Ghostbusters

Three recently out-of-work friends (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis) go into business as paranormal exterminators.

Ghostbusters is one of those rare moments in movie history when everything just works. The spooky scenes are actually spooky (the opening library scene remains one of the best haunted-house scenes ever) and the comedy is actually funny; but the genius is how they work together.

Rather than trying to force its jokes, Ghostbusters instead derives its humor as a tension break in the underlying horror-story. This, combined with a script that was written specifically for its leads, makes for an exceptional blend of comedy and horror.

Director Ivan Reitman never falters with this perfect mix and extends to the special effects as well, which are never allowed to overwhelm the characters and remain effective even 20 years later. Further, he gives each cast member a moment to shine, while using those moments to progress the story along: whether it’s Dan Aykroyd’s childlike enthusiasm over the potential headquarters or Rick Moranis’s hopeless infatuation, every scene serves a purpose and wrapping it all together is a not-so-subtle junk-food motif that underlies the entire movie.