Greetings, and welcome back to October Horror Fest! Today, we venture back into the world of spirits, as we attempt to discover the world beyond ours. Let’s take a look at the sequel to one of my favorite films, as it competes for my top spot. Without further ado, sit back, relax, turn off the lights, grab some Candy and Popcorn, and let’s review…

Ghostbusters II

We start our film with a title card, letting us know that it has been 5 years since Ghostbusters. We see a shot of pink slime rising from the ground, as a carriage passes over it. We pan up to find the one and only Dana Barrett. She is pushing her carriage, and is bringing in groceries. We see her carriage, and meet her baby boy. Suddenly, the carriage, and the baby inside, begins to race down the street. It weaves in between traffic, and eventually stops before a speeding bus. Dana catches up to it, and in bewilderment, she hugs her baby, as the Ghostbusters theme plays. We catch up to the legendary Ecto-1, although it isn’t in great shape. Exiting the vehicle are Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore. They enter a house to entertain a birthday party. As they enter, they are booed, as the kids say they are full of crap. One boy comes up and says that’s the reason they went bankrupt. They try to dance to the song, while the kids don’t care at all. The pair then exit with cash, as Winston is so done. We find that after the Stay Puft incident of the first film, the Ghostbusters were sued by every state, county, and city agency in New York, and the entire organization was shut down.

We pick up with Dana talking to Egon Spengler, as we find that he is conducting experiments as a true scientist. In his current experiments, he is measuring if emotions can affect the real world, something that will come up later in the film. Dana tells him about what happened to her, and Egon is willing to help. He asks if he can bring Ray in, and Dana says of course. However, she doesn’t want to bring Peter Venkman in. Apparently, after Dana married, the two didn’t part on good terms. Dana goes to leave, once again asking Egon to not bring Venkman in. She kisses Egon on the cheek, and thanks him. We then cut to one of the funniest scenes in this hilarious film. We meet up with everyone’s favorite scientist, Peter Venkman. He is running his own T.V. show named “World of the Psychic”, where he gets psychics to talk. His first “psychic” says that he thinks that the world will end on New Year’s Eve, as Venkman continues to joke with him. His next guest says that she got her information from an Alien, causing Peter to rethink all of his life choices. Peter talks to her more, and then closes his show out. In his office, he is told he is a fraud, and his staff can’t get any good psychics on the show. The Mayor, Lennie from the first film, then enters. He walks past, and his assistant Jack Hardemeyer, very similar to Walter Peck from the original, stops him. He mocks him about his Ghostbusting past, and doesn’t want him involved with the mayor.

We enter the Manhattan Museum of Art, where Dana is working. Her boss, Dr Janosz Poha, tries to come on to her after she says she wants to go back to the orchestra. She rejects his advances, as we see a painting featuring an evil looking man be wheeled in. He is wearing classic armor, and is staring ahead. Dana gets up to leave, as Janosz goes to the painting. Suddenly, the face of the painting inflates, and looks at Janosz. We pick up with Ray and Egon at Ray’s Occult Bookstore, as they attempt to solve Dana’s problem. Venkman then enters, and after joking with his friends, pulls Ray’s ears so he can tell him who he is helping. Ray gives in to the pain, and says that they are helping Dana. At Dana’s, the boys enter. Pete busts in, as Ray begs for forgiveness. Ray and Egon begin to do tests on Oscar, Dana’s baby, as Pete flirts once more. We find that Dana’s husband essentially ditched her. We learn that Pete never asked Dana to marry him, and we find that he was nervous about it. Pete begins to joke, pulling a Venkman for the first time in this film. He runs away from his problems (Dana) and goes to help the guys. Egon tells Venkman to get a stool sample, as Pete ignores this request. He begins to get along very well with Oscar, becoming something of a father figure. Pete is clearly upset about the way things unfolded. Dana sees the two playing, and her face lights up. After the guys don’t find anything wrong with Oscar or his room, they head to the street.

