Making grey jumpsuits kinda cool

Believe it or not, I watched Ghostbusters for the first time ever this weekend. I’m not sure how a girl born in the 80s and interested in the paranormal made it two decades without watching this film, but I did.

Many factors make this 1984 movie oh-so-memorable, and it’s impossible to pinpoint only one. First, there is the comedy of Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. The premise of parapsychologists losing their university grant and opening a ghost-disposal business opens a world of possibility for humor, which Murray and Aykroyd take full advantage of. Murray’s deadpan humor as Dr. Peter Venkman is perfection, and Aykroyd is a lovably goofy Dr. Ray Stantz.

Then, of course, there is the theme song. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, I guarantee you can answer the following question: “Who ya gonna call?”

Directed by Ivan Reitman and written by two of the movie’s stars, Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, this movie definitely has some memorable scenes. My faves include the sighting of the blobbish green ghost snacking on the food on a room service cart, and the part where the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man is walking Godzilla-like down a Manhattan street. Of course the special effects--like the beams from the proton packs and the food-guzzling green ghost--look amazingly cheesy by today’s standards, but were cutting edge a couple decades ago.

Of course there are also a few objects that will forever be linked in my mind with the film, especially the grey jumpsuit/proton pack ensemble, white hearse-turned-ghostbusting vehicle, and the Ghostbusters logo (the red circle and slash, with the white ghost in the middle).

So, this movie doesn’t portray paranormal investigation realistically. Although it would be cool if I really could get a hold of a proton pack to capture ghosties…. But since the villain turns out to be a gigantic Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, this film is great in my book!