When Dak Aykroyd and Harold Ramis penned the script for the original Ghostbusters nearly half a century ago, no one could have imagined the phenomenon the franchise would transform into. Admittedly, the films' popularity peaked in the late 80s and early 90s, but in the 2020s, the Ghostbusters IP is still going strong with the recent release of the newest film in the franchise, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.

Much like the ghouls our favorite blue-collar ghost hunters love to bust, Ghostbusters has managed to stick around long past its presumed expiration date. With five films, two animated television series, and one iconic theme song sung by Ray Parker Jr, the supernatural franchise continues to break new ground four decades after its initial release.

7 Ghostbusters: Answer the Call Has a Complicated Legacy

The most controversial entry in the Ghostbusters franchise is Answer the Call, which many online critics and trolls unjustly presupposed as a complete and utter misfire months before it ever hit theaters. In truth, all the pieces were there for this intended reboot to be a hit. Director Paul Feig was coming off a string of major successes, most of which involved the cast members he included in this film: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. Unfortunately, when the movie finally hit theaters, the film's doubters were proven right.

The problem with Ghostbusters: Answer the Call was not that it had an all-female cast. The problem with the film is that it wasn't funny, fun, or anything other than poorly paced and caught between trying to pay homage to the original film while standing on its own two feet.

6 Extreme Ghostbusters Is Typical 90s Excess

Following the success of the original Ghostbusters animated series, the IP was revived in the late 1990s for a new animated series, Extreme Ghostbusters. This "edgier" series followed a brand-new team of college-aged Ghostbusters mentored by the one and only Egon Spengler. While the show was ostensibly made for children, it attempted to push the boundaries of the term "kid-friendly" and contained some legitimate frightening images, especially for little ones.

This new generation of Ghostbusters fits comfortably into 90s tropes, with the different abilities and backgrounds of the characters bringing a new dimension to the franchise. Unfortunately, Extreme Ghostbusters just never took off. The producers would later place blame on this failure due to some wonky scheduling quirks, but the ambitions of this series exceeded its grasp by trying to create a show that had a little something for everyone.

5 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Crosses Too Many Streams

The newest entry to the Ghostbusters franchise, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, is a fun film full of spectacle, but unfortunately, it doesn't succeed in much else. Simply put, there's far too much going on in this film that combines the franchise's surviving legacy characters with the cast introduced in Ghostbusters: Afterlife alongside further new supporting characters played by James Acaster, Patton Oswalt, and Kumail Nanjiani. That's too many characters and subplots for what should more or less be a straightforward adventure film to cover.

That isn't to say that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a write-off. Mckenna Grace is still spectacular as Phoebe, the new heart of the franchise. Overall, however, this film would have benefitted from spending more time with its central characters and reducing the excess. There's still reason to be excited about where the series might go next, especially if this new era of the franchise refrains from crossing streams with the old.

4 Ghostbusters: Afterlife Was All About Legacy

Following the disappointment of Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, Sony decided to scrap that film's intended sequel and start over again. This time, they returned to the original continuity established in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, selecting Jason Reitman to continue the story his father, Ivan, began by directing the first two movies. As such, the theme of Ghostbusters: Afterlife became about family legacy as the film explored the story of Egon Spengler's daughter, Callie, and her two children as they tried to figure out why Egon abandoned them decades earlier.

What sets Ghostbusters: Afterlife apart from the other films in the franchise is that it explores a more intimate family dynamic and swaps out the bombastic images of New York City for the rural countryside of Oklahoma. This film is more concerned with exploring ideas of loss, longing, and nostalgia, concepts that pair nicely with the spirits of the undead. Much like the first two entries, this film is funny, thanks especially to Paul Rudd, who serves as a window into the movie for the franchise's older audience. Ultimately, this film was a fitting tribute to the first two films' indelible legacy.

3 Ghostbusters II Is Misunderstood

Often heralded as the film that killed the franchise, Ghostbusters II is a far better movie than people are willing to give it credit for. The film begins with the team disbanding five years after the events of the first movie. What brings them back together is when a malicious entity enacts a plan to steal their friend Dana's baby. Thanks to its holiday season setting, Ghostbusters II feels like an old group of friends reuniting after years apart.

With more laughs, ghosts, and special effects, Ghostbusters II upped the ante in every way imaginable. How could anyone not appreciate a film in which the Statue of Liberty is brought to life using ribbons of positively charged pink slime and Jackie Wilson's energetic hit, "Higher and Higher," while walking through the streets of New York? Simply put, it's for moments like those that movies get made.

2 The Real Ghostbusters Understood What Made the Franchise Work

Following the success of the original Ghostbusters, the franchise branched out into the animated space with The Real Ghostbusters. This series produced over 140 episodes across seven seasons and one Slimer spin-off while following the continued adventures of the series' original characters without their respective world-famous actors providing their voices. Not that that prevented the series from being successful. By taking a kid-friendly approach to the original premise, this series showcased Ghostbusters as a colorful cartoon that influenced how an entire generation of children viewed the franchise.

Due to the changing demographics, The Real Ghostbusters was a massive success, and for many kids who grew up in the late 80s and early 90s, it's still the first iteration of the franchise that comes to mind. Moreover, the series is genuinely fun, capturing the spirit of the character dynamics that were so integral to the success of the original movie, which has been the hardest thing for every other entry in this franchise to do.

1 Ghostbusters Told Everyone Who To Call

What made the original Ghostbusters one of the ten biggest hits of the 80s? The film combined comedy, science fiction, and horror, resulting in a truly unique story that felt like no other movie that had ever come before it. What's more, it explored the idea of a group of ordinary people interested in doing some very extraordinary things, something that's relatable to your average everyday movie-goer.

Ghostbusters remains as great of a film today as it was when it was first released because of the movie's incredible cast. Featuring Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis, and the already-established comedic genius of Dan Aykroyd and (most importantly) Bill Murray, Ghostbusters was as funny as it was exciting, which is a rare feat indeed. When looking for the absolute best entry in the Ghostbusters franchise, there's still only one film to call: the original.