When most people think about Ghostbusters, they think of Halloween. After all, it’s ghosts, it’s horror comedy that is perfect for spooky season, and if you were a kid in the 1980s (or even more recently thanks to the franchise’s longevity) you probably dressed up in Ghostbusters themed costumes to go trick or treating or knew someone who did. What you don’t typically think of is the Christmas holiday season, even with Ghostbusters II firmly being set during that time of year, but if a new report is accurate that might be changing and sooner than we think.
According to a report from Daniel RPK, a new live-action Ghostbusters movie is in development at Sony titled Ghostbusters: Nightmare on 34th Street. The movie is reportedly set to be written by Sonic the Hedgehog writer Josh Miller. No additional details about the project were shared, though the project prompts some questions about whether we’re getting a reboot or if this might be something else, namely a full-on Christmas-themed horror movie.
While we have no details about the film and, as such, we could be dealing with a franchise reboot, what seems more likely is that the film will have a holiday setting or theme. The reported title, Nightmare on 34th Street, is a play on the title of an iconic holiday classic, Miracle on 34th Street. The original Miracle on 34th Street that debuted in 1947 is an absolute holiday classic that has deep meaning for a lot of people. That film’s story centers around a man, Kris Kringle, who subs in for a drunk Santa actor for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The film was remade in 1994 and has been adapted into other media over the years as well.
By bringing the Ghostbusters into the territory — literally, 34th Street is an address, after all — the franchise could very well be leaning into making a genuine holiday horror installment. As we noted, Ghostbusters II was roughly set during the holiday season, specifically with things escalating on New Year’s Eve, and while that did give us some “spooky Christmas in New York” vibes, it’s not quite the same thing as going full Christmas ghost story. Ghostbusters II also wasn’t particularly well received, so this would offer the franchise something of a do-over for holiday mayhem.
Even if Ghostbusters: Nightmare on 34th Street ends up being something a bit different than a holiday horror, Ghostbusters style, it still would continue the refresh of the beloved franchise that kicked off with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a sequel that keyed into the idea of legacy. That one was followed by Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, another film that leaned on legacy but also brought the franchise back to New York. There is also a new Ghostbusters television series on the way as well. This year, Netflix revealed details about Ghostbusters: Night Shift, an animated series that is set in 1994, five years after the events of Ghostbusters II. The series is set to be canon to the overall main Ghostbusters films.
It’s unclear where something like Ghostbusters: Nightmare on 34th Street will fall on the franchise timeline, though it seems likely that it’s going to be more in the contemporary part of the continuity, but we also know that there is another feature film in the works for Ghostbusters overall. Netflix has an animated feature reportedly in development, though we don’t know much about that at this point either. All that really matters is that one of the best movies of the 1980s is still going strong with new stories — and we’re definitely ready for things to go full Christmas movie with ghosts.
What do you think? Do you hope we’re getting a Ghostbusters holiday horror? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
