The original Ghostbusters from 1984 is one of those movies that, whether it be because of its talented cast, its effects, or its mixture of comedy with the science-fiction, fantasy, and horror genres, has been cemented within the minds of movie fans as an immovable classic.
For those who fell in love with it because of its mixture of easygoing humor with weird and wild sci-fi concepts, we've compiled a list of similar movies to Ghostbusters 1984 that features many other cult hits from the decade as well as some other nostalgia-inducing genre comedies that have been released since.
Weird Science (1985)
'80s teen movie icon John Hughes directed this relatively raunchy coming-of-age comedy about two caricaturish high school losers who quote literally make a woman in their computer, bringing her to life through a combination of nonsensical science and unexplained magic.
Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith are terrific in the lead roles alongside Kelly LeBrock as their angelic guardian through sexual self-discovery, Lisa, but it's perhaps supporting roles from the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Bill Paxton as Hall of Fame movie bullies that really cements Weird Science as a sci-fi comedy essential from the '80s.
The Frighteners (1996)
Before the blockbusting success of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh worked together on a much more underrated–yet still very highly-regarded–genre movie about Michael J. Fox's paranormal investigator, who cons clients with hauntings begun–and then ended–by ghosts that he's in league with.
When an unsolved series of murders seemingly begins to continue in a sleepy coastal town, he and his spectral friends have to uncover the truth about a horrific crime from the past and its otherworldly implications. The Frighteners remains a uniquely quirky gem that any fan of the ghoulish fun in Ghostbusters should love.
Multiplicity (1996)
Egon Spengler himself, the late great Harold Ramis, directed this sci-fi comedy starring Michael Keaton as a struggling man who takes advantage of a readily available cloning process to make copies of himself that can take over his many daily tasks. However, his copies become increasingly unhelpful and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep his solution a secret.
Multiplicity has a fairly simple setup that fans of sci-fi comedies will likely have heard of before but Keaton's effervescent charm as a performer would be enough to carry the movie even if he was only playing one character, and he gets to play several.
Evolution (2001)
Original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman delivered a very similar slice of sci-fi action-adventure fun with this often-forgotten comedy about a group of hapless underdog scientists who fight to save the Earth from a quickly-evolving alien species that crash lands in Utah.
The lead dynamic between stars David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Julianne Moore, and Sean William Scott already gives off vibes of the original Ghostbusters team and Dan Aykroyd's supporting role should seal the deal for any die-hard fans.
Night of the Creeps (1986)
An all-around salute to all things gross, over-the-top, or otherwise B movie-ish from the world of sci-fi horror, Night of the Creeps is a tremendously '80s fright-fest that's still somewhat of an under-the-radar cult favorite even today.
Written and directed by Fred Dekker, whose following movie, The Monster Squad, would become a potentially even greater cult hit, this directorial debut has stood the test of time thanks to a very clear sense of humor and homage. The teen comedy/zombie/alien invasion movie all builds to a classically Romero-inspired siege of college kids fighting off a campus-full of undead monsters but the road to get there is a wink-filled parade of genre cliches that fans of '80s movies, in general, should recognize quite easily.
Men in Black (1997)
Makeup and effect wizard Rick Baker delivered some of his most well-known work in this star-driven sci-fi action-adventure comedy lead by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as agents for the titular alien policing organization.
Itself loosely based on a comic series, Men in Black spawned its own long-lasting movie franchise and has branched out in as many directions as the Ghostbusters franchise has, from hit singles to an animated TV series. Though revolving around extraterrestrials instead of the supernatural, the movie's still full of enough fun and grotesque horror to satisfy any Ghostbusters fan.
Attack the Block (2011)
Before the mega-budget success of Star Wars, young star John Boyega broke out in this leading role as a teenager caught in the early stages of a life of crime who must unearth his heroic side when an alien invasion begins around his local London housing block.
This creature feature may not have been a big hit on release but displays all the charm of a movie with the power to live on as a certified modern cult classic, with smart monster design, surprising amounts of gore and a team of likable main characters to experience it all with.
Osmosis Jones (2001)
Ghostbusters MVP Bill Murray starred in this odd mixup of live-action and animation from '90s comedy movie icons the Farrelly Brothers. Inside Out style, Murray stars as the body that houses a wild adventure revolving around anthropomorphized versions of cells and chemicals within his system.
Chris Rock and David Hyde Pierce are the real stars of the show in the animated world as a white blood cell (or a cop within the stylized city of the human body) and his by-the-book partner (a cold remedy pill) respectively. Extra voice talent, like Laurence Fishburne as a memorably villainous virus, also helped turn Osmosis Jones from a box office bomb into somewhat of a cult favorite.
Back to the Future (1985)
The next big thing in sci-fi comedy movies after Ghostbusters was Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future, which spawned a hugely popular series of movies that, whilst not still ongoing like the Ghostbusters franchise, had a more consistent run and completed a very definitive trilogy for itself on the first go around.
Following a high school slacker who's stuck back in the 1950s with the younger versions of his own parents, the pitch-perfect performances of the whole ensemble, the grandiose cinematography of Dean Cundey, the unforgettable music of Alan Silverstri, and that all-important touch of magic from executive producer Steven Spielberg, made it an instantly iconic piece of pop culture from its decade.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
A beloved parody of Star Trek fan culture that spins its own incredibly fun and engaging sci-fi adventure out in space, Galaxy Quest follows a group of actors who, having been mistaken by an alien race for the characters that they once played on a TV show, must learn how to work together on a real-life version of their fictional ship.
Lots of fun creature design and deadly danger lurk around every corner of the story, but it's the strength of the main cast, especially the core ensemble of the ship's fish-out-of-water crew, that has made it its own devoutly loved phenomenon.