First of all, how the hell has it been forty years? GHOSTBUSTERS opened on June 8, 1984 (alongside another classic horror comedy that starts with “G”, outlined by our fearless leader Patti Paultergeist) and is one of those magical movies that have transcended cinema to become a part of American culture. And beyond.

What separates GHOSTBUSTERS from the field is what made THE DARK KNIGHT the GODFATHER of superhero films: they took it seriously.

Before anyone throws their arms up in protest because GHOSTBUSTERS is very much a comedy, what I mean by “taking it seriously” is that they didn’t skimp on the horror. Think about Bill Murray’s delivery on “She says she’s the Gatekeeper. That make any sense to you?” which was absent any and all humor long before we knew he could ACT act. Or Sigourney Weaver’s hyperventilation and growling “there is no Dana, only Zuul”, to say nothing of the shot of her looking out at the city through the blown out side of her apartment as Mick Smiley’s “I Believe in Magic” swelled underneath. And if we’re honest, Gozer (Slavitza Jovan) and the “OK, who brought the dog?” gargoyles atop Spook Central are nothing short of creepy.

Though brief, by playing these scenes honest to the horror, it set GHOSTBUSTERS on the path it remains upon today: seminal.

No scene compares to the underutilized Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) piloting the Ecto-1 as he engaged Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) in a conversation about Judgment Day. Look, we all have our favorite moments and lines, but Judgment Day is 90 seconds that shuts down the room. I don’t care how many times you’ve seen it, nor do I care how hilarious and raucous the back-and-forth may be with the friends you’re watching with, when Winston says “Hey, Ray…” it’s Quint talking about the Indianapolis. Everything stops.

When the violins fade in with Ray’s rationalization that every ancient religion has its own myth about the end of the world, the chills still crawl up my spine at the knowledge of what’s coming–and Hudson does not miss.

“Myth?! Ray, has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason we’ve been so busy lately is because the dead have been rising from the grave.”

The violins intensify and thunder crashes as Ray slowly turns his head to look at his fellow Ghostbuster, a thought whirling through his mind that he has no desire to dance with.

Ray looks to break the tension with “How ’bout a little music?” and Winston offers a scoffed “yeah” as the funky tune plays and the camera pulls back on the Ecto-1 heading toward an inevitable showdown.

The reasons are endless, but GHOSTBUSTERS is as magnificent today as it was when it debuted four decades ago, and will remain so for the rest of time. But for my money, it begins and ends with a 90-second chat between colleagues. Because Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson chose to leave laughs by the wayside and play it straight. A moment that clearly communicated that there was more at stake than jokes. GHOSTBUSTERS’ Indianapolis scene is what took it from great to undeniable. And if you don’t believe me, go watch the Judgment Day scene right now and tell me you don’t get chills.

Seriously. Go ahead. I’ll wait.