Ghostbusters 2's Creepy Ghost Train Scene Still Sends Chills Down Fans' Spines
While the original "Ghostbusters" is beloved by critics and fans, "Ghostbusters II" didn't get quite the same welcome. Critics especially weren't fans of the sequel, unfavorably comparing it to its predecessor. However, people have been fondly reminiscing about one spectacularly spooky scene ever since it was strategically posted to YouTube during the 2020 Halloween season.
The clip, titled "Ghost Train Is Coming!" features our favorite paranormal investigators — Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) — down in an abandoned subway in search of a river of slime. The three begin goofing around by shouting out into the darkness to hear the echoes return. When Winston calls out, however, no echo calls back. Instead, a deep voice ominously calls back to him. Moments later, several heads on pikes surround them before disappearing abruptly. Upon making a decision to retrieve their proton packs before continuing their search, a massive translucent train comes barreling through the subway through poor Winston.
The comment section of the video features a long list of fans expressing their love and admiration for the sequel and the specific scene. One user fondly remembered the emotions they felt as they watched the scene originally as if recalling a particularly good memory of a tasty meal they had. "Ah, the scene that scared me s***less back in the day," DragonRider said.
One particular YouTuber, Chuck Baker, remembered how this scene is unlike any other in the franchise and noted how, even now, they find that they're afraid of it, saying, "The one scene in the 'Ghostbusters' franchise, to my memory, that got dark as hell. Still gives me chills to this day."
Fans still find the ghost train scene from Ghostbusters 2 spooky
Other users agree that the scene is still terrifying now. One fan, Cytherea Eressea, summarized how they feel in a pretty succinct and foreboding manner, saying, "My favourite scene. I love how scary it was and probably still is..." YouTuber Debony /Angel Girl added that same sentiment, pinpointing the exact part that scared the bejesus out of them: "This was one of my favorite scenes in the movie 🍿. It was spooky and creepy, especially when the voice answered Winston back'W-I-N-S-T-O-N'!! That totally freaked me out. Down your spine creepy."
Another YouTuber, Brienna, extolled the scene and went so far as to proclaim it the best among all the horror scenes of the franchise, explaining, "Right from the voice saying Wiiiiiiiinsssttoooooonnnn to the heads on the sticks. No matter how many times I watch that part, I still get the heebie-jeebies."
And let's not forget that the series as a whole is a comedy, so despite the scene being scary, it still delivers some good laughs. In fact, Brienna added, "The great funny part with the whole train scene as well." Imzee agreed, praising the scene for blending the two genres well: "This scene was a perfect mix of horror and comedy. It's so tough to do but 'Ghostbusters' really pulled it off."
Overall, it seems that fans love "Ghostbusters II" and are continually baffled by its less-than-enthusiastic critical reception, with Darcy Walker's comment expressing their confusion getting the highest number of likes: "I dont get why the second movie gets so much hate it's really good."