Top 10 Things You Missed in Ghostbusters: Afterlife

A hoard of ghosts is unleashed during the movie’s final act, some of which look more familiar than others. At a diner, the server behind the counter turns to find something outside of the usual clientele: a skeleton-like ghost who wants to be topped off. This creature shares a striking resemblance to the Zombie Taxi Driver from the 1984 film. There are a few noticeable differences, as this ghoul appears even more decayed and wears an old mining hat instead of a cabby cap. Even if this isn’t the exact same character, though, Jason Reitman reportedly confirmed that the scene is a direct homage, even utilizing practical effects to bring the creeper to life. Well, “life” might be the wrong word.

While “Afterlife” is packed with callbacks to the original film, “Ghostbusters II” gets largely sidelined. There’s no mention of Vigo or the walking Statue of Liberty, but there is one notable reference to the 1989 sequel. Years after hanging up his Proton Pack, Ray has found a new line of work, running a bookstore that specializes in bizarre literature. In “Ghostbusters II,” Ray opened Occult Books after being temporarily forced out of the ghost game. In “Afterlife,” Ray has been running the store ever since the Ghostbusters broke up. Ray has also gotten a tattoo reading, “Revelation 6:12,” which eludes to “a great earthquake” and other hellish imagery. This not only foreshadows the climax, but also calls Ray’s Revelation 7:12 mix-up to mind.

“Afterlife” opens with Egon - hidden in the shadows - making his final stand against the ghostly enemy at his farm. Although it appears Egon may be able to ward off the intruder, the ghost ultimately rips through the chair and ends his life. Egon’s demise is similar to Dana Barrett’s armchair incident from the 1984 film. As Dana tries to unwind, she’s drawn to a light eliminating from the other room. Dana and the audience are unprepared as multiple arms suddenly tear out of the chair and hold her back. Where Dana is only possessed by Zuul, though, Egon sadly wasn’t as lucky.

In addition to “Ghostbusters,” “Afterlife” possesses echoes of several other beloved movies from the 80s and late-70s. The mountain at the Shandor Mining Company shares a certain resemblance to Devils Tower in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” The Spengler family encounters several objects moving around the farmhouse, including chess pieces and a lamp. We wouldn’t be surprised if “Poltergeist” influenced these moments. We’d also be shocked if the mini Stay-Puft Marshmallow Men didn’t draw inspiration from “Gremlins,” which came out the same year as the first “Ghostbusters.” Even the touching ending is reminiscent of “E.T.” when Elliott bids his alien buddy goodbye. All that’s missing from this nostalgic love letter is a “Strange Things” actor… oh wait.

If you ever see an unusually tall stack of books, it means one of two things. Either it’s a bookworm organizing their summer reading or you’ve got a ghost. While investigating the library in the first film, Ray takes note of the “symmetrical book stacking,” suggesting that something paranormal is nearby. When the Spenglers arrive at Egon’s farmhouse, they take notice of the lengthy tower of books that practically reaches the ceiling. Considering that the rest of the house is in disarray, they seem to assume that it’s just part of the mess piling up. Anyone with a P.K.E. Meter, though, will tell you that this isn’t the work of any living human. Never forget the Philadelphia Mass Turbulence of 1947.

Searching through the Ecto-1’s glove compartment, Egon’s grandchildren come across one of his favorite snacks. No, not Cheez-Its, but good guess. It’s actually a Twinkie still preserved in its packaging. In one of his most iconic moments from the original film, Egon uses a Twinkie to compare normal psychokinetic energy to significantly bigger levels. “The Twinkie Analogy,” as Harold Ramis called it, derived from an even more complex idea he had about the universe being an expanding, four-dimensional balloon. This explanation was so long, though, that only the Twinkie bit made it into the 1984 film. Considering that the Ecto-1 hasn’t been driven for almost thirty years, that’s a pretty old Twinkie in “Afterlife.” Those things really never go stale, do they?

Along with Twinkies, the Ghostbusters also enjoyed snacking on Stay-Puft marshmallows. While the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man doesn’t appear in “Afterlife,” we do get an army of mini marshmallow men. As the adorable little troublemakers run amuck in a Walmart, one of them stumbles onto a burning barbecue. Consumed by the flames, the mini Stay-Puft can be seen giving a thumbs-up as he cheerfully melts into oblivion. This is most likely a reference to the T-800’s tear-jerking farewell in “Terminator 2.” Interestingly, in “T2” and “Afterlife,” the heroes are trying to prevent Judgement Day. In the climax of “Afterlife,” three Mini-Marshmallows also get incinerated, looking a lot like Sarah Connor during her apocalyptic nightmare. Next time all hell breaks loose, remember to bring s'more supplies.

Searching through her grandfather’s belongings, Phoebe uncovers the Ghostbusters uniforms. Egon’s uniform has a special treat inside, a Nestle Crunch candy bar. To Phoebe, it’s just an old, half-eaten piece of chocolate. Longtime fans, though, will remember when the original trio decided to become Ghostbusters and Venkman handed Egon a Crunch Bar, which he apparently held onto for all these years. The callback is only made more touching when you consider Bill Murray and Harold Ramis’ real-life falling out after “Groundhog Day.” Ramis regretted losing Murray as a friend and the two wouldn’t reconcile until shortly before the latter died. Maybe we’re reading too much into it, but the Crunch Bar’s presence here could also symbolize Egon’s regret over his falling out with Peter and Ray.

“Afterlife” has several memorable cameos, most of which you probably caught. A few, however, might’ve snuck by like an invisible man. For example, Muncher is voiced by none other than Josh Gad. Muncher feels like a spiritual successor to Slimer, who was based on John Belushi, who we could totally see Gad playing in a biopic someday. The film also features an appearance from J. K. Simmons as Cult of Gozer leader Ivo Shandor. First mentioned in the 1984 film and serving as the antagonist in the 2009 video game, Shandor makes his live-action debut here. We honestly didn’t recognize Simmons until he delivered Shandor’s only line. Having worked with Jason Reitman on several other movies, Simmons’ presence here shouldn’t come as a surprise.

“Afterlife” has two post-credits scenes, one of which references Venkman’s infamous electric shock therapy experiment… this time with the tables turned. The second post-credits scene takes us back to 1984 right before the Ghostbusters storm Dana’s apartment building. Janine gives Egon a coin from the 1964 World’s Fair for good luck. Although Egon is afraid he might not return, Janine tells him that it’s alright because she has another. It’s a nice moment, but you probably don’t remember it from the original film. That’s because it’s a deleted scene. While it eventually surfaced on DVD and Blu-Ray, “Afterlife” finally brought this tender moment to the big screen. And as we see from a flash-forward to the present, Janine still has the other coin.