Fridge / Ghostbusters: Afterlife

As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

Fridge Brilliance:

• While the townsfolk have some Arbitrary Skepticism about ghosts, the main characters are given certain proof that supernatural shenanigans are afoot, and none of them freak out. This is because they're living in a world where Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II and (possibly) Ghostbusters: The Video Game have happened. While the characters describe the events as a weird and temporary aberration, they still know about them and therefore aren't taken completely off guard by more ghosts showing up.
  • Another thing to take into account is that all the events with ghosts took place in New York due to the Spook Central building. There's no indication that there's been any hauntings or ghost sightings outside of New York City. So, the rest of the world hadn't experienced any ghosts, and therefore would probably brush Ghostbusters and the story aside with a lot of skepticism (remember Peck and how he didn't believe the Ghostbusters were actually busting ghosts because he himself never had any encounter with one in the original film before Stay Puft showed up? That'd be the same kind of skepticism that people outside of New York would have. And then add in the factor of time, the Ghostbusters and their stories of busting ghosts would probably be much more of an urban legend in the paranormal believing community than it would be for the normal and average person.
• Why did Gozer stay in its original form for the duration of the movie? Ray tried to make it turn into the most harmless form possible in the first movie, and they defeated it. Gozer probably wised up to that trick at some point during its disappearance from 1984 to 2021 and deliberately chose to stay in its more powerful humanoid form than be tricked into switching to a Clipped-Wing Angel form again.
  • In Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Ray hypothesized that the reason why Gozer's Destructor form remained Stay Puft is that Gozer works of symmetry similar to other ghosts. As a result, Gozer is allowed one destructor form per god per dimension. In this dimension, no matter how big or small it may be, it will always be Stay Puft because the decision was locked in. This would also explain why some of the events of what happened in 1984 repeated in Summerville in regard to Gozer.
• Summerville was founded by Ivo Shandor, a worshiper of Gozer who was a Sumerian god. The entire town is his attempt to re-create the ancient civilization in America. In other words, Summerville was built to be Sumer(ian)-ville.
• Peter is mentioned as being a professor of Advertising and Promotion at SUNY^note State University of New York Cortland. SUNY Cortland has something of a reputation as a notorious "party school." In other words, it's the perfect job in the perfect place for an old huckster like Peter.
  • Flimsier, but "SUNY" sounds a bit like "Sony", the major company behind this movie.
• Given that the mine (with all the jobs) and the town itself were established by Ivo Shandor, and his name is on most of the buildings and such, it's likely that Shandor was considered a town hero despite the little things like human sacrifice passed off as "mining accidents." It's little wonder that someone (especially a Mad Scientist with No Social Skills) who blew in from New York badmouthing the town hero would get no sympathy or support from the townsfolk. Crosses into the Fridge Horror category when you consider the possibility that the town may be a hotbed of Gozer cultists who would have all kinds of motive to set up Egon's death, and the surviving Spengler clan would have no idea.
  • Given the era that the mine operated, Shandor most likely claimed that the disappeared miners were communists and labor agitators.
• Callie inviting the (surviving) heroes in for hot chocolate (spiked with rum for those old enough to imbibe) is a subtle nod. For one, looks like Callie got Egon's monster sweet tooth. Secondly, it might be a Fandom Nod, as fanfic for the animated series had a recurring element that Egon made a great cup of cocoa.
• Another element that may have been imported from the animated series- in both The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters, a notorious way to piss Egon off was when a ghost showed they Would Hurt a Child. At the time, it was just a typical "kid friendly" element in an animated show. Those inclined to Canon Welding now have a good explanation of why.
• If you do Canon Welding with the animated series and other Expanded Universe material, it's also brilliance (with a side of sadness) that Janine was the only one still on speaking terms with Egon and entrusted with his estate. In Real Ghostbusters, he was likely the one who trained her with the equipment. In Extreme Ghostbusters, the other three guys had gone on to other careers. Janine stuck around to help with the new team.
• Continuing with Canon Welding, Casper contains a brief cameo by Ray Stantz fleeing a haunted house after a failed job. There are three takeaways if one assumes the events take place several years after the second film and after Egon left the team:
  • The film establishes a world where ghosts can cross over to the afterlife once all Unfinished Business is resolved, much like what Egon did when he helped finally defeat Gozer and reconciled with his friends and family.
