My Top 10 Favorite Episodes of "The Real Ghostbusters"

Welcome to another installment of me rambling on about cartoons, fandoms in general, and just anything that interests me. And just in time for the spooky season, I got a fun one for you today! I just recently finished watching a classic 80s animated show that's been on my docket for quite some time, so of COURSE I had to highlight ten of my favorite stories from it. It's the one and only, "The Real Ghostbusters"!

For those not in the know, the "real" label was added to the title because of some dispute with Filmation and its own 'Ghostbusters' show which had nothing to do with the iconic 80s film. But otherwise, the series acted as a direct continuation of the live action movie, in which paranormal investigators Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston, along with their secretary Janine, do battle with the supernatural and catch ghosts all over New York City. But as you've probably noticed, the characters look a bit different to their live action counterparts, and they also keep the ghost, Slimer, around as a pet and mascot. The actual reason was due to not being allowed to use the actors' likenesses, but thankfully and funny enough, the show writers went the extra mile of creating episodes that went through the trouble of explaining why our heroes looked a bit different than what we were used to.

See the episode "Take Two", where the gang flies to Hollywood to visit the set of a movie based on their adventures, as well as "Citizen Ghost", which explains why the 'Busters outfits look different, the re-design of the containment unit, and how Slimer came to live with them. Gozer is also brought up quite a few times, the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man makes a few appearances, and even Walter Peck and Louis Tully eventually show up, so despite some of the aesthetic changes the producers had to do, the show is otherwise pretty faithful to the movie, and does a great job of expanding upon the lore of the Ghostbusters' universe and fleshing out the personal backstories of the characters. This is largely due to the prolific writers the series had, including J. Michael Straczynski who went on to create "Babylon 5" and wrote tons of graphic novels for DC and Marvel, as well as Michael Reeves, who wrote for TONS of TV shows, most notably "Gargoyles" and "Batman: The Animated Series".

So now today, we're going to take a look at some of the best-of-the-best tales this show had to offer. Keep in mind, this is just my personal opinion. What stories appeal to me will most likely differ from yours. Also bear in mind that since this is a series that deals with the supernatural, this is NOT going to be a "scariest episodes" list, but rather, just what I feel are the best WRITTEN episodes, whether they err on the side of scary OR silly. and whether you agree with me or not, I'd love to hear what some of YOUR favorite stories are!

10.) The Headless Motorcyclist

To any of you who are fans of "Sleepy Hollow", this episode is for you. The horror begins when a couple is arguing at a party and Peter intervenes on the lady's behalf, causing the jilted boyfriend to storm off. But then, while driving home, the man is attacked by....well, basically Ghost Rider, and is run off the road and nearly killed. Things then go from bad to worse when Peter is framed for the crime, and now he and the rest of his team have to clear his name and catch the real perpetrator....who turns out to be none other than the Headless Horseman in a brand new form. So right off the bat, I have to say, as entertaining as this series was as a whole, admittedly, there are TONS of times where the episodes basically boil down to just the gang chasing a ghost or being chased BY the ghost for 20 minutes, with nothing much else happening to break up the action, until the guys finally manage to corner it and just zap it with their proton packs---rinse and repeat. So for me, the most noteworthy stories were the ones that messed with the formula and either gave the ghost of the week more lore, or developed the main characters in some way, or gave the victims of the week more personality or things to do, or had the 'Busters have to come up with a clever, alternate way of defeating the ghost that didn't just rely on simply zapping the thing. Or some combination of the four. And that's a theme you're going to see throughout this list. Case in point, in an interesting twist, the lady Peter defended at the party turns out to be the source of the problem, as she's descended from Ichabod Crane, with her family cursed to be haunted by the Headless Horseman forever.....though, it's equally as interesting that said Horseman didn't stay stagnant in his appearance and chose to upgrade his ride, which you almost never see ghosts do in most media. They usually stay the same for all eternity. Maybe the Horseman was a Nicholas Cage fan or something, who knows. Well, in any case, such a fast-moving spirit proves to be uncatchable by traditional means, leading our heroes to have to come up with a clever way to trick the Horseman into falling into their trap. How they manage to do it, I won't spoil, but let's just say that they release one poor lady from a lifetime of torment. Maybe if "Spirit of Vengeance" took cues from this episode for its plot, it would've made for a better Ghost Rider sequel.

