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Creature Features

Believe It’s Magic! The Painstaking Special Effects of “Ghostbusters”

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I think it goes without saying Ghostbusters is a once-in-a-lifetime movie experience that can and never will be replicated, and a lot of that credit goes towards the special effects of the film. In 1984, this sort of visual sorcery wasn’t running rampant across filmmaking. With few exceptions like Star Wars and Poltergeist, (both of which Ghostbusters visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund worked on) audiences were bedazzled with the hypnotic effects the movie presented within.

Let’s take a ride and talk about that.

A mere year after the visual stunner of Poltergiest, Ivan Reitman and his crew were tasked to make Ghostbusters in UNDER A YEAR. In this case, is asking the impossible with the sort of movie that called for such heavy special effects to sell the story. But according to Ivan Reitman, it had to be done in such a way as to balance the comedy with the “ghosts” so as to not make it too silly, or too scary as doing so would damage the film entirely.

“The special effects are just as important as the comedy. We’ve never seen this level of first-class effects in a comedy film before and it has to be evened out.” – Ivan Reitman

Much of Dan Akroyd’s vision for the creatures were on a large scale, some of which even ended up in space if you can just picture that! However, the budget for the film was about $5 million and Reitman worked with Akroyd to rewrite the script and the creatures in a way that would work in a beautiful balance of comedy and terror. Though they ended up around $700,000 over by the time the film was locked, if Dan Aykroyd’s original script had been filmed, according to associate producer Joe Medjuck, it would have had “50 large scale monsters”.

Enter Richard Enlund, head honcho of Boss studios. Launched in 1983 specifically for Ghostbusters, who knew the importance of not making these creatures into flat-out jokes for the film. And what we ended up with was some of the best damn practical effects of apparations still to this day.

In the instance of the Marshmallow Man, Edlund and his team went through dozens of ideas and designs before opting for the simple, yet practical 100-foot monstrosity we all know and love.

Part of what made the effects so, well, effective, was their practical nature. You just can’t beat practical movie magic no matter how much technology you throw in front of it. The clip below from Ghostbusters.net gives us a short and sweet breakdown of some of the wizardry undertaken in bringing the Library Ghost, Slimer, and more to life in the film.

Made in just ten months and filmed in 55 days, Ghostbusters is the prime example of practical effects done in a time-crunch without the technology of a computer. Cliche to say it has aged like fine wine, so we’ll just say it has aged as well as Keanu Reeves in 2022. Charming, beautiful, breathtaking, and as soft and nostalgic as a twinkie.

With that, I’ll leave here with my personal favorite shot from the movie- the ghost escape from the firehouse that wreaks havoc on New York City all leading up to the climax of Gozer. I’m actually kind of obsessed with this scene as it has everything that is great about this movie all rolled into two minutes of spectacular energy. It’s ominous, a bit silly, but not so much to where you can’t overlook the sense of dread that is coming. Paired with Mick Smiley’s “I Believe It’s Magic”, this is just cinematic gold right here. And I believe what Ivan Reitman set out to do in balancing terror and comedy, marries perfectly in this one scene alone.

Horror Nostalgia

The Most Messed Up “Unsolved Mysteries” Episode That Scarred Me For Life

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January 20, 1987- a day that lives in infamy with true crime aficionados all over the country, with the arrival of that haunting theme music and Robert Stack inviting us to join him in solving some of America’s wildest unsolved mysteries.

As a young kid, I spent a lot of time being babysitted by my grandparents, who were balls deep into this show and would pretty much force me to watch it every Tuesday night with them. I mean, it was either that or hiding in the pantry eating saltines with ketchup, (they were never that great at having any kid-friendly snacks around). So yeah, I opted in for that nightmare fuel that traumatized the shit out of plenty of us 80s kids. To be clear, I was no stranger to horror in my home. Hell, I was watching JAWS and HALLOWEEN in diapers. But Unsolved Mysteries was no fantasy or the option to tell your brain that it isn’t real. It was the real-life Boogeyman that awaited you when you shut off the light and laid your head on a pillow for a very restless night’s sleep. Usually accompanied by that fan-fucking-tactic theme music spinning around in your head like a hamster wheel.

Tuesday nights were never the same, folks.

Anyway, I can certainly rattle off a few episodes that induced a couple of sleepless nights. Segments like the La Posada Hotel, The Black Hope Horror, the abduction of Angela Hammond are all top contenders for me personally. However, Season 2, Episode 3 of Unsolved Mysteries is one that to this day, still fills me with dread and anger and one that I can’t ever rewatch because it’ll make a cry like a baby.

That segment I’m referring to is the Mabel Woods Kennel fire of 1987.

