Favorite Scene Friday! Ghostbusters 2: The Ghost Train

Ghostbusters is getting a lot of love lately, what with its 30th anniversary celebration, those Krispy Kreme donuts, and talk of the fabled third movie. You know what's not getting a lot of love? Ghostbusters 2.

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Ask me about Ghostbusters 2 and I'll tell ya what I think. Go ahead...ask. G'head.

Well I'll tell ya, internet. It's actually really scary compared to the first one, which was pretty much just a comedy (one of the greatest comedies of all time, sure) with ghosts, save for a scene or two. It's really not uncommon for a sequel to go darker. Think Temple of Doom or The Empire Strikes Back. It was just kinda the thing to do in the '80s and Ghostbusters 2 was no exception. Think about it. Vigo the Carpathian's scary-ass self. The subterranean river of evil, pink slime. That bathtub nose monster. The scene where the guys almost get murdered with fire in their darkroom whilst developing scary Polaroids. I could go on and on. Oh wait, I have to go on!

Yes, our scene is the creepy (but still very funny) ghost train sequence. Picture it. You're down under the streets of New York. Like, under the subway deep. You're in the dark. You're searching for the source of crazy levels of paranormal activity. Then this happens.



Poor Winston! He just wanted to hear his echo like the other guys, but he never gets to have any fun. Instead he gets run over by a ghost train. Aside from being a funny concept, there is something genuinely terrifying about hearing your own echo replaced by a deep, booming, soul-piercing voice bellowing your name. And aren't those disembodied heads frickin' gruesome (why the hell did the guys not bring their proton packs with them to begin with???)? Compare that shit to the first film, where we don't get anything nearly as terrifying. Hell, the Ghost Librarian was originally scarier but they replaced the effect with something a little less terrifying.

Some of the comedy's a little broad in this scene (the guys tip-toe around like they're in a Scooby Doo episode or something and Egon's question about the number on the locomotive, while funny, is a little cliche) but Ernie Hudson's performance as Winston (the way his scream dies out is hilarious) and the horror more than makes up for it. So if you need a great horror comedy that doesn't skimp on the horror this Halloween season, think of Ghostbusters 2.

What's your favorite scene from Ghostbusters 2?