That Lovely, Lovely, Ghost Movie

Four guys in janitor suits became the biggest cultural icons of 1984. This book figures out how.

From the moment a library ghost sent a screaming librarian into the daylight, Ghostbusters captured something — and forty years later, it still hasn't let go. In this scene-by-scene breakdown, Dennis Santaniello pulls apart Ivan Reitman's supernatural comedy classic to find what makes it hold up when so many films from the same era don't.

The chemistry that makes you believe these actors have known each other for decades. Bill Murray doing whatever Bill Murray does, which still defies explanation. The performances that carry scenes you've seen a hundred times and still land. Elmer Bernstein's score, which nobody talks about enough. And the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man — one of cinema's most perfect third-act decisions.

Part love letter, part scene-by-scene analysis. For anyone who's ever quoted it, dressed as it, or felt a strange chill near a refrigerator.