EXT. MANHATTAN ISLAND - DAY
A high AERIAL SHOT of the island features the Statue of Liberty
prominently in the foreground then TRAVELS ACROSS the harbor, OVER the
Battery and Lower Manhattan to Greenwich Village.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - DAY
A car is being hoisted up by a municipal tow truck while its owner is
having a terrible screaming arguement with a parking enforcement officer.
DANA BARRETT comes home pushing a baby buggy, struggling with two full
bags of groceries, and trying to dig her keys out of her purse. The
building superintendent FRANK, sees her struggling but pretends not to
notice.
DANA
(exasperated)
Frank, do you think you could give me a hand
with these bags?
FRANK
I'm not a doorman, Miss Barrett. I'm a
building superintendent.
DANA
You're also a human being, Frank.
FRANK
(reluctantly going to help)
Okay, okay. It's not my job, but what the
hell. I'll do you a favor. He takes the
grocery bags from her.
DANA
(setting the wheel brakes on
the buggy)
Thank you, Frank. I'll get the hang of this
eventually.
She continues digging in her purse while Frank leans over the buggy and
makes funny faces at the baby, OSCAR, a very cute nine-month old boy.
FRANK
(to the baby)
Hiya, Oscar. What do you say, slugger?
FRANK
(to Dana)
That's a good-looking kid you got there, Ms.
Barrett.
DANA
(finding her keys)
Thank you, Frank. Oh, are you ever going to
fix the radiator in my bedroom? I asked you
last week.
FRANK
Didn't I do it?
BABY BUGGY
It starts to vibrate as if shaken by an unseen hand.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - BABY - DAY
He GURGLES with delight at the movement.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - DANA AND FRANK - DAY
Neither of them notice the movement of the carriage.
DANA
No, you didn't, Frank.
FRANK
Okay, that's no problem.
DANA
That's exactly what you said last week.
BUGGY WHEELS
The brakes unlock themselves.
DANA
She reaches for the handlebar of the buggy, but the buggy rolls forward
just out of her reach and stops. Surprised by the movement, she reaches
for the handlebar again, but this time the buggy rolls away even
further. Alarmed now, Dana hurries after it, but the buggy keeps
rolling down the street at ever increasing speed.
SIDEWALK
Dana chases the buggy down the street, shouting to passing pedestrians
for help, but every time someone reaches out to stop it, the buggy
swerves and continues unchecked.
INTERSECTION
Cars, trucks, and buses speed by in both directions as the buggy races
toward the corner.
DANA
She puts her head down and sprints after the buggy like an Olympian.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - INTERSECTION - DAY
A city bus is on a collision course with the speeding baby buggy.
BUGGY
It careens toward the corner.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - BABY - DAY
Its eyes are wide open with excitement.
EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - INTERSECTION - DAY
Bus and buggy are closing fast as the buggy bounces over the curb and
into the crosswalk.
BUS
The bus driver reacts in helpless horror as he sees the buggy enter the
intersection at high speed.
BUGGY
It comes to a dead stop right in the middle of the street. The bus
continues missing the buggy by inches.
INTERSECTION
Cars and trucks swerve and hit their brakes as Dana runs into the
intersection and snatches up the baby. She hugs it close, deeply
relieved, then looks at the buggy with the dawning awareness that the
supernatural has re-entered her life.
CUT TO:
EXT. UPPER WEST SIDE - NEW YORK CITY STREET - GHOSTBUSTERS LOGO - DAY
THEME MUSIC kicks in strongly as we see the familiar "No Ghosts" symbol
and PULL BACK to reveal that it's painted on the side of Ecto-1, the
Ghostbusters' emergency vehicle, which is speeding up Broadway on the
Upper West Side. RAY STANTZ is driving and WINSTON ZEDDEMORE is riding
shotgun.
EXT. WEST 77TH STREET - DAY (MOMENTS LATER)
The Ectomobile pulls up in front of a carefully-restored brownstone.
Stantz and Winston, wearing their official Ghostbuster uniforms, jump
out of the old ambulance, shoulder their proton packs and enter the
house.
INT. BROWNSTONE - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
A WOMAN greets them and leads them through the expensively-furnished
house.
STANTZ
(all business)
How many of them are there, ma'am?
WOMAN
Fourteen. They're in the back. I hope you can
handle them. It's been like a nightmare.
WINSTON
How big are they?
