Small Details You Missed In The New Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer

The second trailer for "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is finally here, and there's a ton for fans to unpack in this glimpse at the latest "Ghostbusters" story.

Directed by Jason Reitman — whose father Ivan helmed the beloved original two movies in 1984 and 1989 — "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" presents an entirely new narrative, handing the reins over to a largely new cast that includes Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Mckenna Grace ("The Haunting of Hill House"), and Finn Wolfhard ("Stranger Things," "It") as they uncover a legacy related to the original gang of Ghostbusters. With original cast members Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Aykroyd set to reprise their roles, there'll definitely be something for everyone in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," whether you're a longtime fan of this beloved franchise or new to the "Ghostsbusters" story entirely.

After waiting for a second trailer ever since the first one was released in December of 2019, fans finally got their second look at the new movie, and there's plenty to parse through. Here's some of the small details you missed in the latest "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" trailer.

At :37 in the trailer, a black and white photo of the four original Ghostbusters is shown. They're posing in front of their firehouse. This photo doesn't appear to be a composite created for "Afterlife," but rather a behind-the-scenes or promotional photograph taken on the set of the first movie. In fact, based on the clothing they're wearing, it was probably taken on the day they filmed the scene where the Ghostbusters are visited by spiteful EPA inspector Walter Peck (William Atherton) and the containment unit holding all the ghosts they've captured is shut down, which leads to an explosion that frees all the spirits to create mayhem all over New York City. The Ghostbusters are then arrested.

In the photo, they're wearing the costumes they have on in the scene, which indicates that the photo is really of the actors, not the characters, because why would the Ghostbusters pose for a photo while they were being arrested?

"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" may focus largely on characters who are new to the franchise, but that doesn't mean the upcoming film won't feature some original "Ghostbusters" stars. In fact, the latest "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" trailer includes not just one, but two appearances from some familiar faces.

The trailer's first and most prominent cameo comes courtesy of actress Annie Potts, who can be seen reprising her "Ghostbusters" role as Janine Melnitz early on in the trailer. The former Ghostbusters receptionist appears to be giving Carrie Coon's Callie a tour of the admittedly creepy farmhouse left to her and her children by her late father, Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis). "Your father wasn't much of a homemaker," Janine tells Callie. "He could hardly keep the power on."

Potts doesn't appear again throughout the rest of the trailer, but her appearance acts as an efficient way to further connect "Afterlife" to the original two "Ghostbusters" films. The manner in which Janine refers to Egon as "your father" in the trailer also suggests that Janine could possibly be the mother of Coon's Callie, which could potentially make her Egon's wife and partner. Janine and Egon did, notably, share a romantic spark in the first "Ghostbusters" film, but Potts' character went on to date Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) in "Ghostbusters 2." With that in mind, it's possible "Afterlife" will reveal that Janine and Egon ultimately ended up getting together some time after the events of "Ghostbusters 2," or Janine could just be giving Callie a tour of the farmhouse as a friendly gesture. Either way, the scene itself is a fun nod to the connection that Janine and Egon had in the first "Ghostbusters."

The trailer is partly framed by a conversation between Callie (Carrie Coon) and Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd) over dinner as the single mother explains the dynamic she has with her children. She gets on fine with her son Trevor, (Finn Wolfhard), but she has a fraught relationship with her daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace). It's not clear whether Callie and Mr. Grooberson are on a date or not, but it wouldn't be surprising if their roles are a bit bigger than the trailers have implied so far. Obviously the new footage shows off one of the Terror Dogs as well as Gozer emerging from a pit.

The 1984 classic established that two entities are needed to free Gozer: Zuul the Gatekeeper and Vinz Clortho the Keymaster. Zuul possesses Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) in the original, while Vinz Clortho takes over Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). Because Gozer seems to be threatening Summerville in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," the god will clearly need two new hosts to open the gateway once again.

