By Scott Orris
Who you gonna call? For thirty years, it has been Ghostbusters (Reitman, 1984), the iconic paranormal investigation/extermination team which remains a pop culture juggernaut. With the announcement of a third film finally in the works, Ghostbusters is still popular with enthusiastic fans wearing their proton packs at conventions, and even finding a way of recreating the famous Hi-C juice drink Ecto-Cooler. This newest addition to the franchise will be separate from the original movies, with the death of Harold Remis and Bill Murray’s lack of interest in the project, director Paul Freig has announced the new team will be all women (Yurcaba "'Ghostbusters 3' to Star 'Hilarious Women,' Says Director Paul Feig"). While nobody has been officially cast for the film, which is slated to begin production next year, there is a lot of speculation and excitement over the direction the film will take.
Being born in 1984, the year the first film was released, I grew up amidst the excitement of the original movies and The Real Ghostbusters animated television series in the late eighties and early nineties. I remember playing with all the elaborate toys, and getting goose bumps when the theme song played, while also drinking plenty of Ecto-Cooler myself. Upon reflection, I tend to view Ghostbusters through a more nostalgic lens, due to these memories, but aside from the merchandise and marketing I believe the films were actually quite innovative. The films have elements from both the horror and comedy genres, combined with amazing special effects to create two of the most interesting blockbusters from the eighties. But what really makes the films great is the dialogue. The comic banter between the characters, especially that of Dr. Peter Vankman played by Bill Murray and the other members of the team, constantly juxtaposes the lack of credibility regarding their work as paranormal investigators/exterminators with the actual threat of the ghosts themselves. By doing this the team is always contrasted with more rigid authority figures or sophisticated types: the Dean at Columbia, the EPA, Dana Barrett and her being a classical musician. I think the humorous dialogue exchanges, and amazing special effects combined with one of the most brilliant marketing campaigns that has ever come out of Hollywood has assured that the popularity of the Ghostbusters franchise will be around for another thirty years.
Works Cited:
"Ghostbusters." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
Yurcaba, Josephine."'Ghostbusters 3' to Star 'Hilarious Women,' Says Director Paul Feig." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
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