You can admit it – your favourite 1984 horror comedy is obviously Ghostbusters. Sure, Gremlins is an extremely strong contender for that title, but the lack of Bill Murray’s laconic one-liners means Ray, Winston, Egon and Peter win out. If you were thinking you might prefer The Toxic Avenger over both Ghostbusters and Gremlins, then just stop reading this article and fling your ectoplasm-ridden self into a ghost trap because you’re dead inside.
Looking back at Ghostbusters today, the most fun part of wallowing in this nostalgia for 1980s New York is remembering how grimy and unsafe the city used to be just a few decades ago due to all the ghosts that were freely running around thanks to nefarious Sumerian gods.
The 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters is an important one. It marks ten years since the 20th anniversary, and a full 20 since the 10th – a remarkable number melange indeed. It’s also, handily, about 25 years since its 1989 sequel. Let’s have a look at some of the locations used in both Ghostbusters movies.
Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but like many Hollywood films, even though Ghostbusters is so heavily associated with New York, it was partly filmed close to the country’s movie heart. The Biltmore was used as the Sedgewick Hotel in the film and was where the ghostbusters met their most famous foe, the green and greedy Slimer. You can find the Biltmore a short walk from Pershing Square station.
Hook and Ladder 8
The slim and striking fire station that the ghostbusters turn into their headquarters is a genuine working fire station in real life, and can be found on the corner of N Moore and Varick in the Tribeca area in Lower Manhattan. The Franklin Street subway station is right outside, so it’s easy to find.
The interior scenes in their headquarters were filmed in Downtown Los Angeles, in the defunct Fire Station No. 23 on E 5th Street. It’s become a popular filming location since the success of Ghostbusters and good job too.
New York Public Library
One of the first scenes occurs in a library, and footage was shot outside the New York Public Library accordingly. Although the library has a grand marble interior, director Ivan Reitman and his film crew shot the interior scenes in Los Angeles again, this time at the Los Angeles Central Library. The LA library is equally impressive though, with walls intricately decorated with learning symbolism.
Library steps
The steps in front of Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library were used for a scene where our heroes chat about their plans to forge ahead with this whole ghostbusting malarkey. Columbia’s campus can be found in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in Morningside Heights.
The Tavern on the Green
When Louis, as played by Rick Moranis, tries to escape a so-called ‘terror dog’, his last resort is when he begs diners at a fancy restaurant for help from outside the window. It doesn’t work obviously. But that posh restaurant in real life is the famous Tavern on the Green, a large restaurant in Central Park.
The Bank of New York
The gang get a loan here on 48 Wall Street to fund their ghost-catching endeavours. Perhaps it was inevitable that if an institution is so willing to lend to such whimsical schemes, that The Bank of New York closed down and became the Museum of American Finance instead.
It is the only museum in the country dedicated to such subjects and you can find it right next to Wall Street subway station.
(Feature image: Tom Hilton)
