This supernatural comedy was a 1984 cult classic and well-received by critics for its clever amalgam of comedy, horror and action. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis were the co-writers of the film and Ivan Reitman directed it.
This film was the world’s first comedy film to use high-priced special effects. It comprises some miniature puppets and other practical effects to achieve those evil spirit effects.
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis play Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler – the classic trio of freaky parapsychologists. The three lose their jobs and establish an organization known as “Ghostbusters” to hunt down the ghosts in New York City.
Due to the movie’s popularity and fans, the movie inspires many. It became a successful multimedia franchise, including TV series, video games, music, books, collectibles, board games, toys and various haunted attractions.
It was Aykroyd’s idea to create this movie along with his friend John Belushi. Due to the unfortunate death of Belushi and the former story’s plausible finances, Aykroyd had to work with Ramis to rewrite the script. So, the film was set in New York City to give a realistic look.
Ghostbusters Filming Locations
Since the film is based in New York City, most of the filming locations are from New York City. Some scenes are shot in Los Angeles and on sets created at Burbank Studios, Los Angeles.
Hook And Ladder 8
A remarkable little firehouse in New York serves as the Ghostbusters headquarters. It still is an active fire station. Unfortunately, the place lost one of its team members in the 9/11 attack.
A fun fact is that while visiting, you can see the Ghostbusters logo painted on the sidewalk right out front. This station was also used in the 2016 reboot Ghostbusters II.
Address: 14 North Moore Street, West Broadway, Tribeca area, New York City, NY, USA
Columbus Circle
Many scenes of the movie occur in the locations present in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. This lovely place was used as the location under fear and attack by the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
It is located at the junction of Central Park South (West 59th Street), Broadway, Eighth Avenue and the southwest corner of Central Park West.
Millennium Biltmore Hotel
Peter, Egon and Ray get their first call from a Sedgewick Hotel. They get there and successfully catch a ghost called Slimer. This hotel was actually the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. This venue was used in a number of movies like The Fabulous Baker Boys, Splash!, Daredevil, Speed, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Bodyguard.
Address: 506 South Grand Avenue, Pershing Square, downtown Los Angeles
Times Square
There is a scene where Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) is possessed by Vinz Clortho and hears the seductive signal of Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) who Zuul possesses. Louis is walking around Times Square when this happens. A lot of you might not be able to recognize it. For some unavoidable reasons, the creators chose not to show the location so prominently.
Address: 42nd Street, Broadway, Manhattan, NY 10036, United States
Columbia University
The trio is fired from their jobs as scientists in the Department of Parapsychology at Columbia University, which does not exist in real life. In Weaver Hall (known as Havemeyer Hall in real-life Columbia University), they come up with a plan to become paranormal investigators.
Address: New York, NY 10027, United States
City Hall
As the ghosts wreak havoc around the city, the mayor calls for the Ghostbusters’ help. They all run through the City Hall staircase to meet the distressed mayor.
If you visit the City Hall, don’t forget to see the abandoned City Hall subway station and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. If possible, take a walk on Wall Street too.
Address: City Hall Park, New York, NY 10007, USA
New York Public Library
The first scene of the film takes place in the New York City Library. This is where the first glimpse of the ghosts’ existence is shown. However, the stack scene was not shot here. The interior scenes of the library were filmed in the Los Angeles Central Library.
Address: 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018, USA
Rockefeller Center
After the success of their first battle, the Ghostbusters face their second battle in Rockefeller Center. You may have noticed the bronze Prometheus statue.
The surprising thing is that management didn’t permit anyone to shoot here. However, the director wouldn’t give up on it. He instructed the crew to shoot the scene as quickly as possible and then leave. Luckily, they got a good shot before the security guards caught them.
Address: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111, USA
489 5th Avenue
This place was used as the Manhattan City Bank with some services like mortgage loans. The trio heads to this place to get three mortgages on Ray’s parents’ house at 19% interest to capitalize the equipment needed for the Ghostbusters organization.
Address: 489 5th Avenue, East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, USA
55 Central Park West
Spook Central, Louis Tully and Dana Barrett’s disconcerted apartment buildings were actually shot in the 55 Central Park West. It has some upper stories, which the Studio Art Department included. The script had 27 floors in the building, but in reality, it has only 19 stories. The final scenes were also filmed in the building.
Explore Central Park near the building by walk or bike, take a look around the National Museum of Natural History and visit the Dakota Apartments and Strawberry Fields at 72nd Street. You won’t be disappointed.
Address: 55 Central Park West, 67th Street, New York, NY, USA
Tavern on the Green
To escape from Gozer’s demon dog, Louis runs through Central Park and ends up in a restaurant called Tavern on the Green. He bangs on the glass window, but the diners simply avoid him. He is then possessed by the dog.
Tavern on the Green is still a special place visited by New Yorkers on special occasions. The twinkling lights brighten the exterior gardens, and shrubs surround the restaurant in various animal shapes. These are the main attractions of the place.
Address: W 67th St, New York, NY 10023, USA
Umberto’s Clam House
After their first battle and the success of their business, the Ghostbusters are on the way to another battle at the time of a “Ghost Fever” montage. Their vehicle, Ecto-1, makes a sudden swift right past Umberto’s Clam House.
It is an Italian seafood restaurant and known for its making of calamari, mussels and scungilli. The place became more famous when a popular Mafia murder occurred there. It is owned and maintained by the Lanniello family.
Address: 132 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013, USA
Other filming locations include Lincoln Center, Manhattan Bridge and some locations involving minor scenes. The crew was determined to shoot in a small amount of time to avoid the December weather. Also, the early 1980s is when a lot of fiscal violence happened in New York City. Los Angeles was known as the citadel of the entertainment industry. But, the director was determined to do it in New York, and so they did. The shoot also included some guerrilla filmmaking, but the movie passed with flying colors in the end.