If there's something strange in the neighborhood...You might have to press 1 for more options. While the original Ghostbustersmight not be in the building, this November will bring with it a new cast ofcharacters to answer the calls to (ghost) crime. Complete with cameos from theoriginal cast, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is set to take to the big screen onNovember 11, after a year of COVID-related delays. Photo credit: Ghostbusters.com [https://www.ghostbusters.com/].With the releaseof the first official trailer on July 27, Ghostbusters fans are already fallingback into the nostalgia, whims and scares of the 1984 movie. And rightly so: thesequel (or perhaps, threequel, if you count Ghostbusters II as part of the samecannon) features the children and grandchildren of the original characters, somedecades later. One of the scenes in the trailer even shows Trevor, played byFinn Wolfhard of the Netflix series Stranger Things, dusting off a proton packin his grandfather's home. Evidently, the nostalgia was the intention. Director Jason Reitman, son of theoriginal series director, Ivan Reitman, knew that he needed to center the storyaround its legacy – whether that be for audience members reliving theirchildhood delight or actors returning to roles long since put on the shelf.According to this[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/01/hanging-with-bill-murray-on-the-set-of-ghostbusters-afterlife] 2020 Vanity Fair article, Reitman's focus is one that takes him back to his ownchildhood:> “If I think about who I’m making this movie for, it’s my father. We all knowwhat it’s like to be told stories by our parents. I’m really honored to get achance to tell one back to him from the world he brought to life.”And indeed, it's a world which remains vitally intact even today. The 1984release was the highest grossing movie of all time until 1990's Home Alone, andmaintains its position as Columbia Pictures' highest grossing comedy (whenadjusted for inflation). Upon its release, it championed a number one spot inmovie theaters for seven weeks, and went on to amass an entire franchise ofvideo games, board games, comic books, clothing, toys, collectibles, and evenhaunted attractions. The film has even earned a designation of "culturallysignificant" in the National Film Registry (as if that all wasn't enough!). Photo credit: Columbia Pictures.Why, then, did a comedically-inclined, goofy,spoof-filled supernatural drama grip the cultural zeitgeist with such force inthe 80s and 90s (and even today)? Most critics attest the success of theoriginal film to its unique blend of genres, expansive special effects andlight-hearted nature, but others know it runs deeper than that. The dynamitecast of characters, for one, kept the audience on its toes with constantad-libbing and unscripted allowances. In fact, almost none of the scenes werefilmed as scripted – most had at least one ad-lib. Most of Bill Murray's linesin particular are improvised, including the famous "This chick is toast," aswell as one that would recur in later films: "Nice shootin', Tex!"The Ghostbusters franchise hasn't always found its mark, however. After thedisappointing box-office performance of the 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II and theuntimely death of writer and star Harold Ramis, creating another edition of thiswell-loved favorite seemed impossible. What's more: the all-female 2016 Ghostbusters racked in hordes of disapproval from diehard fans and ultimatelysuffered box-office losses. While some attribute the 2016 flop to a gimmicky,uninspired concept, others have suggested an unfair fixation on femalecounterparts in a role traditionally dominated by men. Controversy aside, a new Ghostbusters is coming to theaters, rain or shine.Return to the haunted world of our beloved characters by checking out theofficial trailer below.