She holds her hand out indicating about four feet.
WINSTON
(resolute)
We'll do our best, ma'am.
WOMAN
They're right out here.
She leads them to a set of French doors that open into another room.
Stantz and Winston pause to make final adjustments to their equipment.
STANTZ
Ready?
WINSTON
I'm ready.
STANTZ
Then let's do it.
He pushes through the French doors and they step into the room.
INT. BROWNSTONE - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
They are immediately attacked by fourteen or fifteen screaming KIDS
between the ages of seven and ten.
KIDS
(disappointed)
Ghostbusters!! Boooo!!
Tables are set with party favors, ice cream and birthday cake and the
room is strewn with discarded toys and games. A couple of weary parents
sink onto lawn chairs as Stantz and Winston take over the party.
WINSTON
(trying his best)
How you doin', kids?
LITTLE BOY
(nasty)
I though we were having He-Man.
STANTZ
He-Man couldn't make it today. That's why
we're here.
BOY
My dad says you're full of crap.
STANTZ
(stopped cold)
Well, a lot of people have trouble believing
in the paranormal.
BOY
No, he just says you're full of crap and that's
why you went out of business.
He kicks Stantz in the leg. Stantz grabs him by the shirtfront.
STANTZ
(low and menacing)
I'm watching you.
(to Winston)
Song.
Winston switches on a tiny TAPE RECORDER which starts PLAYING the
Ghostbusters THEME SONG. Stantz and WInston start singing
STANTZ AND WINSTON
'There's something wrong in the neighborhood.
Who you gonna call?'
KIDS
(all together)
He-Man!!
CUT TO:
EXT. WEST 77TH STREET - DAY (LATER)
Stantz and Winston wearily load their equipment into the Ectomobile.
WINSTON
That's it, Ray. I've had it. No more parties.
I'm tired of taking abuse from over-privileged
nine-year-olds.
STANTZ
Come on, Winston. We can't quit now. The
holidays are coming up. It's our best season.
They get in the car
INT. ECTO-1 - DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)
Stantz tries to start the car, but the engine won't turn over.
WINSTON
Give it up, Ray. You're living in the past.
Ghostbusters doesn't exist anymore. In a year
these kids won't even remember who we are.
STANTZ
(tries to start the car again)
Ungrateful little Yuppie larvae. After all we
did for this city.
WINSTON
Yeah, what did we do, Ray? The last real job
we had we bubbled up a hundred foot marshmallow
man and blew the top three floors off an uptown
highrise.
STANTZ
Yeah, but what a ride. You can't make a
hamburger without chopping up a cow.
He turns the key again, the ENGING TURNS OVER, then starts GRINDING and
CLUNKING disastrously, chewing up vital parts and dropping twisted bits
of metal onto the pavement. Finally, with a BLAST of black sooty
exhaust from the tailpipe, Ecto-1 shudders and dies. Frustrated, Stantz
bangs his head lightly on the steering wheel
CUT TO:
INT. WKRR-TV STUDIO RECEPTION AREA - DAY (LATER)
A bank of monitors in the lobby show the program now running on WKRR,
Channel 10 in New York. We PUSH IN ON one of the monitors as a title
card and logo come up accompanied by some EERIE SYNTHESIZER MUSIC, and
we return to the show in progress: "World of the Psychic with Dr. Peter
Venkman." There is a video dissolve to a standard talk show set and
sitting there is our host PETER VENKMAN, the renowned and somewhat
infamous ex-Ghostbuster.
VENKMAN
He turns TO CAMERA and talks to his viewers in a suavely engaging tone,
understated and intimate.
VENKMAN
Hi, welcome back to the 'World of the Psychic,'
I'm Peter Venkman and I'm chatting with my guest,
author, lecturer and of course, psychic, Milton
Anglund.
(to his guest)
Milt, your new book is called The End of the
World. Isn't that kind of like writing about
gum disease. Yes, it could happen, but do you
think anybody wants to read a book about it?
MILTON
Well, I think it's important for people to know
that the world is in danger.
VENKMAN
Okay, so can you tell us when it's going to
happen or do we have to buy the book?
MILTON
I predict that the world will end at the
stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.
VENKMAN
This year? That's cutting it a little close,
isn't it? I mean, just from a sales point of
view, the book just came out, right? So you're
not even looking at the paperback release for
maybe a year. And it's going to be at least
another year after that if the thing has
movie-of-the-week or mini-series potential.
