First ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Trailer Channels ‘Stranger Things’ Vibes

If there’s something weird in your neighborhood…

The original Ghostbusters movies were incredibly clever in that they managed to sandwich some actual scares in between the funny scenes—that is, the audience was often guaranteed at least a mild jump or two.

But they—Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II—were live-action cartoons at their cores, and essentially lighthearted. While the first official trailer from Ghostbusters: Afterlife is certainly promising, it seems like the years have added a little weight to the Ghostbusters legacy. 

In this preview, you’ll find a lot of foreboding, an atmosphere that grows slowly creepier over time, Paul Rudd and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, and of course the original chariot of ghostbusting itself tearing ass through the countryside.

The feel, only partly thanks to Wolfhard’s wry presence, is a little more Stranger Things than Ghostbusters. That, and where the hell are Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and the rest of the old crew? We know they’re in the movie, but you won’t find them in the trailer. 

There is a strong sense we’re looking at relatives of the one Ghostbuster we know has passed on, the late, great Harold Ramis’s Egon Spengler—but it’s not brought out in any obvious way. 

Here’s the synopsis, which is a little thin:

From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman, comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Jason Reitman & Gil Kenan.

One thing is true: This trailer might not have given us a taste of the kind of antic, gonzo comedy that characterized the original movies, but it definitely is enough to whet the appetite and gin up anticipation for the film.

The whole story will come out when Ghostbusters: Afterlife is theaters next summer. Its current release date is July 10, 2020.