Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters

Fun insights (puppeteers), charming interviews (Weaver is a treasure), and general good-natured celebration just barely make this a documentary worth throwing on. If treated like a DVD extra, it's everything you could want...except for one glaring omission...

With the holiday season over,I searched The Electric cinema (the oldest working cinema in the UK) site to see what screenings they were kicking 2020 off with. Having enjoyed the first Ghostbusters & the animated shows, (yet to see the second film!) I was happy to find a doc on Ghostbusters 1 was playing soon,with a Q&A from the makers, leading me to find out if If there's something strange,In your neighbourhood.

View on the film:

Taking 12 years to make, (just like Boyhood!) directors Anthony Bueno & Claire Bueno set their Proton packs to a stunningly detailed examination of the first Ghostbusters, with the Bueno treating everyone from the cast,to the puppeteers with equal importance. Along with footage from the film and production photos, the Bueno's use delightfully quirky animation, which along with bringing to life recollections from the cast/crew, also links to the history animation has with Ghostbusters.

Detailing the hours of cut footage in a 50 minute Q&A after the screening, the Bueno's unveil fascinating behind the scenes archive material which has been unseen until now, from original concepts designs, models, and test runs on how the ghosts looked/moved, (Stay Puff sure got crispy!) to interviews going into the changes made to Ernie Hudson/Sigourney Weaver's plot lines.

Whilst Rick Moranis (who has retired) and Bill Murray, (who has a rep in Hollywood for being a jerk,he stopped Ghostbusters 3 from being made for decades) don't appear, the Bueno's easily overcome this with fantastic interviews from Dan "Crystal Head Vodka" Aykroyd and visual effects art director John Bruno, to Harold Ramis final interview about the first Ghostbusters.

Greetings again from the darkness. For fans of the 1984 megahit GHOSTBUSTERS, this is the ultimate gift from the brother and sister filmmaking team of Anthony Bueno and Claire Bueno. It's a deep cut "making of" feature that takes us behind the scenes for a detailed explanation of just how this comedy-horror-science fiction film made it to the big screen, became such a huge hit, and has maintained such an enduring impact.

If you've ever wondered about the origin of the story, you'll be surprised to learn that Dan Aykroyd's great-grandfather was both a dentist and a dedicated researcher of psychic phenomena and the paranormal. This documentary is filled with surprises and insider scoops on everything from the development of the script, the assembling of the crew, the craziness of the special effects team, and finalizing the cast. What makes this different from other 'movies about movies' is that many of the talking heads here are the crew and technicians from whom we rarely have access. There are even segments on the iconic logo and the popular theme song ("Who you gonna call?").

Of course we also get interviews from the cast, including Aykroyd, Harold Ramis (who passed away in 2014), Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver. Mr. Hudson and Ms. Weaver are especially forthcoming - he about how his role as Winston was reduced at the last minute, and she about her audition and game-changing idea for her character Dana, a role she compared to the great Margaret Dumont. Many of the secondary characters offer insight as well, including Alice Drummond, Annie Potts, and William Atherton, the latter since stuck with a not-so-flattering nickname.

Director Ivan Reitman recollects many of the challenges, not the least of which were an incredibly tight time line for what was actually an experimental film for the times. They were given one year to formulate a script, secure the locations, finalize the costumes, film the gags, and create the 'monsters'. The famed NYC Firehouse was used for the exterior shots, though a Firehouse in Los Angeles (built in the same year) was used for internal scenes. But the real fun here is supplied by the crew, eager to tell their own stories. The creation of Slimer, with John Belushi eyebrows, is taken from sketch to final. There is an extended sequence on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and the challenges incurred. Ray Parker Jr discusses his rapid work on the theme song, and we even learn about the siren on Ecto-1, the Ghostbusters iconic vehicle.

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, the sequel to the 1984 original hits theaters this fall, and the sibling Buenos even have a documentary in the works for the GHOSTBUSTERS II (1989). It's disappointing that neither Bill Murray nor Rick Moranis were interviewed for the film, and it's really sad to learn that the salary demands of the great John Candy kept him from appearing in the original film (in the role ultimately owned by Moranis). Sure, we miss hearing the theme song, but this documentary is everything fans of the 1984 comedy masterpiece could want. And you'll have to watch if you want to know the importance of the leopard howl.

In theaters October 1, 2021 and On Demand October 5.

Several years ago in a pub in Putney, London, my friend Dominic told me that his mate was making a documentary on Ghostbusters and was at that time travelling the states carrying out interviews.

I've waited patiently for this and it's finally here, and wow! What an achievement. So many films about films spend too much time interviewing critics and film specialists, and the odd cast member who could be bothered to show up. This one gets pretty much everyone and it's hugely insightful.

Great stories from actors, puppeteers, stunt men and William Atherton. Insight into the creative processes that worked out how to put proton packs, ghosts and giant Marshmallow men on to the screen.

A wonderful labour of love and a timeless record of one of the films that really managed to bottle lightning.

I can't wait for the sequel!

I think it's a huge credit to the filmmakers (Anthony and Claire Bueno) that they were able to elicit such fond reminiscing from the cast and crew of Ghostbusters - the making of which has become at this point, well-trod subject matter. As documentaries go, it's very tech-heavy, but everyone on camera is personable and clearly happy to be there, and I enjoyed myself considerably. Though Bill Murray's absence is inescapable, I applaud the efforts of all involved to coalesce and make up the difference. There's some real heart to this.

The icing on this dessert is the late Harold Ramis, and it is an undeniably joy to see him again.