In the street, the guys begin getting wild readings on their P.K.E meters and Gigameters. In a hilarious cut, we cut to Egon drilling a hole into the ground at night. He is stopped by police, as Pete pulls a Venkman once more and puts on a fake heavy New York accent. They are all pretending to be classic NY laborers, and they get the cops to go away. After deliberation from the team, Ray is lowered into the hole using cable. At the museum, as Janosz cleans the painting, lightning comes out of its eyes. We learn that the spirit of Vigo the Carpathian is in the painting, and his head comes out. It speaks to Janosz, asking him to get a child so he can live again. Behind him, we see rivers and rivers of the pink slime. Vigo then takes control of Janosz, and goes to find a child. In the tunnel with Ray, we find that he is in the abandoned railway under the city. He sees the river of slime, and is shocked. On the surface, Egon and Pete try to get the cops and ConEd away again, and keep trying to come up with lies to get them away. Ray then begs to be pulled up after getting a sample, as the slime gets up and begins to grab him. As he is being pulled up, he hits a pipe, and the entire city enters a blackout. At Dana’s apartment, Janosz bangs on her door. He asks if he can come in, and asks if the baby is ok. Dana is pretty scared, and sends him away, although he tries to pose as an innocent bystander in the blackout. He leaves, and his eyes light up.

We cut to a courtroom, as the guys have been arrested. We find that their lawyer is Louis Tully from the first film, as he is barely qualified. The judge is called the Hammer, and is extremely tough. The hearing begins, as Louis barely even pretends to be a real lawyer. On the opposition, the Proton Packs and slime are shown as exhibits. The court says that they don’t believe in ghosts, and that their restraining order from the city forbids them from being Ghostbusters. A ConEd employee says that the boys planted the slime, and Ray gets angry, saying they didn’t. The horrid trial continues for the boys, as Pete begins to pull a Venkman, and jokes with the crowd. He says that the Ghostbusters come in when no one else wants to deal with a problem, and he gets the love of the crowd. The Judge finds the boys guilty on all charges, as the slime on the table begins to twitch. The boys try to warn the judge, but he does not listen. The guys then head under the table, as the slime explodes. Two ghosts exit, and are recognized by the judge. They are brothers that he gave the chair to. The guys refuse to help, until the Judge dismisses the case. The boys suit up with the packs once again, and are able to catch both ghosts in a hilarious and exciting scene. The guys then exit, saying that the Ghostbusters are back!!!

We cut to Janine Melnitz back working for the guys, as we are met with a montage of the boys returning to being Ghostbusters. The Ecto-1 was upgraded, as the boys have new black outfits, along with the classic gray. There is an awesome remix of the theme that plays, as we see them catching ghosts everywhere. The ads are back on the T.V., much to the dismay of Jack. During the montage, the Ghostbusters find more and more slime around the city. After the montage concludes, we find the boys at the firehouse. They have a sample of the slime, and begin to shout insults at it. It begins to twitch violently, as Pete and Winston are left shocked. They say both good and bad things to the slime, both triggering reactions, as Pete jokes with them. Egon and Ray then put the slime in a toaster, as they play Your Love is Taking Me Higher by Jackie Wilson. The toaster then begins to jump all around, shocking Egon, as Egon and Ray smile. They all begin to dance along.

We cut to the next day, as Pete goes to visit Dana. In the museum, we see Vigo smiling at Dana for a split second. Pete enters, and begins to fight with Janosz, because of course he does. The group walk over to Vigo, as Pete imitates his pose. Dana says how scared she is of the painting, as we cut to Dana’s apartment. She prepares a bath for her and Oscar, when the water turns to the slime. Dana turns back around in a pretty terrifying scene, as the slime, as well as the bathtub, attempt to jump out at Dana. She runs, screaming, and shows up at Venkman’s. She tells him what happened, as he tries to calm them down. Pete then calls Ray immediately, telling him what happened. Ray says that it is great in a classic Ray move, as he brings Egon to the apartment. Egon ran the name Vigo through his computer, and found his ugly history. The pair both agree there is a connection between Vigo and the slime. At Pete’s, we have more bonding time. He gives Oscar an oversized shirt, as Pete and Dana start to become close once more.

The next morning, the guys pull up to the museum. Ray says he found “mood slime” around Dana’s apartment, and tells Egon about Vigo. He lived from 1505-1610, and was absolutely evil. He was killed by horrific torture, and his final words were promising his return. The Ghostbusters then enter the museum in a hilarious scene, with a heroic remix of the theme playing. The team begins to try and discover what is happening regarding Vigo, as Pete takes several pictures of him. Pete jokes around, pretending that Vigo is a model. Ray, as he is taking P.K.E readings, stares at Vigo. His eyes light up, and Ray enters a trance-like state. Winston takes him out of it, and the team leaves, Ray unaware that anything happened. At Venkman’s place, we find that Dana cleaned the house, a fact baffling to Pete. Pete then asks her on a date, saying that Janine is going to babysit Oscar. The pair become closer and closer and closer. With Janine, we find her exiting the firehouse to head to Pete’s. Louis then asks her on a date, which she accepts. She tells Louis that she has to babysit for Pete, and she asks if Louis wants to come. The pair then agree, and they both head out.