9.) No One Comes to Lupusville

Beating out the plot of the "Underworld" movies by a few decades, The Ghostbusters are hired by a mysterious man named Gregore, leader of a small secluded village called Lupusville, that is located deep in the woods, to get rid of a coven of vampires. But as they investigate, it turns out that ALL of the residents are vampires. One group is led by Gregore, who took over the town and wishes to come out into the modern world. The other group is led by the old leader, an unnamed vampire who wishes to keep their existence a secret from the world. Our heroes are soon separated, with Ray and Peter recruited by the forest vampires, while Egon and Winston are forced to help Gregore and his followers, forcing the 'Busters to have to fight against each other in a battle for monster supremacy. While the 'Busters primary focus was always on capturing ghosts, they DID fight demons and other supernatural creatures from time to time, so it makes sense that they'd run across vampires eventually. While most of the team's ghostly adventures err on the wacky side, this is one of those special times where the atmosphere is moodier than usual, evoking a classic Universal or Hammer horror film. Ghosts are already unnerving enough, but to find out that there's also vampires casually running around makes the Ghostbusters universe that much darker. Even scarier is the fact that our heroes....don't actually defeat the vampires. That's right---at best, the team is able to merely close off access to the town so the monsters hopefully can't escape....but they're still technically alive and out there. As for how the team is able to make their escape to begin with? Well, let's just say the imprisoned human townsfolk have a secret of their own....and that there's a reason the town is called LUPUSville.

8.) Play Them Ragtime Boos

In a plot that was probably partially inspired by "Back to the Future", the 'Busters are in the deep south intending to attend a supernatural related conference. But upon reaching their ramshackle hotel, it quickly becomes apparent that something is seriously wrong. Every night, a mysterious tune lures the townsfolk from their homes and compels them to dance, to the point that their clothes become more old fashioned, and abandoned buildings are restored to their former glory. It turns out a ghostly bayou trumpet player, Malachi, just can't let the past go, and seeks to turn back the clock and keep everyone living in the past forever. And when the proton packs prove to be too weak to capture him, it'll take some help from a bewitching mambo and some clever "fight fire with fire" tactics to bring everyone back to the present day. This wouldn't be the first or last time the Ghostbusters ever traveled through time in some way, but I feel that this was the best utilization of the trope. Rather than a character accidentally altering the timeline, here, our main villain simply wants to freeze time because he thinks the time period he came from is better, and refuses to allow any progress to move forward. It was always great when the monsters of the week were given more motivations for their actions and not just causing trouble for the sake of causing trouble. And here, it comes with the added note of teaching a lesson in how harmful it can be to live in the past and not look forward to the future. And as a bonus, we also get a local townsperson having to help out the team, showing that our heroes aren't perfect geniuses in everything and DO need to call in other experts from time to time. Just, uh....be ready to hear the "When the Saints Go Marching In" song played at least two dozen times in the span of 25 minutes. Thankfully, our heroes fight back with their own brand of music, and watching their outfits change with each decade and style they play is a real treat. It's a clever solution to an equally unique premise that'll make you appreciate the here and now rather than an idealized past that should STAY in the past.

7.) Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream 

Here's a story that takes "making your dreams come true" to a whole other level. All over New York, people are falling asleep and their dreams are becoming reality. It turns out a Sandman has gone rogue, and plans to put everyone to sleep in order to bring peace to the world....despite the fact that they'll be asleep for 500 years. And yes, I said "A" sandman, not "THE" sandman. In an interesting bit of lore, it turns out that sandmen are a race or group of beings and not just one guy, which makes sense. The Earth is a huge place after all. Things take a turn when, one by one, Peter, Ray, and Egon are picked off, leaving only Winston and Janine to save the day. Much like the baddie from "Play Them Ragtime Boos", here's another villain with an actual motivation. Everyone is the hero of their own story, and the sandman honestly believes he's doing the world a service by stopping wars and conflict via forcing everyone to take a five century long nap. Bad for us, of course, but still, I can actually sympathize with the guy. Even better is the fact that Winston and Janine, the two team members who are, arguably, the most normal ones of the group and aren't doctors or scientists, are given their time to shine. The episode itself even straight up points this out, and it's one of many examples of the show going the extra mile to try and flesh out the characters more. Winston especially needed this, as he was the late addition to the team that often gets brushed aside in favor of the other three guys, and seeing him find his confidence to step up and save the day is really cool. And as an even bigger treat, we also get the first glimpses of Janine suiting up and becoming a Ghostbuster herself. And while they didn't quite make the cut, I also highly recommend the episodes "Night Game" and "Janine Melnitz; Ghostbuster" if you want to watch two more great stories focused on Winston and Janine. And let's just say this won't be the last bedtime related story on this list.

