Freddy vs Ghostbusters (2004) User Reviews

Incredibly silly but a good effort

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 7 June 2005]

You could criticize Freddy vs Ghostbusters for being amateurish, but that would be missing the point. Hank Braxton did a wonderful job with the material and pays loving tribute to both franchises. To be fair though, it's mainly a Ghostbusters film.

The plot has Freddy tormenting the dreams of Denver kids again until the nephew of Egon Spengler turns up in town with his Ghostbuster Jnr. pal. After busting a nasty poltergeist in a bar they make it big in Colorado (a brilliant montage follows) and decide to investigate the rumors of Freddy Kruger. Will they be able to bust the dream demon once and for all? Watch and find out.

The only thing that really bugged me was the fact that the cinematography is far too static. Movies are supposed to move and too often the stillness of the scenes frustrated me and my attention wandered. It's really the only thing I can complain about. The actors were great and although they weren't hardcore professionals they still made me laugh.

Can there honestly be a better fan film out there?

[spike_gta · 6/10 · 13 January 2005]

When I sit down to watch a fan film, I usually don't expect class A special effects, top notch acting or sometimes even a well written story. Freddy VS ghostbusters however packs all 3 excellently. I was shocked to see such good proton beams in a fan film, the freddy makeup is great and all the actors pull of the job while nicely fitting into their roles.

In my opinion the only thing that a fan film needs in order to be accepted is for it to be fun. Fun is an understatement here because of the likes of the effects, the talents of actor Jason Weiss, well executed scenes from the aspiring director hank braxtan and an overall excellent job.

If you like the movie then you may also want to see the two alternate endings, or the commentary, both which can be located at the official site for Freddy VS Ghostbusters (as well as their other brilliant shorts).

Worth watching at least once

[Edwardh1979 · 7/10 · 3 February 2007]

There was definitely effort put into this film. Even though it was made on a $500 budget, the special effects took them several months to create. The acting is exactly what you would expect from a "fan made" film. Most of the bad acting seems to come from the females for some reason. They were obviously acting against their will for their geeky boyfriends and it clearly shows. One of the main worries I had before watching this film was if the actors were going to try to play the roles of the original ghostbusters from the films or were they playing as new and original characters. Thankfully, they are indeed playing as different characters that are related somehow to the original Ghostbusters and have a different office etc. I was glad I didn't have to sit through fan-boy actors trying to impersonate Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. Even though this film borrows a bunch of inside jokes from the Ghostbusters and Freddy films, there is a good amount of original humor to be found here as well. Overall, the makers of this fan film accomplished what they wanted and I strongly feel that they succeeded at it. It's roughly a half-hour long, so whether you end up loving it or hating it, you at least won't have to sit through 2 hours of it. Since this is a fan-made film, it is a free download from the creator's website at http://www.braxtanfilm.com/fvgb.html Enjoy

A very cool mix of characters

[darksorcerer · 6/10 · 17 June 2007]

I got a copy of this via my band mates. Being a fan of both ghostbusters and All the nightmare on elm street movies/books and TV series/shows i was very surprised at my reaction upon watching this film.

I believe the film (though short) did justice to some of the key elements that are across both movie series: humour...darkness...comedy aspects.. bad props etc.

Some people might complain that it doesn't have the "true freddy" Robert Englund, those people should see it for what it is, A small movie constructed for the fans of both films and a decent job was done of it.

my only small issue was the lighting, it seemed that indoors (non freddy scenes) were poor lighted and the outdoor initial ghostbuster scene was done in direct sunlight, making the light crap also.

Overall well done...a movie for the fans of Freddy and Ghostbusters.

Garbage

[jeremy-david-kuehnau · 1/10 · 16 January 2017]

This wasn't a good movie by any means, even given the time it was released. This short film features a new set of Ghostbusters who end up eventually facing off with the infamous Freddy Krueger.

The movie takes awhile to get going. The writing is bad, the dialog is bad, the actors are bad. The cinematography is horrible. It looks like some middle schoolers found a old VHS camcorder and decided to shoot a student film.

