Discuss all things Ghostbusters here, unless they would be better suited in one of the few forums below.
#4943265
I’ve been around for a few “big” movie phenomena. When a movie hits so big it’s part of the cultural zeitgeist conversation for months. Everyone starts talking about the movie. It’s the talk of the playground at recess or water cooler at work.

A few examples from my era? Jurassic Park is the first one I remember. Then Independence Day. Titanic was a HUGE one. The Matrix. Star Wars Episode 1. Then there was Harry Potter, Fellowship of the Ring. The first Spider-Man.

I have vivid memories of seeing each of those movies for the first time(minus Titanic), and I cherish them. There was an electricity in the air as soon as the lights in the theatre went down.

I was born in 1988 so I missed out on Ghostbusters mania. I never saw either film with an audience during its original run. I’m interesting in anyone who was around then sharing their stories. What was it like? How did it compare to other big movies? How many times did you see it in theatres?

One thing about Ghostbusters that’s always been hard for me to imagine is the Ray Parker Jr song being such a big hit. I mean...it’s an ok song. It works well in the movie. But for radio stations or MTV to be playing it non stop & for it to reach #1?? That just seems so odd to me.

So please. Share your Ghostbusters 1 OR 2 stories with us. Anything you can remember. Do you remember seeing the trailers and being excited for it? Was it a hotly anticipated film? Did you see it opening night?
#4943281
GB2 was the very first movie I ever saw in a theater. I was seven years old, and my mom took me to see it at the small two-screen theater in our neighborhood because I loved the cartoon. Tim Burton's first Batman movie had just come out, and the theater I saw it at was absolutely covered in Batman logos. They had them hanging from the ceiling, there were stickers on the doors and a big banner covering up the marquee outside. The only people seeing GB2 were me, my mom, and some man with his son. The man and his son ended up leaving something like 15 minutes into the movie, I think during the scene with Venkman's talk show, and never came back. (I've always just assumed they decided to go over to the other screen and see Batman instead.) Either way, my mom and I had the whole theater to ourselves and loved every second of the movie.
#4943286
I was born in '80 so missed GB1 in the cinema, something I've always been disappointed about. But when GB2 was building up it's all I would talk about, hoping someone in my family would take me to see it... Sadly no-one did! Finally watched GB2 on VHS at a friends house, full of kids, noise and chaos. I enjoyed it, but even then felt GB1 was the better film.
Skip forward a couple of decades, and for my 30th my awesome (and long-suffering!) wife H booked our local community cinema for us both to watch GB1 on the big screen - one of the best presents ever! We had the whole place to ourselves and she didn't tell me what we were seeing... But once we'd chosen the best seats in the house and the lights went down, the instant the Columbia Pictures ident hit the screen and the first note of music played, I was 8 again... And so damn-happy!
Last edited by Nighty80 on December 13th, 2020, 6:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
#4943320
There was already a thread specifically about GB2.

viewtopic.php?f=37&t=38219#p4813860

I tell the story in there about how my neighbor Craig and I attended both the noon and 2pm showings on opening day.

When I got home, I had a copy of the script waiting in my mailbox.

***

As for GB1, I did see it in theatres in 1984.

I told that story in this thread about five years ago.

viewtopic.php?f=37&t=39047&p=4827541

In a nutshell, I initially avoided the film because my younger cousin Todd said it wasn't funny, that there was only one good joke in it when Bill Murray said a guy had no d*ck.

But while on vacation with friends later that summer, that movie was chosen for the night's entertainment and thus my life was changed.

Alex
#4943323
I begged my parents to let me see GB2 in the theater, but they wouldn't let me on account of I was too young. My best friends, however, had cool parents that took them to see it and said it was awesome. My friend Rob was a huge Winston fan (I guess 'cause he's black too) and jumped up and cheered when Winston bursts through the door and saves Egon and Ray from the fire. People had to shut him up, he was so excited! I had a similar experience when I saw Casper opening weekend and to my complete and utter surprise, Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz appeared. I was so floored, I jumped up and yelled, "It's Ray Stantz! It's Ray!" And a guy had to scream at me to shut up and sit down. I can only imagine how exciting it would've been to see GB1 and GB2 opening weekend. It was so much better before internet spoilers.
#4943328
I saw the light of day in 1977, on a Monday. Talk about starting your week, right?

