Ghostbusters

The 1984 film Ghostbusters offers a lighthearted take on the struggle between humans and supernatural evil. It represents a humorous counterpart to such "serious" films as The Haunting (1963) and The Legend of Hell House (1973).

The script was written by Dan Aykroyd (1952–) and Harold Ramis (1944–), who played the title characters (along with Bill Murray, 1950–, and Ernie Hudson, 1945–). Ivan Reitman (1946–) directed this "action comedy," which opens with three parapsychologists (researchers into the paranormal) played by Aykroyd, Ramis, and Murray, being fired from their academic jobs. They start a private firm, "Ghostbusters," hire a colleague (Hudson) and a secretary (Annie Potts, 1952–), and take jobs ridding New York of pesky ghosts.

After clearing out the apartment of Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver, 1949–), the Ghostbusters realize that her building is being used to summon the ancient Babylonian God, Gozer—an event that could bring on the end of the world. The terrible creature finally shows up and the Ghostbusters go to work. The film's title song (which included the oft-repeated "Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!"), by Ray Parker Jr. (1954–), was a hit single and a popular music video.

The hugely successful film was followed by Ghostbusters II in 1989. Director Reitman and the original cast returned to combat another supernatural threat to the world. New York's sewers are filling with pink slime, a sign of impending spiritual doom. The Ghostbusters determine that the spirit of a dead wizard, Vigo the Carpathian, is seeking to be reborn so that he can use sorcery to rule the world. For his reincarnation, Vigo targets the infant son of Dana Barrett. Aykroyd, Murray, and company are called to save the day once again.

The popular movies gave rise to the usual cultural artifacts: action figures, video games (see entry under 1970s—Sports and Games in volume 4), and trading cards. They also inspired an animated-cartoon television series, which ran from 1986 to 1991. The Real Ghostbusters took the main characters from the films and put them in humorously scary situations with ghosts and ghouls, not unlike those seen in the Scooby-Doo cartoon series.

—Justin Gustainis

For More Information

Brown, Christopher. The Official Ghostbuster Training Manual: A Guide to Catching Ghosts. Yellow Springs, OH: Antioch Publishing Co., 1984.

Ghostbusters.net: Your Guide to Ghostbusters.http://www.ghostbusters.net/ghostbusters (accessed April 1, 2002).

Teitelbaum, Michael, and Steve Smallwood. The Great Ghost Show. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987.