Ghostbusters — Jason Reitman tweet reading 'Finally got the keys to the car. #GB20' with an Entertainment Weekly link.

Ghostbusters

1984catchphraseclassic

Published August 24, 2026

Ghostbusters is a 1984 supernatural comedy film about three fired parapsychologists who launch a ghost-catching business in New York City. Its cast, catchphrase, and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man made the film a stock reference across decades of internet remixing.

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Overview

Ghostbusters is a 1984 supernatural comedy film that gave audiences the instantly quotable 'Who ya gonna call?' hook 7. The story follows three fired Columbia University parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City, ending in a showdown with the demigod Zuul and a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man 5. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson play the four Ghostbusters, with Sigourney Weaver as the possessed Dana Barrett 4.

The film scored 7.8 on IMDB 2 and 67 on Metacritic 3, and picked up two Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song 4. Its iconography, from proton packs and the Ecto-1 car to Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song and the crossed-out ghost logo, became stock material for decades of internet remixing 6.

Origin & Background

Platform
Theatrical film
Key People
Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
Date
1984

Ghostbusters premiered on June 8, 1984, directed by Ivan Reitman and co-written by cast members Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis 5. Murray played Dr. Peter Venkman, Aykroyd was Dr. Raymond Stantz, Ramis was Dr. Egon Spengler, and Hudson played Winston Zeddemore, the fourth Ghostbuster who joins after the trio's business takes off 6. Annie Potts played receptionist Janine Melnitz.

Sony released a direct sequel, Ghostbusters II, on June 16, 1989 5. The two films together anchored a franchise that also generated two animated TV series and roughly a dozen officially licensed video games.

How It Spread

The franchise built out its online presence slowly. Sony registered Ghostbusters.com on April 27, 1998, then relaunched the site in 2014 to promote the film's 30th anniversary 6. The official Facebook fan page went live September 12, 2011, followed by Twitter on March 20, 2014, and Instagram on August 22, 2014, with the Facebook page passing 2.3 million likes by October 2015 6.

Plans for a third film with the original cast stalled after Harold Ramis died on February 24, 2014 1. Sony pivoted to a full reboot directed by Paul Feig, released July 15, 2016, with Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon in the four lead roles 1. Online reaction was sharply divided before the film ever reached theaters.

On January 15, 2019, Jason Reitman, son of the original director, told Entertainment Weekly he would direct a direct sequel to Ghostbusters II rather than a fresh reboot 1. That day he tweeted 'Finally got the keys to the car. #GB20,' which pulled more than 2,700 retweets and 17,000 likes within two days.

How to Use This Meme

The Ghostbusters brand feeds a wide library of quote formats, Halloween cosplay, and reaction images. Common uses include the 'Who ya gonna call?' line as a caption for any weird situation 7, plus the crossed-out ghost logo remixed to ban anything, and Stay Puft Marshmallow Man edits standing in for oversized threats that started out looking harmless.

Frequently Asked Questions