6.) Bustman's Holiday

You know, after glancing at other people's and other websites top picks for this series, it's a shame that stories like "When Halloween was Forever" and "Knock Knock" get so much attention (which personally, I think those two episodes are highly overrated), because this episode is a true hidden gem that I think REALLY gets overlooked. This is also one time where I'm basically going to spoil most of what happens, because it'd otherwise be hard to say why I love this story so much, so proceed at your own risk if you don't want spoilers. Ray receives word that his Uncle Andrew, who lives in Scotland, has just died, and has named Ray as his heir to his castle. However, in order to claim it, Ray must get rid of a ghost that plagued his uncle for most of his life. Ray and the team go to Scotland and, guided by the castle's executor, Angus Lenny, manage to bust the ghost, but when they do, they find out that it's what's known as a 'keystone' ghost. According to history, one man started a war between the Highlanders and the Lowlanders, and that the keystone ghost is the one ghost that pays for the tragedy, and is doomed to never rest so that the others may sleep. And once our boys captured the keystone ghost, it causes the souls of the Highlanders and Lowlanders to all wake up and start fighting again. Their war, which will ultimately destroy the village of Dunkell, is now put on Ray's shoulders, to which he races to the village to plan a countermove while the others try to stall the two clans. With the help of the town, Ray is able to rig a group of garbage trucks into makeshift ghost traps, and traps both armies of ghosts inside them. And THEN, in a twist, it turns out that Mr. Lenny actually worked for Uncle Andrew's freeloading relatives, who wanted to purposely re-ignite the ghost war and frame Ray for destroying the village so that they could get the castle and the treasure. Thankfully, Ray turns the castle over to the village, is declared a hero, and makes Mr. Lenny pay for all the damage that was caused. Seriously, why does NO ONE talk about this episode? It ticks EVERY single box of what makes a great Ghostbusters story for me. Learning more about a main character? Check. Placing the team in a different location other than New York City? Check. Fighting against an entire ARMY of ghosts? Check. Rallying the entire town together to help take down the threat? Check. Constant plot twists that don't just have our heroes running around aimlessly for 20 minutes? Check. Having to come up with a clever, alternate solution to capture the ghosts? Check. I don't know what was in the coffee the week they wrote this story, but whoever the writer was deserves a medal for penning what is easily one of the most criminally underrated episodes of the entire show.

5.) The Ghostbusters in Paris

When a workman accidentally damages a strange device in the workshop of Gustave Eiffel, at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, he unwittingly frees a horde of ghosts that had been imprisoned within the Tower itself for nearly a century. With the Tower now haunted, the French government calls the Ghostbusters for help. When the team arrives at the Tower, they find hundreds of thousands of ghosts haunting every level of the structure. After fighting through hordes of ghosts they get to the workshop, and Egon discovers that Gustave Eiffel designed the Tower to be a primitive but effective ghost containment unit. When the control box was damaged, the Tower started leaking ghosts, and worse, unless the leak is plugged, it'll eventually explode, releasing millions of ghosts upon the world. Now the team must travel to various famous landmarks in Paris to find Eiffel's secret papers that explain how to repair the device, all while fighting off the most aggressive of the ghosts that try to stop them from reaching the notes. Here's another globetrotting adventure that takes the boys away from New York for a while and throws them deep into Europe. Basically, take everything I just said about "Bustman's Holiday", and also apply it here. We're in several new locations, we get an interesting lore dump about said famous locations, the boys find themselves grossly outnumbered and in serious danger, and every time the team thinks they finally have the ghosts beat, a new twist gets thrown at them that botches the plan, making them have to come up with an even more clever plan. So how do our heroes FINALLY defeat the ghosts? Well, I'll hold back on the spoilers for this one, but let's just say that television DOESN'T necessarily rot your brain....but it DOES rack up a hefty cable bill.