Since Callie and Grooberson have struck up some kind of dynamic — romantic or otherwise — it's not impossible the sequel is setting them up to be the new Gatekeeper and Keymaster respectively.

The "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" trailer also appears to give us a few hints as to what evil is at the center of the film. At the 1:48 minute mark in the trailer, Phoebe peers over the edge of what appears to be an active volcano, and suddenly, an arm reaches out. Sharp-eyed fans may notice the electricity-laden arm and spiky hair of the mysterious figure is reminiscent of Gozer, an extremely powerful, mystical being who was introduced in the original "Ghostbusters" movie.

In the first "Ghostbusters" film, Gozer (played by Slavitza Jovan) famously takes the form of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and wreaks havoc on New York City before being blasted to smithereens by the Ghostbusters. Gozer also had two loyal subjects who were also central to the "Ghostbusters" universe — Vinz Clortho the Keymaster and Zuul the Gatekeeper. If Gozer does in fact return for "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," it's possible that her minions will return, too — meaning the new ghost-busting crew is in for a fight.

Ghostbusters has some iconic images: the giant marshmallow man, the no-ghosts-allowed logo, and of course, those terrifying dogs.

Officially known as Terror Dogs in the Ghostbusters comics and the original 1984 film, the creatures look like large normal dogs, except for the horns and demonic, glowing eyes. The Terror Dogs can possess humans, as we saw happen unfortunately to Dana Barrett (Signourney Weaver) and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) in the '80s classic.

Now, it seems the Terror Dogs are back to wreak havoc in Summerville. At around the 1:57 mark in the trailer, we see the dog break through the doors of a Walmart and chase a frightened Mr. Grooberson through the parking lot. We don't know if this dog is Zuul or Vinz Clortho, who we saw in the original "Ghostbusters," or an entirely new version of the creature. Either way, it's clear this terror dog is out for blood, and will certainly be playing a key role in the film.

Clearly, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is leaning into the mythology set up by the first movie through the apparent returns of both Gozer the Gozerian and the Terror Dogs. When Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) explains the history of Gozer and his worshippers, he mentions that cultist Ivo Shandor amassed nearly a thousand followers in the 1920s — performing "bizarre rituals" on the roof to bring the god to Earth. But it seems like Ivo had a back-up plan out in... Summerville, Oklahoma. In the first trailer for "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" the mines on the edge of town are called, wait for it, the Shandor Mines.

The new trailer briefly shows Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and his friends exploring the underground mines, and they're filled with ominous statues and occult imagery. That's shortly before a huge cosmic portal swirls overhead, releasing a horde of ghosts into the small town. It'll be interesting to see how "Afterlife" explains the Shandor Mines, and whether Ivo Shandor himself is responsible for building them or one of his followers decided to have a backup plan in place in case the rituals didn't work. Either way, it's cool to see the sequel prioritizing the story that the franchise originally set up.

We've known for quite some time that many of the stars of the original "Ghostbusters" films would be reprising their roles in "Afterlife." Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts all signed on to appear in the movie, but the first trailer left us without a glimpse of any of them. That's not the case with this trailer, as we now have a sneak peek at two original characters — and one that's a little more buzzworthy than the other.

Potts has the most screentime in the trailer, back as Janine Melnitz, who shows the family Egon's (the late Harold Ramis) farmhouse. However, the biggest surprise comes in the last seconds of the trailer after we see an old commercial for the Ghostbusters playing on YouTube. It appears as if someone calls the number on the advertisement, and Aykroyd's Raymond Stantz picks up the phone. We only see his arms as he answers the call, and he seems rather bothered that someone is dialing him. We know it's Ray because of the voice, as he tells the person on the other end, "We're closed."

It looks like the former Ghostbuster is still running his Occult bookstore, as a neon sign for the shop can be seen on the window. Ray first opened the shop when the Ghostbusters were served a judicial restraining order in the second film from 1989, and fans will definitely be excited to see him back in the franchise.