As an avid UM lover, I think about this case all the time, and it fills me with a sense of rage that I cannot convey with words. But I suppose I’ll try.

Sixty-eight-year-old Mabel Wood loved animals. So much so, she been started a sanctuary for stray dogs in southern Missouri and ran it for fifteen successful years. In 1985, she moved to a 110-acre farm in Bonne Terre where she poured her life savings into a $60,000 kennel to house the 115 dogs she was caring for. They were offered for adoption, but those who didn’t find new homes, just lived with Mabel on the sanctuary.

How sweet is that?! As a fellow animal lover, that’s the dream for me. They would have to cuddle and watch A Nightmare On Elm Street 4 with me at least twice a month.

The farm was in an isolated location with her closest neighbors a mile away, so pretty ideal as that would ensure a low disturbance complaint. However, after 18 months of peace and harmony on the farm , on December 11, 1986, that wonderful existence turned to tragedy. Someone had broke into the kennel and shot at some of the dogs, killing two and injuring two. When she discovered them the next day, she rushed the most seriously injured ones to the vet, and they were saved. The police investigated, but at the time, there was a low priority on animal cruelty because the crime was only considered a misdemeanor. Which I to this day disagree with heavily as the murder of innocent animals should be goddamn high on the “let’s find this cocksucker and string him up by his toes” list.


After the shooting, Mabel hired an assistant named Charlie Jacobs to help her and to mostly keep a lookout. Two months later, what we could assume were the previous assailants returned with a vengeance, and what transpired next is nothing short of everything worse than any horror movie you could ever put in front of me.

On the night of February 10, 1987, they burned down the kennel with sixty beautiful dogs trapped inside. It was reported that the blaze was so intense that smoke alarms were set off in homes a mile away. It completely destroyed the kennel, the lives of 60 dogs, along with many hearts that watched this story- including mine.

According to Mabel and the investigation goes, there was no reason for the fire to start accidentally. The kennel was up to code and still brand new. It was noted that the burning came from the inside, not the outside. Mabel also stated that she was certain that it was arson because the dogs were “blazing” as if an accelerant had been put on them.

Just writing that makes my stomach turn with my own fiery rage and disgust.

Days after the murder of these animals, the investigators cleaned off the kennel floor and noticed a “spalding” pattern which occurs when a flammable substance is ignited on concrete, giving credence to Mabel’s theory. Authorities mapped out their own theory and string of events as it transpired: They believe that on the night of the fire, the assailants entered through the doors that separated the two parts of the kennel. They then poured gasoline on the dogs, walls, and floors. They then went back out the doors and lit the fire. Once it was determined that arson had caused the fire, police officials joined the investigation. One hundred yards away from the kennel, a single tire track was found in the mud as their only clue.

And to this day, the case has never been solved. To add insult to injury, poor Mabel and her lovely dogs were targeted once again in 1994 with one shot, one beaten, and another gone missing (never recovered). Mabel Woods was a hero to animals and despite the brutal harassment, kept the sanctuary going for as long as she was able. Miss Mabel passed away on July 4, 2012, at the age of 91 with no justice for her or her rescued puppers.

Massive credit to the folks at Unsolved Mysteries for at least bringing this case to the public eye on a nationwide scale. The show itself has been a life boat for investigators trying to solve crimes with the public’s help. It’s just a shame that one of the saddest stories ever seen on this show, remains unsolved. My mind and heart also remains scarred on the visuals alone of what was described during the crime, and it’s VERY unnerving that, perhaps, these people who did this are still walking around unscathed among society.

If you’d like to actually watch the episode, here’s the video but I warn you, it will fuck you up and want to go on a murderous rampage of your own. And as always, in a long shot but have to do my due diligence here, anyone with any tips on this case, can send them to Unsolved.com or reach out to Bonne Terre authorities in Missouri.

Lists

10 Characters from the “Halloween” Franchise Who Definitely Deserved It

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The HALLOWEEN franchise is, without a doubt, a favorite topic of discussion here on NN and if you’ve ever looked at my list of pieces whether here on this blog, or elsewhere I’ve written for the past 10 years, you’ll come to the very correct conclusion that yes, I’m a superfan and could probably write about the subject forever without repeating myself once. However, there’s one thing that hasn’t been discussed by me, or really much anywhere, and that’s a hot take on who in the entire series of films actually deserved to die in these movies. Sure, there’s been talks here and there in forums; perhaps an article by some dopey website that aren’t even catered to horror fans. So, as a superfan myself, I’m obliged to take on the task, throw my rage at the keyboard and say “FUCK THESE GUYS, THEY HAD IT COMING.”

