16 details you probably missed in ‘Ghostbusters’

“Ghostbusters” premiered in 1984. Columbia Pictures “Ghostbusters” spawned an entire franchise with sequels, television shows, and video games. Director Ivan Reitman voiced Zuul, and the Stay Puft mascot appeared early on in the film.

Slimer doesn’t get a name until the sequel, and Princess Diana shows up in a newspaper headline. There’s scaffolding visible outside of the New York Public Library. The New York Public Library was going through a restoration at the time.

Columbia PicturesIn exterior shots of the New York Public Library, a large set of scaffolding can be seen in front of the building. This was part of an actual NYPL restoration and cleaning project that was going on in the early 1980s at the main branch.  The librarian mentions St.

Jerome, the patron saint of librarians. This little fact added a bit of irony to the scene. Columbia PicturesWhen the Ghostbusters interview the librarian after she sees a ghost, Peter asks if anyone in her family had schizophrenia.

She says that her uncle thought he was St. Jerome. St.

Jerome is known as the patron saint of librarians and archivists in Catholicism. None of the books move when the library shelf falls. One of the books looks like it’s falling but manages to stay attached to the shelf.

Columbia PicturesA bookshelf falls toward the Ghostbusters when they’re investigating the library, but none of the books on it move or fall. They were likely secured to the shelf for the scene, but it makes it a little less realistic.  The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man can be seen twice at the beginning of the movie.

The marshmallows were a moment of foreshadowing. Columbia PicturesBefore the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man stomps through Manhattan later in the film, the brand’s logo and mascot can be seen two separate times. There are Stay Puft marshmallows in Dana’s kitchen when she unloads her groceries at the start of the film.

 An advertisement for the brand can also be seen on the side of a building when the containment unit explodes. The fake number in the Ghostbusters commercial has appeared in other movies. This phone number also appeared in “Momento.

“Columbia PicturesWhen the Ghostbusters commercial plays in Dana’s apartment, their phone number, 555-2368, is shown on the screen. The fake number has been used in other movies and TV shows as well, including “Momento” and NBC’s “The Rockford Files. “The hotel housekeeper tries to put out the fire with cleaning spray.

The housekeeper can be seen in the background with the spray bottle. Columbia PicturesWhile chasing the hotel ghost, the Ghostbusters set a small fire after hitting the cleaning cart with their proton blasters. When they discuss what to do next, a housekeeper can be seen in the background trying to use a spray bottle of what appears to be a cleaning solution to put out the fire.

But cleaning products are largely flammable. The Ghostbusters never named the green hotel ghost in the first movie. Slimer wasn’t officially named until the sequel.

Columbia PicturesWhen chasing the ghost in the hotel, the Ghostbusters just refer to it as a ghost or vapor. The character’s official name in the fandom is Slimer, but that didn’t come until the 1989 sequel.  Ray generally refers to some of the ghosts in the movie as “slimers” though, so the term itself was used in this movie.

Egon makes a hand gesture to tell Peter what to charge for handling the hotel ghost. Egon is seen making a four with his hand. Columbia PicturesAfter trapping the Slimer ghost, Peter gives the hotel manager a price breakdown for their services.

While pricing the cost for the entrapment, Peter looks at Egon, who’s holding up four fingers next to his face. Peter says that it’ll cost $4,000.   When Peter moves on to the price for proton charging and storage, Egon discretely holds up one finger, prompting Peter to tell the manager it’ll cost an extra $1,000.

The picture of the Ghostbusters in the New York Post shows a scene from the end of the movie. The photo in the newspaper is from a later scene in the movie. Columbia PicturesWhen the Ghostbusters start becoming famous after trapping Slimer, they’re featured in the New York Post.

But the photo in the article actually appears to be a shot from later in the movie when the trio shoots their proton blasters at the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The fallboard on Dana’s piano keeps opening and closing in the background of a scene. The fallboard on the piano switches from open to closed multiple times in the scene.

Columbia PicturesWhen Peter investigates Dana’s apartment, the fallboard on her piano (the part that covers the keys) is closed when they walk into the room. The keys are then visible when the two walk around the living room. But by the time they enter Dana’s bedroom, it’s closed again.

A news montage announces Princess Diana’s pregnancy and later says she had triplets. These headlines show how much time has passed since the Slimer’s capture. Columbia PicturesWhen the Ghostbusters make headlines in the Globe, one of the other stories visible on the cover is “Princess Di Expecting Again!”Later, another Globe page hung up in Peter’s office reads, “Triplets for the Princess.

“The headlines help show how much time has passed since the team first caught Slimer at the hotel, but it’s also a fun pop-culture reference. Prince Harry was in fact born in 1984 when the movie was released, but he’s not a triplet.  After Dana’s chair is pulled through the door, the track it moved on can be seen on the floor.

You can see the lines in between the tile are more pronounced. Columbia PicturesDana is pulled through her front door on a chair when she’s possessed by Zuul. There’s a rug in front of the chair at first.

But once the chair goes through the door, there’s a clear line behind it that appears to be the track it moved on.  There’s a more pronounced line there than on the rest of the tiled floor, but it blends in fairly well if you’re not looking for it.  Director Ivan Reitman voiced multiple characters.

Director Ivan Reitman voiced Zuul and Slimer in both Ghostbuster movies. Columbia PicturesDuring some of the moments that Zuul possesses Dana, his demonic voice can be heard. The villain was actually voiced by the film’s director, Ivan Reitman.

He also voiced Slimer in this movie and the sequel. A boulder bounces off of a police barricade instead of crushing it. In reality, the boulder should’ve crushed the barricade.

Columbia PicturesWhen the Ghostbusters confront Zuul, the building around them begins to crumble.  Although some of the bits of the building crash and shatter, one large boulder can be seen hitting a police barricade and bouncing right off of it. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’s tie disappears when he’s first hit with the proton blast.

The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’s red tie disappears after the proton blast. Columbia PicturesPart of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’s iconic look is a red tie attached to a blue sailor collar. But his tie disappears the first time he’s hit with the proton blast and doesn’t reappear until later in the scene.

 A group of priests blesses a piece of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. One of the pieces of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was blessed by priests. Columbia PicturesAfter the Ghostbusters destroy the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, pieces of him cover the area of the city.

As the trio is being praised by the crowd, a group of priests can be seen in the background blessing one of the singed pieces of the mascot. Read the original article on Insider.