Summary

• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will bring back the horror elements that were missing in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, introducing new ghosts and a villain that can possess anyone or anything.
• The sequel will address a complaint from Afterlife by introducing new scary villains, making it potentially the strongest addition to the franchise since the original Ghostbusters movie.
• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will feature both generations of Ghostbusters teaming up to handle a supernatural threat that endangers the entire city of New York.

While Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s new ghosts all look promising, the most exciting member of the lineup promises to bring back a horror trope that the series has been missing for some time now. The Ghostbusters movies vary in of their commitment to the horror genre. The original movie features a few authentically creepy moments, such as Dana’s encounter with Zuul and Ray’s run-in with the Library Ghost. In contrast, Ghostbusters II was more light-hearted and family-friendly despite a few ghouls, and 2016’s Ghostbusters: Answer The Call mostly abandoned any substantial scares. 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife took a similar approach.

While Ghostbusters: Afterlife was relatively well received as a nostalgic comeback for the series, the reboot lacked anything resembling genuine horror elements. Luckily, its sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire seems set to redress this imbalance. Frozen Empire picks up a few years after the events of Afterlife, with that reboot’s new team of paranormal investigators now co-existing with the original Ghostbusters in New York City. According to the movie’s trailers, both generations of Ghostbusters are called upon to handle a supernatural being that threatens the entire city, and a promo video proves this villain also brings new ghosts.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s Possessor Could Possess The Ghostbusters

In the promotional video “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire — Meet the Ghostst,” one of the new franchise villains is simply named “The Possessor.” Star McKenna Grace, who plays Phoebe Spengler, notes that this ghost is particularly insidious since it can possess anyone or anything without giving away its presence. This implies that Frozen Empire will solve Afterlife’s lack of scares as the sequel will reintroduce the threat of possession to the series. None of the Ghostbusters have been possessed by a villainous character since a brief scene in the Ghostbusters II finale, meaning Frozen Empire’s new ghost comes with high stakes.

Even though plenty of ing characters have been possessed throughout the series, these instances are mostly played for laughs outside of Dana’s authentically creepy run-in with Zuul. Not only is Rick Moranis’s Louis Tully possessed in the original movie, but Janosz is also possessed by another villain in Ghostbusters II as is Chris Hemsworth’s Kevin in Answer the Call. Despite how often the trope pops up throughout the series, the Ghostbusters themselves have almost never been possessed. Even in Ghostbusters: Afterlife’s ending, the original gang and their new replacements overpowered Gozer without her taking over their bodies in the process.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’s New Villains Address An Afterlife Complaint

While “The Possessor” is the most intriguing of Frozen Empire’s new villains, this ghost isn’t the only exciting new addition to the franchise’s rogue’s gallery. Frozen Empire promises several new ghosts, from the “Sewer Dragon” to the sequel’s unnamed major villain, which can kill people through fear alone. Thus, although it is exciting to see that the Library Ghost and Slimer will be back in this sequel, Frozen Empire is also addressing a major Afterlife complaint by introducing new, scary villains to the series. This could make Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire the strongest addition to the franchise since the original movie.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is available on Hulu.