10 Reasons Ghostbusters II Is Ridiculously Underrated
7. It's Even Creepier Than The Original
While the new Ghostbusters has a few creepy bits here and there, it’s not particularly scary. It doesn’t really try to be and is more focused on gags than jump scares.
This colourful tone contrasts with Ghostbusters II, which loves to mix serious chills in with the laughs. They can be subtle, like the scene where the gang develop photos of Vigo and things get creepy, or more overt like Dana being attacked by a suspiciously phallic slime monster.
It feels like Ivan Reitman wanted to make a creepier movie, and while he doesn’t always succeed - the “Ghost Nanny” scene is a misstep - he gets shivers from moments like Ray dangling over the slime river, orJanosz and his freaky glowing eyes.
Horror aimed at kids is tough to pull off; too much and you traumatise them, but if it’s too mild it’s lame. Ghostbusters II (mostly) gets the balance right, and might have been a gateway drug for some fans to the horror genre.