At the firehouse, Egon and Ray look at the pictures Pete took. We see an Aura on all of them. After the guys argue about what to order for dinner, a new print comes out. Egon hangs it up, and we see the river of slime behind the face of Vigo. Egon is confused, and Ray says that’s what he saw underneath first avenue. The doors in the room proceed to lock, and all of Vigo’s pictures ignite. Flames cover the room, as Winston bursts in and extinguishes it. The guys then drive to Pete, telling him what they found. Before he can join them, Dana exits behind him, and the pair enter a taxi to get to their date. In the sewer, the trio head out. When Winston says hello, instead of hearing his echo, he hears a ghostly voice say his name. Decapitated heads on pikes then appear around the guys, terrifying them. After this, they want to leave to get the proton packs. Before they can, a ghostly train comes down the long abandoned tracks and hits Winston head on. He is ok, but greatly shaken. Egon realizes that it is the same train that derailed and killed hundreds of people. Ray then pops out of a hole, scaring his friends. He says he found the slime, and they all head down, Winston still begging them to get the packs.

In the river, Winston uses his cable to measure the depth of the river. It is then pulled, pulling him in with it. Egon and Ray jump in, and they all head into the depths. With Pete and Dana, the pair become extremely in love once again. Dana says a very smooth line to Pete, which kicks the “Venkman” out of him. The pair then kiss, and their relationship is sealed once more. At the apartment, Louis puts Oscar to bed, telling him the Snow White story as a bedtime story, filled with edits about taxes. Janine then begins to flirt, and the pair get down on the couch. In the street, the guys exit out of a manhole, covered in slime. Ray and Winston get mad at each other immediately, and begin to brawl in the street. They shout at each other, calling each other stupid. Egon then looks in astonishment, and tells the guys to take off their jackets. They realize that the slime is pure concentrated evil, and since they had it on them, they turned evil. They look up, and realize that all the slime is flowing to the museum. They find Pete and Dana, and make a huge scene in classic Ghostbusters style. They say that it is all flowing to the museum, and it is pure evil. They then get arrested, and Ray is happy about it, saying that they have to see the mayor. We see the boys enter the mayor’s office, as we cut back to Dana arriving at Pete’s.

She walks in, and sees Louis and Janine down and dirty together. They are shocked, and fix themselves. Dana doesn’t really care, and asks if Oscar is ok. He is, and Dana says without any surprise that Peter was arrested. Janine nods, and says typical. The pair then decide that they shouldn’t leave Dana alone, and fall back onto the couch. The boys then meet Lennie, as they are happy to see him. The guys get two minutes to tell him what is happening, and they do. They say that all the hate and anger of the city is turning into this slime, and it could destroy the city. Jack begins to discredit them, as Pete says that there are three million completely miserable people in the city. Lennie asks what he could do, and walks out. The guys beg him to reconsider, as he says that being miserable and treating others like dirt is every New Yorker’s god given right. The guys then talk about which newspapers they should tell the story to, as Jack says that they should tell their story to their people downtown. Pete agrees, and says it has to happen right away. We cut to the guys in straight jackets, begging the doctors that they only want to help, and that the world is in danger. Jack lies to the doctors, and gets them committed.

We cut to Vigo and Janosz, as he says that the season of evil begins with the New Year. Janosz asks if he can have Dana if he gets Vigo Oscar, and he agrees. He says that Dana would be wife to Janosz, and Mother to him. Janosz then says thank you to his lord. We cut to Dana, Louis, and Janine, as Oscar’s window opens. Dana’s Mother senses begin to tingle, and she goes to find what happened. What she sees horrifies her. Oscar is walking on the outside of the building, and she goes out to help him. Before she can, a ghost picks him up, and flashes its red Janosz eyes. It flies away, and Dana heads to the Museum to save her baby. Louis says that they have to find the guys. Well, we found them, and they are committed. The guys all sit around a table, telling the doctor the truth. He doesn’t believe anything they are saying. We see the river of slime get higher and higher underground, as Dana arrives at the museum in an amazing moment. Dana truly is awesome. The slime then begins to leak from every crevasse in the museum, filling it up like blood. It begins to form a protective barrier on the outside, encasing the entire building. Inside, we see the ritual taking place. Dana runs to Oscar, who is placed in front of Vigo.

