Ghostbusters II (1989)

The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd (characters), Harold Ramis (characters)

Stars:

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver

2 wins & 1 nomination.

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
Ernie Hudson	...	Winston Zeddemore
Annie Potts	...	Janine Melnitz
Peter MacNicol	...	Dr. Janosz Poha
Harris Yulin	...	The Judge
David Margulies	...	The Mayor of NY
Kurt Fuller	...	Hardemeyer
Janet Margolin	...	The Prosecutor
Wilhelm von Homburg	...	Vigo
William T. Deutschendorf	...	Baby Oscar (as Will Deutschendorf)
Henry J. Deutschendorf II	...	Baby Oscar (as Hank Deutschendorf)

Storyline

Having lost their status and credibility five years after covering New York City with marshmallow in Ghostbusters (1984), the once-famous band of spirit-hunters find themselves struggling to keep afloat, working odd jobs. However, when Dana Barrett and her baby, Oscar, have yet another terrifying encounter with the paranormal, it's up to Peter Venkman and his fearless team of supernatural crime-fighters to save the day. Now, once more, humanity is in danger, as rivers of slimy psycho-reactive ectoplasm, and the dreadful manifestation of the evil sixteenth-century tyrant, Vigo the Carpathian, threaten to plunge the entire city into darkness unless the selfless Ghostbusters take action. Can they save the world for the second time?

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | ghostbuster | baby | ghost | slime | 

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Taglines:

Be ready to believe us.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

A scene was filmed, but cut which Hardemeyer gets swallowed by the pink slime surrounding the museum.

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Goofs

Whenever the front door to the firehouse is seen open from the street, it can be seen that the interior is different than scenes that take place inside, since the actual firehouse is in Manhattan and the interior scenes are shot on a soundstage, just like in the first film.

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Quotes

Peter Venkman: Dana, the guys are going down to the sewer to check for slime stuff. And Egon thinks there may be a huge surge in cockroach breeding. Want to blow off this dinner thing and go with them?
Dana: Taxi!

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Crazy Credits

Slimer is credited as a cast member during the closing title sequence.

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Alternate Versions

An original shot of a ghost coming through a large arch in the streets of New York had a giant skeleton standing in the archway. The cut shown in theatres featured a large, reptillian monster.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Bill Murray/Percy Sledge (1987)

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Soundtracks

Flesh 'N Blood
Written by Danny Elfman
Produced by Oingo Boingo
Performed by Oingo Boingo
Courtesy of MCA Records, Inc.

User Reviews

No, It's Not The Original, But It's Still Very Funny

This was another sequel that was fashionable to knock when it came out. It got panned because it couldn't live up to the first Ghostbusters. Well, what could? The first one was so original, so enormously popular than any sequel was bound to fail as far as matching it.

This second Ghostbusters was just fine, very entertaining and it was nice to see all the main characters back. It had a little nicer feel to it and was more family-friendly language-wise, so it even had some things going for it the first one didn't have.

The other major different in this sequel was watching Peter MacNichol, who reprized his "Renfield"-type character from Mel Brooks' "Dead: And Loving It" comedy with Leslie Nielsen. Here, MacNichol plays "Janosz Poha," another wacko with a thick Eastern European accent. He is hilarious, and elevates the enjoyment of this film. Otherwise, the rest of the cast plays and acts just as they did in the first film, which means you'll get a lot of laughs out of them The story just isn't as intense, that's all. No, it can't equal the original, but.....

The bottom line is this: Don't try to compare the two films. If you enjoyed the first, you'll like this.....period.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ghostbusters II: River of Slime

Filming Locations:

Val's Restaurant, 10130 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,472,894, 18 June 1989

Gross USA:

$112,494,738

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$215,394,738

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Stereo (Germany, 35 mm prints) Dolby Atmos (Blu-ray release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1