Ghostbusters

Who're you gonna call? There's only one answer to that question, Ghostbusters! Two movies in the 80's, one just this last year, and a cartoon I barely remember are the bones of the Ghostbusters franchise. The movies are light and entertaining and perfect for a Halloween marathon.

  

Ghostbusters (1984)

So the original Ghostbusters is in a class all by itself. Ghosts and Halloween scares meets cheesy comedy. Our main villain of the piece is Gozer, the Destructor, an ancient god who's come to Manhattan to bring about the apocalypse. This is the first time the proton packs were donned and blasted into our hearts and minds. I love this movie. As my mom says, it's a good popcorn movie :).

 

Ghostbusters 2 (1989)

Ghostbusters 2 has our heroes fighting Vigo, a medieval tyrant who was generally hated by everyone. His spirit inhabits an ancient painting and with the help of Janoz Poha he tries to possess Dana Barrett's infant son Oscar. Dana Barrett was one of the main characters in the original story. Another fun popcorn movie.

Ghostbusters (2016)

This movie is getting a lot of flack because the general public is getting tired of sequels and reboots. My general consensus? It's a good movie in its own right. Is it as good as the first two? No. Is it fun anyway? Yes. In this our four new Ghostbusters are fighting  Rowan North who wants to take over New York with a bunch of ghosts that he has summoned from beyond. A fun aspect of this movie is all the nods to the original two movies. I won't give them all away, but I will tell you that all the original main cast members, with the exception of Rick Moranis, appear in cameos. Even Harold Ramis who died 2014 appears as a statue in the corner :). A good popcorn movie if you're not expecting a repeat of the utter awesomeness that was the original two movies.

 

And now for your viewing pleasure Ray Parker Jr.'s music video to Ghostbusters: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe93CLbHjxQ

The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House is one of the few classic ghost stories that I have read all the way through. I have one word for it, creepy. Part of the terror comes from the fact that you never really know if there really are ghosts, or if Eleanor herself is just crazy. I personally believe that there are ghosts, and Shirley Jackson has said that it is a ghost story. It is worth a read. Especially since Stephen King, the king of horror, has been quoted saying that it is one of his favorite books.

                The story follows the lives of Dr. Montague, Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke Sanderson as they investigate the mysterious and creepy Hill House that has been in Sanderson's family for generations. Montague wishes to prove scientifically the presence of ghosts in the house, Sanderson is there because it is his inheritance and Eleanor and Theodora are there because they have had psychic experiences in the past. The longer they are there, the house seems to possess Eleanor and things slowly go from bad to worst.

                A funny note when reading this book. There is a lot of thumping. The ghost thumps down the hall pounding on the door and scaring everyone out of their wits. Right in the middle of reading thumping, a bird hits my window. It sounded just like the sound effects I had been picturing from the book and made me jump at least a little!

The Haunting (1963)

The first of the movies based off the book, I feel that this one stays true to the original story in a way that the remake doesn't. In this version you are also not entirely certain if Hill House is haunted or not. It is truly terrifying and you're not really sure what to make everything. It begins and ends the same way as the book: The House has stood for 90 years. It will stand for 90 more and those that walk here, walk alone. A creepy line if ever there was one. A great movie for the Halloween season.