  • Why would Ray, a veteran Ghostbuster who handled a couple of apocalypses, have a hard time with a haunted house with three harmless (though annoying) ghosts? Because Egon took most of the equipment, leaving Ray with limited resources to properly bust ghosts. Notice that Ecto-1 is missing in the film.
  • By 1995, business was likely doing poorly as Ray mentioned to Egon's granddaughter. Being desperate for work, he would risk going from NYC to Maine for what he thought was a simple house haunting job.
    • It also explains other characters motives and reactions in Casper as well, namely Harvey making the decision to give up being a regular therapist to become a ghost therapist. He wasn't just taking a stab in the dark after his wife died, he had seen news reports of Ghostbuster incidents that would have been proof! Both for him to justify perusing it and for the people who call him for cases.
• In the first film, when talking about the firehouse in front of the realtor (as a part to con the realtor to come down on the price), Egon lists one of the reasons why the firehouse was not the best choice was due to "its inadequate power supply". There's a bit of fridge irony for the fact that the reason why his trap didn't work in this film is due for that exact reason: the farm didn't have an adequate power supply, either.
• Another sad one. Crunching the timelines would put Callie as likely being born before the first film. Back in the early 80's, people hooked up, but an unplanned pregnancy still was more likely to lead to a Shotgun Wedding, even if the two people had zero business being in a long-term relationship. No Fault divorces being what they were in the 80's, it was also very common to award sole custody to the mother with no rights at all for the father if the mother didn't feel like letting him have contact. Callie's situation was sadly common for children of the early 80s.
  • Add into that is the fact that Egon is Egon. He doesn't seem the kind of person who would believe in traditional marriage, let alone traditional relationships, anyway (this is a guy who believed "print is dead," was stated to have tried to drill a hole completely through his head, and is mainly scientific and logical).
  • Callie’s exact age isn’t established, which — if she was born between the first and second films instead —would make her an Absurdly Youthful Mother (having two teenaged children in her mid-late 30s at the youngest). Paired with her and still having Spengler for a surname, this gives plenty of subtext to the relationship with her children’s father (who despite having been “good” with Trevor at least, didn’t pass his family name to either child).
  • Callie gives additional nuance to Egon's discomfort about Janine's obvious affection for him; he already had a relationship that ended badly, complete with a daughter he never sees but clearly loves. He's still heartbroken and refuses to let himself be vulnerable again, even with somebody he has a legitimate chance of being happy with.
• The original Ghostbusters are surprised that crossing the streams doesn't work as planned against Gozer. It's when you look back at the first film, you realize that not only are they one person short for the crossing the streams, but they also used it on the gateway on Gozer's temple, not on Gozer itself.
• Muncher's appearance as the first non-Gozer-related ghost to manifest in Summerville may not be as random as it seems. The fact that it eats metal implies that Gozer may have selectively attracted such a creature, in the hope that it would eat Egon's automatic stream-crossing mechanism. Thank goodness it found the ore-processing plant's equipment more appetizing!
• Aside from it coming in handy later, there's an immediate practical reason why Egon's Unfinished Business led to him returning as a poltergeist rather than some other type of ghost. In his haste to secure the filled trap under the floorboards before the other Terror Dog can attack, he didn't seem to have had time to shift the concealing puzzle pieces into their correct positions. He had to manifest as something that could ensure the trap was sealed away undetectably, until such time as someone he trusted to complete his work was available.
• Gary's the only main cast member to know much about the original Ghostbusters' exploits in the '80s, having been a bit of a spookiness-fanboy at the time. What does he show his summer-school students so he doesn't have to teach them? Horror films from the '80s.
  • On top of that, Gary showing kids inappropriate '80s movies may be a reference to how the original Ghostbusters itself was not made for children.
• It's easy to determine that it was Zuul who was after Egon at the start of the film, and that it was Vinz Clortho in the trap. How? Vinz has always been portrayed as a klutz, even before possessing Louis Tully in the first film (as he had to literally chase Louis around his apartment before chasing Louis out of the building and cornering him in the park). Zuul, however, was portrayed as being strategic and was able to trap Dana on her chair in the apartment when she wasn't expecting it and without any hindrance. In this film, not only does Zuul use the same chair trick to try and trap Egon, but in the last act, Vinz is shown having difficulty trying to keep up with the Ghost Trap, let alone the Ecto-1.
• Why are there old cars littering Egon's property? They're all old Cadillacs. Egon was buying and cannibalizing other old Caddys to try and preserve/restore ECTO-1.