Being a tad too young for my parents' taste, I didn't get to see Ghostbusters back in 1984. The trailer itself scared me back when I was a 6 1/2 year-old boy. I waited till its first free broadcast. In my hometown, this meant waiting an entire three years, speeding things to 1987. Needless to say: yours truly was HOOKED you couldn't believe how much.

Then I heard they were making a new film, which got me super hyped to see my favorite screen friends, together again. This was back in the Fall of 1988. Then, the teasers and trailers hit in March 1989 (we always gor things much later). This time, I was 11 so I wouldn't be as scared... Man, was I wrong.

Fast forward to June or July 1989. My father took my sister and I to the theatre to celebrate the end of school. I could have asked for ANYTHING but I wanted to watch Ghostbusters II on the big screen! It felt like something special and I wanted to make sure this time wouldn't be a miss.

It felt like the best film I'd ever watched. Even back when it was first released at our local video store (we had a Beta), I would choose this one. I'd watch it two to four times over the weekend. By the end of 1989, I must have watched Ghostbusters II close to 20 times. It brought me memories of being with my sister and our father in a theatre and it's to this day a very cherished moment in my life.

I was there for many other "special" movies: Fight Club, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Back to the Future II, and many more... but Ghostbustesr II was always the one that hooked me to the theatregoing experience.
#4943354
I was too young when the first Ghostbusters to see it in theaters, but growing up in the 80s, I was OBSESSED with the cartoon and the VHS that had the first movie on there (thanks to my dad recording it off of HBO). My dad was working in the city when GB2 was filming and he had mentioned seeing only Raimis, Aykroyd, and Murray. I remember us debating on Winston's fate and I was CONVINCED they were going to have him flying around in a live action Ecto-2.

Ghostbusters 2's release date came and it was the first movie I remember seeing in theaters. I can't really comment on the energy of the theater because I was so damned hyped to see my heroes again in a new adventure... and to see Winston flying around in Ecto-2... needless to say, that feeling of disappointment still haunts me to this day. I remember running into my basement afterwards and playing with my kenner toys for HOURS.
#4946240
Having seen trailers for GHOSTBUSTERS on the telly I praectucally begged my mother to take us to see it. My sister was a tad reluctant, cos she thought i would be scary.

July or August '84, I think, she finally took us to see it at the AMC Holiday 6 on Union Rd. in Cheektowaga, NY. I loved every minute of it and got excited when the theme played and the title flashed on the screen. We were a bit scared by the library ghost, and laughed at the dickless reference. (My mom was shocked). We saw it again that fall with my old man.

July 1, 1989 I saw GB2 with a couple girlfriends at the Lockport Mall Cinema. Almost fainted over the "Do...Rey...EGON" scene. We went to Ponderosa's sundae bar afterward. Saw it again with my dad & sis that fall.
#4946256
I was 3 when the ghostbuster II trailers came out and absolutely demanded my parents take me.. saw the original when I was 2. I never registered them as scary . Think there's a few comments about people being scared, but by the time I saw ghostbuster 2 I've already seen aliens Jason Freddy predator ect. I never had crippling fear but those movies definitely messed me up for a long time. I was kind of thinking I had bad parenting, However my niece's and nephews are way more sheltered than I was yet I seen them get scared of Disney movies. Strong possibility I was a demented kid, but I was thinking that it was a good idea to get me desensitized after seeing the frivolous things my nieces and nephews get scared of.

So good or bad idea showing young kids horror movies?
#4946344
I was born in '83 and by the time part 2 came around I was already a huge GB fanboy, we saw it in theaters and everyone laughed particularly at the "You know my dad says you're full of crap" and "he-man" chants. My mom's boyfriend at the time was teasing me after the movie telling me that a proton pack isn't a toy so I can't be a ghostbuster anymore. I also remember the Hardee's "ghost zapper" noise maker thing I was excited about, and basically anything GB2 merchandise related. My birthday cake that year was even a GB2 cake.

A lot of movies came out that year, I remember seeing Karate Kid part III more so than the others because my family thought I was a bigger fan of the karate kid than Ghostbusters.
#4946798
My late father took me to see GB2 the summer it opened. Opening weekend too if I recall. I remember standing outside our small town theatre looking at the poster of the 4 of them in front of the GB2 logo. I had been watching the RGB cartoon for some time and really enjoyed the film. I do remember when the heads were in the subway and Janoz has his eyes turn into lights feeling a little less then confident but also the slime pack stuck out as a fun new device.

