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:

The Superstars of the Supernatural are back. And this time, it's no marshmallow roast.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The kid who tells Ray that, according to his dad, the Ghostbusters are "full of crap" is played by Jason Reitman, son of director Ivan Reitman, and future Oscar-nominated director of "Juno (2007)," "Up in the Air (2009)," and "Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)." Reitman's daughter Catherine Reitman plays the girl with the puppy in Egon's lab.

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Goofs

When Egon, Winston, and Ray enter the cavern of slime, they kick down a wall of rocks. While looking around, Ray sits down on one and it squishes.

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Quotes

Dana: His name is Oscar.
Peter Venkman: Named after a hot dog. You poor man. You poor, poor man.

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Crazy Credits

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

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Alternate Versions

After the ghostbusters visit the museum and inspect the painting, Ray falls under Vigo's hypnotic gaze and goes crazy through the streets, running a red light and nearly killing the four of them. Winston finally manages to gain control and the Ectomobile runs into a tree. Peter remarks to Egon to watch Ray and not let him shave by himself. This scene was cut, but the shot of the Ectomobile running the red light and Peter and Egon trading bewildered looks was saved for the montage sequence. However, this sequence remained in the novelization.

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Connections

Spin-off New Ghostbusters II (1990)

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Soundtracks

Flip City
Written by Glenn Frey & Hawk Wolinski
Produced by Glenn Frey & Hawk Wolinski
Performed by Glenn Frey
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