History Franchise / Ghostbusters

The franchise started with ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'', a film starring Creator/BillMurray, Creator/DanAykroyd, Creator/HaroldRamis and Creator/ErnieHudson; Aykroyd and Ramis also wrote the script. It was a smash hit which led to a sequel, ''[[NumberedSequels Ghostbusters II]]'', in 1989. Both films were directed by Creator/IvanReitman.

* ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife'' (2021) -- The {{Unreboot}} sequel/spinoff to ''Ghostbusters II''.[[index]]

!!Continuity Reboot
* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|2016}}'' (2016) [[note]]sometimes referred to as ''Ghostbusters: Answer the Call'' to differentiate itself from the original[[/note]] -- The {{continuity reboot}}.

* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|2016}}'' (2016) [[note]]sometimes referred to as ''Ghostbusters: Answer the Call'' to differentiate itself from the original[[/note]] -- The {{continuity reboot}}.

Because Creator/DanAykroyd and Creator/HaroldRamis were a key part of developing the story, they have stated that this game is in the same {{continuity}} as the movies. Interestingly, there are still some variations to the plot that occur with three distinct versions: a "Realistic" version for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} and [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]] (which was remastered for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/{{Xbox One}} and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2019); a "Stylistic" version for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] and UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}; and a version for UsefulNotes/NintendoDS that has totally different gameplay (and doesn't even have the rookie). The console games were very well received and applauded for being a unique and dynamic gaming experience. Tropes relating specifically to the Video Game (especially video game tropes) should go on the page for the game.

* ''Ghostbusters II'' (1990) -- [[/index]]An action video game for the UsefulNotes/{{NES}}, developed by Imagineering and published by Creator/{{Activision}}.[[index]]

A new ''Ghostbusters'' film (later titled ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'') was [[https://deadline.com/2022/04/ghostbusters-5-new-movie-1235009684/ teased]] at [=CinemaCon=] 2022. On Ghostbusters Day of that same year, Jason Reitman and ''Afterlife'' co-writer Gil Kenan [[https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ghostbusters-animated-film-afterlife-sequel-new-york-city-1235288974/ confirmed]] the sequel would return to New York City. The pair also confirmed that they would collaborate with Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation on both an [[https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ghostbusters-animated-film-afterlife-sequel-new-york-city-1235288974/ animated film]] to be directed by Creator/{{Titmouse}} founder Chris Prynoski and ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvaniaTransformania'' co-director Jennifer Kluska AND an [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/ghostbusters-animated-series-netflix-jason-reitman-gil-kenan-1235285985/ animated series]] for Creator/{{Netflix}}. It is unknown if these projects are related to the ones mentioned above.

The setting[[note]]except for some {{Fan Film}}s, a few episodes of the two animated series and ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife''[[/note]] is modern day UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, which has become overrun with supernatural creatures of every description. Some ghosts are mere annoyances or even benign, but all too many of them are dangerous, and a few are bent on causing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. There's only one force that can stop them: A RagtagBunchOfMisfits who protect humanity with high-tech weaponry -- and entertain generations of viewers with their [[CloudCuckoolander quirky]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer personalities]] and [[DeadpanSnarker witty]] [[CasualDangerDialogue dialogue]].

* ThemeTune: When there's something strange in the neighborhood … WhoYouGonnaCall? Ghostbusters!

* ''Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'' (2024)

A new ''Ghostbusters'' film was [[https://deadline.com/2022/04/ghostbusters-5-new-movie-1235009684/ teased]] at [=CinemaCon=] 2022. On Ghostbusters Day of that same year, Jason Reitman and ''Afterlife'' co-writer Gil Kenan [[https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ghostbusters-animated-film-afterlife-sequel-new-york-city-1235288974/ confirmed]] the sequel would return to New York City. The pair also confirmed that they would collaborate with Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation on both an [[https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ghostbusters-animated-film-afterlife-sequel-new-york-city-1235288974/ animated film]] to be directed by Creator/{{Titmouse}} founder Chris Prynoski and ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvaniaTransformania'' co-director Jennifer Kluska AND an [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/ghostbusters-animated-series-netflix-jason-reitman-gil-kenan-1235285985/ animated series]] for Creator/{{Netflix}}. It is unknown if these projects are related to the ones mentioned above.

