History Film / Ghostbusters1984

* CareBearStare: The ''good'' mood slime is charged with positive feelings. It's harmful to evil ghosts and if turned on humans it turns them into {{love freak}}s.

In spite of Ramis' unfortunate demise, the movies led to the formation of [[Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}} a larger expanded universe]].

[[caption-width-right:300:We're Back!]]

* FantasticReligiousWeirdness: The church does not want to take an official position on the paranormal events happening in New York in either movie.
** In the first movie, multiple religious figures are seen praying: Priests, Nuns, Rabbis, and an Imam.

** Ghostbusters 2: fine crystal store seen in the montage.

** Ghostbusters: People with pink, blue, and big hair are all seen milling about through New York city in various scenes, particularly at the climax.

** Played with: Peter Venkman. Venkman gets slimed ''once'', and is the only Ghostbuster to end up not covered in ectoplasmic toasted marshmallow when Stay Puft is defeated. Winston, Egon, and Ray all get CoveredInGunge repeatedly throughout both movies.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* DemonicPossession: Dana Barrett by the Gatekeeper and Louis Tully by the Keymaster. They turn into demon dogs.

* EvilSlinks: Sigourney Weaver performs this trope as well as one who is human possibly can while she portrays the Zuul-possessed Dana.

* GRatedSex: Played with. Dana, once possessed by Zuul comes on to Peter with such phrases as: "Take me now, sub-creature" and "I want you inside me". However, nothing comes of it because Venkman drugs her to keep her unconscious while Zuul has possession of her body. Once Peck has the containment unit shut down, she wakens, and waits for Vinz Glortho's arrival. In the person of Louis Tully he arrives. The two share a long, hot kiss, before ascending to the pillar. It is subtly implied, even though the next time we see them they're still dressed, that Dana and Louis, while possessed, had sex. Vinz is lying weakly on the platform, but his belt is unbuckled. There's also the Gatekeeper/Keymaster titles the possessing entities went by.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

** Ghostbusters: People with pink, blue, and big hair are all seen milling about through New York city in various scenes, particularly at the climax.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* DemonicPossession: Dana Barrett by the Gatekeeper and Louis Tully by the Keymaster. They turn into demon dogs.

* EvilSlinks: Sigourney Weaver performs this trope as well as one who is human possibly can while she portrays the Zuul-possessed Dana.

* GRatedSex: Played with. Dana, once possessed by Zuul comes on to Peter with such phrases as: "Take me now, sub-creature" and "I want you inside me". However, nothing comes of it because Venkman drugs her to keep her unconscious while Zuul has possession of her body. Once Peck has the containment unit shut down, she wakens, and waits for Vinz Glortho's arrival. In the person of Louis Tully he arrives. The two share a long, hot kiss, before ascending to the pillar. It is subtly implied, even though the next time we see them they're still dressed, that Dana and Louis, while possessed, had sex. Vinz is lying weakly on the platform, but his belt is unbuckled. There's also the Gatekeeper/Keymaster titles the possessing entities went by.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

** Ghostbusters: People with pink, blue, and big hair are all seen milling about through New York city in various scenes, particularly at the climax.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* DemonicPossession: Dana Barrett by the Gatekeeper and Louis Tully by the Keymaster. They turn into demon dogs.

* EvilSlinks: Sigourney Weaver performs this trope as well as one who is human possibly can while she portrays the Zuul-possessed Dana.

* GRatedSex: Played with. Dana, once possessed by Zuul comes on to Peter with such phrases as: "Take me now, sub-creature" and "I want you inside me". However, nothing comes of it because Venkman drugs her to keep her unconscious while Zuul has possession of her body. Once Peck has the containment unit shut down, she wakens, and waits for Vinz Glortho's arrival. In the person of Louis Tully he arrives. The two share a long, hot kiss, before ascending to the pillar. It is subtly implied, even though the next time we see them they're still dressed, that Dana and Louis, while possessed, had sex. Vinz is lying weakly on the platform, but his belt is unbuckled. There's also the Gatekeeper/Keymaster titles the possessing entities went by.

* ILoveThisTown: Winston Zeddmore, covered in molten marshmallow, triumphantly shouts this line as a summation of the good time the audience had watching this kick-ass movie.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

** Ghostbusters: People with pink, blue, and big hair are all seen milling about through New York city in various scenes, particularly at the climax.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* DemonicPossession: Dana Barrett by the Gatekeeper and Louis Tully by the Keymaster. They turn into demon dogs.

* EvilIsSlinky: Sigourney Weaver performs this trope as well as one who is human possibly can while she portrays the Zuul-possessed Dana.

* GRatedSex: Played with. Dana, once possessed by Zuul comes on to Peter with such phrases as: "Take me now, sub-creature" and "I want you inside me". However, nothing comes of it because Venkman drugs her to keep her unconscious while Zuul has possession of her body. Once Peck has the containment unit shut down, she wakens, and waits for Vinz Glortho's arrival. In the person of Louis Tully he arrives. The two share a long, hot kiss, before ascending to the pillar. It is subtly implied, even though the next time we see them they're still dressed, that Dana and Louis, while possessed, had sex. Vinz is lying weakly on the platform, but his belt is unbuckled. There's also the Gatekeeper/Keymaster titles the possessing entities went by.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

** Ghostbusters: People with pink, blue, and big hair are all seen milling about through New York city in various scenes, particularly at the climax.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* DemonicPossession: Dana Barrett and Louis Tully by the Keymaster and the Gate Keeper. They turn into demon dogs.

* EvilIsSlinky: Sigourney Weaver performs this trope as well as one who is human possibly can while she portrays the Zuul-possessed Dana.

* GRatedSex: Played with. Dana, once possessed by Zuul comes on to Peter with such phrases as: "Take me now, sub-creature" and "I want you inside me". However, nothing comes of it because Venkman drugs her to keep her unconscious while Zuul has possession of her body. Once Peck has the containment unit shut down, she wakens, and waits for Vinz Glortho's arrival. In the person of Louis Tully he arrives. The two share a long, hot kiss, before ascending to the pillar. It is subtly implied, even though the next time we see them they're still dressed, that Dana and Louis, while possessed, had sex. Vinz is lying weakly on the platform, but his belt is unbuckled. There's also the Gatekeeper/Keymaster titles the possessing entities went by.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

** Ghostbusters: People with pink, blue, and big hair are all seen milling about through New York city in various scenes, particularly at the climax.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* EvilIsSlinky: Sigourney Weaver performs this trope as well as one who is human possibly can while she portrays the Zuul-possessed Dana.

* GRatedSex: Played with. Dana, once possessed by Zuul comes on to Peter with such phrases as: "Take me now, sub-creature" and "I want you inside me". However, nothing comes of it because Venkman drugs her to keep her unconscious while Zuul has possession of her body. Once Peck has the containment unit shut down, she wakens, and waits for Vinz Glortho's arrival. In the person of Louis Tully he arrives. The two share a long, hot kiss, before ascending to the pillar. It is subtly implied, even though the next time we see them they're still dressed, that Dana and Louis, while possessed, had sex. Vinz is lying weakly on the platform, but his belt is unbuckled.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

** Ghostbusters: People with pink, blue, and big hair are all seen milling about through New York city in various scenes, particularly at the climax.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

* EightiesHair: The saleswoman at the Orrefor's fine crystal store seen in the montage.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Oscar Meyer, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

* TooDumbToLive: Ray thoughtlessly denies being a god when Gozer questions him, as a result he and his friends are almost killed.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* ProductPlacement: And how. Nestle Crunch, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Sunshine Cheez-Its, Diet Coke, Tab, Budweiser, Bud Light and Hostess Twinkies are all prominently displayed in Dana's and the Busters' kitchens. Miller High Life gets an actual ShoutOut when Venkman triumphantly says, "It's Miller Time!" when they think they have easily dispatched with Gozer.
* RaisedHandOfSurvival: Dana Barrett is changed into a dog demon by Gozer. After Gozer is destroyed the demon's charred body is found. Her hand breaks out of the body, showing that she's still alive inside it.

* RealityEnsues: The Ghostbusters have their BigDamnHeroes moment, arriving to cheering crowds at Dana's apartment building. Cut to them dragging themselves and their heavy gear up twenty-plus flights of stairs.

* SweetTooth: Egon has one, that he's apparently trying with limited success to overcome. After the library ghost, Peter teases him with a Nestle Crunch bar before giving it to him as a reward and telling him he's earned it. Later, Egon is seen eating a Twinkie and using it to describe the paranormal activity to Winston.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Ray is more childlike, but Peter is full-on childish. Both of them are, despite Peter's professions to the contrary, fairly unprofessional.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Ray and especially Peter, who both have [=Ph.D=]s, in Physics and Parapsychology/Psychology respectively. Both are extremely childish and, especially in Peter's case, fairly unprofessional.

Three parapsychology professors (earnest, forthright, and curious Dr. Raymond Stantz, sarcastic schemer Dr. Peter Venkman, and detached academic Dr. Egon Spengler) are fired from their positions at Columbia University in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity. Facing dire prospects in finding new collegiate employment, Venkman has a brainstorm: go professional. In their last investigation they devised a method of actually capturing and containing ghosts. They set up Ghostbusters, a company providing scientific exorcisms. At first business is slow, but then the number of ghosts in New York City starts increasing exponentially.

The Ghostbusters soon become household names, and become so busy they recruit a fourth team member, NaiveNewcomer and [[TokenMinority token black guy]] Winston Zeddemore, but they realize that the surge in ghosts is portentous. Investigations show that phenomena are centered on the apartment of Peter's love interest Dana Barrett (Creator/SigourneyWeaver), which was designed by a cult from the early 20th century to attract spirits.

