Is the new ‘Ghostbusters’ really about a sapphic ghost romance?

There are far too many reboots these days of classic franchises — but if those reboots are going to add sapphic representation to the afterlife, maybe they’re not so bad.

The reboot in question is the new movie Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, a follow-up to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which continued the story of the 1980s film series.

One of the main characters in Frozen Empire is Phoebe Spengler, played by Mckenna Grace, the granddaughter of original ghostbuster Egon Spengler (aka Harold Ramis). Busting ghosts is in Phoebe’s genes — but when she meets a teenage ghost named Melody (played by Emily Alyn Lind), the two have an undeniable connection that borders on romance.

Spoiler alert: Phoebe is so desperate to physically touch Melody that she temporarily turns herself into a ghost, just so they can be together. If that doesn’t scream codependent homoerotic friendship, I don’t know what does.

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The film’s director Gil Kenan sees Phoebe and Melody’s relationship as the heart of the story. 

“We’ve never had a character in these stories that is a ghost with a new story to tell. The ghosts have always been the thing that you point your wand at. And with Melody, we have, for the first time, a character that has a voice and a story to tell,” Kenan told ScreenRant.

“For Phoebe, who is searching for her place in her family, is searching for her role as a Ghostbuster, because that is on rocky ground, there is this really poignant irony that the one person who she seemingly connects with happens to be the person that she, by lineage, by instinct, by ability, should be pointing her proton wand at,” Kenan said. “And that creates a real fertile ground for drama and character and part of what makes the central beating heart of this story.”

But does Frozen Empire truly count as sapphic representation? Phoebe and Melody never actually admit to having feelings for one another, nor do they kiss or share any physical intimacy beyond the norm for friends.

Still, their chemistry is enough to bring the queers of the internet to the movie theater. Perhaps our acronym should expand to LGGBTQ+ — the second G being for “ghosts,” of course.