History Film / Ghostbusters2016

* IndirectKiss: Erin is happy to drink from the coffee cup that Kevin slurped out of, but Abby stops her as she can't stand to watch it.

** Fake-out example: the tour guide for the Aldridge house, who uses remote control fakery to imply haunting until the ghost actually shows up.

* CrazyPrepared: Jillian. Not only does she keep coming up with any number of gadgets for any kind of situation where you might need to eradicate a ghost, [[spoiler:but she also apparently anticipated that she would meet her demise through being crushed by a spectral version of a Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man]]. That last one is subverted since she didn't have anything prepared for it herself.

** The logo is taken from a tag mockingly sprayed by a graffiti artist when he's asked if he's seen a ghost. He draws the "no" symbol when Patty tells him to stop. Everyone else rushes away, but Holtzmann takes a picture and later paints the image on the side of the Ecto-1.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: Erin and Abby never put any serious research into [[spoiler:ley lines, which means it takes them a while to figure out Rowan's plan]].

* AscendedExtra: Slimer re-appears, making him the only character appearing *as* the same character in the entire Ghostbusters franchise of movies and TV.

** The team starts out with an official sounding name, but after the media starts calling them "Ghostbusters"--and they can't shake the name--they just go along with it.

* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler: Rowan tries to unleash one in the climax which he calls "The Fourth Cataclysm". It could have been anywhere from a class 0 to a 3b]].

* KarmaHoudini: The Ghostbusters are never punished for [[spoiler: accidentally killing a man and deliberately releasing a dangerous ghost onto the public.]] In fact, said incident is never referred to again. It's implied that the mayor's office covered it up.

** The early ''Ghost Smashers'' script, which took place in the future, specified that the 'Busters tooled around in a 1970s/1980s-era Cadillac hearse/ambulance, which ''these'' 'Busters happen to use.

** ''Film/{{Poltergeist}}'': in which interacting too closely with the other side turns one's hair shock white. Also, the fact that Erin clamped a cable on herself to go after Abby, and the other two women had to tow them back from the other side.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Holtzmann's pendant is a rebus; "screw" + "you".
** Holtzmann also claims that the fart sound on the 'EVP' recording "came from the front". She could, of course, be referring to someone blowing a raspberry... or she could be referring to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaginal_flatulence this]].

* AsHimself: Music/OzzyOsbourne and Al Roker.

* CanonDiscontinuity: As of January 2019, Sony announced that the next ''Ghostbusters'' film will be a direct sequel of the original two films, completely ignoring the continuity of the 2016 film.

** Ignoring the extended cut, Erin has a trauma reaction to [[spoiler:a man dying in front of her when Rowan commits suicide]], unlike her teammates. [[spoiler:Martin Heiss]] was one thing, but [[spoiler:Rowan]] is snother. She takes a break from the Ghostbusters because [[spoiler:it's one thing to disintegrate ghosts and another to have someone die, and in such a gruesome fashion]].

* PetTheDog: Rather parodied. Patty's relentless cheerfulness is wasted on the cranky and crazy subway riders. Rowan attempts to comfort her by assuring her "the laborers" will be the last to die in the coming apocalypse. Perhaps he saw her as a comrade in blue collar work; Patty just sees him as another undiagnosed nut job she has to deal with.

* InstitutionalApparel: The second ghost, in the subway, is the ghost of a prisoner who was put in the electric chair. He is wearing the striped outfit.

* KarmaHoudini: The Ghostbusters are never punished for [[spoiler: accidentally killing a man and deliberately releasing a dangerous ghost onto the public.]] In fact, said incident is never referred to again. Its implied that the mayor's office covered it up.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: [[spoiler:Martin Heiss wants to see a real ghost and he does. Unfortunately, it kills him.]]
** In a more minor example, Patty very quickly regrets wishing that she could have seen Abby and Erin's high school presentation on ghosts.

* BewareTheSillyOnes: While they all have their goofball quirks, Holtzmann and her uncanny ability to act wacky coupled with her skills at creating and utilizing dangerous science based weaponry makes her the scourge of most ghosts.

