Ghostbusters (1984) is a paranormal scifi comedy directed by Ivan Reitman and starring Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver. The movie follows a group of scientists on their journey to become New York’s premiere paranormal exterminators. Three sequels, a reboot, multiple cartoons, and comics eventually followed.
The script of the original Ghostbusters was heavily inspired by Dan Aykroyd’s personal fascination with the paranormal, so a lot of it is rooted in actual paranormal folklore. His father was a paranormal researcher, and great-grandfather Dr. Samuel Augustus Aykroyd was a dentist and also a spiritualist. As Aykroyd tells it, Sam was approached one day by Walter Ashurst, who claimed to have psychic abilities, and went on to become the family’s trance medium. They held seances in the 20s and 30s. In interviews, Aykroyd often references his family’s supernatural history, as well as the Fox Sisters, who are considered the origin of spiritualism.
Zener Cards – The film opens with Peter Venkman (poorly) running an experiment involving Zener cards on two subjects, to study “the effect of negative reinforcement on ESP ability.” Zener cards are decks of 25 cards with symbols on them, originally created by Karl Zener in the 1930s to study extrasensory perception.
Apparition Forms – Ghosts or other entities throughout the film take on a variety of forms, including amorphous blobs (Slimer), skeletons, big dogs, orbs, and light trails.
Paranormal Investigation Equipment – The Ghostbusters use a number of tools to track and capture spirits. Some of these are based on “real world” paranormal devices, such as the PKE Meter (Psychokinetic Energy Meter or Aurascope, which is vaguely similar to something like an EMF reader), a Bacharach Sniffer (gas detector Venkman uses in Dana’s apartment), and proton packs.
Ectoplasm (ectoplasmic residue) – A physical slimy substance left by paranormal entities. In the real world, ectoplasm had the appearance of cheesecloth, while in Ghostbusters it’s more of a clear ooze.
Gargoyles – Found on the sides and on top of 550 Central Park West. Two of the gargoyles turn into actual supernatural beasts (Vinz Clortho and Zuul).
Everyday objects acting strangely – Zuul initially shows up in Dana Barrett’s refrigerator, eggs jump out of their carton and cook on her countertop, and her chair spawns arms.
Uncanny Architecture – 550 Central Park West, or The Shandor Building, isn’t just an ordinary uptown highrise. As Ray and Egon explain while in jail to an assortment of loitering curious prisoners, the entire structure was designed by the architect Ivo Shandor, founder of the Cult of Gozer, explicitly to act as a conduit and open a portal between dimensions. As Egon describes, “The structure of the roof cap is exactly like the kind of telemetry tracker that NASA uses to identify dead pulsars in deep space.” It was built with “cold riveted girders with cores of pure selenium,” acting as a “superconductive antenna…pulling in and concentrating spiritual turbulence.”
Psychics – Amid the paranormal chaos, Janine claims to be “very psychic” and worries that Egon might die before it’s all over.
Possession – Both Dana and Louis Tully become possessed by the entities Zuul and Vinz Clortho.
Thresholds – The rooftop of 550 Central Park West becomes a threshold between dimensions during the crossrip at the end of the film. The stairs leading up also act as a kind of threshold between the normal and the supernatural. The final crossing of the streams at the end does not destroy Gozer, but instead closes the “door” connecting our world and theirs, designed by Ivo Shandor.
Thoughtform – Gozer asks the Ghostbusters to choose the form of the Destructor. While Venkman warns everyone to clear their minds, Ray Stantz thinks of the most harmless thing he can: The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The Stay Puft isn’t technically a thoughtform in the actual sense, but Gozer uses Ray’s thought to give it form.
The Tunguska Event – At the very end of the film, Ray Stantz congratulates Louis Tully: “You know Mr. Tully, you are a most fortunate individual. You have been a participant in the biggest interdimensional crossrip since the Tunguska blast of 1909.”
Philadelphia Mass Turbulence of 1947 – While a fictional event, 1947 was the year of the Roswell, New Mexico Incident, and the Philadelphia Experiment allegedly occurred in 1943. Maybe a cross-inspiration, maybe not.