It's advertised as a comedy, but there's nothing funny about it. The short film failed to do so much as illicit a smirk from me.

If you want to see something better, more well done and more true to the Ghostbusters franchise, check out Five Nights At Freddy's Vs. Ghostbusters, but stay away from this poop.

Very good!

[Primate84 · 7/10 · 27 March 2007]

I finally managed to see this short film. It was just as I expected it to be: Cheesy, rather poorly acted, yet still funny as hell in an intentional way. The visual effects for the ghosts and makeup effects for Freddy were pretty good considering what an obviously low budget 'Freddy Vs. Ghostbusters' was made with, and I liked a lot of the pop cultural references and parodies they managed to sneak in (i.e. a pretty obvious reference to 'The Matrix' in the climax). One thing I would have done, though, is have Freddy kill one or two more people before the inevitable showdown. I mean, Freddy only has two kills that we see (Though they're both pretty funny, especially the first one), and Neil mentions that Freddy killed a few teens in the area after being released, so maybe they could have shown one or two of those. Still, 'Freddy Vs. Ghostbusters' was easily one of the best fan films I've ever seen for any film genre, and I'll definitely recommend it to my friends!

Mediocre fan film

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 9 September 2015]

"Freddy vs Ghostbusters" is a 10-year-old fan film that runs for 35 minutes and has the two (groups of) characters in the title clash. The director is Hank Braxtan and he not only wrote the script with one of the cast members, but also plays various minor characters in here. I have to say i liked the way occasionally that they combined the title characters' worlds, but all in all it just looks too amateurish for my taste. Sometimes that adds some charm to these fan films and small productions, but here it's just cringeworthy sometimes. Also the story has big flaws. The group of main characters are a bunch of useless losers and suddenly they become big heroes as the Ghostbusters? Not really credible. And then they take out easily one of the biggest villains in horror film history? Nah. I cannot support this movie. Thumbs down. Not recommended and there is a reason why the director and the cast have not done anything big in the last 10 years.

Best damn fan film. Period.

[fat_cole · 10/10 · 5 January 2005]

The greatest fan film ever made. Period. Hands down. This fan film just rocks. This fan film contains the quintessential pairing of good versus evil. With dazzling special effects, the Ghostbusters take on the infamous "Freddy" from the Nightmare on Elm Street films. This is a definite must see for anyone who enjoys an awesome showdown of 2 of the greatest 80s icons. Directed and co-written by one of the most prominent up and coming young directors in Hollywood, this film encompasses everything you would want to see in a Freddy Vs. Ghostbusters film. The folks at BraxtanFILM.com have outdone themselves once again with this production. I can't wait to see what they come out with next!

Interesting, though unoriginal concept

[deac0n_fr0st · 6/10 · 10 March 2006]

I gave a 6 because while the production values and acting were terrible, they did a heck of a job on the special effects.

The lighting was terrible. It's obvious the filmmakers know absolutely nothing about light sources. They didn't even use a good filter for the final piece. It looks more like a badly shot soap opera.

The dialogue was horrible. It's almost as if they didn't even try to do much other than steal thunder from the movies the film is based on. In the end it was all I could do to keep from hitting fast forward.

They get marks for scenes and good cuts. This is a difficult thing to do in film-making. Bad cuts confuse the audience as to why we are where we are. They did a god job in the editing phase of piecing the movie together.

The sounds and effects were an excellent blend of their own scenes, and then mixing in the respective soundtracks from the other movies. It's a nice touch adding in a remade, more punkish version of the Ghostbuster's Theme song.

The biggest plus in this is Freddy. They did an excellent job in putting Freddy back to what we remember. Green and Red striped sweater, knives for fingers on his right hand, and that fedora. Great job, gentlemen. Your Freddy was convincing, and had a great voice for the role.