You would have been better off predicting 1992
or even '94 just to be safe.
MILTON
(irritated)
This is not just some money-making scheme! I
didn't just make up the date. I have a strong
psychic belief that the world will end on New
Year's Eve.
VENKMAN
(placating)
Well, for your sake, I hope you're right. But
I think my other guest may disagree with you.
Elaine, you had another date in mind?
The CAMERA REVEALS ELAINE, an attractive, aggressive New Jersey
housewife, sitting on the other side of Venkman.
ELAINE
According to my sources, the world will end
on February 14, in the year 2016.
VENKMAN
Valentine's Day. That's got to be a bummer.
Where did you get that date, Elaine?
ELAINE
I received this information from an alien. I
was at the Paramus Holiday Inn, I was having
a drink in the bar when he approached me and
started talking. Then he must have used some
sort of ray or a mind control device because
he made me follow him to his room and that's
where he told me about the end of the world.
VENKMAN
Your alien had a room in the Holiday Inn?
ELAINE
It may have been a room on the spacecraft made
up to look like a room in the Holiday Inn. I
can't be sure, Peter.
VENKMAN
(humoring her)
No, you can't, and I think that's the whole
problem with aliens; you just can't trust them.
You may get some nice ones occasionally like
Starman or E.T., but most of them turn out to
be some kind of lizard. Anyway, we're just
about out of time.
(does his wrap-up right TO
the CAMERA)
Next week on 'World of the Psychic,' hairless
pets.
(holds up a hairless cat)
Until then, this is Peter Venkman saying ...
(puts a finger to his temple
and sends out a though to his
viewers)
... Good night.
CUT TO:
INT. TV STUDIO - CORRIDOR - DAY (LATER)
Venkman comes out of the studio squabbling with his producer, NORMAN, a
well-meaning young incompetent.
VENKMAN
Where do you find these people? I thought
we were having the telekinetic guy who bends
the spoons?
NORMAN
A lot of the better psychics won't come on the
show. They think you're too skeptical.
VENKMAN
Skeptical! Norman, I'm a pushover. I think
professional wrestling is real.
There is a small commotion down the hall as two plainclothes cops come
out of the next studio followed by a group of mayoral assistants.
VENKMAN
(to Norman)
What's all this?
NORMAN
They just interviewed the mayor on 'Cityline.'
VENKMAN
The Mayor! He's a friend of mine.
Venkman starts down the hall as the MAYOR and his principal aide, JACK
HARDEMEYER, come walking out of the studio.
VENKMAN
(calling to the Mayor)
Lenny!
The Mayor sees Venkman, blanches and hurries off, pretending not to know
him.
VENKMAN
(starts to follow him)
Lenny! It's Pete Venkman!
The plainclothesmen cut Venkman off and Hardemeyer puts a heavy hand
against Venkman's chest.
HARDEMEYER
(snide)
Can I help you?
VENKMAN
(dangerous)
Yeah, you can get your hand off my chest.
Hardemeyer smiles and drops his hand.
HARDEMEYER
I'm Jack Hardemeyer. I'm the mayor's assistant.
What can I do for you?
VENKMAN
I'm an old friend of the mayor's. I just
want to say hello to him.
HARDEMEYER
(scornful)
I know who you are, Doctor Venkman. Busting
any ghosts lately?
VENKMAN
No, that's what I want to talk to the mayor
about. We did a little job for the city a
while back and we ended up getting sued,
screwed and tattooed by deskworms like you.
HARDEMEYER
(bristling)
Look, you stay away from the mayor. Next fall,
barring a disaster, he's going to be elected
governor of this state and the last thing we
need is for him to be associated with two-bit
frauds and publicity hounds like you and your
friends. You read me?
Hardemeyer walks off with the two cops.
VENKMAN
Okay, I get it. But I want you to tell Lenny
that, because of you, I'm not voting for him.
CUT TO:
EXT. MANHATTAN MUSEUM OF ART - DAY
The broad front steps of the museum are crowded with tourists and
visitors. Dana arrives carrying a portfolio and artist's tackle box and
enters the museum.
