The classic comedy Ghostbusters celebrated its thirtieth anniversary on June 1, 2014, and to celebrate its anniversary, Malco cinemas brought the film back to the big screen for the first few weeks of September. The showings were limited to a select few theaters such as the Paradiso in Memphis.

I found that re-watching a film is a completely different experience in the theater than a viewing at home. The smell of the popcorn, the rows of seats, the uneven steps that, for some, cause tripping in the dark of the theater; these things all add to the film’s overall feeling that it belongs, as if it were coming home for the first time in years.

Ghostbusters being a classic film almost integral to the childhood of people spanning two generations, its return to the big screen was by no means my first viewing, yet it felt as if it could have been. The audience’s reaction around me guided my emotional journey through the film so much that I laughed at every joke as if it were the first time I heard it.

The sense of nostalgia that came with the viewing was astounding; memories of my fear of the ghosts, my love of the characters and my naivety towards some of the jokes aimed at a more mature audience filled my head, and a sort of euphoria overtook me. Where mentions that Ray is “not gonna lose the house” because “everybody has three mortgages nowadays” previously flew over my head, I was fully able to enjoy the hilarity of the film as the writers intended upon this viewing.

Films’ stays in theaters are fleeting, and the experience of the theater is one unmatched by the experience of a viewing at home. Movie tickets may be expensive, and theaters are generally far enough away from a residence that they require the effort of driving, but experiencing a film in theaters can be the best way to view it.

Although Ghostbuster’s return to theaters has since concluded, the film’s hilarious, age-defying quality warrants another viewing even limited to the small screen. The film itself, while it admittedly lacks the animation capabilities of the modern day, has aged to perfection, and thus remains an important collection to this reviewer’s library.