Manhattan Haunts: A Ghostbusters Fan’s Guide to New York City

This year marks the 34th anniversary of supernatural comedy classic Ghostbusters (1984) and the phenomenal franchise it spawned. To celebrate, embark on a self-made movie tour in New York City by visiting seven locations that served iconic scenes in the film and its 1989 sequel, as well as the 2016 reboot-inspired attraction in Times Square.

There Was Something Strange In Manchester's Bowlers Exhibition Centre... And It Looked Pretty Good!

On the first weekend of December, with my wife, Sian, and two friends, Anthony and Ben, I attended the For the Love of Sci-Fi Comic Con at the Bowler’s Exhibition Centre in Manchester. It’s been a pretty busy year for me, with my wedding in February, followed by a three-month trip (aka “greedy honeymoon”) around the world, but it might surprise you to learn that my weekend in Manchester is quite easily one of the most memorable of the year. I have to be careful when saying such things, though, but if you’re reading this, Sian, just remember - we got married on a Friday!

Grabbing The Terror Dog By The Horns

If you’ve made it this far through my blog, it’s quite obvious I’m a huge geek. Even more obvious is the fact that I’m a lifelong Ghostbusters fan – especially after my recent post where I shared with you the blurb for my very own fanfiction novel. But what does Ghostbusters have to do with my love for writing? It was some time in the very early nineties, I think – I must have been six or seven – when my mum bought me a tie-in novel for the first movie. I loved it, and it was this that led me into reading, but also into writing fanfiction as a hobby.

"Ghostbusters Academy" Teaser

I've been promising you an update on my Ghostbusters project for some time now, so here it is - the official blurb to my very own fanfiction concept! It's a story that has so far been two years in the making. It's not complete yet, but you can expect it to emerge from the shadows in the coming months. 

Whole New Worlds

Since I started blogging back in March, I’ve talked about my adventures around the world as well as the many film locations I visited, and I’ve probably spent just as much time talking about films with my reviews. But recently I promised I’d start blogging more about my writing projects. After all, that’s what Curious Rookie is all about. Talking about everything that inspires me from adventures to films seems almost pointless if I’m not talking about the very thing they inspire.

A Whole New Dimension Of Ghostbusters

The infamous wax museum Madame Tussauds turned out to be quite a stressful and gruelling experience in the end. And no, it had nothing to do with our walk-through of all the famous wax models from Johnny Depp to Kim Kardashian, Anne Hathaway to Scarlett Johansson or Barrack Obama to Donald Trump (who we avoided like we would spores, moulds and fungus), but more so to do with the action we were thrust into in the second half of the tour: a Ghostbusters walk-through tour and a revolutionary virtual reality experience. Okay, stressful and gruelling might be a bit of a lie but saving the world – or the day – is no easy feat!

I Love This Town

Does the title of this post sound familiar? They're the words echoed by one of my favourite Ghostbusters – I have four in total – from the 1984 classic when the guys are covered in marshmallow after giving the giant sticky sailor what for on top of the apartment building now dubbed “Spook Central.” And seeing as you all by now know I’m a huge fan of the franchise, and having just been to the Big Apple itself, it won’t surprise you to know that said-trip involved Ghostbusters quite a fair bit, as well as the welcome onslaught of the smell of burnt marshmallow (not so much being covered in it) and even that once-creepy building as mentioned where refrigerators and kitchen counters just aren’t to be trusted.

A Curious Wookie At Disneyland And Universal Studios

If you know us personally (that’s me and Sian), then you’ll have no doubt attended our wedding earlier this year. That means you know we’re a right pair of Disney buffs - and film buffs too. So naturally, during our visit to LA we visited both Disneyland and Universal Studios.

Calling Out To All Ghostbusters Fans: Upcoming Film Needs Your Contribution!

It's probably no mystery to you that I’m a pretty big Ghostbusters fan. You might have seen a selfie of me with the StayPuft that was breaking out of the concourse in Waterloo Station ahead of last year’s reboot (which surprisingly didn’t cause any mass hysteria amongst commuters), as well as one of me in the London Film and Comic Con the year before with Dana Barrett herself (okay, there is no Dana – only Sigourney Weaver). This was followed by some in Torquay shortly after at the Optimus Comic Con, where I had the pleasure of meeting many more stars from the original films: Mark Bryan Wilson (Slimer and the Librarian Ghost), Robin Shelby (Ghostbusters II’s Slimer and now the reboot’s Mrs Slimer), Billy Bryan (the StayPuft Marshmallow Man) and Ghostbuster himself Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore).

Ghostbusters 2016 review

I won’t lie and say I’ve been a Ghostbusters fan since the original movie came out in 1984, being the same age and all - give or take a month or two. But amongst my vast – and ever-growing – Ghostbusters merchandise collection, there are only remnants of the toys I possessed as a child. As is usually the case, things disappear over the years. That, or your mother takes them to a car boot sale once you’re considered ‘too old’ to play with toys. So perhaps over the last few years I’ve been subconsciously trying to make up for this by collecting almost every piece of Ghostbusters merchandise under the sun. I certainly haven’t been to any car boots in the hope that some of my old toys are still circulating though… No, that wasn’t me.