“They’re going to be showing Ghostbusters at the cinema next week, fancy going?”. My stomach filled with butterflies, waves of nostalgia washed over me as I frantically text back, “book tickets!”.

My name is Sam and I am a Ghostbusters fanatic.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the now cult films release and to mark the occasion cinemas up and down the country have been showing it on the big screen. Originally released in 1984, Ghostbusters became one of the top grossing films of the 1980’s, pulling in $99.8 million after 7 weeks and thrusting it’s cast into super stardom. Written by Dan Aykroyd and the late, great Harold Ramis, Ghostbusters is the definitive film of my childhood.

I first saw Ghostbusters when I was around 4 years old, I’m not sure how I came across it but my parents tell me I begged to watch it. Thankfully they cracked and thus started my love for the franchise. The unique combination of humour, cartoon-like horror, a cracking soundtrack and brilliant acting is a perfect recipe for cult film status. Whilst I have fond memories of the 1990’s cartoon series and action figure toy line, it will always be the film itself that brings the most joy.

For those of you who haven’t seen Ghostbusters, it’s about 3 ‘scientists’ who after being thrown out of university go into business of ghost hunting in New York. Things get a bit out of control, ancient demons turn up in New York and its up to the Ghostbusters to stop the world from ending.

It sounds like a rather basic plot but the charm of the film is in the production and delivery. Seeing a 30 year old film on the big screen could potentially be a rather cringeworthy affair but surprisingly the CGI effects hold up quite well all these years later. Bill Murray’s performance as Peter Venkman still fills a cinema with laughter, his classic deadpan humour now considered his signature style. Dan Aykroyd’s portrayal of over enthusiastic Ray Stanz still brings a smile to my face as does Harold Ramis’s role as Egon Spengler, super geek, adored by fans world wide. Ernie Hudson’s role as fourth Ghostbusters Winston Zeddemore is often overlooked which is a shame because I’ve always felt it brought a nice dynamic to the film, I’d actually forgotten how funny some of his lines were (“I’ve seen some s**t that’ll turn you white!”). Rick Moranis and the seemingly ageless Sigourney Weaver provide a very strong supporting cast among others.

For me Ghostbusters has always been a feel good film, wrapped in great story telling and imaginative creations which captured my attention from a very young age and kept me coming back for more years later. The fact that the screening was nearly fully booked just goes to show how many people still love this film 30 years down the line. Every viewing is still a pleasure and uncovers subtle nuances you might have missed the first 50 times. The chance to see it on the big screen made me appreciate it even more, if you can, get yourself down to the cinema and relive one of the greatest films ever made.