BEST GHOSTBUSTERS HOMAGES

Ghostbusters is my favorite movie of all time. I felt really alone when I was a kid liking this movie so much. I didn't think anyone else liked it. It wasn't until high school when I met my best friend and we could both quote the movie verbatim. It was so much fun talking with someone else that loved the movies as much as I did. Over the years I met other people that loved Ghostbusters. I learned about the making of the movie and why there's never been an official third movie.

One of the highlights of watching various movies and TV shows over the years has been seeing different parodies or homages to Ghostbusters. There have been dozens over the years whether it's a line here or there or a straight up reference to one or both of the films. Now I'd like to share my favorite references to Ghostbusters.

CASPER

Remember the Casper movie with Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci? That movie was the shit when I was a kid. It's too bad that they never made a worthy sequel.

Instead we got this direct to video bull shit

It was a quick scene in the film where Kerrigan and Terry Gilliam's characters are trying to extract the ghosts from Whipstaff Manor and they apparently call the Ghostbusters. Ray Stanz shows up and promptly leaves. It's meant to be a quick, funny reference for the adults in the audience. Truth be told, the scene bugged the crap out of me. I know it's just supposed to be funny and poke fun at the Ghostbusters. However, I never liked that as a kid. The Ghostbusters wouldn't have given up on that! They would've cleaned up Whipstaff and kicked their asses! But hey . . . what are you gonna do?

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA

It's Always Sunny is definitely one of my favorite TV shows. The characters are so hilarious and terrible that I can't help but laugh. In a season four episode, the gang recognizes their own group dynamic citing the Ghostbusters as a reference. One of the best lines is when Dennis is upset how the gang upstaged him stating that, "the Ghostbusters would never do that!" He's right of course. Even better was at the end of the episode they played the Ghostbusters theme as they tried to confront Bruce Mathis. So funny. And the Ghostbusters would never do that!

FAMILY GUY

This is definitely one of my favorite Family Guy gags. The show is best known for its cutaway gags and random jokes. More often than not, they tend to be funnier than the plot of the actual episode. This one was when Peter suggests that Meg gets a part time job like he had when he was a kid. The scene cuts to Peter driving the Ecto-1. But it doesn't end there. He ends up busting Patrick Swayze as Ghost just as he's having the romantic pottery moment with Demi Moore. Peter busts Swayze then quotes $27.50 to Demi. That moment always made me laugh. It's definitely one of the best Ghostbusters references.

THE SIMPSONS

Despite the fact that the Simpsons is definitely not the show that it used to be, it once and a while has its moments. In the thirteenth season, the family reads from an overdue library book. Homer is Odysseus (written by Homer, haha classic), Lisa is Joan of Arc, and Bart is Hamlet. In the Hamlet story, the ghost of Homer shows up leaving a slime trail behind him just like Slimer in Ghostbusters. I immediately recognized what they were doing and thought it was so funny and cool. Even better was at the end of the episode when Homer said that Hamlet was adapted into a great film called Ghostbusters. The characters then start dancing to the Ghostbusters theme song. That song makes me smile every time I hear it. That scene made me laugh. Good stuff. Too bad the Simpsons can't be all good all the time. Oh well . . .

BE KIND REWIND 

I'll never forget when I saw the preview for this movie. Jack Black's character has become magnetized and ruined a video store's worth of movies. Mos Def decides to make the movies with his own camera. Their first film is Ghostbusters. I don't know what was better. The shitty quality of the Ghostbusters film they were making or Jack Black's version of the theme song. It was so funny and (somehow) well received that the neighborhood wanted them to do more movies. It's a great little homage to Ghostbusters and probably a nod to all the people that have tried to make fan films over the years. I'm sure it's no coincidence that Sigourney Weaver makes a cameo appearance in the film. 

ZOMBIELAND 

This is definitely my favorite Ghostbusters reference. The gang stumbles upon Bill Murray's mansion. They discover that Murray is alive but pretending to be a zombie. He welcomes his guests and even reenacts a couple of key Ghostbusters moments. Meanwhile, Jesse Eisenberg delivers one of my all time favorite lines in any movie - "This is so exciting. You're about to learn who ya gonna call. Ghostbusters!" I won't lie. This is the only scene from the movie I've ever seen. I don't really care to see the rest of the film. I feel like it won't live up to the genius of this scene. Bill Murray is so funny, Emma Stone does a great Janine impression, and Woody Harrelson dressed as a Ghostbuster is just awesome. 

As I said, I love Ghostbusters. Any time someone talks about it, I throw in my two cents. All these years later I still laugh out loud at the jokes, I still get scared of the ghosts, and I love the characters probably more now as an adult than I did as a kid. And yes. I'm one of the few people that's genuinely excited for the Ghostbusters reboot. It's a risky endeavor for sure but I'm confident that the people involved will give us something new, different, and (hopefully) funny as hell. 

You've got a lot to live up to, ladies! 

Till Next Time!

JJ - The Comic Junkie!