In a 1989 interview, Reitman said he was upset at the "little respect" he felt Ghostbusters received and his work was not taken seriously, believing many dismissed it as just "another action-comedy". Reitman met with Aykroyd at Art's Delicatessen in Studio City, Los Angeles, and explained that his concept would be impossible to make. Despite "bathroom humor and tacky sight gags", Peter Travers described Ghostbusters favorably as "irresistible nonsense", comparing it to the supernatural horror film The Exorcist, but with the comedy duo Abbott and Costello starring. Ramis was inspired by the cover of a journal on abstract architecture for Egon's appearance, featuring a man wearing a three-piece tweed suit and wire-rim glasses, his hair standing straight up.

From ancient Mesopotamian spirits, to Pliny the Younger's letters, to modern encounters with apparitions, ghosts have an important place in human folklore. There were three different heads for the suit, built from foam and fiberglass, with different expressions and movements controlled by cable mechanisms. Audiences reacted with fear, laughs, and applause as the Librarian Ghost transformed into a monster. It had a significant effect on popular culture and is credited with inventing the special-effects driven comedy. Travers and Gelmis said the three main actors worked well as a collaborative force, [97] [102] and Hicks described Murray, Ramis, and Aykroyd as wanting "to be like the Marx Brothers of the 80s".But there is something sinister happening at an apartment building and the Ghostbusters must put a stop to it (and the Stay Puft marshmallow man) before the city is overrun with ghouls. The environment angle is an interesting one too - one group of suspects work at a local car plant and are vehemently opposed to the environmental message of the school show in the wake of a threatened closure of their factory. The fictional rooftop of 55 Central Park West was constructed at Stage 12 on the Burbank Studios lot.

Author Zoila Clark noted that concept art of an unused Chinatown ghost bore similarities to a stereotypical Chinese immigrant including long, braided hair and a triangular agricultural hat.The necessity of the mayor outsourcing the ghost problem mirrors the real New York government ceding vast areas of real estate to corporations to stimulate renewal. a b "Numerous Supporting Cast, Crew Added To Ghostbusters™ Fan Fest Presented By Wizard World June 7–8".

Those that remained were too small to work on the approximately 630 individual effects shots needed for Ghostbusters. There was even a drawing of him killing himself like he did at the Mercado then a drawing of him grabbing people and full page spread drawing of people on a roof top bowing to him.The "Psychokinetic Energy meter" ("PKE meter") prop was built using an Iona SP-1 handheld shoe polisher as a base, to which lights and electronics were affixed. If there is one Very Extremely true fact about Trixie, it is this – her life is NEVER straightforward.

Ghostbusters has been analyzed as promoting Reagan's political policies, espousing limited regulation and a pro-business agenda. It also stars Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis, and features Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson, and William Atherton in supporting roles. It became this movie that parents liked to bring their kids to—they could appreciate it on different levels but still watch it together". Cultural Studies: Why Ghostbusters matters, and 10 things you probably didn't know about the movie". Clare identified the ghosts as representative of New York's issues with the homeless and ethnic minorities.o] Reaganomics focused on limited government spending and deregulation in favor of a free market provided by the private sector of entrepreneurship, profit motives, and individual initiative. It was decided early on that Ramis's character would be the brains of the Ghostbusters, Aykroyd's the heart, and Murray's the mouth.