Who You Gonna Call? Claire Bueno on the 12-Year Journey Behind CLEANIN’ UP THE TOWN: Remembering Ghostbusters

Ahead of Halloween night, who you gonna call when you want to know everything about one of the most loved films of all time (particularly popular and watched again and again on Halloween)? Film-maker and author Claire Bueno has the answer! Her new book CLEANIN’ UP THE TOWN: Remembering Ghostbusters takes readers right behind the scenes of the original 1984 Ghostbusters movie – packed with fascinating stories, unseen moments and interviews with 56 members of the cast and crew, including Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and director Ivan Reitman.

The book is not just about ghosts and gadgets – it’s also a true labour of love. Claire and her brother, director Anthony Bueno, spent 12 years bringing their dream project to life, creating the most detailed look ever into how this cinematic classic was made. From friendship and family teamwork to the movie’s lasting magic across generations, this is a story that celebrates creativity, nostalgia and the power of never giving up on a passion project.

In this warm chat with London Mums Magazine, Claire shares what kept her inspired, why Ghostbusters still makes families laugh together after 40 years, and what it really takes to turn a childhood favourite into a film-maker’s dream come true.

Claire, Anthony — this project has been a true labour of love spanning over a decade. Looking back, which moment in the 12-year journey felt the most ‘supernatural’ — when things just magically came together?

It really has, Monica. 12 years to release a documentary, then another three years to write a book. Someone once joked, ‘Wow. You could have raised a teenager by now.’ A sobering thought, but they have a point. We had our European Premiere at the BFI IMAX. This is where Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise have their premieres – an utter pinch yourself moment, even more so because documentaries rarely premiere there. We stood on the stage with such pride giving our speech. We’d over come so much adversity and yet here we were, (at the time) standing on the stage of the biggest screen in Europe, introducing our indie documentary made with little money but a bountiful amount of love and commitment to the craft.  – That felt pretty supernatural.

Ghostbusters has always been about teamwork under pressure. How did your own sibling dynamic mirror (or perhaps clash with!) the Ghostbusters’ camaraderie?

LOL great question! We think it mirrors the Ghostbusters because we recognise and work to each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We have an awful lot of respect for one another, and we believe the Ghostbusters do, as do the actors themselves. Interesting you talk about roles and dynamics as I am the eldest sibling and by default the one that takes charge – OK, OK I’m the bossy one! LOL. But Anthony is the director, so very much in charge. We hadn’t thought of it before, but we do believe we adapted very well to that change in roles. Again, it goes back to the respect we have for one another. I 100% believed in Anthony’s vision and he’s a good leader. Did we and do we always get on? No, of course not, but we respected (that word again) each other enough to give ourselves the space we needed. We were brought up to look out for each other, and we do to this day.

The Eighties gave us an era of fearless creativity — no CGI safety nets, just imagination and practical effects. What did revisiting that hands-on film-making world teach you about storytelling today?

The magic of it all! These guys are geniuses. We say in the book they are the Michelangelos of our generation. There was so much ingenuity and innovation happening; we were in awe, as they would tell us how they conceived of an idea, then have to develop mechanisms – literal mechanisms to accomplish their task. Building cameras, then liaising with Kodak to develop the film stock. It’s like a masterclass in problem solving. For instance, when the police car crashes into the fire hydrant. That’s not water spraying, its silica sand. The subway ghost in the montage, is a rod puppet in a water tank (think fish tank) filled with saline solution to give the effect of buoyancy. What about Slimer? He’s an actor, Mark Bryan Wilson, performing in a green, rubber suit. What it has taught us, is when things are made practically, they belong to the physical world, they are tactile, they are real. What it also taught us, is about the camaraderie and teamwork. There’s no such thing as a bad idea; the artists were given the platform to create and collaborate. I believe that all of this translates on to the big screen.