* Untitled fourth ''Ghostbusters'' film (2024)

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Egon, Janine and Louis. The cartoon runs with this, giving Egon a JewishMother who feeds the boys soup when they get sick.

* AutobotsRockOut!: Their theme music alone is good enough for this trope.
* AwesomeBackpack: The proton packs.
* BadBadActing: In the Ghostbusters' TV ads. In the first film, Peter, Ray and especially Egon read their lines in a very stilted manner. In the second film, Janine and Louis do this in their new commercials.
** In the same in-universe ad, Egon looks down before stepping forward and back, looking for his mark.

* BadassCrew: A crew of {{Badass Bookworm}}s.

* BigBad:
** Gozer the Traveler in the first movie
** Vigo the Carpathian in the second.
** [[spoiler:Ivo Shandor]] in the video game.
** [[spoiler:Rowan North]] in the ContinuityReboot.
** [[spoiler:Gozer returns]] in ''Afterlife.''

* BigEater: Uh, Slimer. (Called "the Green Ghost" in the first movie and was officially named "Peanut", but given the name "Slimer" in the cartoon and the credits of the second.) The cast thought of him as the ghost of Creator/JohnBelushi.
* {{Bowdlerise}}: In reverse. In the '80s, commercials for the first movie ended with Venkman saying "We came, we saw, we kicked it's a--" cut to logo. Now on just about any cable channel allows him to say 'ass'. Trailers for the 30th Anniversary keep this, certainly as an homage to the earlier censoring.
* BuiltWithLEGO: In 2014, six years after ''LEGO VideoGame/RockBand'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tl8B4Mb7nE featured the theme song]], an official LEGO set was approved via LEGO Cusoo, featuring Egon, Venkman, Ray, Winston, the Ecto-1, and Slimer.

** Ray Stantz, because he's a goof.

* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Don't cross the streams. It would be bad.

* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: To the point where it's standard operating procedure... right before arming the proton packs.

* DopeSlap: At the beginning of the film, Peter gives one to Ray when Ray interrupts his "moment" with a beautiful young test subject. Ray gets him back later, when Peter doesn't understand the significance of the blueprints of Dana's building.

* 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.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: After blowing up the poor housemaid's cart, while they stand around talking, you can see her trying to ''spritz'' out the fires they started with a bottle of cleaner.

* GateGuardian: Zuul (who looks like a large demonic dog) is the Gatekeeper of the dimensional portal that Gozer the Gozerian arrives through. It's (her?) counterpart, Vinz Clortho, The Keymaster, also looks like a giant demon dog.

* GhostInvasion: The entire premise of the franchise is based around this.
* GhostlyGoals: Usually of the highly destructive variety.

* {{Leitmotif}}: The Ghostbusters have one when they're going around the city outside of work.
* LicensedPinballTables: For a franchise ripe with licensing potential, it took 30 years before an official {{Pinball}} table was released. And even then, ''VideoGame/GhostbustersPinball'' was made by digitally retheming an existing game, Creator/{{Gottlieb}}'s ''Pinball/HauntedHouse''.

* RentAZilla: The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man by the villains, and The Statue of Liberty by the heroes.

* WhatTheHellHero: "What did you ''do'', Ray?"
* WhoYouGonnaCall: If there's somethin' strange... in the neighborhood... who you gonna call? [[TropeNamers Trope NAMER!!]] If there's somethin' weird, and it don't look good, who you gonna call? [[TropeNamers Trope NAMER]]!!

* SpiritualSuccessor: Dan Aykroyd's failed attempts to get ''Ghostbusters 3'' done led to ''Film/{{Evolution}}''.

* ''WesternAnimation/CartoonAll-StarsToTheRescue'' (1990) - This TV special Main/{{Crossover}} extravaganza included an appearance by the Real Ghostbusters version of Slimer.

