'Ghostbusters' Gozer Role Was Offered to This Comedy Legend

While the 1980s saw the emergence of many pop culture franchises that continue to produce new installments to this day, the success of Ghostbusters is virtually unparalleled. By combining some of the best comic actors of the Saturday Night Live era with a genuinely propulsive action-adventure narrative, director Ivan Reitman created a multi-generational hit sensation that spawned countless imitators in the subsequent decades. While it inspired several lackluster sequels and reboots, much of the first film’s power was in its ability to get genuinely scary at points. There are more than a few direct homages to the horror genre, specifically within the introduction of the malevolent antagonist “Gozer.” While the shapeshifting antagonist appeared in one of the most exciting climaxes in film history, Gozer was originally a far less scary antagonist to be played by Paul Reubens.