INT. MUSEUM - RESTORATION STUDIO - DAY (LATER)
We are FULL-FRAME ON a larger-than-life, full-figure portrait of VIGO
THE CARPATHIAN, a demented and sadistic 16th century despot with an
incredibly powerful evil presence. Then we PULL BACK to reveal the
studio, which is a large open space on the top floor of the museum, lit
by large skylights in the ceiling. Working on the Vigo painting is
JANOSZ POHA, a youngish art historian and painter, the head of the
department, quirky, intense and somewhat creepy. Janosz is staring
longingly across the room at Dana.
DANA
She is carefully cleaning a 19th Century landscape painting, still
preoccupied by the extraordinary near-accident with the buggy. Janosz
watches her for a moment, then comes up behind her and looks over her
shoulder.
JANOSZ
(with an East European accent)
Still working on the Turner?
Dana jumps, startled by the intrusion.
DANA
Oh, yes, I got in a little late this morning,
Janosz.
JANOSZ
You know, you are really doing very good work
here. I think soon you may be ready to assist
me in some of the more important restorations.
DANA
Thank you, Janosz. I've learned a lot here,
but now that my baby's a little older, I was
hoping to rejoin the orchestra.
VIGO PAINTING
At the mention of Dana's baby, the figure of Vigo miraculously turns his
head and looks at Dana.
JANOSZ AND DANA
Neither of them notice the movement in the painting.
JANOSZ
(disappointed)
We'll be very sorry to lose you. Perhaps I
could take you to lunch today?
DANA
Actually, I'm not eating lunch today. I have
an appointment.
(looks at her watch)
In fact, I'd better go.
She starts gathering up her things.
JANOSZ
Every day I ask you, and every day you've got
something else to do. Do I have bad breath
or something?
DANA
(trying to brush him off)
I'm sorry. Perhaps some other time.
JANOSZ
Okay, I'll take a raincheck on that.
Janosz smiles at her as she exits, then goes back to his easel.
JANOSZ
(to himself)
I think she likes me.
He switches on an English language TAPE and starts practicing the
phrases as he resumes working.
CUT TO:
EXT. UNIVERSITY - DAY
Dana Barrett crosses the quad and enters a modern building. A sign
identifies it as "The Institute for Advanced Theoretical Research."
INT. UNIVERSITY - DAY (A LITTLE LATER)
Dana is explaining the buggy incident to EGON SPENGLER, the soberly
intellectual techno-wizard and former Ghostbuster, as he conducts an
experiment assisted by a research team of graduate students, all of whom
are Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. The device he is testing is a black
box about the size of a Sony Watchman with both digital and graphic
displays.
DANA
... and then the buggy just suddenly stopped
dead in the middle of the street
SPENGLER
Did anyone else see this happen?
DANA
Hundreds of people. Believe me, I didn't
imagine this.
SPENGLER
I'm not saying you did. In science we always
look for the simplest explanation.
An ASSISTANT interrupts.
ASSISTANT
We're ready, Dr. Spengler
SPENGLER
(to the Assistant)
We'll start with the negative calibration.
He picks up the device and prepares to test it.
DANA
(curious)
What are you working on, Egon?
SPENGLER
I'm trying to determine whether human
emotional states have a measurable effect on
the psychomagnetheric energy field. It's a
theory Ray and I were working on when we had
to dissolve Ghostbusters.
An assistant draws a curtain revealing a large picture window, actually
a two-way mirror, that looks into a small waiting room. Inside the
waiting room they can see but not hear a youngish couple having a heated
arguement.
SPENGLER
(to Dana)
They think they're here for marriage
counseling. We've kept them waiting for two
hours and we've been gradually increasing the
temperature in the room.
(checking a heat sensor)
It's up to 95 degrees at the moment. Now my
assistant is going to enter and ask them if
they'd mind waiting another half-hour.
As Spengler, Dana, and the research team watch, the assistant enters the
waiting room and tells the couple about the new delay. They explode
with anger both at him and each other while Spengler monitors them
through the glass. After recording his readings, he returns to his
Assistant.
SPENGLER
We'll do the happiness index next.
(to Dana)
I'd like to bring Ray in on your case, if
it's all right with you.
DANA
Okay, whatever you think -- but not Venkman.
SPENGLER
Oh no.
DANA
(affectedly casual)
Do you ever see him?
SPENGLER
Occasionally
DANA
How is he these days?
SPENGLER
Venkman? I think he was borderline for a
while there. Then he crossed the border.
DANA
Does he ever mention me?
SPENGLER
No. Not that I can recall.
