36 Years Later This Hilarious Ghostbusters Question Is Still Confusing Fans

Ghostbusters II may not get the same level of acclaim as its iconic predecessor, yet the flick still has plenty of fans who see past any perceived flaws. Studious viewers with a little extra time on their hands have even taken care to dissect some of the film’s finer points in an attempt to answer questions to which we didn’t even realize we needed answers! In one such instance, a Redditor sparked discussion about a lingering curiosity. I’m talking about the scene in Ghostbusters II where Dr. Janosz Poha (Peter MacNicol) tries to kidnap Dana’s (Sigourney Weaver) infant son, Oscar (Hank Deutschendorf and William T. Deutschendorf).

In this sequence, Janosz makes some peculiar choices that still have us shaking our heads.

This Scene From Ghostbusters II Remains the Source of Fan Discourse Years on From Release

The aforementioned scene has sparked debate for the simple reason that Janosz makes the decidedly unorthodox choice to don the guise of an elderly female nanny with a stroller when attempting to abduct young Oscar. If this unusual development were more explicitly explained within the narrative, we probably wouldn’t be talking about it more than three decades later. However, director Ivan Reitman avoided going into much detail, which gave us the opportunity to draw our own conclusions.

RELATED – These Ghostbusters Sneakers Are Definitely Something Strange

Perhaps it’s best to start with a little context regarding why Janosz is trying to kidnap Oscar in the first place before jumping straight into unpacking his unorthodox disguise choice. Janosz is acting at the behest of the film’s chief antagonist, Vigo (Wilhelm von Homburg), who has tasked him with procuring a child so that he can be reborn in human form. In exchange, Vigo promises that Dana will be theirs, meaning a mother to a reborn Vigo and an unwilling wife to Janosz, should he successfully apprehend the baby. So, there’s the promised context, let’s now move forward to discuss the finer points of the abduction.

With newfound supernatural abilities, Janosz cloaks himself as what can only really be described as a ghost nanny. This peculiar getup allows the character the ability to blend in and gives him a believable reason to have a baby in tow when he abducts Oscar from the ledge of Peter Venkman’s (Bill Murray) home. This subsequently leads to a showdown between Dana and an upgraded Janosz.

Ghostbusters II Mixed Things Up in a Number of Ways

The second series installment changes gears a bit, opening with the titular characters unemployed and in debt to the city of New York for the massive destruction they caused in the previous installment. The narrative eventually reveals that the city is under attack by supernatural forces once again, but this time from toxic emotions. That’s right, the city is plagued by a subterranean layer of what’s technically known as Psychomagnotheric Slime and colloquially referred to simply as Mood Slime. The substance, when toxically charged by unpleasant feelings, allows supernatural entities to make their way into our realm more easily. That is precisely how chief antagonist Vigo enters the narrative after being released from a painting.

Although the second film in the series might stand as the black sheep of the franchise for some fans, there are still plenty who consider the 1989 follow-up effort an enjoyable diversion. That much is apparent by the very fact that we’re still nerding out over some of the film’s quirkier moments, like the decidedly unusual nanny disguise Janosz dons when he commandeers Oscar at Vigo’s request.

As for what’s next in the Ghostbusters franchise, we know that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire filmmakers Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman are keen to make another film. No word just yet on when that project might materialize, but the pair are currently tied up working on an animated Ghostbusters series for Netflix, so it will likely be a while. Not to mention, Netflix is also in development on an animated Ghostbusters film. No word on a release date for either of those Netflix projects just yet, but rest assured, we will update you as soon as we know more.

What do you think about the unorthodox getup Janosz dons when he tries his hand at kidnapping? Be sure to let us know your take in the comments section below.