In his own words: “If you liked being a teenager, there’s something wrong with you.” While I have quite a few fond memories from my high-school days, mostly due to a couple of lifelong friendships and a budding obsession with horror movies, even I have to admit that it was an absolutely terrifying time to be alive.īack then, movies were one of my only sources of comfort, especially ones with protagonists that I could relate to. Stephen King once claimed that he hated high school and doesn’t trust anyone who looks back on their teenage years with any enjoyment. Samhain is overdue for another appearance, don’t you think? It’s only fitting that the very essence of Halloween makes for one of the toughest villains the Ghostbusters have ever faced, again and again. Above all, he’s one of the few ghosts to present a recurring problem for the Ghostbusters. His backstory is straight out of actual Halloween folklore. He can stop time and create an enduring night. Though most ghosts tend to be afraid of him. He longs for perpetual Halloween and for his underlings to be treated well. The Ghost of Halloween is driven by a need to protect other ghosts, goblins, and other creatures of the night. That doesn’t even touch upon the countless mentions or cameo appearances by the Ghost of Halloween over the entire franchise history, canon or otherwise. Samhain appeared as a central enemy in IDW’s comic Ghostbusters: What in Samhain Just Happened?!and the board game as well. He was also the only ghost other than Slimer to receive an Extreme Ghostbusters toy.
#EXTREME GHOSTBUSTERS VILLAINS SERIES#
The series only lasted 40 episodes before cancellation, but Samhain’s presence in the opening is strongly suggestive that he would’ve popped up in an episode at some point. In the second annual edition, Samhain seems to have met a permanent demise, but can you really kill the spirit of Halloween? Especially considering Samhain notably appears in both the intro and outro of the Extreme Ghostbustersanimated series in 1997.
Naturally, Samhain made appearances there as well, beginning with issue 17. NOW Comics published The Real Ghostbusters comic series based on the cartoon, starting in 1988. Strategic blasts and fighting ensue, and the Ghostbusters successfully trap Samhain once more. Ghostbusters, who promptly get captured and held hostage.
#EXTREME GHOSTBUSTERS VILLAINS FULL#
So, he took over the Firehouse and used it as his own personal fortress full of ghosts. His main objective this time was revenge. Samhain was unleashed from the containment unit for real in season 3 episode “ Halloween II ½,” courtesy of his favored goblin minions. They engaged in battle, panicked, until Ray finally realized the real Samhain was still safely secured in the containment unit. In the season 2 episode “The Devil to Pay,” minor demon Dyb Devlin conjured up illusions for the Ghostbusters to face, which included Samhain. His downfall of the episode was his weakness to light. His two goblin henchmen set him loose on Halloween night, where he then halts time and attempts to make Halloween everlasting. Somehow, the spirit was trapped in an antique clock for centuries, until it was transported to New York for display in a museum. Then there’s Samhain, the Ghost of Halloween who made his first appearance in the first season of The Real Ghostbusters and quickly became one of the Ghostbusters’ most formidable foes of all time.įirst appearing in the eighth episode of the inaugural season of The Real Ghostbusters, “ When Halloween was Forever,” Samhain is revealed to be an ancient spirit dating back to the origins of Halloween, hailing from 7th century Ireland. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man presides as the reigning champ and fan favorite of specters. Slimer began as a memorable antagonist in the 1984 film before eventually transitioning to a sort of Firehouse mascot in The Real Ghostbusters cartoon. Despite multiple movies, multiple cartoon series, spinoff comic books and games, there are only a handful of recognizable, recurring ghosts in the Ghostbusters universe.