Ghostbusters was, and still is, a pop culture phenomenon. Odds are, you’ve probably seen the movie. Or at the very least, you’ve heard of it. It’s very hard to predict what things will make a lasting dent in pop culture.
Let’s just take the 90’s, for instance.
Furbys? Tamagotchi? Made a
huge impact for a brief time. Today, they’re pretty much ignored by anyone who didn’t grow up with them.
Batman: The Animated Series? Generally well-regarded, then and now.
Toy Story? A franchise that stood the test of time with two sequels released as of this year and another on the way. And who could have predicted such a hit from a company that specialized in making Listerine commercials?
Ghostbusters is a similar underdog story. By all rights, the film as we know it should
not have been made for a large number of reasons. I mean, seriously, it’s a miracle we ended up with such a good movie, when you look at all the differences from the original vision. A good movie that spawned a sequel film, a few video games (including a single good one), numerous cartoons, a few comic book series, and an upcoming (as of the time of this writing) reboot. An upcoming reboot that I have chosen not to discuss for the time being, mainly because even
mentioning the movie seems to be inviting a flame war. So for now, all I will say about the upcoming reboot is that I’m keeping an open mind, I think the hood ornament on the Ecto-1 is a nice touch, and I’m cautiously optimistic.
With that out of the way, it’s time to take a look at the series of unlikely events that gave birth to one of the most beloved films to come out of the 80’s.