Overall this is a waste of 30 minutes. Watch the opening. It's hard, because of the terrible "dream" lighting, but it is a good opening. Watch the title sequence. Again, great job. I'm watching a parody, show me what is familiar before you make your jokes. Next see the first ghost catching scene. For amateurs, this was pretty good. Then watch the entire closing sequence as they go after Freddy. The dialogue still sucks, but hearing Freddy recite the nursery rhyme was very well played. In all it will take you about 10-15 minutes to see the highlights. When you're done, zip back tot heir website and download another flick. Independent artists like this need to be supported. That's how they become people like Kevin Smith...

And I thought auteurist cinema was dead! Hank Braxtan has proved me wrong.

[AssaultOnLogic · 10/10 · 1 March 2007]

This deeply metaphysical short film realizes mankind's eternal desire for good to triumph over evil while on a more existential level it is kept in stasis, made concrete by the fact that in nature no one ever "wins" or "loses" per se. Instead (see: Ethical Subjectivism) there is a sense of vanquishment rewarded with acts of tribute and kindness from that populus who's sentiments are in accordance with the alleged "victors" These binary oppositions(winner vs loser, good vs evil, antagonist vs protagonist) become unbound at certain points within the film and our own preconceived notions of such abstract concepts are now made askew. Braxtan's unobtrusive camera style gives the viewer the freedom to meditate on such articulations.

Upon closer scrutiny, the film's veritable style unveils its objective slant which, at times, beckons the viewer to empathize with so-called "antagonists" of the film. For example, Chuck Branson, who, on a superficial level, appears to be a self-absorbed lazy bum, mooching off of his roommate. When he inadvertently becomes the victim of Freddy's cruel games, resulting in a most gruesome death, it resonates deeply within us all.

Fast forward to Neil Anderson's reaction upon witnessing the aftermath of Freddy's rampage. Not a single tear, not even a hint of affliction. One is forced to ask himself just how heroic our protagonist may be if he fails to display basic human emotions? How are we to relate with this character that is so insufferably mechanical? His thoughts and actions become intangible for us and the viewer thus dissociates his or herself from Neil and Hollywood's formulaic protagonist/antagonist dichotomy now comes full circle. We find ourselves cheering for Freddy after all.

The question we are left to ask ourselves after viewing this 35 minute work of pure cinematic brilliance is not that of "who won" or "who lost" but they are much deeper questions pertaining to our own faith and spirituality, internal conflicts and their external manifestations, modern society's compulsory perception of the ethical and of the obscene, etc.

Buy, rent, borrow, download or steal this movie!

Ivan Reitman here's your next flick

[dfranzen-1 · 7/10 · 4 October 2005]

I was just searching for some news on GB 3 when I found this, I searched the website and decided to download the movie. i was blown away by the great props and a well done Freddy (make-up voice). the acting was overall very good except for the lady in the film (girlfriend) which was a tad amateur. the story was well-imagined and the locations found were really great for an amateur movie. When i was searching for Gb3 news I did find something interesting, Dan Akroyd actually wrote a script for Gb3 and it has the original cast.the original Ghostbusters are supposedly getting to old so a bunch of kids become the new Ghostbusters. is there a link here? I bet Ivan Reitman, Dan Akroyd or Harold Ramis have seen this film or at least heard about it since it is on IMDb. I seriously hope this will lead to the making of Gb3. anyways, overall i really enjoyed watching it and cant wait for fan film #2

An incredible find

[MAJORIC · 7/10 · 9 December 2007]

ABout two weeks ago, on a trip to South America, I was cavorting through a flea market and made an interesting discovery: a street peddler was offering his

usual wares of bootlegged items and pirated movies and, among the many things he was bartering were copies of something he claimed was The Return of the