• It might seem strange that in Egon's house there is a stack of books similar to the one seen in the library from the first film until you take into account the fact that it was a ghost that stacked them in the first film. Egon undoubtedly remembered the book stack from the first film and was practicing on manipulating the physical world as a ghost while waiting for someone he could communicate with, though he hasn't quite got the hang of it as he seems to be gentle moving some things (the chess pawn and the lamp in his lab) and a little rougher with other things (hitting Phoebe's knight hard enough to knock it across the room).
• Shandor's anti-climactic partitioning by Gozer may seem disappointing, but in context of the movie, it makes sense. Shandor is Egon's Evil Counterpart in Summerville: a self-important mogul who foolishly dreamed of ruling with Gozer, and would sacrifice everyone else to see it achieved; as opposed to Egon "the Dirt Farmer" doing everything he could to prevent the end of the world, even if it meant his friends and family would resent him for it and nobody else would care or believe him. Their ultimate ends highlight this: Shandor dies alone to someone who does not consider him at all; but Egon's ghost passes on after he achieves what he set out to do, with his friends and family present to see him off.
  • Also, if one considers Ghostbusters: The Video Game as part of the canon, Shandor's demise could be seen as Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves since Shandor admitted near the end of the game that he denounced Gozer and decided to become a god himself. It also adds more of him being Egon's Evil Counterpart as Egon sacrificed everything for his daughter and her family to keep them safe, while Shandor willfully tried to sacrifice his only living blood relative to obtain godhood.
• The kid characters seem like Generation Xerox Suspiciously Similar Substitutes at first glance: Phoebe is Egon, Trevor is Venkman, Podcast is Ray, Lucky is Winston. But it's a bit more complex than that, traits are shuffled and added making the characters similar and familiar, yet new and different:
  • Phoebe shares Egon's intelligence and stoicism, but also has Venkman's core leadership ability, the ability to speak and be listened to, the force of personality to take charge of these misfits and mold them into a team.
  • Trevor has some of Venkman's charm and charisma, as well as his interest in the opposite sex, but lacks his polish and smoothness, as well as his leadership. He instead takes on some characteristics of Winston, being the one who needs things explained to him (so they can be explained to the audience). He also has the mechanical aptitude of Ray and Winston (Ray fixing up the Ecto-1 in the original film, and other media showing Winston keeping the car running, which this film hints at when he sees what's become of the car).
  • Podcast is most similar to Ray, being The Heart and The Lancer, but also picks up the "Game Show Host" half of Peter's The Face role, inviting people in to the supernatural world and encouraging them to come along for the ride. He's not as scientifically-minded as Pheobe, while Ray was easily able to keep intellectual pace with Egon, but Podcast is good at tracking down relevant information.
  • Lucky maps easily on to Winston, the late arrival Token Minority, but grasps things quicker than Trevor so needs less explained to her. She seems perfectly prepared to step into the supernatural world, making her similar to Ray, the true believer in the occult and paranormal. She also splits Venkman's impish prankster traits, enjoying screwing with people for her own amusement, and like Venkman is also overtly interested in romance. She also bears resemblance to Dana Barrett, introduced early as a Love Interest for "Venkman," but unlike Dana is not a victim of the supernatural problems (at least, until she's taken out by Zuul in the climax). This also makes her a host of Zuul, just like Dana. And while Dana stood up to Venkman's antics for a time before giving in, Lucky pretty much always has Trevor on the back foot, effectively gender-flipping the relationship dynamic.
• One of the movies Grooberson shows his class is Cujo, about a terrifying dog. In the original book, it's even implied strongly that Cujo was possessed by the vengeful spirit of Frank Dodd from one of Stephen King's other works. So, a supernatural monster dog. Guess what Grooberson has to deal with later.
• Podcast, for all his self-proclaimed paranormal fanboy-ism, apparently managed to not even have heard of the Ghostbusters prior to this film's events. Ray, decades after the original team's business collapsed in acrimony and betrayal, gets bitterly angry at what seems like an innocent query about his ghost-hunting past. Of all the new media Ray might choose to follow, to keep abreast of supernatural events and encounters, is it really so odd that he'd regularly listen to the one podcast on the subject that never ever mentions the Ghostbusters?