Halloween is around the corner — if you could call on one Ghostbusters character to help tidy up your house after a family Halloween party, who would it be and why?

Winston Zeddemore. Winston played by Ernie Hudson who wrote the foreword for the book is who we’d choose. Winston is the everyman in the film; he represents the audience. Winston knows if you make a mess, you’re the one that’s gonna have to clean it up. He’s practical and pragmatic.

The book is described as ‘the definitive oral history’ of Ghostbusters. What surprised you most about the honesty or vulnerability of the cast and crew when you revisited their memories?

Just how honest they are! We reported from the red-carpet for many years; we have a company called Premiere Scene and we’d interview the all the film stars at their film premieres. They are there to sell the film which comes with a certain propriety and decorum. With conducting interviews for a retrospective film, one which literally broke box office records and became a legitimate phenomenon there’s much more openness and willingness to cast their minds back and reminisce about the good old days. But also, many had retired, so that too came with its own honesty – not all of it was said on camera though! LOL.

Many parents reading London Mums magazine grew up with Ghostbusters — and now their children are discovering it for the first time. Why do you think the film continues to resonate across generations?

A question we put to all our interviewees! The film is lightening in a bottle. In short, it’s the perfect blend of fun and frights. But when you look at it deeper, you have loveable characters, who go into business for themselves, so at a human level, we relate to the risk they’re taking, it gives us rooting interest. Then you add all the spectacle of catching ghosts that just unlocks something in our imagination. There’s an honesty and naivete which starts with the Ray character, played by Dan Aykroyd – known as ‘the heart’ of the Ghostbusters. Aykroyd is a spiritualist, so the story starts from a truthful place. There’s a tremendous chemistry between all of the actors. You have these great improv actors playing up against all these accomplished theatre actors and it’s lightening on screen. The visual effects are sublime. Richard Edlund came out of Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), his team had worked on the original Star Wars films, so you have the crème de la crème. Ghostbusters resonates today and crosses generations because it has the best, of the best, of the best.

You’ve interviewed legends like Sigourney Weaver and Dan Aykroyd. Was there one interview that completely shifted your understanding of what made Ghostbusters work as a film?

Yeah, Harold Ramis’ interview for sure. Harold not only played Egon Spengler, but he co-wrote Ghostbusters with Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman. We were with him all afternoon, he was putting appointments off in order to keep talking to us. He kept apologising, saying, ‘Sorry, am I talking too much?’ – Can you imagine?!  His interview was so in-depth that it served as the backbone of the documentary. His interview is the foundation, as to the strength of the script, characters, and how that all of that tied in with the visual effects. We believe we are the final people he spoke to at length in relation to his time working on Ghostbusters, before his passing. We just feel so honoured he said ‘yes.’ to us.

Claire, typing all those transcripts by hand is an act of dedication! Was there a moment you felt like throwing your foot pedal out of the window — and what kept you going?

You’re absolutely right I did! I couldn’t tell you the word count, but it’s a 577-page book so there was a lot of typing! LOL. For me, I had to reconnect with the interviews I had conducted – some of them from over a decade ago. I could have used some transcribing tool, but just a personal goal; I had to feel that I had written the book.  But to answer your question, they kept me going, the people. The doc and the book at its very heart is a celebration of all these wonderful personalities. To sit each day transcribing, in the company of Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Richard Edlund and all of the unsung heroes who’s ‘tools and talent’ contributed to making the film, is just an absolute honour and a privilege.

The Ghostbusters’ mantra was “don’t cross the streams.” As documentary makers and now authors, what’s the creative “stream” you never cross when telling your stories?

You don’t treat people badly. We hope we have treated everyone with respect, not just the people we interviewed but also our small crew who worked on the doc and book. We hope we have conducted ourselves with honesty and integrity, and in doing so we hope that translates into the work.

Claire’s book is available from Amazon, The BFI, The Great British Bookshop and GhostbustersDoc.com

Monica Costa

Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums