The secrets of the slime
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE director Jason Reitman on the film’s horde of Easter eggs
Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) on the trail;
IN A VIDEO message screened for fans before they saw Ghostbusters: Afterlife in cinemas, Jason Reitman — son of Ivan, director of the first two Ghostbusters movies — challenged them to keep their eyes open. They wouldn’t just be experiencing a charming, emotionally resonant reinvigoration of a long-dormant franchise, but embarking upon what Reitman called “the biggest Easter egg hunt in history”.
He wasn’t wrong. The finished film contains dozens of references to the movies of Ghostbusters past, some obvious, some so obscure you’d have to be a giant Sloar to get them. “There’s a thrill to hiding all these little details, so as you’re watching the film you have this simultaneous experience that sparkles through the back parts of your brain,” he tells Empire. We asked Reitman to guide us through some of the best.