Original 1984 Ghostbusters (easy-medium)
Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Gozer the Gozerian, the ECTO-1. Foundational trivia from the film that started it all.
Q1.In what year was the original Ghostbusters film released?Tap to reveal
Answer: 1984
Directed by Ivan Reitman, released June 8, 1984 — now celebrated as Ghostbusters Day.
Q2.Who played Dr. Peter Venkman in the original 1984 film?Tap to reveal
Answer: Bill Murray
Murray's sarcastic parapsychologist anchors the team.
Q3.Which two actors co-wrote the original screenplay?Tap to reveal
Answer: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
Aykroyd conceived the story; Ramis was hired to co-write and play Egon.
Q4.What is the name of the giant marshmallow monster?Tap to reveal
Answer: Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
Summoned by Gozer at the climax of the 1984 film after Ray involuntarily pictures him.
Q5.At which university do the three founders work before starting their business?Tap to reveal
Answer: Columbia University
Their parapsychology lab loses its funding, which pushes them into private ghost catching.
Q6.Where does the team's very first on-screen ghost encounter happen?Tap to reveal
Answer: The New York Public Library
The film opens with a librarian terrified by a free-floating apparition in the stacks.
Q7.At which hotel do the Ghostbusters catch their first paying ghost?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Sedgewick Hotel
That first job is where Venkman gets slimed and the team bags Slimer.
Q8.Who plays cellist Dana Barrett, the client whose fridge leads to another dimension?Tap to reveal
Answer: Sigourney Weaver
Weaver took the role between Alien and Aliens, and Dana becomes Gozer's Gatekeeper.
Q9.Which EPA inspector orders the containment unit shut down?Tap to reveal
Answer: Walter Peck
Played by William Atherton, Peck's shutdown releases every captured ghost over New York.
Sequels — Ghostbusters II through Frozen Empire
Ghostbusters II (1989), the 2016 reboot, Afterlife (2021), Frozen Empire (2024). The expanding canon across four decades.
Q1.What flows beneath New York in Ghostbusters II (1989)?Tap to reveal
Answer: A river of slime
A psychoreactive ectoplasm fueled by negative emotion, running through old pneumatic transit tunnels.
Q2.Which villain inhabits a painting in Ghostbusters II?Tap to reveal
Answer: Vigo the Carpathian
A centuries-old tyrant who plans to be reborn through a portrait in a Manhattan museum.
Q3.Which New York landmark do the Ghostbusters bring to life in Ghostbusters II?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Statue of Liberty
They coat it with positively charged mood slime and walk it through the city to Vigo's museum.
Q4.What is the name of Dana's baby son in Ghostbusters II?Tap to reveal
Answer: Oscar
Vigo targets the infant as the vessel for his rebirth.
Q5.Who directed Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)?Tap to reveal
Answer: Jason Reitman
He is the son of original director Ivan Reitman, keeping the franchise in the family.
Q6.In which state is the small town of Summerville, the setting of Afterlife?Tap to reveal
Answer: Oklahoma
Egon Spengler spends his final years there on a dirt farm guarding an old Shandor mine.
Q7.What's the name of Egon Spengler's granddaughter in Afterlife and Frozen Empire?Tap to reveal
Answer: Phoebe Spengler
Played by McKenna Grace; the next-generation lead.
Q8.In what year did Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire release?Tap to reveal
Answer: 2024
Direct sequel to Afterlife (2021), set in NYC at the firehouse and directed by Gil Kenan.
Q9.Which ancient entity threatens to freeze New York in Frozen Empire?Tap to reveal
Answer: Garraka
A horned god whose 'death chill' can drop the city into a supernatural deep freeze.
Q10.Who plays Kevin, the hilariously unqualified receptionist in the 2016 reboot?Tap to reveal
Answer: Chris Hemsworth
The Thor star played the role for laughs, flipping the classic dumb-receptionist trope.
Characters, ghosts, and equipment
Slimer, Zuul, Vinz Clortho, the proton pack, the PKE meter, ECTO-1. Equipment and creature trivia rewards true fans.
Q1.What is the call number painted on the Ghostbusters' car?Tap to reveal
Answer: ECTO-1
A converted 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance.
Q2.What is the name of the green ghost that slimes Venkman?Tap to reveal
Answer: Slimer
Officially 'Onionhead' in production; renamed Slimer in the cartoon series.
Q3.Who plays Winston Zeddemore, the fourth Ghostbuster?Tap to reveal
Answer: Ernie Hudson
Winston joins the team mid-film once business booms and they need a fourth pair of hands.
