Who you gonna call? If you’re speaking to someone who doesn’t respond with “Ghostbusters” then remove that person from your life immediately. In a similar vein, if your friends or anyone in your immediate circle can’t hum along to the “du-du-du-du-du-doooo” of the movie’s theme song then it may also be time to consider your relationship with said people. But in all seriousness, our favorite ghost related film is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and is also returning to theaters for a limited time in celebration of this fact. And so we thought it was prudent to take a quick look at the staying power of Ghostbusters and the stranglehold it still has on popular culture even to this day.

The Original and Still the Best

Since the movie was released back in 1984, many directors have tried to recapture the bottled magnificence that was Ghostbusters. The 1989 sequel, which was also directed by Ivan Reitman was infinitely less successful than the original and in all honesty, risked ruining the legacy created by the Ghostbusters franchise.

Reitman also stealthily tried remaking the original called Evolution in 2001, which failed to hit the same highs and recreate the on-screen chemistry of Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson and Harold Ramis. The fact that the movie was released well over 30 years ago and hasn’t been bested speaks volumes about its quality. If that’s not enough, Aykroyd recently revealed that he’s returning for the third installment of the franchise.

 

Impact on the Video Gaming Scene

Just over 10 years since the release of the original, Ghostbusters: The Video Game has finally been remastered and released. That Saber Interactive and Mad Dog Games (the brains behind NBA Playgrounds) saw fit to remaster the game in time for Halloween is proof of how relevant the Ghostbusters brand still is even to this day. With games such as The Real Ghostbusters and LEGO Dimensions, there have been a number of noteworthy gaming-related efforts over the years. The movie even has an online slot game available at Magical Vegas slots online called Ghostbusters: Spectral Search, which allows the users to zap ghosts with the infamous proton beam. All in all, the effect that Ghostbusters has had within the gaming landscape cannot be overstated.

The Rise of the Modern Blockbuster

Although many may not realize it, Ghostbusters helped give rise to the modern blockbuster and the DNA of the movie is well woven into the pop-cultural genome. When Bill Murray starred in the Christmas Carol spoof Scrooged, the tag-line read, “Murray is back among the ghosts. Only this time, it’s three against one”. Further afield than this, Men In Black is basically Ghostbusters with aliens and introducing Michael Keaton as a “bio-exorcist” in Beetlejuice was just a fancy way of saying that he acted as a people-buster. When Ghostbusters was released 1984, it quickly became engrained in the collective psyche of movie-goers and judging by recent events, it’s still alive and kicking in there.

But Wait…There’s More

With Ghostbusters 3 (or Ghostbusters 2020 if we must) slated for a 2020 release, we have plenty more ghost-related shenanigans to look forward to. Okay, it may not end up holding a candle to the original but with the return of Akroyd, we can expect a good laugh at the very least. Ultimately, Ghostbusters proved that it’s possible to tackle potentially scary subject matter in a light-hearted way and make a darn good film out of it. And we can’t wait to see what’s next.