Product Details

• Actors: William Atherton, Dan Aykroyd, Timothy Carhart, Jordan Charney, Alice Drummond
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original recording reissued, Special Edition, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Columbia Pictures
• VHS Release Date: September 12, 2000
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (323 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0767825411
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,641 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #10 in	Video > Comedy > Comedy Directors > Ivan Reitman
  #11 in	Video > Comedy > Comedy Directors > Harold Ramis
  #19 in	Video > Comedy > Comedy Stars > Dan Aykroyd

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script, but Bill Murray gets all the best lines and moments in this 1984 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman (Meatballs). The three comics, plus Ernie Hudson, play the New York City-based team that provides supernatural pest control, and Sigourney Weaver is the love interest possessed by an ancient demon. Reitman and company are full of original ideas about hobgoblins--who knew they could "slime" people with green plasma goo?--but hovering above the plot is Murray's patented ironic view of all the action. Still a lot of fun, and an obvious model for sci-fi comedies such as Men in Black. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bill Murray at his comedic best, June 26, 2004

By	Mark J. Fowler "Let's Play Two!" (Okinawa, Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Ghostbusters (DVD)

It is said that the role of Peter Venkman was originally written for John Belushi, but we'll never know how he would have performed in the role. Fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum Bill Murray stepped into the role and ran away with the movie. Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd fit into the story like a glove in Ivan Reitman's masterpiece, but Bill Murray steals his every scene - which means most of the movie - with a performance full of dead-pan, ironic, world-weary, been-there-done-that hilariousness.

He has a sarcastic remark for every occasion, and the audience is the only one in on the joke every time.

When prospective girlfriend Dana Barrett (played by Sigourney Weaver, who gets a plum opportunity to show off her comedic skills) gets possessed by an evil demon, she is transformed into a slinky seductress. Bill Murray has come over to her apartment and in his hilarious dead-pan manner lets the audience know that he recognizes all is not normal with Ms. Barrett. As hilarious and sarcastic as Venkman is, he's at least a gentleman of sorts and doesn't take advantage of the situation when the demon tries to seduce him.

"Do you want this body?" Sigourney-demon asks him.
He pauses for a perfect beat before replying:
"Is this a trick question?"

The special effects don't look like the CGI visions that have been on screen for a couple of years (this was 1984) yet they're part of the fun. Even so, the special effects serve the story rather than up-staging it, and when the movie was initially released I remember howling with the audience after the first special-effect ghost "attacks" Bill Murray and leaves him on the floor in a glistening mess.
"He SLIMED me!" Venkman yelled, and we laughed our heads off.

This disc is not dated by contemporary references - it's just as hilarious today as it was in 1984, and it'll probably be just as funny 100 years from now. The DVD comes with extras that add to the fun, and in the commentary tracks Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis show that "Ghostbusters" was an absolute highlight in all of their lives.

Mine too.

37 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghostbusters: The Reason for Owning a DVD Player!, March 13, 2000

By	Andrew Kotwicki (Sterling Heights, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghostbusters (DVD)

I have grown up with "Ghostbusters", and was a fan of the cartoon series, the toys, and of course, the movies. I still am, and unfortunately, I wasn't all that pleased with Criterion's laserdisc release of the film. The picture contained a lot of noise, and the matte lines were so visible, that even director Ivan Reitman was upset about it. That's not the case here. With the release of "Ghostbusters" on DVD, digitally remastered and crammed to the gills with extras, including a live video commentary with Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis that looks much like "Mystery Science Theater 3000", this makes the purpose of the invention of a DVD player clear! This DVD is excellent! It has everything I hoped for! They(Columbia/Tristar) really outdid themselves with this DVD. It includes numerous documentaries(instead of the usual 1 or 2), production photos, sketch artist drawings, and deleted scenes. Commenting on the deleted scenes, one of them was very strange, in which Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray play street bums instead of Venkman and Stantz, with Bill Murray doing his "Caddyshack" riff. It's amazing that the cameras rolled for it, but it's there. The only thing missing was the inclusion of a scene that found it's way into the Criterion laserdisc, which followed the three ghostbusters leaving the college and Venkman commenting on how "he's gonna win the nobel prize". Still, it also becomes intuitively obvious why those scenes were cut once you watch them. Anyway, if you have a DVD player and do not have this DVD, you are really missing out. It's hard to think why anyone would not want to add the "Ghostbusters" DVD to their collection. If you don't like it, your as dead as those ghosts running around.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OPEN THE TRAP, January 9, 2000

By	Thomas E. O'Sullivan (Knoxville, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ghostbusters (DVD)

When you pick up GHOSTBUSTERS on DVD you're picking up more than just a movie, but a library. Packed, stacked, and fully featured, GHOSTBUSTERS is the end all be all of movies (on a FIDDLE FACTOR of one to ten, i.e. - bells, knobs, whistles... GHOSTBUSTERS is a ten... you will spend a good hour or two just playing with all the features). Beside a clean transfer, excellent sound and a timeless movie, you get commentary, concept to screen both in art work and special effects (a chance to use your ANGLE button here where you can watch the finished scene, then flip to the rough cut and special effect cut of the same scene). Excellent interactive menus (wait long enough and STAY PUFF will turn a corner and come marching down the street), a FACTS and TRIVIA track which scrolls inside information in subtitles under the film. Three extra trailers for GROUNDHOG DAY, STRIPES and GHOSTBUSTERS 2 are also included... shamless promotion, but also of historial interest as well... when was the last time you saw the STRIPES preview? All in all... buy it.