Ghostbusters or something like that. I was intrigued by this concept and, no wanting to part with the couple bucks it would have cost me to buy the darn

thing and being a rabid Ghostbusters fan, when I returned to my hotel room I checked IMDb for any reference about such a beast. Nope, it isn't Ghostbusters or Return of the Ghostbusters, but Freddy Vs Ghostbusters, a fantastically creative fan movie created by Braxtanfilms, a team of

fans led by Hank Braxtan. My initial reaction was utter disbelief about the final product and some badly directed anger toward it. But that was my inner fan

speaking; there must be some heavy forgiveness over a movie that was made by a bunch of people, a camera and a 500 bucks budget. In a second watching, I began to dismiss the overly static shots, focusing problems and lighting issues about this baby and took notice of the efficient

editing and story telling of this small gem and found it extremely enjoyable: I heartily recommend that Hank Braxtan should enroll in any Film Institute to

polish his film making style. Man, I would even keep him in mind if I ever decide to make a movie from a couple of scripts that are moldering in my trunk. No

wonder Freddy VS Ghostbusters leaked out from the Internet and found its way to the South American bootlegging market. A couple of tips, however. A few scenes would have benefited with a more balanced lightning and tighter editing. And the movie loses a couple of great

dialog opportunities to make good banter, which in the end would had been bigger, better jokes. For Example, I'd have written the scene where Neal and

Eugine enter dream land as follows:

EUGENE: Where are we?

NEAL: This is it. This is my dream.

EUGENE: If this is you dreams, where are the naked ladies?

With the addition of just a tiny, bitty line, that particular scene would have become a extremely funny. It's refreshing to see new talent and fresh blood entering this jaded trade of ours and I commend IMDb for allowing an entry for this great find.

An out and out success

[Dipso_Dom · 8/10 · 9 December 2005]

I stumbled across the IMDb page for this film while looking up info about the Nightmare on Elm St. series, and I was hooked. Visiting the official website for the movie I was surprised to discover that I could download & watch it absolutely free - so download and watch I did.

Good acting (for the most part), good directing, a good script & some startlingly good effects make this a hoot and a holler, and a must see for any Ghostbusters/Elm Street/fan-fiction lover.

While the Ghostbusters theme has been very well brought into this Denver-based outing, I did feel that Freddy Kruger's appearance seemed a little lacking in explanation, but as I have many more gripes than that with most feature-length, big studio productions that I watch, I can hardly hold that against this movie.

Far better in any event than A Nightmare on Elm Street Parts 2, 5 & 6.

Well, it's like the Ghostbusters only a lot more dirty, but I love it!

[eched · 10/10 · 18 July 2005]

Now this, this is not a great fan film, this is a great film. There are three things that make it stand out.

Number one: Its surprisingly good special effects. Shockingly good considering who made it. It really does look just as good as an old Ghostbusters movie and all the effects for Freddy look like they came from the first Nightmare film. Even the cheesy effects look the same, like the tongue phone.

Number two: It's sense of humor. Now, some might not like it because Ghostbusters has always had a dry sense of humor, while this has a very dirty and kind of Space Balls sense of humor. But, funny is funny and this is funny. I fell onto the floor with laughter when Jared showed up.

Number three: More winks then you could shake a stick at. This baby nods at everything from Evil Dead, to Star Wars, to the Matrix, and even Excalibur.

The only flaw that I can come up with is at times it fallows the first Ghostbusters to closely. The music number in the middle for example has all these shots in it that are from the first Ghostbusters, but this never really hurts the film and like I said the sense of humor in this film is very dirty so it holds its own.

I loved the whole thing from the B Movie opening to the you know it's coming, Freddy gets his last laugh or does he ending. 10 out of 10! This is a movie for the fans made by the fans.

Honestly the best fan film I have ever witnessed, hands down.

[elgeeko · 10/10 · 20 January 2005]

I've never been so glad to have downloaded a movie as I was with Freddy VS. Ghostbusters. It's ridiculously entertaining, honestly WAY better than anything being made by so-called "professionals" at this point in time. I've watched it numerous times, and frequently quote little bits of it to my friends (who've seen it, too, and are equally impressed).

The acting is great, the characters are all perfect, the writing is awesome (I still laugh out loud at certain lines), the directing is top notch... Honestly, my jaw was on the floor when I sat watching this thing the first time. All I could think was, "Wow, it IS possible to make a great movie with little to no budget!" Talk about an inspiration. Thank you, so, so much.