* BreakingTheFellowship: We don't see the scene where it occurs, but it is implied that this has briefly happened to Erin and the other Ghostbusters following the 'fake arrest' at the Mercado Hotel; Erin is separate from the other Ghostbusters for a significant portion of the third act, her plot and character arc has involved the tension created by her desire for academic respect / approval and her work with the Ghostbusters, and her BigDamnHeroes moment [[spoiler: where she saves the others from the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man]] plays like the triumphant return of an estranged member of the band after a TenMinuteRetirement. However, watching the longer cut, the change is far less jarring - and still the additional deleted scenes give even more emphasis on the developments.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: As they are celebrating at the end of the Hotel bust, Kevin is seen eating a sandwich he picked up during the scene break, which they throw away. He then asks someone out of view to toss it back, for him to catch the sandwich he's given back, followed by several other items, all of which were thrown literally from right in front of them. [[IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat The Ghostbusters visibly look at him in incredulity about how the HELL he did it]] Though this also works when taken at face value. It might be the amazing way people naturally react to Kevin, or an after-effect of [[spoiler: him having been their puppet-master]], or a combination of both.
* BrickJoke:

** Patty says her uncle will be very upset when he sees the way they re-designed one of his hearse vehicles. Said uncle shows up in the final scene before the end credits (and played by [[spoiler: Ernie Hudson]]), and he ain't happy.

* BrokenBird: Erin Gilbert. [[spoiler:As an eight-year old child, Erin was haunted by the ghost of an elderly neighbour who appeared at the end of her bed. Every night. ''For a year.'']] Everyone thought she was crazy, and right through to adulthood, Erin cares most about being perceived as sane and respectable.
* BrokenMasquerade: At the end of the movie, [[spoiler:it may not be a full UnmasquedWorld ''yet''--the mayor is still denying everything to the public for one thing--but the Ghostbusters are starting to get respect and belief, and the mayor's aide admits the cover up is "not working"]].

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Holtzmann. She gleefully calls herself crazy and is enthusiastic about everything, but there is no doubt she knows her stuff. Everything she makes works--almost ''too'' well.

* CallBack: [[spoiler:Until it turns demonic,]] The way the Logo Ghost is animated hearkens back to the introduction of WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters, except with an added bow tie.

*** Bill Murray [[spoiler: as a famed paranormal debunker mocking the efforts of the team. He is seen on TV and later visits them in person, only to be thrown out a window and killed by the ghost they previously caught]].
*** Harold Ramis [[spoiler: shows up as a bust (with an amused expression) at Columbia when Erin is fired]]. Daniel Ramis also appears briefly in his late father's stead.
*** Dan Aykroyd [[spoiler: shows up as a cabby who refuses to help out Erin and appears unfazed by the explosion of ghosts in the city. He gets to say the line "I ain't afraid of no ghost."]]
*** Ernie Hudson [[spoiler: is Patty's oft mentioned uncle who runs a funeral home and loaned her the hearse they use for transportation. He shows up at the end asking for it back]].
*** Creator/AnniePotts [[spoiler: is a receptionist at a hotel who is every bit as sassy as Janine, even saying "What do you want?" in a distinctive Brooklyn accent]].

* CanonDiscontinuity: As of January 2019, Sony announced that the next Ghostbusters film will be a direct sequel of the original two films, completely ignoring the continuity of the 2016 film.
* CanonImmigrant: This isn't the first time Ghostbuster use grenade weaponry if you recall the Proton Grenades from the IDW continuity.

** The Swiss Army knife Erin receives. [[spoiler: It saves the others from the giant balloon Stay Puff Marshmallow Man.]]
** The nuclear device on top of Ecto-1. [[spoiler: It is essential to closing Rowan's portal.]]

* CoveredInGunge: A RunningGag involves Erin getting drenched with ectoplasm on [[OnceAnEpisode nearly every bust.]]

* CreateYourOwnVillain: [[spoiler: Rowan the janitor]] used theories from Abby's and Erin's book to concoct mechanisms that unleash ghosts.
* CreatorCameo

-->'''Rowan:''' Then you must have been afforded the basic respect and dignity of a human being which I have been denied.\\

'''Rowan:''' I am a GENIUS. I see things no one else does, and for it I am awarded with nothing but scorn and mockery.
* [[DumbBlonde Dumb Blond]]: The dumb blond is Kevin, the hunky prettyboy the ladies hire for their receptionist, although he's barely able to do the job.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: A subtle example; at the beginning, after pranking Erin with the "EVP" fart joke, Abby and Jillian remark that no one else had even come over to listen, let alone listened intently like Erin had. It's a sign that Erin is more of a believer than she wants to admit, since the likely reason no one else even came over was because they didn't believe in Electronic Voice Projection to begin with.

