The 1984 film Ghostbusters offers a lighthearted take on the struggle between humans and supernatural evil. It represents a humorous counterpart to such "serious" films as The Haunting (1963) and The Legend of Hell House (1973).

Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis in the movie Ghostbusters. The Kobal Collection/Columbia. Reproduced by permission.

The script was written by Dan Aykroyd (1952–) and Harold Ramis (1944–), who played the title characters (along with Bill Murray, 1950–, and Ernie Hudson, 1945–). Ivan Reitman (1946–) directed this "action comedy," which opens with three parapsychologists (researchers into the paranormal) played by Aykroyd, Ramis, and Murray, being fired from their academic jobs. They start a private firm, "Ghostbusters," hire a colleague (Hudson) and a secretary (Annie Potts, 1952–), and take jobs ridding New York of pesky ghosts.

After clearing out the apartment of Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver, 1949–), the Ghostbusters realize that her building is being used to summon the...