Stranger things in Georgia: 'Real-life' Ghostbuster wows, helps others in Savannah
Ever watched a movie and dreamt of that being your life? Few can come as close as Jared Claxon has to fulfilling that fantasy.
Since the first time he watched "Ghostbusters" as a kid, Claxon been enamored with the supernatural, growing up to become a paranormal investigator. He recalled one of his more notable experiences at a private home in Florida:
"There was an old-fashioned book case, the kind with doors that you had to open to get the books," he said. "I was facing the wall and I felt a whoosh go by my head and then a smack. I looked and there was a thick, hard-back book that had flown by my head and smacked into the wall."
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But that's not where it ends for this die-hard "Ghostbusters" fan. One of his long-time dreams had always been to have his own Ecto-1, the iconic hearse fashioned into an emergency vehicle driven around by the Ghostbusters. He eventually got his hands on a 1996 Cadillac S&S hearse, and with the time and boredom brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Claxon went to work on it until his hearse screamed "I ain't 'fraid of no ghost."
The car doesn't actually scream, but it does have that original siren as well as most every detail of the Ecto-1 from the movie: The paint job, the license plate, a roof decked out in gear, a ghost hood ornament, and more. However there is at least one detail about Claxon's Ecto-1 that's different from the original story: Claxon lives in his.
"I planned the living design of it into a way where it kind of flows," he said. "There's a sleeping area and storage area for clothing for clothing and tools and stuff like that...It definitely took some getting used to initially."
Spotting the Ecto-1 has become a fun activity in Savannah, with many residents going online and posting pictures of it around town. Claxon has his own social media presence on Instagram and TikTok where he's known as "The Velvet Vampire" because he's known to dress like a Victorian vamp. His content features shots of the Ecto-1 out and about, closer looks at his occasional tweaks, and his spooky trips. Claxon's also been known to sport his own custom Ghostbuster jumpsuit and Proton Pack prop.
But while he could earn some good money appearing at parties, Claxon refuses to profit from his Ghostbuster treasures, preferring they be used to bring people smiles and helping others.
"When Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd created Ghost Corps with Sony, they really laid down some ground rules for being a Ghostbuster and one of them was 'Do it for a good cause, do it for something that you believe in,'" Claxon said. "Even though I've had multiple people say 'I'll pay you this much to be here' I just can never do it because I would much rather have it be donated to Parkinson's research or cancer research or some kind of kids fund."
Savannah fans may see less of the Ecto-1 soon as Claxon is moving to Florida to take care of his mother. However, he hopes to move back within the next year or so and intends to visit Savannah often in the meantime.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Jared Claxon drives Ghostbusters' Ecto-1 car around Savannah
