It’s been a long time since theGhostbusterslore was last updated. The second film was in 1989. There was the 2016 film but that was a reboot that took place in a completely separate universe, along with a few cartoons released over the decades.Ghostbusters: Afterlifeis an actual sequel to the first two movies.
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Everything inGhostbusters: Afterlifeis canon. The film manages to answer a few questions that have plaguedGhostbustersfans for decades or it at least tries to. It also introduces new ideas conceptually as well as updates some old favorites including the Proton Packand ghosts themselves.
There will be spoilers ahead for this movie and everything in the currentGhostbustersfranchise.
6Mods To Equipment
Some of the classic gear from the series receive an upgrade inGhostbusters: Afterlife. The P.K.E. Meter is one of the first items revealed to have been modded. It has a zapper at the end of it. However, its application is never tested until the end of the movie when Podcast is fighting off the mini Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men.
The Ecto-1 received two big upgrades. The first is the sidecar which allows someone to shoot at enemies while a fellow comrade is driving. This looks like a mod straight out ofa video game. Moving on, the Ecto-1 got a trap door which allows a Ghost Trap on wheels, also new, to be lowered onto the streets below.
5Containment Fields And Mega Traps
The Ghost Trap on wheels was not the only upgrade the item receivedin the sequel, as Egon also made a spider web of interconnecting Ghost Traps. This was done to seemingly catch Gozer more easily. Why fight with one Ghost Trap when dozens are around?
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It’s a question of quantity over quality. This mega Ghost Trap failed the first two instances but the third time proved to be the charm. On a similar note, Egon also found a new application for Proton Packs. He used four of them as automatic suppressors of the living dead rising from the pits of the Somerville mine.
4The Gatekeeper And The Keymaker Roles
In 1984’sGhostbusters, Dana and Louis are targeted by the Gatekeeper and the Keymaker. These are the two stone dog-like demons that come to life and possess Dana and Louis. It is said that they must unite to bring backthe iconic villainGozer to the world of the living. This formula felt off in the original film.
It was a bit odd that these demons went from statues to dogs to humans to dogs again, and then when they died, the humans remained.Ghostbusters: Afterlifeanswers that question in a roundabout way. The Gatekeeper and Keymaster must consummate their relationship. Only humans can do that which is why that transformation from dog to human is needed. That text can be found in the original film, but it’s more obvious inGhostbusters: Afterlife.
3Shandor’s Origins
Shandor is only mentioned by name in the first film. It never felt like a name that was ever important besides the fact that he constructed the high-rise apartment in New York City to summon Gozer.Ghostbusters: Afterlifeshows that Shandor came from Somerville. It’s a good callbackfor a sequel.
Shandor used the local mine to harvest a special ore to build his tower as a proper summoning alter. It was a contingency plan in case the temple in the mine was not enough. The movie also showed Shandor off on camera. His time on screen was very short-lived but his overall presence inGhostbusters: Afterlifedid answer a few lingering questions from the original film.
2How Ghosts Work
TheGhostbustersfilms proved theexistence of ghostsin their universe. That is all they did though. They never got into why ghosts could come back from the dead. Do all humans turn into ghosts? Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? Those questions are never addressed in the original films and they aren’t fully answered inGhostbusters: Afterlifeeither. However, one piece of the puzzle was solved thanks to Egon. Not all ghosts are evil. Egon was able to stick around and guide his family with no ill will.
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Egon was also able to materialize in the last scene to help his fellow Ghostbusters out one last time. After he gets a hug from his daughter, he disappears. This plays into the real-life theory on why ghosts may stick around. Egon made sure he had unfinished business before dying. Once Gozer was caught and he reunited with his daughter, that business was seemingly taken care of.
1Winston’s Fortune
Some of the biggest additions to the franchise’s lore made byGhostbusters: Afterlifewere updates on the original quartet. Egon went off to study Gozer. Ray continued to helm his bookstore on the occult. Peter went off and presumably married Dana. He also became a professor of advertising which fit his character nicely. Winston had the biggest turnaround going from a fourth-tier Ghostbuster to the richest Ghostbuster.
Winston’s enterprise was established as sort of a backup plan in case anything bad went down again. If ghosts did return, he had the money to fund future Ghostbuster-related projects. That’s exactly what the final end-credits scene seemed to be hinting at. What isn’t known is if this sequel will be another film, TV show,or animated event. Rest assured, the Ghostbusters will return.
