Ectoplasm all over yourself with lost footage from the original Ghostbusters

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

If your P.K.E. Meter started flashing not too long ago, it's because there's something strange in the neighborhood, and actually … it looks good! This past weekend marked the 35th anniversary of director Ivan Reitman's GHOSTBUSTERS, the classic supernatural spectacle starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and Rick Moranis. To honor the beloved film, Sony arranged for the event's finale to be held on the Sony Pictures lot, where Jason Reitman, and his father, Ivan Reitman, gathered to share something very special with fans.

After teasing the crowd all weekend with the promise of a big reveal, the Reitmans unveiled a collection of alternate takes, outtakes and other never-before-seen, "lost" Ghostbusters footage from the original production dailies. According to Ghostbusters lore, the lost footage was reportedly "sitting in a mine in Kansas," though they were able to unearth it and share their findings with those in attendance.

You can watch the full panel below, courtesy of SlashFilm, in addition to the lost scenes that until now have never been shared with fans.

If you're not interested in watching the entire presentation, you can skip ahead to the following time signatures to witness the new footage:

– First Sequence: 1:23
– Second Sequence: 5:19
– Third Sequence: 13:12
– Fourth Sequence: 18:23
– Fifth Sequence: 20:29

Before revealing the first clip, Reitman commented on the discovery of the footage, and how it came to be a part of the Ghostbusters Fan Fest experience:

“In making this movie, we found something kind of extraordinary. We went to Sony, and we said, ‘We’d really love to get back into the original dailies from 1984. Do you still have them?’ And we found them. They were in a mine in Kansas, and we shipped the boxes to Burbank. And we’ve been going through the footage for reasons I cannot tell you, but along the way we found some really cool stuff.”

An interesting point of note from the above statement is the bit where Reitman states "we’ve been going through the footage for reasons I cannot tell you.” What does that mean? If the footage were meant to arrive as part of some home release special edition, why wouldn't he just say so? Could it be that Reitman's UNTITLED GHOSTBUSTERS PROJECT will somehow incorporate the found footage? Are we talking time travel, alternate Ghostbusters history? Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!

As SlashFilm points out, perhaps the new Ghostbusters team will be sampling bits of audio from the unearthed footage, possibly as part of a way to explain why Ramis' Ego Spengler is no longer a part of the mix. There's also a chance that aspects of the footage will be featured in flashback sequences, giving old school fans a different perspective on past events. That last idea feels less coporeal than Slimer with an empty stomach, but movie magic works in mysterious ways in this day and age. I honestly wouldn't put anything past Reitman when it comes to including lots of surprises in his upcoming film.

While it's a shame that the lost footage can only be viewed via two flatscreens set up at the Sony Pictures lot, it's to be hoped that Reitman will find a way to release it properly, down the road. Maybe it can be included when the new film hits its home release? You know, as part of the Special Features? Your guess is as good as mine, as Reitman is clearly keeping his Ghostbusters cards close to his chest, right now.

For Reitman's upcoming GHOSTBUSTERS adventure, the film is said to focus on a family who moves back home to a small town. While there, they begin to learn more about who they are and the secrets of the town itself.

Carrie Coon is set to star as a single mother, with Finn Wolfhard as her son and Mckenna Grace playing the role of her daughter. Meanwhile, Murray and Aykroyd have been rumored to star as well, though perhaps now with Weaver confirming their return we can count them as being on board.

Jason Reitman's UNTITLED GHOSTBUSTERS PROJECT is set for a July 10, 2020 release in theaters.