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When there's something strange in the neighborhood, who're you gonna call? Peter, Egon, Ray, & Winston have had to contend with quite the gallery of ghouls over their careers. Some were larger than life, some were mind-blowing, some were outright hilarious, and some were just plain annoying. But the Ghostbusters were always ready to capture these phantasms.
We're going to look at some of the most prominent ghosts that made viewers stop and admire them. These ghosts were some of the coolest to ever grace the big screen, whether for their designs, their powers, or even the evil schemes that were brought forth. But cool or not, they have to go, so let's rank them before the boys are forced to cross the streams.
6 Slimer- Ghostbusters (1984) & Ghostbusters II (1989)
When you look at Slimer, "cool" may not be the first word that comes to mind. But, when you consider that this creature has the highest escape rate of any ghost captured by the Ghostbusters, only stays at the finest hotels, and even works a side hustle as a bus driver, you've got to admit that he seems to have it all figured out. First appearing in Ghostbusters (1984), Slimer has a residency at the Sedgwick Hotel. While he usually just eats food here and there, Gozer's impending arrival was causing Slimer to act out of character and become much more active.
While the Ghostbusters would catch Slimer after a chase throughout the hotel, Slimer would eventually break free alongside many other ghosts, thanks to Walter Peck. From here, Slimer would prove to be much more passive, simply eating food at prominent locations like the Ghostbuster's fire station and even helping Louis Tully out by giving him a ride to the Manhattan Museum of Art in an attempt to help the team.
5 The Scoleri Brothers - Ghostbusters II (1989)
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Crime doesn't pay, but it can make for a cool story. However, those stories usually have a bad ending for the criminals in question. Just ask Tony & Nunzio Scoleri, two brothers sentenced to death by the electric chair. While they may not have had quite a historic impact in life, they would leave their mark in death when they returned from the grave, with vengeance and mayhem on their agenda.
When Judge Wexler was ready to indict the Ghostbusters and put them out of business, the Scoleri Brothers would be brought forth from psycho-magnotheric slime that had been charged by the negative energy. They immediately lashed out at the judge and the prosecution team when they rose from the dead. The Scoleris' chaotic destruction of the courtroom would lead to the reinstating of the Ghostbusters. What's cooler than the mobsters that revolt against the authority, making a difference for the oppressed heroes?
4 Muncher - Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Muncher has the feat of being the first ghost discovered and captured by a new generation of Ghostbusters. We get to see Pheobe & Podcast find the little guy eating away at some of the metal in the Summerville Foundry. From here, we see the ghost carrying his obsession too far, running away from potential capture and attempting to eat any metal in sight.
Though Muncher would be captured, it was how he would redeem himself that made him a cool partner to have in a time of need. With Pheobe, Podcast, Trevor, and Lucky stuck inside a cell that is impossible for them to break out of, the team calls upon Muncher to help them out. Proving to be a good friend indeed, Muncher would chew through the bars of the cell, making his escape and helping release the team.
3 Vigo the Carpathian - Ghostbusters II (1989)
Vigo is a man of many titles. Vigo the Cruel, The Scourge of Carpathia, The Sorrow of Moldavia, etc. Vigo's coolness factor would come from his powers. While his spirit was trapped inside a painting for centuries, Vigo could feed off negative emotions and use his powers to take command of human beings, such as the unsuspecting museum curator, Janosz Poha.
Vigo even possessed an unnaturally long life span, having lived for 105 years before being executed in a similarly drawn-out manner. As his power grew, he would also prove capable of shooting lightning bolts and giving his minions limited abilities, such as transforming him into a ghost nanny. All of this was in an effort to kidnap Dana Barrett's infant child so that Vigo could take physical form. Thanks to the Ghostbusters and a plan involving the Statue of Liberty and 'Auld Lang Syne,' Vigo's powers were diminished, as was his mark on history. Or so we think.
2 Vinz Clortho & Zuul - Ghostbusters (1984) & Ghostbusters Afterlife (2021)
Vinz Clortho the Keymaster & Zuul the Gatekeeper have arguably the coolest practical designs in all of Ghostbusters franchise history. When they're not possessing humans, they take forms similar to demon dogs. Following up on such an iconic design would be difficult, but with the advancement of special effects in cinema, Vinz Clortho & Zuul would become terrifying creatures capable of taking an incorporeal form that puts viewers on the edge of their seats during epic chase encounters.
Vinz Clortho & Zuul are the terror dog henchmen for Gozer, with the two coming together to bring forth the great Gozerian of destruction. While they may always play second fiddle together, they prove to be a formidable force. Whether escaping the team's attempts at containment or holding off the Ghostbusters while Gozer entered the material plane, Vinz Clortho & Zuul prove to be effective henchmen in a genre where such a thing is severely lacking.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2: What We Hope to See in the Sequel
1 Gozer the Gozerian - Ghostbusters (1984) & Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Gozer the Gozerian is a non-binary spirit worshipped as a god by ancient civilizations. Gozer is the coolest of all the ghosts for their endless design capabilities, thanks to their shape-shifting ability. When we first see Gozer, they've taken a feminine form, with red eyes and crystaline apparel. In this form, Gozer would display acrobatic prowess as well as powerful blows, and lightning strikes. Proving to be fair, Gozer offers to take any form the Ghostbusters wish and would transform into a giant version of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. While this form would be taken down with the crossing of the streams, this wouldn't be the last we heard of the Destroyer.
Gozer had a cult following dedicated to bringing them forth into the mortal realm. Led by Ivo Shandor, the cult would develop architectural designs, using them to turn buildings into super-antennae for the spirit realm. With one hidden in a mine discovered by Ivo Shandor, Gozer would make their comeback in the year 2021. This time, displaying a return to their feminine form, Gozer would also display a terrifying image of a skull engulfed in flames. While Gozer would ultimately be defeated, their strong powers, incredible imagery, and queer representation both in early & modern cinema earns them a high "cool" rating.