--> '''Holtzmann:''' ''(waving goodbye, smiling)'' Do you think they [[CompensatingForSomething actually have any genitals?]] Or is it more of a [[BarbieDollAnatomy Ken doll situation?]]
--> '''Abby:''' Huh... I'm thinking Ken doll. Just... smooth.

** [[spoiler: Rowan the janitor]] hates humanity because he's always been treated poorly by other people and thinks that the world, as a result, is garbage. That's why he's decided to be the bad guy. It's lampshaded as he immediately assumes that the Ghostbusters could never understand what he's been through, only for them to point out that the world at large isn't nice to them either.
** In a heroic example, Erin proves to be so excited about proving ghosts exist because she was haunted by one as a tween. Once she told her parents about it, she was sent to therapy and consequently ridiculed and humiliated through her entire academic life for it until she turned her back on parapsychology and became hell bent on being taken as serious and sane.
* FriendsRentControl: {{Averted}}. The cavernous former firehouse the real estate agent shows the women is laughably out of their budget.
-->'''Erin:''' ''[smiling in excitement]'' So, how much is this place?\\

** [[spoiler: They do get the firehouse in the end, after the mayor's office puts the team on the city's payroll to further develop their research and equipment]].

* GenkiGirl: Holtzmann, who is rarely seen without a smile and\or scenery-chewing enthusiasm.

* HandCannon: Erin is given one, which even warrants a [[Film/{{Scarface1983}} "Say hello to my little friend!"]] upon first use.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Martin Heiss goads Erin into showing him proof of the ghosts that the Ghostbusters have been hunting. He gets proof alright. [[spoiler: Mayhem (the dragon-like ghost) flies right into his face and shoves him through a window.]]

** The Mayor and his assistant, who feel that discrediting the Ghostbusters despite them really doing a valued service for the city, is the best way to avoid panic--no matter how cruel it is to the women.
** The Graffiti Artist who vexes Patty while she works in the subway; he thinks its his gallery.
** Erin's boss at Columbia is very strict about EVERYTHING, even down to how she dresses. The fact her boss is [[Creator/CharlesDance Tywin Lannister]] only helps sell this.

*** Slimer puts in an appearance, as well as a [[DistaffCounterpart female version]]. And like in the second movie, he's driving.
*** The final [[spoiler: 1920s parade balloon ghosts]] is [[spoiler: the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man]], who [[spoiler: nearly kills three of the Ghostbusters]].
*** Crossing with FreezeFrameBonus, the [=LEDs=] on Holtzmann's pack read "1984", the year the original movie came out.
*** The first place the 'Busters see as a potential headquarters is the same location used in the original film ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firehouse,_Hook_%26_Ladder_Company_8 Hook & Ladder Company 8]], which in real life is still in operation). Whereas in the original, it was severely dilapidated and they only chose the location because Ray liked the fire pole, in the reboot they all love it but can't afford the $21,000/month rent. [[spoiler:They move there in the end after the Mayor decides to support them.]]
*** Once Abby asks "WhoYouGonnaCall" the television behind them starts a show named "Ghost Jumpers".
*** The villain again makes a giant version of something a Ghostbuster thought would be harmless-the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in the original movie, [[spoiler:a monstrous BedsheetGhost based on the Ghostbusters logo here]]).
*** The remaining Ghostbusters backing away once one of them mentions having a "nuclear accelerator" on their back.
*** All of the {{Remake Cameo}}s, as listed in their entry below.
*** When Erin is removed from the restaurant, she pulls on a tablecloth, with rather less success than Venkman had in the original.
*** One of the stingers at the end of the movie has Patty listening to an EVP recording and suddenly asking [[spoiler:"What's Zuul?" Zuul being one of Gozer's harbingers in the original Ghostbusters movie, best known for possessing Creator/SigourneyWeaver.]]
*** Here's a subtle one: In the original film, Winston told the mayor, "I've seen shit that'll turn you ''white!''" [[spoiler:When they emerge from the portal at the end, Abby and Erin both have white hair.]]
*** When we first see Abby, she is wearing what looks like a crash-helmet covered in electronics, similar to the helmet Rick Moranis briefly wore in the original movie when Egon was studying him.
*** While trying to think of a flyer slogan, Abby comes up with "[[WaxingLyrical If there's something strange in your neighborhood...]]" before being cut off.
*** [[spoiler: Ghost!Rowan asks the Ghostbusters to choose his form for the final battle]], as Gozer did in the first ''Ghostbusters''.
*** The earlier scene where Abby tries to talk Rowan down inverts part of that confrontation with Gozer: instead of Ray being unable to ''avoid'' thinking of something, Abby isn't able to think of ''anything'' but "soup".
*** A [[Creator/DanAykroyd taxi driver]] utters the famous "I ain't afraid of no ghosts!" line.
*** BigBad [[spoiler: Rowan's]] motivations are similar to that of Ivo Shandor, the Gozer-worshipping architect and cult-leader from the backstory of the first movie (and BigBad of the 2009 video game). Shandor, like [[spoiler: Rowan]] believed that humanity was sick and needed to be wiped out. Shandor's belief stemmed from the horrors of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and [[spoiler: Rowan's]] come from being bullied his whole life.
*** The Ghostbusters' answering machine recording is Kevin saying "Ghostbusters, what do you want?", referencing Janine Melnitz's rather biting delivery of the line in the first film. [[spoiler:Janine's actress, Annie Potts, even says "What do you want?" during her RemakeCameo, exactly like she did in the mentioned scene.]]