It was a few minutes into the first viewing that I realized it was filmed/took place in Denver; exceptionally awesome, as I live in Fort Collins (about an hour north of Denver). This movie gave me a reason to not hate living here! :) Though I have no reason to be (as I don't know anyone involved), I'm so proud of the people who are responsible for making this film the little classic it is. Bravo, you guys. If I could, I'd buy you all a drink to congratulate you. You're my heroes.

Nice Film

[brad-348 · 9/10 · 9 April 2005]

Freddy vs Ghostbusters was a lot better than I ever expected from a fan film. It has given me the incentive needed to go out and make my own fan films. Braxtanfilm made a really good use of the special effects expected in a Hollywood film but never in a fan film like this before. I say Hank Braxtan needs to keep up the good work with his films cause' this film has turned some heads. I never thought that I would ever see this film being mentioned here but it certainly is worth the spot. I just wish this film was made by Hollywood so that the filmmakers could get the credit they deserve from a film like this.

Warning: The following content contains movie spoilers, if you do not want to ruin the movie experience, do not read any further.

I especially liked two parts in the film. The part in the movie where Freddy killed Chuck with the bong and when Freddy killed Jared from Subway. These parts of the movie is what separates this film from every other fan film on the net

Best Freakin Fan Film EVER

[cthon98 · 10/10 · 11 July 2005]

Holy crap. This has got to be one of the best, if not THE best fan film I have ever seen. And it even beats the hell out of 3/4 of the stuff that Hollywood has out these days. Seriously... Shark Boy and Lava Girl? Anyways, this movie... it's freakin awesome. Special effects quite similar to those of the original Ghostbusters movie, GREAT Freddy voice acting, good plot, excellent props. I would pay for a movie of this caliber, yet they offer it on their site for free. And the alternate endings.... also hilarious. Especially the dance ending. I just about shat myself laughing at Freddy flailing around to "Safety Dance" all in all, these guys should get the Nobel prize or something.

One of the best out there

[randymeeks81 · 10/10 · 17 January 2006]

This "amatuer" tribute to Ghostbusters, and A Nightmare On Elm Street, is possibly the best fan film I've ever seen. It's special effects are not only amazing considering the budget for this movie was probably smaller than Blair Witch's. The effects hold up as well as the original Ghostbusters films, and the attempt to re-create the stalking scenes of Freddy's films are dead on. The acting wasn't the best, but I doubt that any auditions were actually held for the movie. I personally can't wait for the sequel that's getting made now. If we can't have Ghostbusters 3 then we'll have to settle for these fan films, but if this is settling, I'd say I'm quite comfortable.

Werd *Warning, Some spoilers may be contained herein*

[Living_Legend420 · 10/10 · 5 October 2005]

Oh man, this was a great movie. At some points, the acting was a little rocky, but hey, for a fan film, this was a hundred times better than some indy films i've seen. Like Vampiyaz: Brothers in Blood. Ugh. In any event, I loved some of the quotes, and pop culture references (Empire on TV, Megaman on Nintendo, Jared! HAH!) And if it weren't for IMDb, i would have never seen it! So thanks IMDb! And if you're a fan of Either set of Film series (Ghostbusters or Nightmare on Elm Street) or a fan of Fan Films, then i recommend this highly.

PS: The Soundtrack really made the movie for me. And the little twist at the end was superb.

-Beef

Hidden gold

[therightstuff46 · 10/10 · 27 June 2007]

I found out about this movie when I was searching around the internet and was really bored, and I seen a link for a fan made movie. Who knew that day I found some hidden gold named Freddy Vs. Ghostbusters.

Freddy vs. Ghostbusters is a great collaboration of the two most popular characters from the 80's. I really enjoyed the movie and it is well worth the watch. A very original story and really good special effects for a fan made film. Freddy even sounds like Freddy in the Nightmare in Elm Street series.

Great job.

Locate this movie and watch it its very well worth you time especially if you a Ghostbuster or a Nightmare on Elm St. fan.

Who ya going' call... ghost busters.... naw, they've been out of business for years!

