The 10 Best Monsters in the 'Ghostbusters' Franchise, Ranked

Ever since the first Ghostbusters movie, we've been introduced to some pretty terrifying and disgusting creatures that the team has had to face. With the start of a whole new cast of characters with Ghostbusters: Afterlife, there had naturally been some new enemies for the group to go head-to-head with.

Whether it's the terrifying big villains, who have the power to destroy the world, like Gozer and Garakka, or else the smaller, but still challenging enemies such as Slimer and the mini Stay Puft marshmallow men, there's always something strange in the neighborhood, and who can you call except the Ghostbusters.

Editor's Note: This story contains spoilers for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

10 Muncher

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'

After moving to Egon Spengler's old house in Summerville, Phoebe finds a shed full of her grandfather's ghostbusting equipment. She manages to get one of the proton packs working again and goes to an old factory with her friend, Podcast, to try it out.

It's here that she gets her first taste of ghost hunting, when she encounters a Muncher. He's a similar spook to Slimer, from the original movies, but rather than eating all the food he can get, Muncher prefers biting down on any metal he comes across. Despite being her first time, Phoebe manages to catch him with the proton pack and capture him in a ghost trap.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife can be streamed on Fubo TV in the U.S.

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9 Librarian Ghost

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters'

While she might not be one of the biggest threats they face, the Librarian Ghost does have an important place in the Ghostbusters story, being the first genuine ghost Ray, Egon and Pete encounter, and giving them a reason to set up their own ghost-catching business.

While still working at Columbia University, Ray is fascinated by the paranormal and spends his time looking for evidence that ghosts exist. A suspected sighting at the city library leads the three of them to go and investigate, where they find out it's actually true, and there is a ghost. She seems peaceful enough at first, reading a book in silence, until she's disturbed, turning into a screaming banshee-like creature that chases them out of the library.

Ghostbusters can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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8 The Scoleri Brothers

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters II'

In Ghostbusters II, because of the events at the end of the last film, the three original Ghostbusters have been slapped with a judicial restraining order, preventing them from doing any investigations of paranormal activity. They break this order by looking into what caused Dana Barrett's stroller to take on a life of its own, winding them up in court.

The trial doesn't go well for them, and the belligerent nature of Judge Wexler causes the pink Mood Slime to react negatively, making it conjure up the ghosts of the Scoleri Brothers, gangsters who were sentenced to death by Wexler. As he has no way to get rid of them without the Ghostbusters' help, he agrees to waive the restraining order, allowing them to get back in business.

Ghostbusters II can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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7 Mood Slime

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters II'

A strange adversary, the Mood Slime isn't so much a monster as a manifestation of all the bad will and negative emotions present in New York City, which has taken the form of pink slime. They first discover it in the sewers beneath the city, after it starts to leak onto the streets above.

Despite being a negative entity, the slime can actually be positively charged with good emotions, making people happier and friendlier when they come into contact with it. The Ghostbusters use this to their advantage when they have to take on Vigo the Carpathian, making the Statue of Liberty become animated by the slime and walking it across the city as a symbol of goodwill, getting the city's residents to become positive, so they can break the barrier of negatively-charged slime conjured up by Vigo

Ghostbusters II can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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6 Slimer

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters'

When they first set up, things didn't go too well for the Ghostbusters and business is slow until they get a call from the Sedgewick Hotel, which is being troubled by a small green ghost. The Ghostbusters are able to catch him, earning their first check and quickly getting noticed for their unusual skills, which causes their business to take off.

Slimer is more of an annoyance than a genuinely terrifying threat, as he eats every bit of food he can find and covers things with his green slime. Like all their other catches, he escapes when Walter Peck shuts down the ghost container, and is never recaptured. He becomes something of an unofficial mascot for the Ghostbusters, living in the firehouse, and is still there decades later when the Spenglers return to restart the business.

Ghostbusters can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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5 Vigo the Carpathian

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters II'

A sixteenth century Moldavian tyrant, Vigo was executed by his people, who rebelled against his cruelty, but he vowed to return, leading to his ghost taking up residence in a large personal portrait. Centuries later, this painting was in the Manhattan Museum of Art for renovations, where Dana Barrett was working.

Vigo drew his power from the river of negatively charged pink slime beneath the city, taking control of museum curator Janosz Poha and using him to kidnap Dana's baby son Oscar, so he could inhabit the child's body and return to life. He is eventually defeated by the Ghostbusters who bring the citizens of New York together on New Year's Eve, creating enough positive energy to weaken Vigo.

Ghostbusters II can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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4 The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters'

One of the strangest enemies the Ghostbusters have to face. He might look friendly, but he doesn't have any good intentions. During their showdown with Gozer, it tells them to choose the form their destruction will take, meaning whatever they think of will appear and destroy them.

While they try to keep their minds empty, Ray accidentally imagines the Stay Puft marshmallow man, which manifests as a hundred-foot-tall giant, stomping its way across the city. In Afterlife, the Stay Puft man appears again, though this time as dozens of tiny versions, which can easily be squashed by hand but still cause trouble with their mischievous antics, breaking equipment and even stealing a truck.

Ghostbusters can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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3 Terror Dogs

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters'

The Terror Dogs are the reason Dana Barrett ever encounters the Ghostbusters, as she sees a vision of one in her refrigerator, prompting her to call in the experts. These hideous creatures are called dogs, though they actually have scaly skin and horns, and answer to their master, Gozer, doing their bidding as she tries to return.

Dana and her neighbor Louis Tully are possessed by the Gatekeeper and Keymaster, two of Gozer's servants who can bring their master back to this world, and are later turned into terror Dogs. A similar thing happens to Gary Grooberson and Callie Spengler in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when Gozer returns for a second time.

Ghostbusters can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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2 Garraka

First appearance 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'

One of the most terrifying and dangerous adversaries the Ghostbusters have faced, Garraka, is an ancient phantom god who was imprisoned in a brass orb by four sorcerers known as the Fire Masters. Years later, the orb is sold to Ray Stantz, who immediately recognizes the danger it poses, and tries to keep it safe, but Garakka manages to escape by taking possession of Phoebe.

Garakka is a huge threat, having the power to control other ghosts, and is able to lower temperatures to absolute zero, feeding on people's fear to literally freeze them to death. Even worse, conventional ghostbusting equipment isn't any use against him, as he's able to fight off the proton streams, and can only be defeated with the help of one of the descendants of the original Fire Masters.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is currently playing in theaters in the U.S.

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1 Gozer the Gozerian

First appearance in 'Ghostbusters'

Despite being the big villain from the first Ghostbusters movie, there isn't a lot known about Gozer. It's an ancient god, worshiped in the past by several civilizations, who disappeared for thousands of years until a 19th century businessman named Ivo Shandor became fascinated with Gozer, building a temple on a high-rise in New York which opened a portal into another dimension through which the god could return, leading to a confrontation with the Ghostbusters.

This wasn't the end of Gozer, as it returned several decades later, through another temple Shandor had constructed inside one of his company's mines. This time it was up to Egon Spengler's grandkids to deal with the threat. Gozer is one of the biggest threats the Ghostbusters have faced, with huge power and the ability to make beings appear at will.

Ghostbusters can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

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