I Ain't 'Fraid of No Ghost

Ghostbusters (1984)

There are plenty great comedies of the 80s but within the Mount Rushmore, "Ghostbusters" is perhaps George Washington or Lincoln. Well at least to this 80s kid who remembers the film (and, yes, its cartoon), it is one of the greats. The song is iconic, ghosts turned loose on NYC when damned Atherton and that punchable face insist the Ghostbuster team shut off their "ghost concealment machine" at their headquarters (refurbished firestation that perhaps, as Egon says, should have been condemned) because he considered their whole operation a farce (despite evidence that proves otherwise), the entire classic pursuit of Slimer in the fancy hotel which leaves the building a mess due to their protopacks missing the green, floating ugly with mouth and teeth gobbling food from trays inside the building's floors), the library ghoul that sends Egon, Venkman, and Ray running for their lives, poor Alice Drummond in the library scared half to death, Moranis who steals every scene he's in as the well-meaning but feckless neighbor in Weaver's apartment complex pursued by one of the demon hounds (The KeyMaster) who can't get any help from a restaurant full of uninterested patrons, Weaver possessed by another of the demon hounds (The Gatekeeper) who becomes a client of the Ghostbusters when her eggs crack and cook on her counter and pursued romantically by Murray, Hudson's Winston telling Ray that when a Sumerian demon asks if he is a god he says YES (seriously, Hudson never gets his due but he's so funny as the straight man to his goofy scientists, reacting as we might to their pseudo-paranormal babble), Murray's Venkman "testing" Steven Tash and the lovely Jennifer Runyon for "psychic abilities" (using his "jolt device" for kicks on Tash, while also looking to date Runyon), Aykroyd and Ramis' straight-faced "paranormal speak" often poked fun at by Murray with Hudson humoring them even as he clearly wonders what the hell they are talking about, Murray's dedicated quest to woo Weaver and her clear inability to totally avoid his charms, Moranis constantly locked out of his apartment, the Mayor (David Margulies; I just love this guy) having to respond to the inexplicable ramifications of Atherton's ordered release of all the paranormal activity trapped by the Ghostbuster team on his city, Annie Potts (another perfect casting choice) as the nasally, quirky secretary at the GB headquarters who proclaims the immortal line, "We got one!!!" while flirting with Egon ("I collect spores, molds, and fungus"), and all the neat special effects (one of my favorites is the rotted cabbie!) make up just some of the highlights. This cast is such an epic ensemble. "Back off, man. I'm a scientist".

 August 10, 2019