Before they can act, [[ObstructiveBureaucrat petty bureaucrat]] Walter Peck shuts down the Ghostbusters' containment unit, releasing all the ghosts they had trapped and inadvertently unleashing Armageddon in the form of [[BigBad Gozer]], an ancient Sumerian deity.

Less than five years later, the City of New York somehow decided the events of the first film were all just a publicity stunt and sued the heroes, who went bankrupt and have gone on to more mundane jobs: Ray owns an occult bookstore, Winston (along with Ray) performs in his Ghostbusters uniform for birthday parties, Peter is a cable TV host discussing the paranormal, and Egon is doing sociology research. But then the ghosts start returning, and soon the Ghostbusters are back in business. Top of their list is investigating a strange river of slime in an abandoned subway tunnel that seems to thrive on negative emotions and produce new ghost hauntings.

Meanwhile, at the museum where Dana works, her boss becomes a [[TheRenfield Renfield]] for the ghost of [[BigBad Vigo the Carpathian]], an ancient tyrant [[SealedEvilInACan trapped in a painting]]. Vigo has Dana's infant son Oscar kidnapped, intending to [[GrandTheftMe take over the child's body]]. [[note]]As a side note, TheRenfield in question actually went on to play Renfield for real in Creator/MelBrooks' spoof ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt''.[[/note]]

When the Ghostbusters finally figure things out and arrive on scene, the museum is cocooned by the slime they were investigating and maintained as a physical manifestation of the negative emotions of New Yorkers.

* ItIsBeyondSaving: In the BackStory told by Egon, Ivo Shandor believed society was "too sick to survive" after he experienced UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne, which is why he wanted to cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.

* TheCameo: The music video for the titular theme features many recognizable faces, like Chevy Chase, John Candy, and Danny [=DeVito=].
** The film itself features cameos from the likes of Ron Jeremy, Reginald VelJohnson (Carl Winslow), Larry King, Casey Kasem, Roger Grimsby, Joe Franklin, and even Ivan Reitman, the director (as the voice of Zuul/Slimer).

** [[TruthInTelevision Truth In Theology]]: Gozer, as a deity, would be a pure spirit, and would exist outside the mortal confines of sex or gender as well as the limits of biology.

* EccentricExterminator: The ghostbusters are an odd bunch of mad scientists.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Lenny the Mayor fills this role to some extent in the first two movies. He's a rather cynical politician whose public image and chances of re-election / further political office are never far from mind, and is as reasonably skeptical of the claims of apocalyptic supernatural phenomena as any reasonable person would be, but when suitably convinced of their claims ultimately proves to be a fairly staunch ally. However, it is suggested that between the first and second movies, he either had them publicly thrown under the bus, or didn't do much to stop it from happening.

** [[TruthInTelevision Truth In Theology]]: Gozer, as a deity, would be a pure spirit, and would exist outside the mortal confines of sex or gender.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: Played with. While Peter is certainly a believer in the paranormal, he has a bit more practical sense than Ray and Egon, who are willing to believe ''anything'' is supernatural related. "Right, [[SarcasmMode no human being would]] ''[[SarcasmMode ever]]'' [[SarcasmMode stack books like this]]."

* HopeSpot: For a moment, it looks like they've vaporized Gozer and all's good with the world. Then Egon chimes in with "Ray, this looks extraordinarily ''bad''." Cue Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

* LikeRealityUnlessNoted: We are supposed to assume this world is like our own, excepting there is an actual scientific, verifiable evidence of the paranormal (something our world is lacking). Such as the fact that Egon already had built/bought a PKE meter suggesting someone had detected the energy previously, however people act just as skeptically there as here.

* MugglesDoItBetter: See MagicVersusScience. Ancient god, meet [[MadScience unlicensed nuclear accelerator.]]

* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Inverted; when they finally get to see the Mayor, despite the apparent lunacy of the things they're suggesting the Ghostbusters -- while still stressing the urgency of the situation to him -- nevertheless present their case in a fairly calm, reasonable and level-headed manner (even if they do succumb to the dramatic at one point: "Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!"). Better yet, respected city officials like the City Fire Chief support the Ghostbusters' case with rational observations of the bizarre phenomena plaguing the city that defies any explanation other than the Busters'. On the other hand Peck, who on the surface has the more rational case (that these people are conmen), nevertheless comes across as twitchy, touchy, a bit irrational and clearly nursing a grudge, prone to exploding into violence (albeit after being provoked by Venkman) and on the whole rather shifty and unreliable.

* FanFilm: Has inspired a whole slew of fan films based on the idea of Ghostbusters becoming a franchise business and organized in other cities. This includes ''[[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy]] Vs. Ghostbusters'', ''The Denver Ghostbusters'' and ''FanFic/GhostbustersSLC''.

[[redirect:Film/{{Ghostbusters}}]]