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09/21/2007: “The Real Ghostbusters” Halloween Special.

I’m not late! I’m not late! It’s still the 21st!

Today’s Countdown entry sheds some light on The Halloween Door, a prime time Halloween special from The Real Ghostbusters. It’s one of those rare cases when a “normal” cartoon got its own big special, and I don’t think this one disappointed anyone. From singing Ghostbusters to dancing devils to a revised opening sequence chock full of pumpkin graphics, it had it all.

Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

Discussion Thread: 198 comments

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After watching my beloved Bears get slapped around by Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys I decided to catch up on the Fox premieres I DVR’d.

Out of The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Family Guy, I would have to say that KotH definitely was the cream of the crop, IMHO.

Definitely. Definitely. Hmmmm. Definitely

Son. Of. A. Bitch.

OK, I now resume this blog response about thirty minutes later. Reading the word definitely up there reminded me of when I was writing out a dozen or so Thank You cards on Saturday night.

Stupidity is… Spelling the word “definitely” incorrectly on Thank You cards that you are sending to your friends and family. I distinctly remembered writing that word more than once.

Frustration is… Being smart enough to realize, over 24 hours later, that you did misspell the word but not knowing on which cards.

Mega-frustration… Having to open up all of the stamped envelopes to correct the two cards that had the word incorrectly written. Thankfully I was able to salvage all but one stamp since they are stickers, not the old lick/glue kind.

AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH. Shoot me.

BTW, has anyone else done that before? By “that” I mean make a silly little mental error, not catch it while you are doing it, but still discover your mistake long after the fact? I mean it is strange… I spelled the word wrong… didn’t notice… but somehow my brain did take note of it and I eventually caught it. Weird. Where were you on Saturday brain? Where?

Ghosted by Magic Toy @ 09/24/2007 4:17 AM EDT

Too beat a dead horse, RGB needs to come out in full seasons on DVD. Also, I too have always felt that The real bogeyman (not the one in the halloween special) is the scariest ghost from the show. Again, great article Matt!

Ghosted by Jay @ 09/24/2007 7:54 AM EDT

CMJ I had to do some searching but the episode you mean is “Janine, you’ve changed” and can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ress8SWrCkM

Ghosted by Primus @ 09/24/2007 10:34 AM EDT

I liked the post-movie opening credits on The Simpsons, I thought that was neat. I hope we’ll be seeing Colin too. As for KotH, I’m just happy to get another season, and that I remembered to DVR it. Family Guy was okay, but I thought the end was the funniest part. For a Star Wars geek, Robot Chicken did a better job. Or maybe I just hate being subjected to that “hilarious” dirty old man character.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 09/24/2007 10:40 AM EDT

I think one of my favorite episodes of ghostbusters would be “the revenge of murray the mantis”. Ghostbusters was my favorite franchise as a kid, and still is till this day.

Does anyone in here remember the later series, “Extreme Ghost busters”? Most of the early episodes were pretty hokey, but there were alot of good ones, such as where the original ghostbusters have a reunion, and have to team up with the new ones.

Ghosted by asdfnick @ 09/24/2007 12:50 PM EDT

oops, I failed to read that “extremem ghostbusters” had already been mentioned.

Ghosted by asdfnick @ 09/24/2007 12:52 PM EDT

I too am a fan of the Samhain Halloween episode…am I wrong in thinking that there was a second Samhain Centric episode? Will have to do some digging around on the Internets to find out. Awesome review Matt…Can’t wait to see what is yet to come!

Ghosted by Gregor! @ 09/24/2007 1:17 PM EDT

I’m old enough to have watched Filmation’s Ghost Busters way back in the 70’s, and I loved it because it was so corny. Their later cartoon shouldn’t have tried so hard to compete with RealGB, and stayed away from their usual “and a wise-cracking/cutesy side character” that nearly every adventure-type cartoon has been saddled with since the 80’s. Although I liked the skull telephone and the race to answer it before it tries to take a message.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 09/24/2007 2:06 PM EDT

Does anyone else buy ALL of the yankee candle halloween scents….or is that just me? This year I got purrchouli, boonilla, some licorice scented candles from Wal-mart as well as cream-brulee and buttercream and melted them all together in a jar warmer. It’s a perfect Halloween smell….especially the patchoulli.