Misc Topics – During her interview with Winston Zeddemore, Janine lists off a number of paranormal topics to check whether or not he believes in any of them. He replies simply, “If there’s a steady paycheck, I’ll believe anything you say.”
- Loch Ness Monster
- UFOs
- Astral Projection
- Mental Telepathy
- ESP
- Spirit Photography
- Telekinetic Movement
- Full trance mediums
- Atlantis
TV Psychics – Peter Venkman spends his time away from the Ghostbusters hosting a television show called World of the Psychic.
Alien Abductions – During Venkman’s broadcast of World of the Psychic, one of his guests recalls her encounter with what she claims is an alien who told her about the coming doomsday: “As I told my husband, it was at the Paramus Holiday Inn. I was having a drink at the bar, alone, and this alien approached me. He started talking to me. He bought me a drink. And then, I think he must have used some kind of a ray or mind control device because he forced me to follow him to his room, and that’s where he told me about the end of the world.”
Telepathy – During the sign off of Venkman’s show, he points to his forehead and silently says goodbye (or something), mocking telepathic communication.
Telekinesis – Venkman bemoans not booking the “telekinetic spoon bender” (likely referencing Uri Geller).
Psychokinesis – Most of the film involves the idea of human intention or emotion influencing physical systems, in this case amplified by the mood slime.
Haunted Paintings – The spirit of Vigo the Carpathian inhabits the painting at the center of the entire plot.
Moving Objects – At the beginning of the film, Dana Barrett’s stroller (holding Oscar) rolls away on its own. Later, Spengler notes a past documented incident: “Berlin, 1939. A flower cart took off by itself and rolled half a kilometer. Three hundred eyewitnesses.”
Coven – “My best to the coven,” Ray says to a customer leaving Ray’s Occult Books. A coven is a group of witches, and this is one of the only traditional paranormal folklore references in the movies (as far as referencing witchraft or curses and the like).
Duke University – “Duke University Mean Averaging Studies on Controlled Psychokinesis.” This is dropped by Ray while in his book store. Duke University did in fact conduct such studies in its Parapsychology Laboratory from 1930 to 1965. Statistical mean averaging was used to determine if human intention could affect the physical world.
Paranormal Investigation Equipment – While investigating the scene of Oscar’s runaway stroller, Egon and Ray use a PKE Meter and a Gigameter. The Gigameter, introduced in Ghostbusters II, is used to measure psychomagnotheric energy in Giga Electron Volts (GeV).
Mood Slime – The slime found in a river beneath 1st Avenue is referred to as a psychoreactive substance or “psycho-magnatheric slime” that feeds off the emotional or psychic energy of the city.
Paranormal Law – Judge Stephen Wexler isn’t having it during the Ghostbusters’ appearance in court. “Before we begin this trial,” he says, “I want to make one thing very clear. The law does not recognize the existence of ghosts. I don’t believe in them either. I don’t want to hear a lot of malarkey about goblins, spooks, and demons.”
Apparition Forms – Ghostbusters II shows off an even greater variety of spirit forms than the first film, including large dragon-like monsters, fur coats returned to life, ordinary human apparitions (such as the runner), and even the spectral form of the Titanic itself and all of its passengers.
Everyday objects acting strangely – Adding slime to a toaster, the Ghostbusters make it dance to music. Dana Barrett’s bathtub “comes to life” and tries to eat Oscar. Oscar’s stroller rolls seemingly on its own. A painting houses the film’s villain.
Reincarnation – Vigo wants to transfer his soul into Oscar so he may be reborn. “See, it all fits,” Ray says, “Vigo wants in on the 21st Century. He needs a human body to inhabit. Little Oscar must be it.”
Titanic – The Titanic belatedly docks at the New York City pier in ghost form: “Lieutenant, I think you better talk to this guy. It’s some dock supervisor down at pier 34. He says the Titanic just arrived.”
Egregores – The Ghostbusters use the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of hope and good, turning it into basically a giant mech and using its power to break through the slime encasing the museum.
The Power of Song – The good-natured singing outside the museum helps defeat Vigo: “The singing is neutralizing the slime!”