(I ain't afraid of no ghosts. But when the fuckers suddenly start lifting objects that even ten live men can't - then, yes, bitches: I am afraid of ghosts...)
CAST: Sir Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Rick Moranis, William Atherton, David Margulies.
DIRECTOR Ivan Reitman.
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and slimy specters fighting Sir Bill Murray for the hand of one statuesquely gorgeous brunette - straight ahead...
Comedy/horror films have to walk a fine line between the yuks and the screams. Very few of them succeed. And when they do, it's often because the creators had to choose more of one over the other. SCREAM (1996) was a sardonic send-up of the slasher genre that also managed to be a scary, full-blooded horror/thriller in its own right. Basically, SCREAM is a horror film with a lot of humor - but it knows what it wants to do, first and foremost: scare the crap of the audience. And it succeeds.
GHOSTBUSTERS, on the other hand, is a comedy with a lot of horror in it. Granted, the horror is very tongue-in-cheek, but it's definitely there. But, unlike SCREAM, this movie wants to, first and foremost, make the audience laugh out loud. Like SCREAM, GHOSTBUSTERS wisely gives precedence to one element over the other. The creators probably remembered that ancient Chinese proverb: "The person who chases two rabbits - loses both." And it works.
Our story gets off to a strong start with an attack on a librarian in the New York Public Library. Nope, the perpetrator is not a disgruntled patron pissed off over an unfair overdue charge. It's a ghost. Naturally, this makes the news, and soon our heroes are making a beeline for the library to investigate.
They would be: (1) Dr. Peter Venkman (Sir Bill Murray), laid-back charmer of a scientist who is the ringleader of his quirky team; (2) Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), eager-beaver scientist who's the scientific equivalent of a fan-boy; and (3) Dr. Egon Spengler, scientist who's the "cool-head" that serves as a leash to the bulldog that Peter can sometimes (okay, more than just "sometimes) be.
Our trio specializes in paranormal phenomena, and they're hoping to use the library incident as definitive proof that ghosts exists. You see, our guys are not very respected at the University they work for. Sure enough, when the library attack doesn't pan out the way they want it to, the University basically throws them out on their asses. This ruffles only Raymond and Egan, though, because Peter is one of those eternal optimists who is always looking on the bright side. And in this case, the bright side tell him that they should open their own business as professional ghost-eliminators. Also known as.... Care to guess?
Jesus H. Christensen, people, work with me, here! They're called GHOSBUSTERS! Sheesh....
At any rate, while our heroic trio is slowly putting up their shingle, lovely cello player Dana Barrett starts experiencing some paranormal phenomena in her apartment. Specifically, eggs randomly explode and fry themselves on her kitchen counter. Not aware of any special feature that would allow her countertop to double as a skillet, Dana consults with Venkman and his team. Oh, and the fact that she glimpses a demon inside her refrigerator screaming, "ZOOL!!!" might be another motivating factor.
Needless to say, there hasn't exactly been an onslaught of prospective clients beating down the Ghostbusters door, so Venkman and co. accept Dana's request for help. The fact that Dana also is a tall, alluring, hypnotically-gorgeous brunette with killer legs and even more lethal cheekbones, who just happens to look exactly like Sigourney Weaver, may have to something to do with Venkman's enthusiasm.
Is the haunting in Dana's apartment an isolated incident? Or is it related to other hauntings and specters suddenly popping up all around Manhattan? And if so, what's it all leading to? Who is "ZOOL"? And what will happen when a government agent (William Atherton) starts poking his nose around the Ghostbusters HQ? Will he inadvertently release all the ghosts that our heroes have managed to quarantine? And if so, will it spell the end of humanity?
The answers are for you to uncover. Let me just warn you that these ghosts are fucking gross. I've seen dogs with far less slobber.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Wisely playing the horror in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, and even more wisely underplaying the humor, GHOSTBUSTERS nails the perfect tone for this movie. It's serious enough for you to be hooked by some of the strange goings-on, but also droll enough that you don't take it all too seriously.
Sir Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and latecomer Ernie Hudson are all perfect as the Ghostbusting quartet. They all play off well against one another. As always, Bill is hilariously deadpan and roguish. Aykroyd makes his character's naivete and enthusiasm interesting to watch. Ramis is perfect as the cool, logical one of the group. Ernie Hudson brings a welcome, street-wise attitude to all the science-techno-paranormal jargon.
As the imperiled Dana, Sigourney Weaver is great. Just like she did in ALIEN, she manages to make her character strong and capable and never weak - even when she's in damsel-in-distress scenarios. Rick Moranis is a hoot as Dana's nerdy neighbor who gets pulled into the fray because of his proximity to her. Finally, William Atherton is suitably smug and hissable as the government bureaucrat whose arrogance unleashes hell on New York City - literally.
Verdict: GHOSTBUSTERS is the perfect comedy/horror spot. It does this by: (1) emphasizing the comedy without forcing it, (2) playing the horror in an ironic and tonue-in-cheek way, and (3) having a cast that knows exactly what it's doing. Everyone is on the same page, and they all successfully walk that fine line between being serious and being hilarious. Of course, with a genius like Sir Bill at the head of the group, how could it be anything but a smash?