4.) Ragnarök and Roll

Which sounds a lot like what the title of that Thor movie SHOULD'VE been. Abandoned by his girlfriend Cindy, a lonely man named Jeremy who feels he has nothing left to live for, along with his hunchback friend, DyTillio, set loose the forces of evil via a magical flute to bring about the end of the world according to Norse mythology. So remember back in "No One Comes to Lupusville" when I mentioned the darker, moodier-than-usual atmosphere? This is one of the few other examples in which the series took a more serious tone. In fact, I'd argue it's one of the most serious of the entire show. There's no real joking around in this one, not only because our antagonist is bringing about the end of the world, but also for the fact that this WASN'T an accident. Jeremy didn't just stumble upon some ancient crypt or unknowingly read from an old spell book or anything---he is SO depressed and upset over his circumstances in life that he's willing to bring everyone down with him. The kicker is that, other than pushing the entity back into its home dimension, the Ghostbusters....don't really do much of anything....because they CAN'T. Which you'd think would make for a boring episode, but quite the opposite. Here, the team is faced with something that they truly CANNOT defeat. Not physically, anyway. Instead, the team, along with Jeremy's ex Cindy, and his friend DyTillio, have to basically play group therapist and just HOPE that they can somehow convince Jeremy to reverse what he's done. It's genuinely chilling to watch how completely and utterly SCREWED our heroes are.  Proof positive that witty one-liners and over-the-top action sequences aren't always needed for a good story, this episodes serves as a reminder of how dangerous a lonely heart can be, and that the world, for all its faults, is still one worth living in.

3.) The Collect Call of Cathulu

Or as Ray pronounces it, "Ca-TOO-loo". Did they have to alter the name for copyright reasons? Or is that how you're actually supposed to say the name? Well, in any case, when the Necronomicon, the most powerful book of spells in the world, is stolen from the New York Public Library, the Ghostbusters find themselves up against the Cult of Cthulhu, who have stolen the book in order to bring the malevolent god back to Earth. And when their weapons prove useless against the monsters the cult calls upon, our heroes must seek the help of a scholar and spell user, Professor Alice Derleth, to help them stop Cthulhu's return. Beyond mining the mythology of H.P. Lovecraft's brand of macabre horror, the visual representation and designs of the monsters is downright unsettling. And once again, we have the team not only having to call in another expert to help, but they also have to come up with a clever, alternate solution to save the day. How do they manage to send this inter-dimensional leviathan back to where he came from? Well, for you Ray Harryhausen fans, if you've ever seen "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", you're in for a treat.

2.) The Boogyman Cometh

While the Ghostbusters may have closed doorways to hell, fought the spirit of Halloween, stopped Ragnarok, and faced down Cathulhu himself, THIS is the monster that EVERYONE knows and has faced at some point in their lives. It all begins when two young children show up at the firehouse, begging our heroes to help them get rid of, supposedly, the Boogieman. Which, first off, the fact that these two kids who, I'm assuming are only, like, 6 to 8 years old at the most, left their house in the middle of the night, WITHOUT their parents knowledge, and walked the busy city streets, ALONE, for at LEAST a few blocks (far enough that the guys have to drive them back in their car) is probably the REAL most frightening thing in this episode. But anyway, while the rest of the team is skeptical, Egon, of all people, insists they take the call. And to everyone's horror, as it turns out, the Boogieman IS real. From here on, our heroes make it their mission to find a way into the phantom's surreal paranormal realm and stop him from terrorizing children once and for all. While the Boogieman, physically, may not be the most powerful entity the boys have ever faced, what puts this story so high up on the list is how personal it gets, not only for the young viewers who have to face this very fear every night, but for Egon, who, as it turns out, was also terrorized by this monster as a child---so much so that it's the reason he became interested in the supernatural to begin with. So basically, if it wasn't for the Boogieman, the Ghostbusters might not have ever even been created. In production and airing order, this is one of the earliest examples of the main characters gaining a more developed backstory, and the fact that it's the normally calm and logical EGON who was affected, rather than the more jokey and fun ones like Peter or Ray, that make this stand out all the more, proving the old saying of not judging a book by its cover. And beating out the ending to "Monsters Inc" by a few decades, we're treated to a REALLY fun and harrowing chase sequence as our heroes dimension hop through one closet door to the next, until finally, the Boogieman is defeated in a clever way that I won't spoil. From the lesson of facing one's childhood fears to the personal stakes involved, this story proved early on just how good this series was going to turn out to be.

