Serious Question: Is 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' About QAnon?

But, you know, with Gozer.
Serious Question: Is 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' About QAnon?

The newest trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife hit the internet today, exciting fans and reminding us all of just how much we love … early Amblin movies?

While we don't know exactly what the plot of the movie will be (besides being yet another reboot about young people obsessing over their grandfather's accomplishments), it seems like it may continue an odd blockbuster trend. We mentioned recently how Godzilla vs. Kong's pro-conspiracy theorist storyline came at an unfortunate time in history when scores of people are prolonging a deadly pandemic out of fears that vaccines contain microchips created by the Windows '95 guy. Well, Ghostbusters: Afterlife looks like it's doing something slightly similar. 

In the trailer, we see Spengler's granddaughter and her new friend Paul Rudd watching a YouTube video of the original Ghostbusters commercial, and to the side, we see links to other videos, including "Where are the Ghostbusters now?" and "10 signs the government is run by the Shandorians."

Sony

The Shandorians is a reference to Ivo Shandor, who was first referenced back in the original movie. He's the guy who built Dana's demon-infested apartment building and founded a secret society of Gozer-worshipping zealots who tried to bring about the apocalypse because "society was too sick to survive." And, fair enough, Shandor.

If your familiarity with the franchise is limited to the movies, the cartoon, and the sweet, life-affirming nectar of Ecto Cooler, you might not be aware that Shandor shows up repeatedly in Ghostbusters comics, board games, and was the central villain of the 2009 video game. We already knew that Shandor has a connection to the folksy small town of Summerville where Afterlife takes place; in the teaser trailer, we see a gate leading to "Shandor Mining Co." And now it seems as though Shandor's demon-worshipping cult is deeply embedded in the town itself. On one storefront, briefly glimpsed in the new trailer, there's an ornate Illuminati-esque pyramid with a large QAnon-esque G in the middle, presumably for Gozer.

Sony

Sony

We also see similar triangles (not unlike the pyramid glimpsed at the end of the original movie) hidden throughout the town, on the logos for the Sheriff's department and Summerville middle school. Of course, Ghostbusters has always been about outsiders with fringe beliefs being proven right in the face of the establishment's skepticism -- but, again, it's kind of a weird time to have QAnon-ish YouTubers who speculate that the government has been infiltrated by a demon-worshipping cult being proven right. Clearly, with the giant "G" logo and the YouTube conspiracy videos, Afterlife is attempting to use real modern paranoia to anchor the wacky events of the film -- but what's potentially not so awesome is that the movie's conspiracists will likely ultimately be vindicated. Which, to be fair, is still not quite as bad as crapping all over the EPA.

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Top Image: Sony

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