The Real Ghostbusters, “When Halloween Was Forever”
It can be argued that the animated adaptation of GHOSTBUSTERS, aka The Real Ghostbusters, and its subsequent toyline and merchandising, did more to endear Ghostbusters franchise than either of the original two movies. 140 episodes airing from 1986 to 1991, devoted to all sorts of monsters, ghouls, and hauntings with trademark chemistry between the gang, Venkman’s sarcastic humor perfect for kids, and the adorable yet gross antics of Slimer would probably make a stronger impression across a larger age range than one 105-minute film from 1984. You can actually see nods to this in the…less than stellar GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE as there are multiple nods to the show and Kenner toys in that movie. Again, it’s simply a discussion that I think has merit.
But one of the upsides of AFTERLIFE was that the Ghostbusters YouTube channel was formed and with it came some cool Behind The Scenes stuff from the first two movies along with full episodes of The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters. One entry worth noting is “When Halloween Was Forever,” the Halloween episode (and eighth over all) from season one that finds Samhain come back to life and seeking to make the creepy holiday last for an eternity. It has some great creature designs, classic quips, and even those weird logic gaps/fumbled animations that make for a heartwarming slice of ‘80s cartoon nostalgia.
The episode aired on November 1, 1986 and was directed by Richard Raynis (a director and producer that has worked on a ton of shows, including ALF and The Simpsons) from a script by the prolific J. Michael Straczynski (created Babylon 5, co-created Sense8, written many issues of major comics including Rising Stars, Amazing Spider-Man and Thor). This is also the original voice cast with Lorenzo Music as Venkman, Maurice LaMarche as Egon, Arsenio Hall as Winston, Laura Summer as Janine, and Frank Welker pulling double duty as Ray and Slimer. It’s a fun episode that will inject your April afternoon with a delicious splash of Halloween spirit.