And no, as annoying as Tina can be in HALLOWEEN 5, she didn’t make the cut.

So let’s start slashing our way into these insufferable sons of bitches.

10. Bob (HALLOWEEN 1978)

If you’re wondering why I think Bob deserved to be strung up in the Wallace’s kitchen, the guy DID joke about ripping an eight-year-old girl’s clothes off. Plus because of his death, we wouldn’t have gotten one of the coolest shots of the entire franchise right here:

9. Kelly Meeker (HALLOWEEN 4)

The Haddonfield homewrecker, Kelly Meeker, the sheriff’s daughter, is just a total bitch. When Rachel confronted this hoe about sleeping with her boyfriend Brady (another fucking hoe) Kelly basically told Rachel that it was her fault that her man looked away and decided to spend Halloween with her instead. Ugh. She had it coming when Myers cleverly used a shotgun on her without pulling the trigger. Also, thanks for the Halloween costume inspiration!

But seriously, much love to the sweetheart that is Kathleen Kinmont. Only a fantastic actress can make us hate like that.

8. Mikey (HALLOWEEN 5)

An obvious choice if there ever was one. This prick had zero redeeming qualities. The guy only cared about his car and his dick. Tina, honey. You almost made the list because of your “electric connection” to toxic men.

Al least when you were riding with Mikey 2.0, you weren’t being verbally abused.

7. Pretty Much Everyone in HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION

I’m just going to make a bold statement and say that every single person who died in HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION, had it coming and I felt not a bit of sorry for any of them-including Laurie Strode. Everybody was just so dumb – downed and straight up intolerable. Be it their lack of common sense (Laurie with her wanting to “make sure” and that cameraman who just stood there waiting for Michael to slash his ass), or the entitlement of the entire cast of the “Internet reality show”. I literally cheered for every single one of them to go down. And let’s face it- the one guy who isn’t even really an actor per se, Busta Rhymes, is the only watchable thing in this movie at all.

Shout out Horror Net for putting together this kill count for RESURRECTION.

6. John Strode (HALLOWEEN 6)

Another no brainer is the abusive piece of shit John Strode. The uncle of Laurie Strode is one we were all very happy to see go down when it fianlly happened- and the fact it was extra violent was even more bittersweet. Smacking around your wife and kids in a horror movie gets your head blown up. Those are the rules!

5. Dr. Ranbir Sartain (HALLOWEEN 2018)

The idea of an anti-Loomis running around Haddonfield is entertaining. But I think Micheal was just as tired of hearing him talk as the audience was. Totally deserved that curb stomp. We can all only hope that we possess the superhuman strength, endurance, and durability in our 60s that Michael Myers has in this movie.

4. The Coroner Paramedics (Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN 2)

As much as I despise this movie and quite frankly, think pretty much everyone in Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN flicks deserve what they get, this scene in particular in RZ’s H2 is fairly satisfying and brutal enough to win a Golden Chainsaw award in 2010. The pair of nasty jackasses “joking” about necrophilia with dead women was enough for me to give this film a shout-out when Michael did his thing. And it was a beautiful service for the rest of us.

3. Ronnie (Rob Zombie’s HALLOWEEN 2007)

I don’t even need to explain this one-just roll that beautiful bean footage. I do think he got off way too easy though.

2. The Entire Halloween Kills Mob That Made Lance Tivoli Commit Suicide

EVIL DIES TONIGHT. And you know what, it sort of does when this asshole mob out of pure fear, drive a man, Lance Tivoli, to his own death in a case of mistaken identity as the mob believes him to be Myers unmasked. To make it worse, the man suffered from severe mental illness. It’s a terrible tragedy to have someone who cries out for help, actively seeking medical assistance, and suffers a deathly fate for simply existing.  So yes; I’m gonna let Joker take this one for Tommy Doyle and the mob of Haddonfield:

1. Michael Myers (Halloween Ends)

If you’re shocked to see Myers at number one, you just might be a sociopath. Listen, he did humanity a couple of favors by ridding a few insufferable twats from the Earth. But he also killed a lot of innocent people too, and plenty who didn’t deserve it. Danny Trejo anyone? I think the way he died was a bit weak and sort of a cop out, but then again there’s a lot I don’t agree with HALLOWEEN ENDS, and it has nothing to do with Corey. I actually thought him being the new Myers was a cool direction to go- until they killed him and fucked up their own potential. But eh, take what we can get for now, I guess. Let’s just hope the next set of reboot films gets things right this time.

Before anyone asks me why I didn’t place Conal Cochran on here, it’s because he knows his Halloween folklore, so he gets a pass from me. I respect that kind of knowledge.