The 'Ghostbusters' reboot is kid-friendly because it had to be
Ghostbusters always has been and always will be a family affair.
Few recognize that better than Katie Dippold, co-writer of the freshly released reboot.
"I think it starts with Dan Aykroyd's enthusiasm," Dippold told Mashable. "His family was super into the paranormal and I think that kind of excitement breeds a really fun movie [in the original]."
You May Also Like
It's a similar feeling of excitement that got Dippold into Ghostbusters as a child. She loved the original movie, and not just because it tickled the funnybone of a future comedian.
"Growing up, I was super into haunted houses and ghosts and everything," she said. "Comedy completely aside, all I ever really want to do is find a spooky situation to get myself into."
This is also one of the reasons Dippold is confused by some of the backlash against the reboot.
There's a certain segment claiming that the movie's use of four female leads -- and one dopey male co-star -- means there's no one in this new generation of Ghostbusters for young boys to look up to. And yet Dippold never had any problem latching on when the reverse was true.
"The [idea] that little boys can't watch this version and look at these people as heroes -- that's so crazy to me," she said.
"Growing up, every movie I saw was about some male to look up to."
Ultimately, the goal for Dippold and her co-writer/reboot director Paul Feig was to tell a story that wouldn't exclude the younger audience. This movie isn't really for kids -- same as the original Ghostbusters -- but it's PG-13 rather than R for a reason.
"It's a tricky one," Dippold said. "The original was pretty edgy for kids to see, like the [scene with] the ghost going down on Dan Aykroyd. There was a lot of crazy stuff that happened."
"At first the script was pretty scary. Scarier than it is now."
Bear in mind, the original movie came out at a different time. Ghostly BJs probably wouldn't pass muster for PG-13 now, but the Ghostbusters of 1984 is a PG-rated movie.
The reboot started out with an older audience in mind. It hewed closer to horror, and an R-rating. That kind of movie might have delighted some of the longtime fans, but it would have been too limiting. It would have gotten away from the spirit of the series.
"At first the script was pretty scary. Scarier than it is now. We just kind of went for it," Dippold said.
"And then we thought about how we wanted kids today to have the same experience that we did as kids watching it, so we scaled back on a few things."
There's a special quality to seeing a movie that maybe isn't for you when you're a kid. Dippold and Feig decided it was important for the Ghostbusters reboot to tap into that.
"I know when I was a kid, seeing a PG-13 movie ... if there was something I maybe wasn't supposed to see, it was a really exciting thing."
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Topics Film
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