[wrestling_guy49 · 10/10 · 31 January 2007]

I recently downloaded the movie Freddy vs ghost busters. Being a GB fan and remember the great times as a kid watching the movie, I figured I would give it a shot, because hey ITS FREE. So, upon downloading the film and view it once... I realized that this film captures and the feel of the original GB films. I have to say that the most enjoyable part of the film is the chemistry between the actors and the sharp and witty writing of the script. The special effects are decent considering that only $500 US was spent on the film. I understand that many casual movie go-ers may be turned off by the b-movie feel to the film, however, If you are willing give a spin you will be guaranteed a good time... if nothing else remember its free. This is the kind of movie that really shows the creativity that low-budget films inspire. Please support indy film and remember there is a squeal in the works ;)

They may not have the biggest budget, but one thing is always certain,... The Fan Knows Best.

[destroythegeneral · 10/10 · 16 February 2006]

The Fan Film. Honestly, the title deserves to become its own genre. I've been pleasured to witness the works of many a young budding director and have been delighted to see the true care and attention put forth to both script and the iconic characters being parodied or immortalised once again on film. Honestly, whether it be Batman Vs Alien, or Punisher Vs Wolverine, or even Kramer Vs Predator; they may not have the biggest budget, but one thing is always certain,... The Fan Knows Best.

I was astonished to discover the presence of this fan-made-movie, understandably excited over the thought of my favourite characters, The Ghostbusters taking on the more comical than scary antagonist, Freddy Krueger; and to be honest i wasn't the least bit dissatisfied after my first viewing. The new characters are quirky and stylish with reasonably good acting (but with most fan films, your cast are your friends.)I was also incredibly pleased with the high quality special effects which were astronomic for a Fan film, truly impressed I can see all the hard work and I assume most of the budget went to, which is highly understandable for the films content. The script is very funny, and the parodies of both original films are hysterical, its visibly apparent that the creators must have watched these movies countless times and made very funny commentaries over possible alternatives to what they saw.

I think the main point of a fan film, isn't to highlight the follies of the big budget films (not mentioning the Joel Schumacher Batman films) but simply satisfy the fans need for more amazing adaptations of these characters to film; without the questionably input for industry individuals who may not have the undying passion and scrupulous attention to original detail; the ultimately intention of the Fan Film is to express their gratitude to the original creators; this being a fans ultimate wish to bestow. I bet Ramis, Aykroyd & Craven would be watching with child-like grins!

If you have a chance to download this, (I obviously highly recommend it,) But if you do have the chance download the two alternative endings to the film; allowing you to witness Freddy and the boys dancing along to Steve Wonder's "Superstition" & Men without Hat's "The Safety Dance".

Enjoy!

refreshing film

[firmskater · 9/10 · 13 September 2005]

I've been a fan of the Ghostbusters since i was able to comprehend who they where and the humor in some of the jokes, which surprisingly enough was back when i was a lad... but anyway this fan film is refreshing and creative and in a lot of ways exactly what fans of the original Ghostbusters want, another funny different kind of comedy. The guys that wrote and directed this film could have done a little bit of a better job developing the story a bit as well as the characters,but i guess we can let it slide. while some of the speech in some scenes my be a little hard to hear at times its still an enjoyable short that brings the boys in gray to a newer crowd...sort of.

Spiffy Productions review of FVGB

[Sonofgokukj · 8/10 · 8 August 2006]

This Film was the first one of BraxtanFilms that I saw, and I've been hooked ever since. Hank Braxtan is one of the main reasons I started film making and producing. Here are some +'s and -'s

+: 1. Great Props *I.E proton packs and traps*

2. Good Script *can't be any worse than AVP right?*

3. Comedy was great! *I.E. QUEERS!!!*

4. Awesome tidbits and attention to detail *I.E. Ghostbusters game in the Genesis and Freddy's mannerisms*

-: 1. some cruddy acting: *I.E.: Extras and Lead Actress seemed a little off on believability

2. Freddy isn't Robert Englund *sorry boys, Only Rob can play Freddy, but brad still was OK in acting*

3. Slimer= bad *sorry, it was corny, but ROTGB will have better visuals from what i've seen!*

total points: 8 out of 10

GREAT JOB! can't wait to see ROTGB in October!