"Ghost Busters" (original title)

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

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis,

Stars:

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Three odd-ball scientists get kicked out of their cushy positions at a university in New York City where they studied the occult. They decide to set up shop in an old firehouse and become Ghostbusters, trapping pesky ghosts, spirits, haunts, and poltergeists for money. They wise-crack their way through the city, and stumble upon a gateway to another dimension, one which will release untold evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters are called on to save the Big Apple.

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Plot Keywords:

ghostbuster | ghost | apartment | new york city | university | 

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Taglines:

They're Here To Save The World.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Columbia Pictures MySpace.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ghostbusters

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$13,612,564 (USA) (8 June 1984)

Gross:

$6,723,388 (USA) (20 September 1985)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Black Rhino Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Delphi Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original script had a budding romance between the cynical receptionist Janine and the blissfully out of it Egon, but most of it was edited out of the film. The special edition DVD features a deleted scene of Janine giving Egon a coin for luck before he goes off with the other Ghostbusters to fight Gozer; they are interrupted by Venkman. The relationship between Janine and Egon was explored more in the animated series that followed.

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Goofs

Obvious seam between the hot and cold sections of the counter top, revealed by the eggs only partially turning white.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits for this film, other than the title.

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Connections

Referenced in House: Known Unknowns (2009)

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Soundtracks

"MAGIC"
Written by Mick Smiley
Produced by Keith Forsey
Performed by Mick Smiley

User Reviews

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.