The newest film in the Ghostbusters franchise takes place in small town Oklahoma. I’m as surprised as you are.
But, what’s even more surprising is just how good it is, respectfully bringing the series back to cinematic prominence generations later while introducing a youthful new team that completely holds their own. These are the hardest things for a decades-old film series to not only attain but actually hold on to, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife amiably does that.
In a decrepit farmhouse in Summerville, Oklahoma, aging ghost-hunter and local weirdo Egon Spengler is killed by, apparently, a free-floating apparition. This causes his estranged family to inherit the house and, almost immediately, granddaughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace in a star-making role)—who has inherited Egon’s penchant for outré science—comes in contact with his ghost and he helps her find his former ghostbusting tools.
As she finds out about her true lineage from teacher and former scientist Gary (the delightful Paul Rudd), along with her only friend Podcast (Logan Kim), they come to learn that the town, which has been experiencing strange earthquakes—nothing new for many Oklahomans—is the former home to Ivo Shandor, the leader of a cult worshipping the ancient god Gozer the Gozerian.
Fans of the original 1984 film will understand that.