The eight best episodes of The Real Ghostbusters

The Real Ghostbusters is one of my all-time favourite ‘toons and I constantly find myself re-watching episodes over and over and over again. And again.

But what are the best episodes of The Real Ghostbusters?

Below is a list of the eight best episodes of The Real Ghostbusters, taken from the show’s six-year run. The episodes include iconic villains, a movie-sequel and a very clever episode focused on the ‘buster’s secretary/fifth Ghostbuster, Janine Melnitz.

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Citizen Ghost (1986)

Want to know what happened directly after the first live-action Ghostbusters movie ended? Then Citizen Ghost is the episode to watch. Citizen Ghost fills in the gaps between the end of the original Ghostbusters movie and the beginning of The Real Ghostbusters and while it’s not the first episode in the series, it does a good job of marrying up the two different properties.

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The Devil To Pay (1987)

The ghosts that appeared in The Real Ghostbusters were pretty damn creepy, but perhaps the creepiest of them all cropped up in The Devil To Pay. In this episode, gameshow host, Dib Devlin tricks the Ghostbusters into taking part in his TV show, Raise the Devil – a game show where the GBs are playing for their souls!

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The Boogieman Cometh (1986)

Another creepy episode and this time featuring one of the most notorious (and feared) characters in GB mythology – the Boogieman. In The Boogieman Cometh, the Ghostbusters have to do battle with the aforementioned Boogieman – an entity that can invade children’s bedrooms, via their closets! Spooky stuff.

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When Halloween Was Forever (1986)

Another iconic Ghostbusters villain appears in When Halloween Was Forever and that is Sam Hain – the pumpkin-headed spectre with the raspy voice. When Halloween Was Forever is the first and best of The Real Ghostbusters’ Halloween-themed stories and Sam Hain is a great villain.

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Janine, You’ve Changed (1990)

Over the course of The Real Ghostbusters’ run, fifth Ghostbuster, Janine Melnitz underwent numerous changes – both physically and vocally. Instead of ignoring these changes and hoping the audience wouldn’t notice, the show decided to make an episode about it! Janine, You’ve Changed is a very clever episode, based on a simple idea – the only real surprise is that no one else thought of this first!

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Night Game (1987)

A real doozy of an episode. In Night Game, Winston takes part in a supernatural game of baseball, with the rest of the Ghostbusters waiting on the side lines. Souls are up for grabs (again), but there’s much more at stake here in a game between good and evil.

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Knock, Knock (1987)

A team of subway workers accidentally open the Doomsday Day – a gateway to all kinds of hell. It’s down to the Ghostbusters to travel underground and close the door.

Knock, Knock is a superb (and creepy) episode of The Real Ghostbusters. It’s arguably one of the darkest too.

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The Grundel (1987)

And finally, saving the best for last with The Grundel – arguably the best episode of The Real Ghostbusters. Touching upon themes of isolation and despair, The Grundel combines high-quality writing with top-notch animation and is both creepy and engaging on every level.

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Recap

To recap, the best episodes of The Real Ghostbusters are:

• Citizen Ghost (1986)
• The Devil To Pay (1987)
• The Boogieman Cometh (1986)
• When Halloween Was Forever (1986)
• Janine, You’ve Changed (1990)
• Night Game (1987)
• Knock, Knock (1987)
• The Grundel (1987)

If you have not watched The Real Ghostbusters in a while, revisit the show today – it really is as good as you remember. I promise.

And for more posts, check out the recommended reads below.

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