Janosz enters the picture, as Dana backs away. Janosz tries to tell Dana that they don’t have a choice, and that Vigo is God. Oscar is then pulled away, as Dana is launched behind a gate. He is placed back on his pedestal, as another awesome theme plays. We see the slime filling up every crack in the pavement of the city, as it appears on every building, and comes out of every gutter. Anyone who touches it has to deal with a ghost. A woman’s fur coat turns into bears, and ghosts run rampant. We find that the Titanic arrived at the harbor, carrying its dead crew and passengers in a really epic shot. The dock supervisor says better late than never.

At the mayor’s office, Lennie says he has no choice, and that they need the Ghostbusters. Jack then says he had them committed, which enrages Lennie. He fires Jack on the spot in a satisfying moment, as Lennie begs for his staff to get him the Ghostbusters. He looks outside, and sees the sky lighting up in many different colors. He is shocked, and firmly says to get the Ghostbusters. The guys then exit the hospital, as Louis tells them what happened with Oscar. Ray says that Vigo wants in on the 21st century, and he wants Oscar. The guys know they are the only ones who can do something about it, and drive to the Museum with even more amazing music playing. Inside, Janosz says that they can have a relationship, and they can learn to love each other, and be the parents of a living God. Dana, being the coolest person ever, plays him, and says that she can learn. She exits her cage, and steps towards her boy. The guys can’t break the shell using their packs, disappointing themselves, and the entire crowd. They begin to talk, and say that the people of New York need something to get behind. There has to be a few sparks of humanity left in the town, and that they need to mobilize it. They need a symbol, as the guys keep saying how they need something good. They look down at the license plate of their car, as they see the Statue of Liberty.

We cut to the Ghostbusters on Liberty Island, as they venture into Lady Liberty. They hook up a mic system, as Winston and Ray spray the insides of the Statue with positively charged slime. We find that the controller of Lady Liberty is a modified NES controller, as Your Love is Taking Me Higher begins to play once more. The slime spews lightning, and the torch is ignited in a massive fireball. Lady Liberty begins to walk, and carries the guys across the Hudson. Louis then suits up at the firehouse, and sets out to help the guys, kissing Janine. He boards a bus driven by Slimer, and heads to the Museum. The Statue of Liberty begins to walk through New York, as people cheer. Everyone is happy, and they are so glad to finally have a symbol. They are all singing. Inside the museum, Vigo begins to get inside Oscar, his face overlaying on Oscar’s. Before he can finish, Dana looks up, and the Statue of Liberty stares back down at her in an absolutely awesome scene. Dana grabs Oscar, and Vigo screams. The guys all hype Lady Liberty up, as she swings the torch on the shell of the Museum, cracking it. The Ghostbusters deploy rope, and swing down, as a heroic theme plays, in one of the coolest moments ever. Vigo has disappeared from the painting, as Janosz is hosed down with the positive slime. Before the guys can celebrate, Dana kisses Pete. Egon checks his P.K.E meter, and sees that it is looking extraordinarily bad. Pipes then come down, and trap Dana in them. Pete then runs with Oscar, and puts him down in a blanket in a very sweet moment.

Vigo then appears in the real world, walking towards Ray. The packs damage him, but he retaliates, incapacitating the team. They are unable to move, as Vigo picks up Oscar. Before he can take his body, Pete begins to insult him. The insults begin to work, and he is weakened. He sends out another burst of energy, shocking the team. Before he can take Oscar, the people outside begin to sing, even Jack. Louis appears on the outside, and fires his pack at the shell in his moment of heroism. Vigo twitches violently, and the guys can move. Pete saves Oscar from falling, as Vigo enters the painting once more. His face shifts into a monstrous version, as he stares at Ray, just like the Museum earlier. Ray turns around, and his face is replaced by Vigo’s. He is then hit with the packs and with slime, and is defeated. He is pushed out of Ray, and back into the painting, as he explodes inside of it. The shell is broken, and Louis celebrates.

Ray is picked back up, feeling great due to the Slime, and says he loves all of his friends. Dana and Pete then kiss once more. Janosz then wakes up, and Ray and him hug. Before the guys can leave, they look at the painting. They observe it, and we see a renaissance style painting of the Ghostbusters. They all look Angelic, and are surrounding Oscar. The classic theme begins to play once more, as our film comes to a close. In the credits, the guys walk out, being applauded by the crowd. In our final shot, the Ghostbusters receive the key to the city, as the Statue of Liberty sits back on her pedestal.

That was Ghostbusters II! It is a very decisive film in the community, but I love it. Ghostbusters is one of my favorite films of all time, and I am so happy to be covering its sequel here. I hope you all enjoyed it! Remember, they’re back, so who you gonna call?