Who is Garraka? The villain of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Explained

Garraka is the otherworldly deity and the main antagonist of the film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (our review here). If you want to know every aspect of this new and incredible ghost you are in the right place. Here’s everything you need to know about the fearsome Garraka! So be careful, the article contains spoilers for the film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the new cinematic piece in the Ghostbusters saga that began with the first chapter of the 1980s, but parents’ question is legitimate: will the film be suitable for children? Although in Italy there is no specific ban relating to the age of admission to cinemas for the sequel directed by Gil Kenan, the advice we give you is to accompany your children if they are aged 13 or younger, following the US PG-13 applied to this film.

It should be underlined that in the United States, the sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Paul Rudd is PG-13, meaning that all viewers up to 13 years of age are strongly persuaded to be accompanied at the cinema by an adult supervisor; and in fact, the acronym PG in English stands for “parental guidance”, i.e. supervision of a parent or an adult companion over the age of 18. This is because, as Parents explains, Gil Kenan’s film is full of sexual innuendos and slightly scary scenes. Nothing that could deeply disturb young viewers given that the film is aimed more at the contemporary teenage generation than at those nostalgic for the 80s saga, all of whom are now adults.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: Who is Garraka?

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire expands the lore of the Ghostbusters world, introducing the powerful villain Garraka. More than just an angry spirit that the protagonists must deal with, Garraka has an ancient grudge against humanity and a plan to eliminate all living things on the planet. In his pursuit of vengeance, he intends to create a Frozen Empire, more or less freezing the world and placing it under the control of his deadly dominion. Even compared to previous threats, Garraka stands out as a true horror villain for the entire Ghostbusters film series.

Garraka proves to be a particularly resilient threat, with the characters in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire struggling to even harm the entity with proton packs. Garraka therefore proves to be one of the toughest enemies the group has ever faced, even more than Gozer. Although the film has a happy ending in which Garraka is defeated and contained again, the lingering threat established by the villain could make him an ideal figure to bring back in future chapters of the series.

Garraka‘s Past?

As explained by Hubert Wartzki’s character inside the library, Garraka was a ghostly deity recruited by an ancient king ages ago to participate in his battles. When the king achieved victory, he feared that Garraka would turn on him and try to overthrow him. Garraka responded in kind, killing countless people until a group of Fire Masters were able to bend the element to their will and use it as a tool to contain Garraka in a brass orb (the spherical object from the film). In the modern era, Garraka was summoned to New York in 1904 by a group of enthusiasts/scholars who were killed by the Death Chill (to find out exactly what it is, read the next paragraph). Fortunately, at that time Garraka was imprisoned by a Master of Fire, namely the grandmother of Nadeem Razmaadi (the character played by Kumail Nanjiani).

Garraka‘s Powers

Garraka is a particularly powerful ghost. When Ray uses the PKE reader on the orb, the device becomes overloaded with ghostly energy and explodes. Garraka displays several impressive powers throughout the film, including the lethal Death Chill (he’s called that in the original). Gaining power from the fear of others, Death Chill allows Garraka to freeze people to the point of solidifying them. While this doesn’t seem to kill them immediately, a single particular touch or sound can cause the ice to shatter, killing the person instantly. Garraka also possesses the ability to control other ghosts. Even when weakened and trapped in the Fire Masters’ brass prison, Garraka can influence other spirits and even temporarily take control of Phoebe’s spirit. However, this effect does not appear to be permanent, as Melody can rebel against Garraka at a crucial moment in the film. Garraka is also surprisingly durable for a ghost. Garraka can easily repel proton blasts and even freeze them with ease. It takes the Fire Masters’ fire and a brass-infused proton pack to finally wound him.

Garraka‘s Plan in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Garraka‘s mission in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is to permanently eliminate humanity and create a ghostly army. In addition to being imprisoned, however, Garraka must recover his horns. These are a primary source of his power and were taken from him centuries ago. Garraka‘s plan is based on forcing Phoebe to say the spell that can free him. After this, Garraka quickly retrieves his horns and sets out to kill the Fire Master before he can interfere, but he makes mistakes (and murders) by mistaking a shopkeeper for the Master.

Conclusions

Even though Garraka doesn’t physically appear in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire for the entire first half of the film, his influence is felt from the beginning. Garraka‘s ability to control other ghosts makes him a particularly dangerous threat in the Ghostbusters universe. This is why the dark god wanted to kill so many people in the past, creating a ghostly army that could annihilate enemies. Garraka spends much of the film manipulating ghosts such as Emily Alyn Lind’s character Melody, using his friendship with Phoebe Spangler as a means to trick the young Ghostbuster into freeing him so he can continue his war against humanity.