Fridge Horror:

• It's not known for sure if what was caught/sealed was actually Gozer or just the avatar (Ray mentions it being a 'Manifestation of Gozer'). Notably the "death effect" on the Terror Dogs was the same as in 1984.
  • The manifestation of Gozer he was referring to was the Mini-Pufts that Podcast took on by himself while everyone else were busy handling Gozer themself.
• Gozer is not destroyed or banished again to their plane of existence, but merely drawn into a hundred different ghost traps that are still on this plane. What if these were all opened back up and Gozer was to reconstitute? Those traps aren't permanent storage devices, either. They're meant for capture and transport to the containment unit. You can see the trap holding Vinz falter a bit when Mr. Grooberson is holding it. Would it even be wise to store Gozer in there since it'd be made whole again? Egon, the "brains" of the outfit, the one who would know best how to deal with long-term containment, is dead, and Phoebe is only starting to grasp the technical specs of the hardware. Fortunately, according to the dates on the temple, Gozer isn't predicted to return until 2134, 150 years after 1984.
  • 2134 will also be the 32nd perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
  • This is assuming it is completely averted due to the fact that Gozer got ripped apart by multiple traps in our reality, not driven back to her realm. There's a good possibility that even if the traps were opened, Gozer may actually be "dead" due to being ripped apart and wasn't able to return to her realm.
    • This is more than likely, as past iterations of the franchise have shown the best way to "kill" a powerful spirit is to rip it into pieces.
    • It might even explain why Gozer's You Have Outlived Your Usefulness on Shandor was carried out as it was. Gozer may not merely have bifurcated Ivo's body: she might've ripped his soul in half to eliminate him for keeps.
  • Also, don't forget that Ray is still alive and had an equal hand in developing the Ghostbusters' technology. Given his regret for not believing Egon all those years, it's likely he'll throw himself into the task of seeing that the Spenglers' efforts weren't in vain.
• If Gozer is sealed for however long the traps last, what kind of power vacuum is left behind, and what entity will arise to take its place or come for its enemies?
  • 2134 isn't the final date on the wall.
• Several posters on Tumblr have pointed out that it was likely Janine who found Egon's body, given she was apparently in the area and the only one on speaking terms with the guy. OUCH. Shippers can cry now.
• Among the materials displayed in Egon's lab are a series of brain scans, and Podcast finds a device similar to the one used to image Vinz Clortho's head possessing Louis Tully's. As there's nobody else Egon could've been using them on, it's likely that he spent the last years of his life obsessively checking himself for signs of mental influence or imminent possession.
• Egon reached out to Ray ten years after leaving and Ray didn't want to hear it. Egon's motive for such a move (beyond reconciliation) most likely would have been that he needed help with his Gozer trap. He never got that help, which may be why the trap failed. Ray will spend the rest of his life wondering if that might be true.
  • Speaking of Ray, his initial bitterness towards Egon after the business collapsed may be partially due to the fact that he lost the most financially, since he had to put his childhood house up for a third mortgage to get the seed money to start in 1984. Between the interest payments of $95,000 in the first five years (according to Egon in the first film), the inability to sell company assets due to theft, and Winston needing to pay the rent for the bookstore, it's likely that Ray lost the house.
    • This could be averted. As we see in the first film, business was booming (which means the group as a whole more than likely may have made that money back quick). However, it could be double averted if that's not the case with the first film, as Ghostbusters II had the group start off as being no longer in business due to the local government having a restraining order against them due to the events of the first film (which takes place five years later). So, it's plausible that Ray either got the childhood home's mortgage paid off or he may have accepted the loss due to the gap of time between the first and second film that the Ghostbusters weren't active.
• Though Ray, Peter and Winston showing up is a great moment, there's something to take into account. The last time all four of the original team went up against Gozer, there was a good chance they weren't going to make it back (as we see Egon himself say in the deleted scene between him and Janine that was used in the post-credit scene). At the time, they were all single men, with no indication of close family. The horror that kicks in is that this time around, we know Peter is married to Dana and Winston has a family of his own. They came to fight Gozer a second time, knowing the likelihood of them surviving was even more slimmer than last time (with them initiating the crossing of the streams shortly after tethering Gozer). Granted, if they didn't come, the chances of Gozer succeeding where it failed the last time was great, but there's no way that Peter and Winston didn't tell their loved ones about Gozer's pending return and the likelihood they weren't going to make it back a second time before they headed off. Much like Egon, they all had more to lose for this second battle against Gozer.

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