I am not afraid of no ghost

GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)

An Appreciation by Jerry Saravia

Has time been kind to the 1984 comedy classic “Ghostbusters”? Is it as spirited, witty and even

slightly scary as it once was? Hmmm. My answer is a resounding YES! “Ghostbusters” is a special, upbeat piece of pop moviemaking, both maniacally funny and spookily frightening. It is one of the best combinations of horror and humor ever, without sinking itself to the level of dumb, sophomoric humor and gory images. No, there is not one drop of blood spilled throughout the entire film. The horror is more tongue-in-cheek -- yet still keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Most audiences today are well-versed with the film’s plot and its iconic characters. Three parapsychologists whose university studies are considered hackneyed at best are thrown out of Columbia University: Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman, a jokester who seduces young college women while giving an ESP test with electro-shocks administered if the wrong answer is given (of course, Peter never shocks the girls); Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Raymond Stantz, and Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler, are the two other parapsychologists who are more knowledgeable than Venkman.

The trio decides to rid New York City of ghosts that are tormenting and sliming everyone at

establishments such as libraries, hotels, and ancient apartment buildings in Central Park West. With the use of their nuclear-powered proton packs, the Ghostbusters aim to capture the ghosts and keep

them in a storage facility while going out on calls in their Ecto-mobile. If all this sounds too silly for

words, well, it is -- and that is part of the movie’s charm.

“Ghostbusters” could have turned into a runaway special-effects show where the effects trumped

its own story. Unlike its obscenely bad, charmless sequel that thought “endless mania” = “laughs,”

“Ghostbusters” has three delightful, likable characters at its center (and only a teeny-weeny role for

the wasted Ernie Hudson, the movie’s one major flaw) and uses practical, realistic effects, such as the

stacks of books that reach the ceiling of the library, when anything else would’ve been less effective.

Of course, we do have flashy special-effects for the anarchic ghosts that could not have been created

any other way, such as the Slime monster who consumes copious amounts of food, or the Stay

Puft Marshmallow Man, one of the more amazingly funny and far too memorably spooky gags in the

entire film.

But at the heart of “Ghostbusters” are the human characters that we root for and sympathize with.

Bill Murray shows a sweetness and sincerity that is a cut above his smart-aleck roles in “Stripes” or

“Meatballs” - it is the genial romance he develops with Dana Barrett (a very appealing Sigourney

Weaver) who is the Ghostbusters’ first customer that adds heart to the film. Ditto Harold Ramis and

his brief flirtation with the Ghostbusters’ secretary (Annie Potts). Dan Aykroyd has never been as

sharply animated as he is here, and is far more lively and human than most of his crude, cartoonish caricatures in other, lesser films. Also unforgettable is William Atherton as an EPA spokesman who senses an environmental disaster waiting to happen in the Ghostbusters’ headquarters, and David Margulies as Mayor Lenny who will have saved the lives of “millions of registered voters.” “Ghostbusters” has a goofy sensibility that would be difficult to duplicate today -- it is still fresh, consistently hilarious, endlessly quotable and perfectly cast. It also wears its heart on its sleeve.