Screenbound, out now

A retrospective on the surprise hit of 1984.

Ghostbusters arrived in the UK on a wave of hype driven by word of mouth – and by a studio that realised it had a much bigger hit on its hands than it had originally believed. In the US, it had opened against the second Indiana Jones movie but it didn’t face that competition here – by that point Indy had long departed the Temple of Doom. I can remember loving it so much I went three or four times to see it at the cinema, and it’s been a staple on VHS, DVD and now Blu-ray in my collection. Cleanin’ Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters will sit beside it for future viewings for a lot of people – and I suspect become as essential to the Ghostbusters phenomenon as Ray Parker Jr’s iconic theme.

It’s a labour of love, filmed over a decade, partly crowdfunded, and gaining access to just about everyone involved with the film. The absence of two key players does occasionally make it feel like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark, but you’re drawn in by the wealth of anecdotes and the clear enjoyment of those taking part. If you think you know everything about Ghostbusters, then this will change your mind – there’s plenty of material here that’s not been seen before.

The Blu-ray release comes with a few extras – further anecdotes are inevitably the biggest draw – but it’s the central documentary that I suspect you’ll want to watch a number of times. With the fourth film now pushed to Spring next year, this will more than fill the gap.

Verdict: “Let’s show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown.” Everything you will ever need to know about one of the great 80s movies. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order Cleanin’ Up the Town from Amazon.co.uk