** They deal with Cthulhu himself over in the animated series, with Egon noting that Cthulhu made Gozer look like "Little Mary Sunshine".

After having been hinted at by Dan Aykroyd a couple of months prior, it was announced in January 2019 that Creator/JasonReitman would be directing a sequel to the first two films entitled ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife''. The film stars Creator/CarrieCoon, Creator/MckennaGrace, Creator/FinnWolfhard, and Creator/PaulRudd, with some of the original cast being expected to appear in some capacity.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* ''Ghostbusters II'' by Ed Naha (1989)

-->''"If there's somethin' strange... in your neighborhood\\

--->-- The theme song, sung by Ray Parker Jr.

* CasualDangerDialog: Egon is a master of this, usually as a way of flatly commenting that he's scared out of his mind ''despite'' being overly calm and talking plainly.

The setting[[note]]except for some {{Fan Film}}s, a few episodes of the two animated series and ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife''[[/note]] is modern day UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, which has become overrun with supernatural creatures of every description. Some ghosts are mere annoyances or even benign, but all too many of them are dangerous, and a few are bent on causing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. There's only one force that can stop them: A RagtagBunchOfMisfits who protect humanity with high-tech weaponry -- and entertain generations of viewers with their [[CloudCuckoolander quirky]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer personalities]] and [[DeadpanSnarker witty]] [[CasualDangerDialog dialogue]].

* InsignificantAnniversary: The Ghostbusters, who had to mortage the childhood home of their resident NiceGuy Ray to even afford the decrepit fire-station that housed their flegeling business, sadly toasted "to our first and '''only''' customer" in a month and imminent bankruptcy with takeout noodles and beer... and then the usually grumpy secretary downstairs shouted ''"WE GOT ONE!!"'' as the phone rang downstairs calling from a posh hotel plagued by a green ectoplasmic eating machine... and three heroes began their journey proper that night.

* InsignificantAnniversary: The Ghostbusters, who had to mortage the childhood home of their resident NiceGuy Ray to even afford the decrepit fire-station that housed their flegeling business, celebrated their "to our first and '''only''' customer" in a month and imminent bankruptcy with takeout noodles... and then the usually grumpy secretary downstairs shouted ''"WE GOT ONE!!"'' as the phone rang downstairs calling from a posh hotel plagued by a green ectoplasmic eating machine... and three heroes began their journey proper that night.

* ''Ghostbusters'' (1984)
* ''Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular'' (1985)
* ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989)
* ''Ghostbusters: The Return'' (2004)
* ''Ghostbusters Movie Novelization'' (2016)
* ''Proud to Be a Ghostbuster'' (2016)
* ''Who You Gonna Call?'' (2016)
* ''Ghostbusters'' (2016)
* ''Tobin's Spirit Guide: Official Ghostbusters Edition'' (2016)
* ''Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal'' (2016) -- [[/index]]A {{Defictionalization}} of the book from the 2016 movie.[[index]]

A new ''Ghostbusters'' film was [[https://deadline.com/2022/04/ghostbusters-5-new-movie-1235009684/ teased]] at [=CinemaCon=] 2022. On Ghostbusters Day of that same year, Jason Reitman and ''Afterlife'' co-writer Gil Kenan [[https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ghostbusters-animated-film-afterlife-sequel-new-york-city-1235288974/ confirmed]] the sequel would return to New York City. The pair also confirmed that they would collaborate with Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation on both an [[https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ghostbusters-animated-film-afterlife-sequel-new-york-city-1235288974/ animated film]] to be directed by Creator/{{Titmouse}} founder Chris Prynoski and ''WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvaniaTransformania'' co-director Jennifer Kluska AND an [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/ghostbusters-animated-series-netflix-jason-reitman-gil-kenan-1235285985/ animated series for Creator/{{Netflix}}. It is unknown if these projects are related to the ones mentioned above.

A new ''Ghostbusters'' film was [[https://deadline.com/2022/04/ghostbusters-5-new-movie-1235009684/ teased]] at [=CinemaCon=] 2022. It is currently not known if it is a sequel to ''Afterlife'' or the 2016 film, the animated film, or a separate project.