Ghosted by sublimesting @ 09/24/2007 2:12 PM EDT

Yall know that watchin them ghoust busters gives autie may the winds like a tornada in a trailer park. I think it could also be like that ranch beans she likes, but I wanna blame that ghoust busters for this.

Ghosted by Bubba Joe @ 09/24/2007 5:41 PM EDT

i hope matt’s all right, ..

Ghosted by oh andrew @ 09/24/2007 5:46 PM EDT

Matt’s probably fine, just loaded with work–

The real Boogeyman episode, not the Halloween special is called “The Boogeyman Cometh” and the character is something like a Chicago-style Mobster. Is that correct?
Anyway, for my money, one of the scariest ghosts was the Sandman! He has this raspy voice that was just creepy!

Ghosted by Joker @ 09/24/2007 5:59 PM EDT

anyone else love are you afraid of the dark? – the episodes with the original cast. suchhhh a good show!

Ghosted by oh andrew @ 09/24/2007 6:05 PM EDT

yeah, I used to watch that show when it was part of SNICK- Big Orange Couch style

Ghosted by Joker @ 09/24/2007 6:45 PM EDT

Mmm I used to have this big Chocolate cake every Saturday. Called it SNICK cake. Shit those were good times.

Matt’s fine, I sent him an e-mail and he shot me back one last night. Like Joker said probably loaded with work.

Ghosted by Cotter @ 09/24/2007 7:02 PM EDT

PS- Everyone has to see the movie “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon”
It’s a mockumentary about a Slasher ala Michael Myers, Jason, etc. It is funny as hell- If you’re a fan of that Halloween stuff, you might like it
(sorry bout the double)

Ghosted by Joker @ 09/24/2007 7:03 PM EDT

No need to thank me, your so deemed “double post” is now a “post”.

I’ll have to look into the movie. I’ve gotta admit, the first thing I thought of when I saw the title was the Alice Cooper song. You know the one.

Yeah, but he’s baaack. He’s the maaaan behiiiind the mask!

Ghosted by Cotter @ 09/24/2007 7:08 PM EDT

Behind the Mask is a great movie…weird, and hard to tell what is supposed to be funny or not, but a great movie.

Ghosted by Shuanfu @ 09/24/2007 7:25 PM EDT

After all this, I’m going to be spending some considerable time on You Tube checking out some of these episodes. I noticed some of them are in their entirety, just split up into several parts. I second all the sentiments that I wish the the seasons would be completely released, instead of these themed collections they keep putting out.

Yeah, I’ve heard good things too about the “Behind the Mask” movie. It’s supposed to have a lot of genre stars in it, like Robert Englund and Kane Hodder and such.

I saw some really cool stuff at Walgreens yesterday. They had the hanging puppet deals that Matt wrote about a few articles ago, as well as the plastic glasses and goblets and things that seem to come around every year that I always say I’m going to get but never do (but that changes this year, dammit!). But the coolest was, get this…shot glasses featuring Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface. They came in packs of 2, one pack for each guy, and each pack was only $2.99. On one side you had the killer’s head popping out you all in 3D, and the other side had a cool graphic saying “Friday the 13th” or what have you. Yeah, that’s going on the shopping list when I finally do my big Halloween shopping spree in a couple of weeks.

Ghosted by DJ D @ 09/24/2007 7:36 PM EDT

Am I the only one here who noticed that the singing bad guy here is NOT the Boogeyman? The Boogeyman made a few appearances in the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, but this is NOT him! This character is called Boogaloo and the song he’s singing is “Boogaloo’s Back in Town” NOT “Bogeyman’s Back in Town”. It’s rare that Matt overlooks stuff like this from 80’s cartoons, but I guess I’m just a bigger geek than he is.

Ghosted by Mike D. @ 09/24/2007 7:40 PM EDT

Chibi, thank you for that movie link you posted way up at the top of the page, it was awesome.