And my number one favorite episode of The Real Ghostbusters is....

The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic

As I've been saying throughout this whole list, the episodes that appealed to me the most were the ones that either developed the characters, had a more complex villain, had a sympathetic victim of the week, or otherwise had stakes that were more personal than just "save the city or the world" for the umpteenth time. "The Boogieman Cometh" had this all in spades, and for the longest time, I was certain that THAT episode was going to be my number one....but then I got to THIS story, and let's just say there's a few key elements that helped it to climb to the top. It all begins when an old woman named Mrs. Faversham, who lives in a mansion-ous house, is beseeched by ghostly noises and other phenomena coming from her attic....an attic that her father forbid her to ever enter. And for SEVENTY long years, she's put up with the haunting sounds night after night. But now with the Ghostbusters existing, she finally decides that enough is enough, and hires the team to free her of the entity that resides in her house. What they wind up finding is a demonic spirit that was summoned up by Mrs. Faversham's father, in order to try to give his young daughter a better life. But when he found himself unable to control the spirit, her father managed to contain the creature in the attic, and forbade his daughter from ever going up there. Now this creature has been festering for decades, growing ever more powerful....and ever more angry.

What makes this story so great is that, first off, there's an unnerving claustrophobia to the attic, with the entity using all the surrounding junk to form various bodies to attack whoever dares to enter its domain. Secondly, the boldness the writers and animators had to clearly depict a man performing a demonic ritual, with the pentagram and everything, in a cartoon aimed primarily at kids, is an image you don't soon forget. But most importantly of all, it's the human elements that make this episode stand out the most. From the reasoning behind why the demon was summoned to begin with, to this frightened old woman's heartfelt, desperate pleas for peace in her own house, to the team's handling of the situation---Peter in particular. Dr. Venkman is typically the boastful, show off-y, money-comes-first, sarcastic cynic, but here we get to see a rare sentimental side to him. In a surprising move to both the team and the audience, Peter accepts the case completely for free out of the kindness of his heart, all because Mrs. Faversham reminds him of his mother, and from the dialogue, it's heavily implied that his mother isn't alive anymore. And judging from the couple episodes where Peter's con-artist dad shows up, you get the feeling that his mom had to pretty much take care of him on her own, and that he holds her in high regard. So to see the usually snarky Peter suddenly become super sympathetic and protective of this elderly lady gives his character a new, hidden depth never seen before or since. If "The Boogieman Cometh" is Egon's best episode, "Bustman's Holiday" is a great highlight for Ray, and "Night Game" and the Sandman adventure are great features for Winston, then this is the shining moment for Peter. It's one of the most quietly emotional and personal stories of the whole show, reminding the audience why the Ghostbusters continue to put their lives at risk to fight the supernatural. It isn't just to make a quick buck. It's for scientific discovery. It's for keeping evil, unseen forces at bay. It's to help souls pass on to the next life. It's to help outcasts feel validated in their beliefs. It's to protect frightened children from their worst nightmares. And it's to help all the other Mrs. Faversham's of the world to be able to rest easy and live safer lives. And it's why the tale of the thing that lived in her attic is my pick for my favorite episode.

Things I Got Done This Week

--continued coloring the next "Jamie Jupiter" episode

--continued writing my next "Rini Boe" book

--posted My Top 10 Favorite Real Ghostbusters Episodes video, which you can watch HERE

--reacted a Ghostbusters fan film, which you can watch HERE

Do you want to see behind-the-scenes photos, short story previews, and commentary on all these projects? All of this is available in my totally free newsletter! The next one comes out October 28th!