Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’
“Who you gonna call?” Everyone knows the famous line fromGhostbusters, and we all know that we’d likely call these wacky scientists if we ever had a ghost problem of our own. But despite the franchise’s distinct place in the1980s comedy sphere, the truth is thatGhostbusters, and therefore the existence of ghosts and other demon spirits, is actually a scary concept. Forty years later, the latest installment,Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, had the opportunity to finally lean into the terror that a real interdimensional being would bring –– it just didn’t lean in hard enough.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
When the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second ice age.
What Horror Could Bring to the Ghostbusters Franchise
With a cast includingBill Murray,Dan Aykroyd, andHarold Ramis, the originalGhostbusterswas never going to be a straight-up horror movie (even if the campiness of ’80s horror isn’t all that scary by today’s standards). Followinga band of pseudo-scientistsas they seek to prove the existence of ghosts, only to turn their theories into a profitable business model, is a novel (and hilarious) idea. A concept like that is certainly primed for comedy, and so it’s no wonder thatdirectorIvan Reitmanwent in that direction. After all, comedy was the filmmaker’s forte.Ghostbustersas a straight-up horror flickwould never have landed the same way, and while it might’ve become a cult favorite down the line, the magic of the original would’ve been lost.
But still, the concept that ghosts and demons would wander New York City like any other pest or sewer gator is a terrifying one, even in a world likeGhostbustersheightened by physical comedy. After all, the Zuul-possessed Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) would’ve come off as a lot scarier had Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman not reacted in such a Bill Murray kind of way. And while there are a few moments in the originalGhostbustersthat do rely on a few quick jump scares (such as Dana getting thrown into her interdimensional refrigerator), the movie is heavier on comedy than anything else –– and we loveGhostbustersfor that! But now having donethe Gozer thingtwice, it’s time for the franchise to step it up a notch if it wants to stay fresh and interesting.
‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Got the Stamp of Approval from Original ‘Ghostbusters’ Director Before He Died
Director Gil Kenan reveals the origins of the frosty foe, talks practical effects, pitching to Ivan Reitman, and teases ‘SNL 1975.’
This isn’t to say thatGhostbustersneeds to become ahorror movie franchise— far from it. At its core, this story is a supernatural comedy, and it should remain that way, but just as the original had some freaky moments,modern installments might do well to lean a bit further into the horror that is “ghosts walking among us,“something that wouldn’t be handled with nearly as little enthusiasm as it seems to be in the film. WithGhostbusters: Frozen Empire, the film series had the perfect in to push the story there. Only, they didn’t really take it.
‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Should’ve Leaned Into Horror More
Though most ofGhostbusters: Frozen Empireis a comedy-drama that deals with the concepts of belonging, growing up, responsibility, and dashed pride, all under the backdrop of an unseen otherworldly threat, the back half of the film takes some creepy turns. For starters, when Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace) accidentally becomes responsible for the release of the interdimensional god of fear known as Garraka, things immediately get spooky. The demon hides in the shadows with glowing eyes reminiscent of the final act ofThe Nun II, andit feels almost likeFrozen Empireis about to turn into a horror movie for the third act. And then it doesn’t.
Not that we wanted it to exactly, but when the entire point of your villain is that people literally freeze to death in fear, well, that implies a level of terror never before seen inGhostbusters. In many ways,Frozen Empirefeels like a legacy sequel toThe Real Ghostbustersanimated series in the same way that its predecessor,Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was for the original 1984 feature. In step with that,Frozen Empireplays everything pretty cool, with our heroes staring down their latest supernatural foe with the same level of confidence they have every other time. Even though their proton packs don’t work so well against him, they never seem terrified beyond belief, despite what the trailers for the film seemed to imply.
No doubt,there are still some genuinely freaky moments with Garrakathat show his threat and presence in a powerful and creepy way, but it all falls short of the genuine thrills that make supernatural antagonists like these so great to watch. Frankly,some scenes fromDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswere scarier than anything we got from this demon in the newGhostbusters, as was the recentA Haunting in Venice, which billed itself as a horror movie despite being nothing more than a murder mystery with some spiritual undertones. We wanted more fromGhostbusters: Frozen Empire, and maybe in the future, the franchise will decide to give it to us.
Garraka Is the Ghostbusters Villain We’ve All Been Waiting For
While the latestGhostbustersfilm is getting somepretty mixed reviewsup front, the one thing that it gets absolutely right is its villain. No, the flick didn’t lean into the horror genre as closely as this creature would’ve allowed, but that’s the fault of the film, not the monster himself. Garraka is unlike any live-actionGhostbustersvillain we’ve seen thus far. While Gozer is great, and we all love Zuul and Vinz Clortho, Garraka is the living embodiment of fear and proves himself a genuine threat from the get-go, encasing all of New York City in an arctic tundra. If this weren’t aGhostbustersmovie, we would’ve likely seen a lot of folks impaled by icicles and frozen to death.
ButunlikeWilhelm von Homburg’s Vigo the Carpathian, Garraka is a spectral figure who can control spirits and would’ve been unstoppablehad one Ghostbuster not connected the villain’s distinct weaknesses in time.He’s scary, manipulative, distinct, and driven in a way we’re not used to withGhostbustersvillains, making him stand out as one of the most powerful in the official canon. Of course, he would’ve been much scarier had the film opted to push the fear factor to its absolute limits, but, again, this isGhostbusters, notEvil Dead. Still, Garraka had a lot of potential, and he may go down inGhostbustersmovie history as one of the best behind Gozer.
While a sequel has yet to be officially confirmed,Ghostbusters: Frozen Empireis arguably a step in the right direction for the franchise. Its willingness to embrace new characters, stories, and monsters while remaining true to the spirit of the original franchise without feeling overly tacky makesFrozen Empirea worthy sequelto the aforementionedAfterlife. Who knows, if future installments can continue to capture that same feeling with new characters, maybe it can explore new genres down the line too.