Q4.What is the name of the demon that possesses Dana Barrett?Tap to reveal
Answer: Zuul
One of Gozer's two minions — Zuul is the Gatekeeper.
Q5.What ancient Sumerian god threatens NYC in the 1984 film?Tap to reveal
Answer: Gozer the Gozerian
Appears initially as a woman before taking the Stay Puft form.
Q6.What kind of weapon does each Ghostbuster carry?Tap to reveal
Answer: A proton pack
A nuclear-powered particle accelerator strapped to the back — Egon warns never to cross the streams.
Q7.What is the name of the team's receptionist played by Annie Potts?Tap to reveal
Answer: Janine Melnitz
Manages the firehouse phones with sardonic wit.
Q8.Which of Dana's neighbors is possessed by Vinz Clortho, the Keymaster?Tap to reveal
Answer: Louis Tully
Rick Moranis plays the nebbish accountant who becomes Gozer's second minion.
Q9.What monstrous form do Zuul and Vinz Clortho take?Tap to reveal
Answer: Terror Dogs
The horned, red-eyed hellhounds that chase Dana and Louis before possessing them.
Q10.What handheld device does Egon use to detect psychokinetic energy?Tap to reveal
Answer: The PKE meter
Its winged sensor arms rise and blink faster as ghost activity gets closer.
Hard Ghostbusters questions — behind the scenes
Casting what-ifs, real New York locations, the theme-song lawsuit, and the cartoon's odd name. This round separates casual fans from franchise devotees.
Q1.Who composed and performed the Ghostbusters theme song?Tap to reveal
Answer: Ray Parker Jr.
His 1984 song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.
Q2.Who directed the original 1984 Ghostbusters?Tap to reveal
Answer: Ivan Reitman
Reitman also directed Ghostbusters II and produced the later films until his death in 2022.
Q3.Which musician sued over the Ghostbusters theme's similarity to his own song?Tap to reveal
Answer: Huey Lewis
He claimed it borrowed from 'I Want a New Drug,' and the case was settled out of court.
Q4.Which comedian was the Venkman role originally written for?Tap to reveal
Answer: John Belushi
Aykroyd wrote the part for his friend, who died in 1982 before production began.
Q5.Which real FDNY firehouse serves as the Ghostbusters headquarters exterior?Tap to reveal
Answer: Hook & Ladder 8
The working Tribeca firehouse still displays Ghostbusters signage for visiting fans.
Q6.Which cult-leader architect designed Dana's apartment building at 55 Central Park West?Tap to reveal
Answer: Ivo Shandor
Egon explains Shandor built it as an antenna for summoning Gozer — a thread Afterlife picks back up.
Q7.What snack food does Egon use to illustrate the city's surging psychic energy?Tap to reveal
Answer: A Twinkie
He scales the normal reading up to a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, prompting Winston's stunned reaction.
Q8.What was the 1986 animated series called?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Real Ghostbusters
The word 'Real' distinguished it from Filmation's unrelated Ghost Busters cartoon that aired the same era.
Q9.Who directed the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot?Tap to reveal
Answer: Paul Feig
The Bridesmaids director led the all-female team version starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig.
Q10.Ghostbusters: Afterlife is dedicated to which original cast member?Tap to reveal
Answer: Harold Ramis
Ramis died in 2014, and Afterlife's story centers on honoring Egon's legacy.
Hosting Ghostbusters trivia on June 8
Ghostbusters Day (June 8) is the perfect anchor. Run an 'Are you afraid of no ghost?' trivia night with rounds by era. Add a 'name the ghost' visual round.
Trivio.NET has Ghostbusters packs in the Movies category.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Ghostbusters Day?
June 8 — anniversary of the original 1984 film's theatrical release.
Who originally played the Ghostbusters?
Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz), Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore).
How many Ghostbusters films are there?
Five mainline films: Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), Ghostbusters reboot (2016), Afterlife (2021), Frozen Empire (2024). Plus animated series and video games.
Is Ghostbusters trivia good for kids?
Yes — Afterlife and Frozen Empire questions land well with younger players, while the 1984 and 1989 rounds reward parents. Mix eras so every generation scores.
What are the hardest Ghostbusters trivia questions?
Behind-the-scenes material: the Huey Lewis theme-song lawsuit, the Venkman role being written for John Belushi, and deep lore like architect Ivo Shandor.
Where can I find Ghostbusters trivia packs?
Trivio.NET's Movies category has Ghostbusters-specific packs.