Ghosted by the Gripp @ 09/24/2007 7:41 PM EDT

Just thought I’d scare some Halloweeny scans from a Batman Beyond comic I found on scans_daily:

http://community.livejournal.com/scans_daily/2578815.html#cutid1

The plot: It’s Halloween night, and the demon Etrigan is free to run wild in Gotham. Future Batman is following him around to keep the carnage to a minimum.

Ghosted by TB Tabby @ 09/24/2007 7:57 PM EDT

anyone else see the episode of RGB where they were turned into cartoons (no change in appearance, though)?

Ghosted by lumpling @ 09/24/2007 8:35 PM EDT

My bad. He totally is saying “Boogaloo.” I’ve spent the past week spreading false information about the name of a monster in an old RGB cartoon…the only solution is BLOOD ATONEMENT.

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/24/2007 8:42 PM EDT

Boogaloo? I liked him better when he was the Boogeyman! an official big bad!
Can’t take him seriously anymore now that he is some made up guy named Boogaloo.

Right now I’m watching the creepy movie that Chibi posted a link to.

Ghosted by Joker @ 09/24/2007 9:15 PM EDT

Matt: If you don’t use that post as a segue into a Countdown entry about fake blood capsules, you’re recklessly squandering serendipity.

Ghosted by Jedoc @ 09/24/2007 9:25 PM EDT

totally, Blood Capsules tasted so terrible but it was so worth it

Ghosted by Joker @ 09/24/2007 9:27 PM EDT

Serendipity, another word I want to use someday.

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/24/2007 9:30 PM EDT

lumpling I saw that one. Some guy that created all these cartoon charcters got sucked into his own cartoon and they were there to find him or something like that. I remember one part where somehow they ended up getting all dripping wet and someone said all they had to do was just walk off frame and then walk back into frame. Sure enough, they did and came back into the frame perfectly dry. I remember noticing things like that in cartoons when I was a kid and thinking even then it was kind of weird.

Oh, and not to be a nagging nelly, but on the east coast here it’s a little after 9:30pm, um you know…getting pretty close to midnight, and what with the countdown being a daily thing during the week and all….well, this Ghostbusters thing was from a few days ago, and well….ahem…well, I’m just sayin’ is all.

Ghosted by DJ D @ 09/24/2007 9:37 PM EDT

Hey now. Countdowns are weekdays only! I haven’t lost to the clock yet.

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/24/2007 9:38 PM EDT

I read that “Cowboys are weekdays only!”
No way man. Cowboys are for every day.

Ghosted by Jessica Marie @ 09/24/2007 9:48 PM EDT

I have the upmost faith.

Oh, but I am slightly disappointed in one thing though. I think you mentioned on one of the other boards for one of the other articles that you don’t do all the code and design or some such for the site. I agree with what the person who brought it up was saying at the time. X-E is one of the best looking sites on the web and so well laid out and I was so impressed that one guy could do all this one his own (not that I’m not still impressed, mind you..far from it), but then to find out that you only do part of it (still not sure what all that entails)….well, it was kind of a “pay no mind to the man behind the curtain” kind of thing. Pulling that curtain aside and seeing that you weren’t quite the omnipotent giant head in the sky that I thought you were was a tiny bit of a let down. I’ll pretend I didn’t see it though.

Ghosted by DJ D @ 09/24/2007 9:51 PM EDT

On the bright side, Jacks will be happy to hear you say that.

If it makes you feel any better, the background of the blog is actually a doodle I made in a notebook with 10,000 filters on top. I made that!!

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/24/2007 9:53 PM EDT

Oh, to clarify: Jacks designs the main page and the top headers. (Like, where it says “home, blog…” on top. I do all of the articles, specific entry graphics, Trapper Keeper logos and whatnot. I just don’t have enough finesse for the primary schtuff.

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/24/2007 9:54 PM EDT

Its 10pm, do you know where your Halloween article for today is?

Ghosted by Chris @ 09/24/2007 10:06 PM EDT

I’m writing it, I’m writing it. Sorry, they have me working this week.

