Ghostbusters was so great because it took the science fiction and fantasy part seriously (considering how Dan Aykroyd IRL is a strong believer in the paranormal this makes sense), so the humor was almost entirely from dialogue and the performance of the cast. It takes the simple concept of "people who start a ghost catching business" and adds things like multidimensional gods and giant killer corporate mascots. These are things you wouldn't expect from a comedy movie at the time. Apparently, Aykroyd's original draft of the story was almost entirely sci-fi action with little humor.
The resulting story was dead serious, and rather terrifying. A woman becoming possessed by a demon just because of where her apartment is? Being transformed into a monster, then into stone while she was unwillingly in service to a dark god? That is scary, not funny. What MADE the movie funny was how the actors responded to the situation. They were just like normal people, put in an abnormal situation, and responded in line with their own personal character, which was mainly to crack jokes so they could handle the fear. It was just four guys, out of their depth, going in with a grin because backing down wasn't an option for them.
Bill Murray just shows outstanding comedic timing in this one. He had me from the opening scene where he is shocking a male subject in an experiment while simultaneously trying to "get the girl" by convincing her she is psychic.
What was 80s about it? Well, the triumph of the private sector over academeia - "I've worked in the private sector, they expect results", and the EPA contributing to the end of the world. Everybody could forget about Watergate, recessions, and nuclear war, and just laugh at the movies for a change. If you've never seen it I recommend it . The comedy is timeless.
The resulting story was dead serious, and rather terrifying. A woman becoming possessed by a demon just because of where her apartment is? Being transformed into a monster, then into stone while she was unwillingly in service to a dark god? That is scary, not funny. What MADE the movie funny was how the actors responded to the situation. They were just like normal people, put in an abnormal situation, and responded in line with their own personal character, which was mainly to crack jokes so they could handle the fear. It was just four guys, out of their depth, going in with a grin because backing down wasn't an option for them.
Bill Murray just shows outstanding comedic timing in this one. He had me from the opening scene where he is shocking a male subject in an experiment while simultaneously trying to "get the girl" by convincing her she is psychic.
What was 80s about it? Well, the triumph of the private sector over academeia - "I've worked in the private sector, they expect results", and the EPA contributing to the end of the world. Everybody could forget about Watergate, recessions, and nuclear war, and just laugh at the movies for a change. If you've never seen it I recommend it . The comedy is timeless.