Ranked: Ghostbusters’ Cameos From Worst To Best
For a film that’s been on the receiving end of so much fan fury, Ghostbusters does a lot to pay service to the hardcore followers so desperate to throw it under the bus.
There are cameos everywhere, with the old guard coming back to support Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. But not all of them hit the target — here’s every big Ghostbusters cameo ranked from worst to best.
Spoilers, naturally, will follow…
10. Ozzy Osbourne
In a cameo presumably came straight from 2004, the Prince of Darkness showed up to mumble something to “Sharon” about “tripping” after witnessing the Ghostbusters vanquish a ghoul at a rock gig. It’s a nod that feels so massively out of touch, and probably one of the only real duff steps in the movie.
9. Bill Murray
You wait… and wait and wait. And it just doesn’t happen. If Bill Murray is capable of anything, it’s spinning lightweight material into comedy gold. Hard to believe, then, that his cameo as paranormal debunker Martin Heiss doesn’t generate a laugh beyond his initial reveal. Murray is almost the Walter Peck of the new Ghostbusters — not something that suits him.
8. Dan Aykroyd
Aykroyd’s New York taxi driver is barely there. His one scene is probably the most underwritten of all the returning Ghostbusters team. Revealed in early TV spots, it unfortunately didn’t have the benefit of taking viewers by surprise. Still, at least it’s not as bad as that awkward Ray Stantz cameo in Casper.
7. Mr Stay Puft
A throwaway gag but one that just about works. Stay Puft turns up as a giant spectral parade balloon. Like Aykroyd this was seen in early trailers, but director Paul Feig gives it more context in the film. He’s still a sailor, still in New York…
6. Zuul
Buried in the post-credits, the big bad from the first Ghostbusters is referenced when Leslie Jones — fiddling with a paranormal audio recording — asks her colleagues: “Who is Zuul?” A clear tee-up for the sequel? It’s looking that way.
5. Harold Ramis
Appearing as a bronze bust in a university hallway, Ramis is a background Easter egg that’s reward for eagle-eyed fans paying extra-close attention. It’s fitting that the man behind the studious Egon Spengler, the brains behind the original Ghostbusters (on and off-screen), is present as the head of Columbia University.
4. Slimer
The apparition based on John Belushi (who was going to star in the 1984 original until his untimely death) — yes, Slimer is back and this time he’s brought Mrs Slimer along for the ride. The green goo machine is held back for late on in the film, but it’s worth it to see him behind the wheel of Ecto-1. Sadly, director Ivan Reitman doesn’t return to voice him, instead that honour goes to Adam Ray.
3. Annie Potts
The voice is unmistakable. Annie Potts isn’t quite playing Janine Melnitz, but she might as well be. She’s behind the desk at the swanky hotel where the Ghostbusters track down villain Rowan North (Neil Casey). It’s just a shame Potts’ Ghostbusters II partner in crime Rick Moranis couldn’t be convinced to come back, too.
2. Sigourney Weaver
For many, Kate McKinnon’s eccentric, off-kilter new Ghostbuster Jillian Holtzmann stole the show. Her mentor was none other than Sigourney Weaver, who appears mid-credits to much fan delight. Weaver is one of the few cameos that could end up returning for a sequel. And the other is…
1. Ernie Hudson
Winston Zeddemore, the pragmatic straight man in the original two Ghostbusters, was criminally underrated. One of the reasons Bill Murray reportedly stalled endlessly over a Ghostbusters 3 was because he didn’t want Hudson to get short shrift. The Winston love has only intensified over the years, and here he’s uncle to Leslie Jones’ Patty Tolan. Hudson’s Uncle Bill could end being back for Ghostbusters 4 (2?), and that would be a very good thing.
