Poster © Columbia Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreAction, Comedy & Fantasy
RatedNot Rated
Runtime1 hr 45 mins
ReleasedJune 8, 1984
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorIvan Reitman
StarringBill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver
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Ghostbusters (1984)
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| Ghostbusters's Details | |
| Genre | Action, Comedy & Fantasy |
| Rated | Not Rated |
| Released | 06/08/1984 |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 45 mins |
| Budget | $25–30M (reported) |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Ghostbusters's Interests | |
| General | Proton packs, ecto goggles, the firehouse pole, a haunted fridge, one green blob with a room service habit. |
| Music | Elmer Bernstein. Ray Parker Jr. wrote the theme song, and yes, you are humming it right now. |
| Movies | Ghostbusters II (1989). Same crew, plus a river of pink slime under the city. |
| Television | The Real Ghostbusters. The Saturday morning cartoon where Egon got brand new hair. |
| Heroes | Janine Melnitz. Ran the whole operation from one desk with one phone. |
| Ghostbusters's Crew | |
| Director | Ivan Reitman |
| Writers | Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis |
| Producers | Ivan Reitman |
| Cinematography | László Kovács |
| Music | Elmer Bernstein |
| Edited By | David E. Blewitt, Sheldon Kahn |
| Production | Columbia-Delphi Productions, Black Rhino |
| Distributed By | Columbia Pictures |
Peter Venkman would get fired from any job on earth by Friday, and the whole movie is built around him. Bill Murray barely seems to be in the same film as everyone else, mumbling wisecracks at ghosts like they’re noisy neighbors, and somehow that’s the magic. The plot is thin: an ancient apocalypse nobody explains well, two demon dogs, and a guy from the EPA who is honestly the most reasonable person in New York. Venkman’s pushy flirting with Dana also plays a lot creepier now. But Dan Aykroyd’s Ray treats every haunting like Christmas morning, Harold Ramis says science nonsense with total conviction, and Rick Moranis steals a party scene without trying. The effects are rubbery and perfect. It made $296.6 million worldwide on a reported $25 to $30 million budget. An 8.1 because the vibe is unbeatable even when the story is a shrug. $1,409 says you open your fridge tonight a little slower than usual.
What works: Bill Murray’s deadpan, the chemistry of the four guys in jumpsuits, and practical effects that still feel handmade and fun.
What doesn’t: The plot is a pile of mythology nobody cares about, and Venkman’s pushy flirting with Dana has aged badly.
Who it’s for: Families who want a spooky comedy that’s more goofy than scary, and anyone who grew up with a toy proton pack.
Spoilers
Gozer tells the team to choose the form of the destroyer, Ray accidentally pictures the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and a giant marshmallow stomps through Manhattan. They cross the streams to close the portal, and the city gets covered in marshmallow.
Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) study ghosts for a living, right up until Columbia University kicks them off campus. So Ray mortgages his house, they buy a beat-up old firehouse, and they open for business as paranormal pest control. Janine (Annie Potts) works the phones. The phones do not ring. Then cellist Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) finds something very wrong inside her refrigerator, and a green blob starts raiding room service at a fancy hotel. Ivan Reitman directs. One hundred five minutes, one very slimed Venkman.
Anyone with a haunted fridge and a working phone line. Proton packs are only slightly tested.
| Bill Murray | Peter Venkman |
| Dan Aykroyd | Ray Stantz |
| Sigourney Weaver | Dana Barrett |
| Harold Ramis | Egon Spengler |
| Rick Moranis | Louis Tully |
| Annie Potts | Janine Melnitz |
| William Atherton | Walter Peck |
| Ernie Hudson | Winston Zeddemore |