'Stranger Things': Movie Foreshadowed in Season 2 Finally Arrives

An exciting movie project foreshadowed in Stranger Things Season 2 is finally here.

Stranger Things (2016) is a true melting pot of all things ’80s, referencing dozens of television shows and movies from the popular decade. So it was no surprise when Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) suited up as the Ghostbusters in Season 2.

In the Season 2 episode “Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak,” the show’s main pre-teen ensemble takes to the streets of Hawkins on Halloween while suited up as Ghostbusters Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, and Ray Stantz, who are played by Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Aykroyd, respectively, in the 1984 film.

Related: ‘Stranger Things’ May Have Revealed Max’s Fate in Season 5

But references to the beloved classic don’t stop there — they also have homemade Proton Pack and Ghost Traps, and Ray Parker Jr.’s iconic “Ghostbusters” song plays in the episode and during the end credits. Seeing the Hawkins heroes “cross the streams” with Ghostbusters was so well received by fans that Funko POP! and McFarlane Toys even released action figures of the Stranger Things characters in their Ghost-busting gear.

However, it turns out that “Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak” inadvertently predicted the future, as one of Stranger Things‘ very own would, four years later, become an actual Ghostbuster in the long-awaited threequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), which reinstated the timeline established in the original film, ignoring the widely-hated 2016 reboot.

Related: ‘Ghostbusters’ Cinematic Universe Will Include New Sequels, TV Shows, and More

Finn Wolfhard, best known for playing Mike Wheeler in all four seasons of Stranger Things, who will be returning for the fifth and final season, picked up the Proton Pack in the 2021 Ghostbusters movie as teen Trevor Spengler, opposite McKenna Grace (Phoebe Spengler), Podcast (Logan Kim), Lucky Domingo (Celeste O’Connor), Carrie Coon (Callie Spengler), Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), and legacy stars Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), and Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz).

Now, the brand-new sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) has finally thawed, having released in theaters on March 22. Wolfhard, 21, returns with all the Afterlife cast members, along with Kumail Nanjiani (Nadeem Razmaadi), Patton Oswalt (Hubert Wartzki), Emily Alyn Lind (Melody), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), and William Atherton (Walter Peck).

Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Prequel Arrives, Sees Return of Several Characters From Main Series

While it was great seeing Finn Wolfhard battle supernatural entities and ride the Ecto-1 through cornfields in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, he wasn’t given all that much to do, with the film focusing more on his on-screen sister Phoebe. Fortunately, Frozen Empire, despite having a Ghostbusters crew so big it puts the Avengers: Endgame (2019) lineup to shame, somehow manages to spend more time with Trevor, who doesn’t just officially suit up as a Ghostbuster, but also forms an unlikely alliance with the franchise’s iconic green ghost Slimer, who dwells in the Ghostbusters Firehouse’s attic.

The film has opened to mostly mixed reviews, but it’s easily one of the more fun entries in the franchise. It might not be quite as well-put-together as its 2021 predecessor, but it ticks all the boxes in terms of what you want from a Ghostbusters movie — it’s funny, action-packed, scary, and it expands the mythology while taking the franchise in a whole new direction. It’s also fun to see Finn Wolfhard investigating and eliminating something strange in a neighborhood that isn’t Hawkins.

Check out the trailer for Frozen Empire below, per Sony Pictures:

Related: ‘Ghostbusters’ TV Series Gets Imminent Release Date Ahead of ‘Frozen Empire’

Per the official website, here’s the synopsis for the film:

In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started – the iconic New York City firehouse – to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level.

But when the discovery of an ancient artifact unleashes an evil force, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their home and save the world from a second Ice Age.

Frozen Empire stars Carrie Coon (Callie Spengler), Paul Rudd (Gary Grooberson), McKenna Grace (Phoebe Spengler), Finn Wolfhard (Trevor Spengler), Celeste O’Connor (Lucky Domingo), Logan Kim (Podcast), Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz), Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz), William Atherton (Walter Peck), Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), James Acaster (Lars Pinfield), Patton Oswalt (Dr. Hubert Wartzki), Kumail Nanjiani (Nadeem Razmaadi), and Emily Alyn Lind (Melody).

The film is showing in theaters now.

Have you seen Finn Wolfhard in action in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire yet? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!