While as a child I loved the film and it's still my favorite just because I got to see it in the theatre with my dad but as an adult there are definitely aspects where I can see it wasn't the stronger of the films.

I also loved the Bobby Brown song. Still do
#4952938
I saw GB1 in the theater. My memories are somewhat fuzzy of specifics to the theatrical experience and the overall phenomenon that year. I was 7 years old at the time. I had seen quite a few movies in the theater by then...Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, E.T., WarGames, Superman III, The Dark Crystal, The Toy, Mr. Mom, Never Say Never Again, Footloose, Romancing the Stone, Greystoke and Indiana Jones 2. I saw Gremlins that year as well, but don't know whether I saw that or Ghostbusters first, since they came out on the same day.

There was a lot of competition for attention that year which prevented Ghostbusters from becoming a single-minded obsession for any kid. Other movies out that summer included Indiana Jones, Gremlins, Karate Kid and The Muppets Take Manhattan. The legacy of Return of the Jedi was still lingering. Star Wars action figures were still hot in 1984 and you could listen to the movie storybook at home. G.I. Joe and Transformers were getting hotter as toy, cartoon and comic book properties. I wasn't reading comic books yet, but they were growing in popularity at that time with stuff like Marvel's Secret Wars crossover coming out.

I can't remember when I first heard of Ghostbusters or what made me want to see it. But it was definitely a movie kids were talking about and interested in. It wasn't just seen as something for adults who watched Saturday Night Live. I had probably seen very little SNL by then, and most likely only Eddie Murphy episodes if I did. I can guarantee you I didn't recognize Aykroyd in Temple of Doom, and only figured out he cameoed in that years later.

So, at some point I end up in the theater to see Ghostbusters. It's possible that it was a parental decision to go and not a case of me begging to be taken there. I don't know if I had any expectations at all. I can remember watching the "wavy lines" scene, being fascinated that the guy guessed it right, and not fully understanding why Venkman was playing games with him. When jokes like "menstruating" came up, again, I didn't know what they were talking about. The slime on the card catalog was very interesting. "Blows their nose and you want to keep it" was really funny. I don't remember how I reacted to the library ghost, but I liked the energy of the movie picking up as they ran out to the music. The spooky stuff in Dana's kitchen was VERY interesting, especially the eggs cooking themselves. Seeing the terror dog in the fiery landscape in the fridge was kind of a jaw-dropping moment. Ray sliding down the pole of the firehouse was something I remember thinking was cool.

The first HUGE moment for the theater came when Slimer went after Peter and he delivered the "he slimed me" line. This was hugely latched onto by the public, quoted and used all over T-shirts and stuff like that. I think for most of the rest of the movie, Louis was the one who stole the show for me. Him locking himself out, running from the dog, getting possessed. His "nerd act" was just gold at that time. I liked seeing Venkman spar with Dana, but I think the "are you the keymaster" scene was another one that probably went over my head. I know I was completely freaked out when the hands got Dana in the chair and pulled her to the dog. The effects of the sky darkening in the third act definitely made me feel a sense of danger. The shot of the stairs going up was interesting, the kind of vertigo shot I always responded to at that age. And, finally, I can tell you the other big moment that was completely electric was the appearance of Stay Puft. There was shock, hilarity, elation and amazement, that I think swept through the entire theater. You knew you were seeing something epic that was an absolutely unimaginable vision up until that moment in time. Stay Puft and "he slimed me" were the key factors in making the movie a giant word-of-mouth hit, I think.

I remember it being a movie almost all other kids in your class had seen, so you could talk about it with all your friends. As most people know, there wasn't a ton of merchandise sold for the movie at that time. I remember we had stickers and sticker books. I had T-shirts too. But I'm hard pressed to come up with anything else. The Gremlins merchandise absolutely dwarfed anything from Ghostbusters. I do remember the song became a HUGE part of the phenomenon. It was a great day if you could catch the video on MTV and see the 'busters there. This dovetailed with how major a force MTV was at that time.

And, yep, Ghostbusters continued to be a major presence throughout the '80s with the debut of the RGB cartoon and the release of the sequel. I was there for it. And I'll tell that part of the story later.
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