4 Out of 5 Stars
Its kind of ironic watching a film like Ghostheads that romanticizes a particular fandom, especially when said fandom’s backlash to the soon to be released reboot has birthed an inordinate amount of internet deconstruction of the fan base. These articles tend to make us check our geek card and examine this strange sense of entitlement that develops as a side effect over the dedicaction these creations. The film very smartly dodges that controversy, instead using it’s its runtime to take a step back and remind us about just why people get into fandoms in the first place, camaraderie, friendship or an escape the daily grind.

The local film produced by Tommy Avallone director of I Am Santa Claus hits Netflix this Friday just in time to coincide with the release of the new film, which I personally can’t wait to see. Ghostheads, as implied by the title focuses on a few select individuals who are truly dedicated to one of the greatest films of all time, Ghostbusters. While they wear flights suits and wear proton packs as you would probably expect Director Brendan Mertens goes in very fast to humanize his subjects and tell some truly moving stories in this brief snapshot of their lives.


Fandom documentaries are a dime a dozen these days and while Ghostheads does feature heaping portions of nostalgia, it also has some truly engaging stories about individuals who used their love of Ghostbusters to rise above family tragedy, illness and alcoholism. Interspersed with these stories are interviews with the likes of Ivan Reitman, Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd and Paul Feig. Its that cosign by the creators and their thoughts on this phenomena that combined with the fans point of view make this film feel balanced in a rare way these docs seldom are. Brendan Mertens smartly uses the catalyst of the upcoming reboot to not only explore the legacy of Ghostbusters, but also to keep the film contemporary as it deals with the superfans reaction to the new film’s production and release.

Ghostheads does a great job weaving this look at its fans with behind the scenes anecdotes from cast and crew into an ultimately satisfying conclusion. Given the films film’s very brief 74-minute runtime I can only imagine the hard choices that had to be made in the editing room balancing the bits and pieces of stories that were lost on either side. Ghostheads is not only a great look at fandom, but also great example of what fandom is capable of and should be required viewing for any Ghostbusters fan. The film raises the bar for the fandom doc genre going forward giving us a very thoughtful and polished discussion on not only the film, but the fandom around it.