Well, the nights once more are drawing in so it’s time to return to our tales of the other world. But not all have lived in fear of what is beyond. Back 40 years ago brave men used the power of science to fight back against the restless dead. Their time passed and they fell into legends. But how long can the beyond remain restful?
The Real Ghostbusters (go look up why it’s called that, it’s a story in itself) was the cartoon spin off of the classic movie Ghostbusters. It was a well-beloved series that had a dark inventive feel with its threats. Sadly, a bunch of the people with money all CLAIMED they knew better and began sabotaging the series. I kid you not they thought the lead female character having triangular glasses was too aggressive.
Anyway in 1997 a sequel to the classic animated series was produced that, from what I’ve seen, basically ignores the latter, tampered with years of Real, and goes back to being an inventively scary feel for the horrors.
When I say sequel I mean it, Extreme (sorry 90s name) Ghostbusters is set some time after Real and the ghostbusters are no longer operating, not out of any stupid contrived reason that goes against everything that happened earlier like what happened in 2 but as Egon says part way through the first episode, they ran out of ghosts to catch.
Anyway the opening 2 parter opens up with some construction workers who are digging a tunnel for a new subway when getting through a patch of rock they had difficulty with, a hideous ghostly horror comes through.
The next scene introduces us to our new ghostbusters. Eduardo Rivera, Kylie Griffin (yes, a girl. don’t recall anyone making a big deal about it then on either side) Roland Jackson and Garrett Miller who are taking a class at college from Egon Spengler from the original series, also returning is Janine Melnitz who retains the romantic tension with Egon her early version had (the money men forced that away in the later seasons too) and Slimer (who thankfully is also not thrust in your face like the later season of Real did… ok that should be enough of bringing that up)
The first of the 2 episodes introduces us to not only the new core cast but also reintroduces us to Egon and gives us enough information as to what happened between shows, finally leaving us off on a cliff-hanger as the ghostly threat starts to make its presence known forcing the ghostbusters to start up again with the new team and Egon as the mentor. This leaves the second episode to go directly into the new threat as well as its origins. Honestly the climax is a bit anti-climactic but it does show how much the show can go rather terrifying with some of the designs.
We get some introductions on our new 4 leads but its later episodes that delve into them individually. This is more just giving them a taste and what kinds of characters they are before we find out about histories and go deeper into personal relationships.
The two opening episodes in that regard do a good job of reintroducing the world of the ghostbusters, giving us new leads while making new threats in a way that doesn’t just seem like trying to repeat itself too. There’s a bit of the oooh we need to make this more powerful to work on new stronger ghosts but I don’t feel that’s really elaborated on and just an excuse to design some new gear.
The show and Real are watchable on the official ghostbusters YouTube channel with more episodes still being uploaded so it’s worth a check out.
Well the month of spooks goes on and I have a fair few more things to write about.
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