You might not know that Ghostbusters was inspired by a legacy of seances in Dan Akroyd's family.
The 1984 Ghostbusters is one of the most beloved movies of all time and launched a hugely successful franchise which is still going to this day with the upcoming release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on the horizon.
Akroyd was a writer on the first two Ghostbusters movies and features as his character Ray Stantz in the rebooted movies, and the genesis of the idea for the original came from his homelife, as his great grandfather was a spiritualist who held seances.
"Nothing happened this summer at the old farmhouse where the séances used to take place," he replied to Empire when asked about any recent supernatural occurrences.
"That farmhouse was where I originated the idea for Ghostbusters, reading my father’s American Psychical Research journals. Many years ago, a friend and I went upstairs there and saw three S-shaped spirits following one another across the landing. Energies of once-living humans, come back to intrude! We ran right out of there!"
Akroyd is clearly a believer in ghosts and the supernatural and has had many encounters with objects or animals that are impacted by the spectre of a deceased person.
"I can tell you one story. I had a writing partner, Tom Davis, who I wrote Coneheads with," he explained.
"My daughter used to keep owls, and whenever Davis came to our house, he’d see how well my daughter treated them and say, 'When I die, I’m coming back as Belle Aykroyd’s owl!'
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"Anyway, (in 2012) he passed away at his house in New York, which was surrounded by black walnut trees. This was in July, just before his birthday on August 13th. A month later, I go into my office. When I cross the porch, there’s nothing there, but when I come out 45 seconds later, I hear a fluttering noise. Trapped in the screen door... is an owl. And behind it, on the porch... a circle of black walnuts. Now, there’s not a black walnut tree within 50 miles of my house! Suddenly I hear Davis’ voice in my head: 'Aykroyd! With all your psychic shit, you’d better realise I’ve come back as an owl to see you! And to further prove it, I’ve brought these walnuts!'
"That’s when I realised the date: August 13th. Davis’ birthday. Now you may call that coincidence, but that owl and those nuts weren’t there when I crossed the threshold. Seconds later, they were. That’s a case of absolute and complete transmogrification!"
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