They move to another two-way mirror through which they can see a lovely
little girl playing with a wonderful array of toys.
DANA
(slightly disappointed)
Well, we didn't part on very good terms and
we sort of lost track of each other when I
got married.
The Assistant interrupts again.
ASSISTANT
We're ready for the affection test.
SPENGLER
(to the assistant)
Good. Send in the puppy.
DANA
(continuing)
I thought of calling him after my marriage
ended, but --. Anyway, I appreciate you're
doing this, Egon
They watch as another assistant enters the playroom with an adorable
Cocker Spaniel puppy and gives it to the little girl. Spengler monitors
her as she jumps for joy and hugs the little dog.
DANA
(handing him a card)
This is my address and telephone number.
Will you call me?
SPENGLER
Certainly.
DANA
Egon, I'd rather you didn't mention any of
this to Peter if you don't mind.
SPENGLER
I won't.
DANA
Thank you.
She shakes his hand and exits.
SPENGLER
(to his assistant)
Now let's see how she reacts when we take
away the puppy
CUT TO:
EXT. RAY'S OCCULT BOOK STORE - DAY (LATER)
It's a small basement shop located on a quaint commercial block in
Greenwich Village. The window is crowded with occult artifacts and old
books full of arcane metaphysical lore. The TELEPHONE RINGS.
STANTZ
(v.o., answering the phone)
Ray's Occult.
INT. RAY'S OCCULT BOOKS - CONTINUOUS
The shelves are jammed floor to ceiling with books on the paranormal.
Ray sits on a barstool behind the counter wearing an old cardigan
sweater over a T-shirt. He has on a pair of reading glasses and chews
on a battered, reeking pipe. As he talks on the phone he prepares a cup
of herb tea for Spengler who is thumbing through an arcane text.
STANTZ
(on the phone)
Yeah ... mmhmm ... What do you need? ... What
have I got? I've got alchemy, astrology,
apparitions, Bundu Magic Men, demon
intercession, U.F.O. abductions, psychic
surgery, stigmata, modern miracles, pixie
sightings, golden geese, geists, ghosts, I've
got it all -- what are you looking for? ...
Don't have any. Try the stockyards.
He hangs up.
SPENGLER
Who was that?
STANTZ
Some crank. Looking for goat hooves. Come
up with anything?
SPENGLER
(referring to the book)
This one's interesting. Berlin, 1939, a
flower cart took off by itself and rolled
approximately half a kilometer over level
ground. Three hundred eyewitnesses.
STANTZ
You might want to check those Duke University
mean averaging studies on controlled
psychokinesis.
SPENGLER
(going to the stacks)
Good idea.
The bones hanging over the door rattle as Venkman enters the shop.
VENKMAN
Oh, hello, perhaps you could help me. I'm
looking for an aerosol love potion I could
spray on a certain Penthouse Pet that would
make her unconditionally submit to an unusual
personal request.
STANTZ
Oh, hiya, Pete.
VENKMAN
So, no goat hooves, huh?
STANTZ
(strung)
I knew that voice sounded familiar. What's
up? How's it going?
VENKMAN
Nowhere -- fast. Why don't you lock up and
buy me a sub?
STANTZ
(slightly evasive)
Uh, I can't. I'm kind of working on something.
Spengler steps out of the stacks.
VENKMAN
Egon!
SPENGLER
Hello, Venkman.
VENKMAN
How've you been? How's teaching? I bet
those science chicks really dig that big
cranium of yours, huh?
SPENGLER
I think they're more interested in my
epididymis.
VENKMAN
I don't even want to know where that is.
Venkman steps behind the counter and takes a beer from Ray's mini-fridge.
STANTZ
Oh, your book came in, Venkman. Magical
Paths to Fortune and Power.
He hands Venkman the book.
VENKMAN
Great.
(reading the contents)
So what are you guys working on?
STANTZ
Oh, just checking something for an old friend.
VENKMAN
Who?
STANTZ
(at a loss)
Who? Just -- someone we know.
VENKMAN
Oh, Ray --
He grabs Stantz by both ears and pulls up.
VENKMAN
Who? Who? Who?
STANTZ
Aaah! Nobody! I can't tell you!
VENKMAN
Who, Ray?
STANTZ
(giving in)
Dana! Dana Barrett!
Venkman lets go of his ears and smiles. Spengler looks at Stantz and
shakes his head.
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