Dan Aykroyd Says Ghostbusters Reboot Is Funnier And Scarier Than Original

As the controversy over the upcoming reboot of the 1984 classic Ghostbusters continues to dominate headlines, Dan Aykroyd has spoken out to praise the film after seeing a test screening.

The co-writer and star of the original posted an update on Facebook following the screening, in which he praised the film's performances as well as the balance of jokes and scares:

"As originator of the original: Saw test screening of new movie. Apart from brilliant, genuine performances from the cast both female and male, it has more laughs and more scares than the first 2 films plus Bill Murray is in it! As one of millions of man-fans and Ray Stantz, I'm paying to see that and bringing all my friends!"

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Aykroyd, who came up with the original idea and was also involved in the writing of the 1989 sequel, has been a keen advocate of the reboot and is set to make a cameo appearance alongside former co-stars Murray and Ernie Hudson.

Some responses to his Facebook post were predictably vitriolic, with the most upvoted comment reading, "So basically your saying this ghostbusters movie is better than the originals? What a way to sh*t on ghostbusters."

Others suggested that his own involvement in the production made his statement unreliable, recalling similar praise from James Cameron before the release of Terminator Genisys last year and the subsequent critical fallout.

Director Paul Feig previously dismissed the backlash to the poorly received first trailer as vile and misogynistic, while the removal of the all-female cast from merchandise packaging, reported in Hitflix, further fuelled the controversy over sexism and the film industry.

Ghostbusters is released in the US and UK on July 15th.