Editorials
Fan Edits ‘Ghostbusters’ Video Game into Third Film You Actually Wanted!
You wanted Ghostbusters 3, rather than a remake? You already got it.
One of the most frustrating things about being a Ghostbusters fan over the years is that the film franchise met its demise after only two installments, and it’s that lingering frustration that has no doubt contributed a great deal to the “hate campaign” currently being leveled against this summer’s reboot. Fans are getting something they don’t want after so many years of not getting something they were begging for, and when placed into that context, it’s a bit easier to understand why so many have already decided that Paul Feig’s vision is not worth supporting.
Like Gozer, a third installment in the Ghostbusters franchise took many forms over the years, but despite the best efforts of co-creators Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, it just wasn’t meant to be. With the passing of Ramis back in 2014, it was all but inevitable that the continuation of the series would be tossed out the window in favor of a brand new franchise, and of course, it wasn’t long after his passing that a remake was indeed announced. It’s headed our way on July 15th, and if you’re just not feeling it, we’ve got a treat for you today that we think you’re going to love.
Back in 2009, Ghostbusters: The Video Game was released across several different consoles, and as many fans have noted, it was essentially the third installment in the film franchise that we never got – albeit a playable, animated version. In fact, Aykroyd himself has gone on record as stating that the game is, for all intents and purposes, Ghostbusters 3. He helped write it with Ramis, and they utilized several unused ideas from the original films as well as the infamously unmade sequel Ghostbusters 3: Hellbent.
Pulling off the seemingly impossible, the developers were able to bring back all of the original stars to voice their beloved characters in the game, and yes, even Bill Murray joined in the fun. It’s no secret that Murray’s hesitation to do a third Ghostbusters film is what killed the project at every turn, so it’s no small miracle that he agreed to reprise the role of Peter Venkman for the game.
In Ghostbusters: The Video Game, set two years after the events of Ghostbusters 2 (in 1991), you play an unnamed rookie character being trained by Venkman, Stantz, Spengler, and Zeddemore. After a PKE shockwave disperses ghosts all over New York City, you and the gang are tasked with saving the day, and the team eventually discovers that Ivo Shandor is trying to bring another Gozer-like Destructor into the world of the living. Along the way, they (and you) have run-ins with Slimer, the Library Ghost, Walter Peck, Vigo the Carpathian and even the legendary Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
If you’re a huge Ghostbusters fan, you surely played the game back in ’09, and have probably played it again since, but this is something a bit different. One fan recently took it upon himself to meticulously edit together all of the cut-scenes and much of the game-play into what basically amounts to a 2+ hour feature film. He refers to the fan edit, which is in full Blu-ray quality, as Ghostbusters 3, and it damn sure feels like the movie that we otherwise will never get to see.
So sit back, relax, and take comfort in the fact that Ghostbusters 3, well, it kinda does exist!
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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