2021 was a year full of stories that tried to tap into moviegoers' nostalgia and one of those films that did so successfully wasGhostbusters: Afterlife. The film was as much of a legacy story honoring the franchise and the likes of the lateHarold Ramisas it was a fresh coming of age story that moved the series forward. It iscoming to Blu-ray next monthand it was released on all digital platforms earlier this week. To promote its home release Sony Pictures has released the first 10 minutes of the film on the officialGhostbustersYouTube channel.
From the very first piano note and piece of iconic eerie music, this update on the classic story starts off with an atmospheric scene of Ramis’ Egon Spengler racing to get back to his farmhouse with a freshly captured ghost in tow. An unknown force crashes his truck in a nearby cornfield and Egon runs to his house to set up a trap for his assailant. It is here where directorJason Reitman’s eye for haunting visuals really shines as Egon waits on his porch clouded in intense shadow. The tension builds and the music swells as Egon’s trap humorously fails. As a last resort, he hides his ghost trap underneath the floor and waits for the ghoul, who turns out to be one of the terror dogs from the original film, to kill him.
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That is the meat of the mysterious preview, but the rest of the extended clip cuts to the introduction of Egon’s Daughter Callie played byCarrie Coonand her children Trevor and Phoebe played by horror regularsFinn WolfhardandMckenna Grace. We see the down on their luck family move into Egon’s farmhouse and that is where the clip ends.
This 10-minute preview is a great representation of the film as a whole as it scratches that nostalgic itch while giving us something that makes this more than almost 40-year-old franchise feel uniquely fresh. How they incorporate Egon into this film along with the other Ghostbusters really makes the story feel special, but the themes of family made from both blood and bond is what puts this film over the top when compared to most franchise continuations. This is a tale full of great easter eggs, thrilling adventure, and the classic blend of humor and campy scares that people love from this series, but the way the filmmaker bittersweetly honors Ramis’ Egon is what is going to be remembered most about this particular film.
Ghostbusters: Afterlifeis available to buy now on all digital platforms and the film comes out on Blu-ray on February 1. You can watch the 10-minute preview full of nostalgic terror and heartwarming emotions down below.
