Editorials
‘The Last of Us Part II’ Has Its True Horror In Its Human Moments
The Last of Us Part II is a horror game, at least… technically. It has certain horror hallmarks: zombie outbreak (cordyceps infection but let’s not quibble), monsters, post-apocalyptic setting, lots of blood and gore. But it never quite felt like that kind of horror for me. It’s horror in the same way Get Out or Midsommar are horror movies: horror’s the box that makes the most sense, but doesn’t even come close to capturing the essence. Certainly, there are a lot of high octane traditional horror sequences in the game, but they never really scared me. When I stared at The Last Us Part II’s human heart though, there were times when I was petrified.
Let’s start right at the end, which means there are SPOILERS from here on out.
After some more blockbuster boss battles against Bloaters, hoard waves, and the abominable Rat King, your final two boss battles mirror each other. In the first, you play as Abby trying to kill Ellie, and in the second you are Ellie trying to kill Abby. The Rat King was not real, but this, this was something raw and true. Controversial as it may be, I liked both of these characters, and wanted both to succeed in their quests. Considering that meant each of them killing the other, I knew it was impossible, and therefore every stealthy footstep I crept as Abby had my heart thumping, worrying that the next time I leapt out on Ellie, I would kill the character who had meant so much to me since I met her back in 2013. Likewise, when the roles were flipped, my breath was held, my knuckles were white-tight, as my tired Ellie slashed wildly at Abby. I knew each swipe could mean the end for one of the most interesting and complex characters I’d encountered in all my years of gaming.
With the Rat King, there was no such tension. If Abby died there, it was game over, start again, try a different tactic. It never really scared me, because death only meant losing the game. Here, death meant losing a friend. I was willing Ellie, screaming in my head and whispering with my mouth, to spare Abby, to let her and Lev continue in their quest.
Somehow, thankfully, Ellie heard me, and that meant both characters could continue to live, though exactly what sort of life Ellie has left remains ambiguous.
These two battles form the slices of bread around perhaps the game’s scariest moment too. In her peaceful life on the farm, Ellie is feeding the lambs with her son JJ when something falls in the barn and lands with a clang. After a nightmarish flashback, we see Ellie scrunched up in the dark, JJ crying, until Dina comes and rescues her. This is the real consequence of The Last Of Us Part II. Not the death of Joel or Jesse or Mel or Owen, not the wounds Ellie suffers, and not the endless times she got her throat ripped out because I couldn’t take out the Clickers fast enough. They’re all only a reality in Ellie’s world; a world of cordyceps infections, a world I will never live in. I don’t fear them, because I will never know them. But a panic attack, the feeling that your fear controls you and, worse, stops you from protecting your loved ones, in Ellie’s case baby JJ? That’s real, and heartbreaking, and terrifying.
It’s not just the finale and epilogue which trade on these more human fears, though it’s true that the monster/zombie horror is less prevalent in the final few hours. I wouldn’t count things like Joel’s death in this category. Sad, gory, and unexpected (if unspoiled), certainly. But horror? Not really. Horror reaches inside of your chest, gropes at your organs, makes you feel like your skin and skeleton are slightly off-kilter. Joel’s death didn’t do that for me.
No, the first moment of human horror comes when Ellie’s gas mask cracks, and Dina tries to take off hers so they can share. It’s a moment laced with fear not only because the action would certainly kill Dina, but the death would be for naught as Ellie is already immune. This is the first act of true love (rather than flirtation and romance) between the pair that we see, and it was very nearly Dina’s last. Add to that Dina’s pregnancy and the fact Ellie had tried to confess her immunity previously but had it fall on deaf ears, and this becomes a tragedy wrapped up in very human horror.
These human horror moments perhaps don’t hit the mark every time; when the game asks you to ‘press square to bash in Nora’s skull’, I didn’t feel anything. Perhaps because I didn’t fully sympathize with Ellie’s reasoning, or perhaps because the game asked you to push the button to do it – yet left you no other resolution – that what was clearly designed to be a human horror moment left me feeling… well, not very much at all.
It is rare, in a horror, for every moment to catch everyone in the same way. If ever any horror attempts to, the results feel very lab-grown and inauthentic. Despite the heavy crunch culture and the focus testing Neil Druckmann used for parts of his direction, The Last Of Us Part II’s human horror moments feel incredibly organic. Even the scene with Nora did, despite being a swing and a miss for me personally – though not, unfortunately, for Nora’s skull. The Rat King is a scary monster I can laugh off, but Ellie’s panic attack will stay with me for a long time.
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
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