Toasted marshmallow, anyone?
WARNING: Spoilers are unmarked.- The Ghostbusters theme
. It even got an Oscar nomination for "Best Original Song" in 1985. - Venkman's Badass Boast early on.Venkman: Back off, man; I'm a scientist.
- Arguably, the moment that acts as a siren, announcing that the awesomeness is about to kick into high gear: "WE GOT ONE!!!"
- This one goes hand-in-hand with a heartwarming moment, as Janine looks so happy to tell the boys they finally got a job. She's got an apathetic façade, but she clearly wants the business to succeed.
- "WE CAME. WE SAW. WE KICKED ITS ASS!" Declared by Venkman, after he and the guys catch their first ghost, Slimer. Also doubles as funny.
- The ghosts get one for their escape, which is helped by "Magic" by Mick Smiley.
- After Venkman's big mouth gets the Ghostbusters arrested and their containment grid shut down by Walter Peck, he turns it around by using his silver tongue to cut a deal with the mayor:Venkman: If I'm wrong, nothing happens! We go to jail! Peacefully, quietly. We'll enjoy it! But if I'm right, and we can stop this thing... Lenny... you will have saved the lives... of millions... of registered voters.
Peck: I don't believe you're seriously considering listening to these men.
Mayor: [gestures at Peck after a beat] ... Get him out of here.- The shit-eating grin on Venkman's face as they drag Peck out of the Mayor's office makes the whole scene even better.
- Bonus points for the Cardinal smiling and nodding after Venkman makes his case, as if to say, "Yep, that'll about do it."
- Janine to her credit during Walter Peck's second visit refuses to be intimidated by him, physically blocks him and when he threatens to arrest her, demands he produce a warrant to enter the premises. Unluckily for her, Peck does have a warrant but she gets props for standing up for him.
- The police/National Guard escort that Venkman requests for the Ghostbusters.
- In a deleted scene, a random police officer gets one when Peck thinks the Ghostbusters caused the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to attack. So he tries to get the fleeing officer to arrest them. The officer's response?Policeman: YOU arrest them!
- The Team Power Walk sequence and these lines:Venkman: Got your stick?
(draws particle thrower)
Guys: Holdin'!
Venkman: Heat 'em up!
(powers up)
Guys: Smokin'!
Venkman: Make 'em hard!
(clicking their particle throwers)
Guys: Ready!
Venkman: Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown. - This moment, after the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man stomps on a church as he advances on the Ghostbusters:Venkman: Nobody steps on a church in my town!
Ray: One, two, three — roast him!- The four proceed to blast the monster, which sets him on fire. It doesn't kill him, just pisses him off further, but there's no doubt he deserved the pain.
- The fact that they were able to damage him at all. They were having a hard time against Gozer at first, but when he takes on the form of a giant marshmallow man, it only made him more vulnerable and an easier target for their proton beams. Thanks in part to Ray which was a What the Hell, Hero? moment for him.
- You got to give it to Gozer. He managed to invade Earth... by becoming a gigantic version of a cartoon character. He turned himself into a funny little marshmallow man, and yet he was beyond terrifying. This guy was going to destroy the world. Bad. Ass.
- The Ghostbusters willing to sacrifice themselves to save New York and the world by crossing the streams (which Egon said earlier would make them explode) to destroy Gozer's gateway. They ultimately survive, of course.
- The resultant spectacular explosion that wipes out Gozer's Marshmallow Man form, made even better by the look on his face as he realizes what's about to happen. On the same note, Peck gets his just desserts when a ton of marshmallow goo drops on him.
- The fact that Gozer, an unfathomably powerful deity who probably destroyed countless universes, was thwarted by four mere humans.
- Just how much of a hit this movie was - $295.2m made it the highest grossing comedy of the 1980s and the world record holder until Home Alone beat it in 1990. Adjusting for inflation, it would have made about $866m in 2023 - putting it third in that year, above every single Marvel and DC film. To add to this, it was doing this at a time when the Cold War closed off half of Europe to Western films - most countries there not getting to see it legally until communism ended - and China was itself largely closed.
- HBO promised "something special" for Christmas 1984, with an unnamed movie to be aired that night. Those Genre Savvy viewers had their VCRs at the ready, and lo and behold, HBO aired Ghostbusters in the same year as its theatrical release, which was unheard of. The home video release wasn't until the next year!