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/24/2007 10:07 PM EDT

Sorry man. Take your time.

Ghosted by Chris @ 09/24/2007 10:12 PM EDT

Well, the background’s just swell. I too do catch myself from time to staring at it trying to figure out what all those little doodles are. Finesse or not, it gives me hope that I can come up with something as cool and graphically interesting. My new job allows me to work around a lot of folks that know more about all that jazz than I do. I’ve got loads of ideas for that kind of thing, but beyond some basic HTML and some finesse with Photoshop, I’m fairly limited.

Ghosted by DJ D @ 09/24/2007 10:16 PM EDT

Yea, the background is pretty cool. I love it how it is graphicly interesting (better than the standar black background that most sites got goin) while at the same time being muted enough to visually make the article stand out against it, aming it the focus of the page.

Ghosted by Chris @ 09/24/2007 10:19 PM EDT

I got lucky on the background. I’ve tried to modify it for different designs, and it doesn’t work. Like, for Halloween, I wanted to adjust the hue and make it more greenish…it looked terrible. Tried orange…looked terrible. Tried just darkening it…looked terrible.

You can tell I’m procrastinating now. Back to work with me.

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/24/2007 10:22 PM EDT

Hey, theres nothing like procrastinating work late at night.

What about just switching a few of the doodles with some halloween ones. Stuff like a crudely drawn pumpkin, witch, skull, ect.

Ghosted by Chris @ 09/24/2007 10:27 PM EDT

What about just switching a few of the doodles with some halloween ones. Stuff like a crudely drawn pumpkin, witch, skull, ect.

Good thinking, Batman. However, as much as I’m an ardent supporter of almost all forms of procrastination, I’m going to greedily vote against it for the next hour and a half in favor of more Countdown. Let’s all collectively crack the whip.

Ghosted by DJ D @ 09/24/2007 10:34 PM EDT

Haha, sounds like a good plan.
Well, I gotta wake up at 6am for ROTC physical training, so il just go to sleep now and read the article tommorow.

Ghosted by Chris @ 09/24/2007 10:38 PM EDT

Matt,

Don’t let us distract you. I totally blew off my work over the weekend and it took about 5 cups of coffee to bull shit my through it Sunday. I also agree with the crudely drawn pumpkins or witches idea. I totally have the image in my head, I’d be glad to send you a little 500×500 of it. Pixels, that is.

By the way, I always loved the way you set up the articles. I used to want to do things like that in the geocities days, but I felt like I’d be ripping your shit. Good times with clip art.

Ghosted by Cotter @ 09/24/2007 10:43 PM EDT

Real Ghostbusters were a prominent figure in my childhood and I’m convinced left such a positive impression of Halloween on my soft mallable brain. I’ve always wanted to see Play Them Ragtime Boos.

Ghosted by s @ 09/25/2007 3:30 PM EDT

holy crap The real ghostbusters is on tv right now on teletoon in canada if any one wants to watch it

Ghosted by y2jay @ 09/27/2007 4:01 PM EDT

It’s been a long time since I watched it, but I always thought that the reason the contract was still in effect was because the little girl was wearing a homemade Ghostbusters costume and trick-or-treating. Maybe the machine only took away store-bought costumes, or she put hers together afterwards, I don’t know.

Ghosted by Ronald MacKinnon @ 09/30/2007 7:45 PM EDT

Count me in as one of the kids that the bogeyman TERRIFIED. That drawing should not have been allowed in the 80’s lol. The plot etc. scared the living crap out of me. To this day, I swear. The Bogeyman has evolved to a creature more realistic (how long can you go before a brightly colored animation scares you anymore) but still… I swear the fact the proton packs didn’t work on him screwed me up for years. The boys were always my safety net damnit!!! If the packs didn’t work, where the heck am I going to get the assortment of bombs to shut down his universe, or where am I gonna find a souped up pack to go rescue the junior ghosbusters?!?!?!? Jeeez!

Ghosted by Chris Whitcomb @ 06/26/2009 3:17 AM EDT

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