*** Erin having a meltdown at the Mayor in the middle of his fancy dinner is a call back to the scene in ''Ghostbusters 2'' wherein Ray and Winston are desperate to convince Venkman of a serious threat while he's at a fancy dinner.
*** The ghost that chases Patty in the subway is a direct reference to the Scoleri Brothers, the first two ghosts to show up in ''[[Film/Ghostbusters1984 Ghostbusters II]]''--criminals who were sent to the electric chair.
*** Kevin does something irrelevant during the climax which he mistakenly thinks defeats the main villain, much like Louis Tully in ''Ghostbusters 2''.
*** The film's opening sequence in Aldridge Manor features a portrait of Gertrude Aldridge, who murdered all of the house's servants and was locked in the basement for the rest of her life. The portrait, while not being haunted, is of a woman wearing a rather nasty scowl on her face, and seems much like Vigo the Carpathian's portrait from ''Ghostbusters II''.

*** The scene [[spoiler:where Erin rescues Abby from the portal]] also references ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' episode "The Hole In The Wall Gang," specifically the scene where Ray is pulled through a portal to the ghost world and comes back with white hair.
*** At the very end [[spoiler:Erin attempts to go back to a variation on her natural color with ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} hair dye. The orange cat has shared voice actors with both [[WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters animated]] and [[Film/{{Garfield}} live-action]] Peter Venkman.]]
*** The grenade Holtzmann designs that's "only dangerous to ghosts" is essentially the Ghost Bomb from ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' episode "The Bogeyman Cometh."
*** Erin started studying the supernatural because she was haunted as a child by a ghost who appeared in her room night after night -- just like the animated series revealed about Egon and the Bogeyman.
*** The [[spoiler:logo ghost becoming a free walking and dangerous apparition]] also references ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'', where [[spoiler:the ghost does something very similar in the TitleSequence]].
*** The "ghost" hood ornament owes something to the ECTO-1 of the cartoon show, which used a No-Ghost logo in the same way.

* BadassGay: Holtzmann, who subtly flirts with Erin and kicks ass. Technically speaking, it's a case of badass AmbiguouslyGay, since the movie never outright confirms Holtzmann's sexuality in-universe, but WordOfGod has confirmed that Holtzmann is intended to be gay. Creator/KateMcKinnon, the actress playing her, is also a lesbian.

* {{Mondegreen}}: Patty is ''not'' saying "The power of pain compels you!" She is saying "The power of ''Patty'' compels you!"

*** At the very end [[spoiler:Erin attempts to go back to a variation on her natural color with ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} hair dye. The orange cat has shared voice actors with both [[WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters animated]] and [[Film/{{Garfield}} live-action]] Peter Venkmans.]]

** The [[spoiler:Rowan-possessed Kevin the receptionist]] turns the police, [=SWAT=] team, and the [=DHS=] agents into his very own {{Puppetmaster}}ed dance party to the tune of "Get Ghost!" Some of his hip-shakin' dance moves actually knock the credits out of alignment as they scroll up the screen.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Invoked on a meta-level. Holtzmann is constantly flirtatious with a mildly awkward but still flattered Erin. It's only "ambiguous" in name. Feig strongly implies he didn't come right out and make it plain only because the studio would have objected.

%%* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Holtzmann, Gilbert and Yates.

2020's ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife'' is an {{unreboot}} that ignores this film and picks up where ''Film/GhostbustersII'' left off.