The Right Way to Watch the 'Ghostbusters' Movies in Order
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In 1984, Ghostbusters was the movie that wasn't afraid to ask, "What if ridding your home or business of evil supernatural beings was just like getting a New York City plumber to come out and fix a leak?" The idea of paranormal scientists — played by some of the era's funniest actors — dressed in coveralls like regular joes and heading out to solve the city's paranormal problems (while being dogged by the EPA) was comedy gold. No wonder that, 40 years later, we still have Ghostbusters movies.
The newest entry in the franchise, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, comes out in theaters on March 22. This one sees multiple generations of paranormal investigators going against something called the Dark Chill, which threatens to leave the city in a deep freeze. But how many Ghostbusters are there again? And how do the young ones connect to the old ones?
If you're looking to refresh your knowledge of all the lore, here's how to watch all the Ghostbusters movies in order. (Yes, even the one that's largely ignored.) The good news is that, for the most part — with one big exception — the timeline has been straightforward. There's no prequels or anything that would suggest you'd watch them in any order other than the release order.
When it comes to how to stream them, they're a little all over the place — there's not one go-to destination at the moment where you can stop by and watch all of the Ghostbusters films for one low price. The '80s movies are on Hulu, but the newer ones are not. And, since Sony doesn't have its own, dedicated streaming service (the way Universal has Peacock and Disney has Disney+), they could be bounced around at any moment. So if you're a Hulu subscriber, make sure you watch those older movies before they leave the site. (Oh, and this piece only covers the movies, but if you're fans of The Real Ghosbusters animated TV series, you can find it on Apple TV, while 1997's Extreme Ghostbusters is on The Roku Channel.)
Looking for more great movies to watch? Check out these Good Housekeeping guides:
Indiana Jones Movies in Order | Marvel Movies in Order | Spider-Man Movies in Order | Lord of the Rings Movies in Order
Ghostbusters (1984)
The original Ghostbusters film, as directed by Ivan Reitman, sets the tone that strikes the balance between spooky and silly. In it, three "parapsychology" professors — Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) — open a business where they use tech they invented to rid New York City of ghosts. They get in over their heads, though, when they run afoul of a demonic god and its minions, which have been summoned to a New York City apartment complex.
Ghostbusters II (1989)
After the events of the previous film, the Ghostbusters are disbanded — until someone discovers a river of slime beneath the city that's spreading bad vibes throughout the population, bringing an entity named Vigo the Carpathian back to life. But can the crew get the City to cheer up in order to send the sorcerer back to where he came from?
For Completists: Ghostbusters (2016)
After nearly 30 years without a Ghostbusters movie, we get this all-female installment — often referred to now as Ghostbusters: Answer the Call — which is more reboot than sequel. It lives in a continuity apart from the other films — in fact, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts all make cameo appearances as characters other than their original Ghostbusters roles. But for those who want to scratch every Ghostbusters movie off the list, this one has plenty of laughs to recommend it, with a cast anchored by Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
A new generation of Spengler takes up the proton packs — both in front of and behind the camera. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is directed by Jason Reitman, the son of Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, and follows the grandkids of Egon as they discover the truth about what their grandfather did for a living. It's also the first one to take place outside of New York City, with the Spengler family taking up residence at a farmhouse in Oklahoma (and driving the iconic ECTO-1 through corn fields).
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
Ghostbusters old and new unite, with Bill Murray, Dan Akyroyd, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts donning their old coveralls once again to help the young Spenglers and their cohort. This time, they're back in NYC, trying to stop a dark power known as the Death Chill from freezing the city into oblivion. It comes to theaters on March 22.
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