Is Ghostbusters a comedy or a horror? Most people would likely place in the common ground (horror-comedy), but some may find it more scary than funny, while others may find it more funny than scary. The latter seems to be a particularly popular outlook, as the movie's funniest lines are still quoted to this day. Meanwhile, much of its horror has been diluted in recent years thanks to some horribly outdated visual effects.
However, that's not to say that it's ineffective. Many of its scenes remain unsettling, just as many of its scenes remain hilarious. The movie is such a classic because it strikes a respectable balance between the two.
Funniest: "Listen! Do You Smell Something?"
It's such a silly line, but it's become one of the movie's signature catchphrases. After coming across the "symmetrical book stacking" in the library, Ray stops everyone with a "Listen!" before following up, "You smell something?" It's especially hilarious coming after the little musical note that accentuates Ray's creepy "Listen!" declaration. Ghostbusters is one of the most quotable movies in existence, and this is probably the most quotable line of them all.
Scariest: The Library Ghost
The movie opens in equally hilarious and freaky fashion. While ghost hunting in the library, the trio come across an eerie spectral figure. Or, as Ray calls it, "a full torso apparition." The apparition is transparent and comes with an otherworldly pink glow. In many ways, it's actually quite beautiful. But when they approach her, the peaceful, womanly ghost turns into a horrifying creature with cavernous black eyes, flowing white hair, and a horse-like jaw. It looks a little goofy today, but this proved petrifying for children in the '80s. Many a nightmare was had over The Library Ghost.
Funniest: Touring The Firehouse
As everyone knows, the Ghostbusters eventually set up shop in an old firehouse. Old being the operative word, as it needs a lot of work to be serviceable. It's hilariously summarized by Egon, who claims the building should be "condemned" owing to its faulty wiring, "serious metal fatigue," and inadequate powering. It is also housed in a very shoddy neighborhood. But Ray loves sliding down the fire pole, and it proves so much fun that he decides to move in immediately. It's not only hilarious, but it serves as a wonderful bit of character work.
Scariest: Dana's Possession
Most of the movie's scary scenes come from Dana's apartment. But none of the apartment scenes are scarier than her possession. While relaxing, she notices an eerie glow coming from the door. Accompanied by the glow is a deep, cavernous growling, almost as if the pits of Hell are behind the door.
When she reluctantly looks over, a creepy indentation appears in the door. Finally, demonic arms reach through her chair, bound her to it, and the chair slides into the glowing door and the awaiting Vinz Clortho. It's one of the movie's most effective scares.
Funniest: Catching The Slimer
The Slimer sequence is arguably the most famous of the entire movie. It's simply wall-to-wall hilarious, from the minute the Ghostbusters enter the Sedgewick Hotel to the minute they leave. Included in the sequence is the famous "Bite your head off, man" and "He slimed me" lines from Bill Murray, the Ghostbusters completely demolishing the interior of the hotel, the calm elevator bickering over the proton packs, the crossing of the streams, looking into the trap, and Peter's failed tablecloth trick ("The flowers are still standing!").
Scariest: The Terror Dogs
While Louis Tully is arguably the funniest character in Ghostbusters, his apartment contains one of the scariest sequences. He throws a coat onto a terror dog hiding in his closet, prompting it to burst from the closet, crash the table, and terrorize the guests. This in turn leads to a pretty scary chase through Central Park, which ends with Louis being attacked by the dog. The scene admittedly looks pretty bad today (especially the shots of the dog flying through the air), but this was horrifying stuff back in 1984.
Funniest: Louis's Ramblings
That scene is emblematic of the entire movie, as it goes from hilarious to terrifying at the drop of a hat. Before everything with the dog goes down, audiences watch in delight as Louis "entertains" his dinner guests.
This includes an offer of room temperature brie cheese, a horrible dance to "Disco Inferno," and regaling his guests with the specific financial details of Ted and Annette's mortgage ($15,000 left at 8%!) and carpet cleaning business in receivership. It proves Rick Moranis' complete mastery of the comedy craft.
Scariest: Apocalypse Talk
Ghostbusters often relies on visuals to scare the audience. But sometimes creepy dialogue and an impassioned performance can prove just as effective. Such is the case when Ray and Winston discuss Judgment Day. They discuss the dead rising from their graves, the sun "becoming black as sack cloth," the moon "becoming as blood," the seas boiling, and the skies falling. When Ray calls it a "myth," Winston changes his mind by saying, "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason we've been so busy lately is 'cause the dead have been rising from the grave?" Talk about eerie.
Funniest: The Twinkie
Twinkies will forever be associated with Ghostbusters. For those who don't remember, Egon uses a Twinkie as a metaphor for the "usual amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area." He then says the current amount (according the morning's sample) is a Twinkie 35 feet long and weighing 600 pounds. When Peter arrives (covered in slime and talking about the arrival of the EPA), Winston tells Egon to "Tell him about the Twinkie." This results in Peter asking, in a hilariously deadpan and serious manner, "What about the Twinkie?"
Scariest: Shut Down The Grid
The EPA ends up ruining everything when they arrive to shut down the Ghostbusters' operation. However, shutting down the ghost containment system only results in their release, and this sequence is directed in a surprisingly haunting fashion. Dana's opening eyes is a nightmarish image, as is the ghostly, supernatural light emanating from the building's roof. Elmer Bernstein's music is also suitably apocalyptic, letting audiences know that the end is coming.