Ghostbusters: Afterlife

It is the sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and the fourth film in the Ghostbusters franchise. The film stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, alongside Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver reprising their characters from the earlier films.

Set 32 years after the events of Ghostbusters II, it follows a single mother and her children who move to an Oklahoma farm they inherited from her estranged father Egon Spengler, a member of the original Ghostbusters.

A third Ghostbusters film was in development since the release of Ghostbusters II, but production stalled because Murray refused to return to the series. After Harold Ramis died on February 24, 2014, Sony Pictures produced a female-driven reboot that was released in 2016.

In January 2019, it was announced that Jason Reitman would direct a sequel to the original films, with the new cast being announced by July, while the original cast signed on two months later. Principal photography took place from July to October of the same year.

Rob Simonsen, a frequent collaborator of Jason, was hired to compose the film’s score. This was the final film to be produced by and involve the franchise’s co-creator and Jason’s father Ivan Reitman before his death in February 2022.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was screened unannounced during CinemaCon in Las Vegas on August 23, 2021, and was released in the United States on November 19, by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label, after being delayed four times from an original July 2020 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the cast’s performances, Reitman’s direction, nostalgic tone, and its respectful tribute to Ramis, with criticism mostly being directed towards its screenplay and fan service.

It grossed $204 million worldwide against a production budget of $75 million. A sequel titled Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire was released on March 22, 2024.

He activates an elaborate setup on his property, but the power fails. Egon manages to conceal the ghost trap in his home before being attacked by the creature and suffering a fatal heart attack, dying shortly after.

Egon’s estranged, financially struggling daughter Callie inherits the farm and moves there with her children, Trevor and Phoebe, after being evicted from their Chicago apartment.

Trevor becomes infatuated with carhop Lucky Domingo, and the scientifically minded Phoebe enrolls in a summer science class taught by seismologist Gary Grooberson, whom Callie later dates.

Phoebe discovers the farmhouse is haunted, and the poltergeist residing in it leads her to the ghost trap, which she shows to Gary and her new friend, “Podcast”. Gary, a fan of the Ghostbusters, helps her learn more about them and her grandfather.

He, Phoebe, and Podcast tamper with the trap, releasing Vinz Clortho, one of Gozer the Gozerian’s Sentinels, which escapes to the mine. The farm ghost leads Phoebe to Egon’s underground laboratory and, after revealing himself as her grandfather, guides her in restoring the Ghostbusters’ equipment.

While testing the proton pack with Podcast, Phoebe finds a ghost they call “Muncher” that haunts Shandor’s foundry and flees to the town. Having repaired the Ghostbusters’ Cadillac Ecto-1’s engine (with Egon’s help), Trevor uses the car to chase Muncher with the pair; they capture it, but are arrested for the damage incurred, and their equipment is seized.

Using the Ghostbusters’ telephone number that she had written down, Phoebe contacts Ray Stantz for help and informs him of Egon’s death. In turn, Ray tells her what became of the Ghostbusters after they defeated Vigo the Carpathian: After the Ghostbusters had disbanded, Egon took off with their equipment and moved to Summerville to pursue an unspecified threat.

Shortly after, Gary is attacked and possessed by Vinz after returning the children home following a date with Callie. Egon’s ghost leads Callie to a wall of detailed notes and pictures he kept of his daughter’s life, showing he cared about her more than she thought, just before she too is possessed, by Zuul.

Phoebe, Podcast, Lucky, and Trevor find a Gozerian temple within the mine. Exploring further, they discover Shandor is alive in his casket, and automated proton cannons, installed by Egon, hinder Gozer’s attempts to cross over. Zuul and Vinz destroy Egon’s equipment, allowing Gozer to escape. Shandor awakens and pledges his fealty to Gozer, but is killed nevertheless.

The children discover Egon’s setup is an array of ghost traps buried around the dirt field, and with supernatural chaos distracting the town, recover the seized ghostbusting equipment and head to the mine in Ecto-1. Phoebe distracts Gozer so Podcast can re-capture Zuul,

freeing Callie and weakening Gozer’s physical form. They lure Gozer and Vinz to the trap field, but it malfunctions and Gozer frees Zuul, who possesses Lucky and fully restores Gozer’s power.

Ray and the other surviving original Ghostbusters, Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore, arrive to help, and Gozer, after having already killed Egon, seeks to complete her revenge against the quartet for vanquishing her. Supported by Egon’s now manifested ghost, Phoebe battles Gozer with her grandfather’s proton pack.

The Ghostbusters help Phoebe restrain Gozer by crossing their proton streams while Trevor uses his to charge the traps’ power source, allowing Callie to activate the ghost traps and capture the deity and its minions. Lucky and Gary are freed from their possessions, and Egon reconciles with his family and friends before passing on to the afterlife.

Later, the original Ghostbusters return to New York City, and Peter is revealed to be married to Dana Barrett and live in Cortland. Winston, having become a wealthy entrepreneur and family man since leaving the Ghostbusters, returns the fully restored Ecto-1 to the Ghostbusters’ firehouse. In the basement, a light on the ecto-containment unit is flashing red.