For better or worse, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, ahem, Ghostbusters 3 is a nostalgia melting pot. With the exception of Onionhead (Slimer), this canonized third film harkens back to literally every beat from the 1984 classic, one-liners and all. Some of it is endearing and other bits are straight-up cringe, but in the end, the filmmakers tackle it all.
In fact, director Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan are so invested in bringing the original story full circle that Afterlife carries quite a shocking cameo – the never-before-seen antagonist behind everything, Ivo Shandor.
In Ghostbusters: Afterlife (review), we see Egon Spengler‘s grandchildren exploring their inheritance, which includes not only a haunted farmhouse and barn, but also a mining company, “Shandor Mining Co.”, established in 1927.
Shandor is, of course, Ivo Shandor, best known as the architect who built 550 Central Park West, Dana’s apartment building (aka “Spook Central”) in Ghostbusters. He was also the leader of the Cult of Gozer who used this property as a way to connect with the afterlife and bring upon the end of the world. In the 1984 film, the portal is opened and the Ghostbusters come face-to-face with Gozer and are forced to risk “crossing the streams” in order to close the gateway.
Digressing, Shandor’s mine carries a dark secret: it’s the central place of worship where Shandor and his followers held ceremonies to honor Gozer.
Long story short, Gozer returns and so does… Shandor, who has been “sleeping” in anticipation of the big event. While Gozer might fool you into thinking the role is played by Olivia Wilde (it’s not), Shandor’s unexpected cameo is played by an even-more shocking actor: Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons!
Simmons frequently appears in Jason Reitman’s movies, including Juno, Up in the Air, Labor Day, Young Adult and The Front Runner, so it’s only right that he appears in Afterlife as well. His appearance is short and sweet, but it’s another fun cameo alongside Josh Gad as Muncher and A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors actor Ira Heiden as the Mini-Pufts.
What did you think of Ghostbusters: Afterlife?
