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Gozer is the twenty-sixth chapter on the DVD of Ghostbusters. In this chapter, the Ghostbusters confront Gozer.

Cast[]

Equipment[]

Environmental[]

Locations[]

Plot[]

The Ghostbusters lined up at the foot of the stairs to the Temple of Gozer. The temple doors opened and there was a bright light. Gozer suddenly appeared between Zuul and Vinz Clortho in a pre-chosen form. Ray realized Gozer took a female form. Gozer petted Vinz on the head. He purred. Egon identified it as Gozer. Winston thought Gozer was a man. Egon stated it was whatever it wanted to be. Peter remarked whatever it was, it had to get by them. Ray agreed. Peter told Ray to go get her. Ray silently realized he fell for it. Peter gave him a nod. Ray took several steps up then addressed Gozer by name. Gozer turned to Ray. Ray stated that as a duly designated representative of the city, county and state of New York, he ordered it to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to its place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension. Peter was satisfied and thanked Ray. Gozer asked Ray if he was a god. Peter nodded "yes" to Ray. Ray replied, "No." Gozer turned its upper torso and arms back toward the temple then told them to die. Gozer fired lightning from its fingertips at the Ghostbusters. They yelled out. Zuul and Vinz watched. They were shot across the roof and barely clung to the edge of the building. The crowd of civilians down on the street could see the lightning and exclaimed. As they gathered themselves, Winston looked down at Ray and told him when someone asked him if he was a god, he should say, "Yes!" Ray nodded. Peter declared this chick was toast. They marched up to the temple side by side. Ray placed his Trap down.

Peter asked them if they got their stick. They took out their particle throwers and yelled, "Holding!" Gozer crouched down and snarled. Peter shouted, "Heat 'em up!" They switched on the throwers then shouted "Smoking!" Peter yelled, "Make 'em hard!" They shouted, "Ready!" Peter declared they were going to show "prehistoric bitch" how they did things downtown. He gave the word. They fired at Gozer. It growled then double flipped across the air. It landed on the altar outside the structure. Peter remarked she was a nimble little minx. Egon suggested they better go full stream. Ray shouted to aim for the flat top. They blasted her again. Gozer simply vanished. Peter quipped that was not so hard. Ray concluded they neutronized it and caused a complete particle reversal. Winston proclaimed, "And we have the tools. We have the talent!" Peter declared it was "Milla time!" Peter held out his right hand. Ray and Winston were gleeful and did the hand-stack. Egon looked at a Gamma Rate Meter and told Ray things looked extraordinarily bad. Ray was alarmed. Winston wondered what was happening. An earthquake rocked the temple. Egon told them to look out. Boulders and debris fell. They took cover by the altar. Civilians screamed and ran away to avoid the debris.

The disembodied voice of Gozer made its presence known and listed its titles then ordered them to choose and perish. The Ghostbusters stood up. Ray asked Gozer to clarify. Gozer explained they had to choose the form of the Destructor. Peter understood and found it cute. He explained to the others whatever they thought of like J. Edgar Hoover, J. Edgar Hoover would appear and destroy them. He told everyone to empty their heads and not think of anything. They had one shot. Gozer declared the choice was made. Peter protested. He asked Egon. Egon thought of nothing. He asked Winston. Winston asserted his mind was totally blank. Peter stated he chose nothing. Peter, Egon, and Winston turned and looked at Ray. Ray took a few steps back. Ray insisted he couldn't help it and it just popped in there. Peter inquired what he thought of. Ray tried to explain himself. Stomping and screaming from the streets interrupted Ray. Egon spotted something and yelled.

Quotes[]

Gozer: Are you a god?
Peter: Alright, this chick is toast!!
Peter: Got your stick?

All: Pulled it!
Peter: Heat 'em up!
All: Smoking!
Peter: Make 'em hard!
All: Ready!
Peter: Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown.

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia[]

  • The Temple of Gozer set was on Stage 16 in Burbank Studios in Los Angeles while the exteriors were filmed at 55 Central Park West in New York.
  • The set filled up Stage 16 and was three stories off the ground.[1][2] The height allowed the film crew to get low angle shots to create that perspective of being at the top of a building.[3]
  • John DeCuir devised and supervised the construction of the Temple of Gozer set which cost around $1 million. It would be famous for being one of the biggest indoor sets ever built in Hollywood.[4] DeCuir prepared a small foam core study model. Using a makeshift viewer, Ivan Reitman and Richard Edlund used the model to start plotting out camera angles.[5][6]
  • 40 matte paintings were created with photos and concept drawings. The enhanced skyline around the temple was done through animated lightning effects and injecting clouds of paint into a giant water tank.[7][8]
  • The whole rooftop sequence took a few weeks to film on a stage.[9]
  • The power requirements for the set were so intense that during filming, other parts of the studio had to be shut down whenever full illumination was used.[10]
  • The crew had to rent every generator in Los Angeles to light the temple set.[11]
  • A giant cyclorama encircled more than three-quarters of the temple set and which could be lit for either daylight or nighttime exposures. Shots that needed optical enhancements were filmed from a steady, rigid platform. All other shots were taken from a Chapman crane.[12][13][14]
  • According to Dan Aykroyd, Gozer was based on several things - a Gozer Chevrolet dealership in upstate New York and was a name related to a documented haunting in England, the one "Poltergeist" was based on. During the haunting, the name Gozer appeared on walls and things.[15]
  • In the original premise for the movie, Gozer was originally conceived as taking the form of Ivo Shandor. Gozer was originally supposed to look like Bert Parks. In later Aykroyd-Ramis collaborations, a Richard Young-type. Paul Reubens was to play this version and described as being a kindly looking man in a nondescript suit and tie.[16]
    • In the August 5, 1983 draft:
      • On page 122, Gozer is described as a "thin, hollow-cheeked, distinguished-looking man in his early sixties. His eyes are burning red pinholes."
      • On page 123, Winston likens him to Robert Young. Peter identifies him as Gozer. Ray goes up the stairs on his own to talk to Gozer.
    • In the October 7, 1983 draft:
      • On page 85, Ray alone suspects Shandor really is Gozer.
  • Ivan Reitman thought it might be more interesting if Gozer was rather androgynous-looking, someone like David Bowie or Grace Jones.[17][18]
  • At first Harold Ramis didn't think the androgynous look would work but later realized Gozer choosing a contemporary form made sense.[19]
  • Anna Carlisle, a punk rock singer, was offered the role of Gozer but she declined.[20]
  • During auditions, Slavitza Jovan played Gozer as a timeless figure and an "almost arrogant Roman empress" who felt regular humans were beneath her.[21][22]
  • On one day of filming, the crew had issues with opening the temple doors.[23]
  • The portal was plexiglass. To simulate smoke, dry fog was pumped during photography. Concealed operators manipulated the Terror Dogs while they rested on the pedestals.[24]
  • For the scene when Gozer arrives, László Kovács used both a strong backlight on the whole stairwell and cross light. This helped create an overexposed effect with everything bathed in light.[25]
  • The bright light from Gozer's arrival was done with a light bulb on a wire.[26]
  • When Gozer pets Vinz Clortho, the two puppeteers inside the puppet were Mark Bryan Wilson in the front and Tim Lawrence in the rear.[27]
  • The puppeteers in Zuul were Terri Hardin and Ron Gress.[28]
  • In the wide shot when Gozer walks down the steps and pets the Terror Dogs, it was only the rudimentary puppet at the time of filming. There was no teeth or mechanics for the mouth and brows ready yet. The close up shots of the Terror Dogs was of the completed puppet and was filmed months later.[29]
  • Due to Slavita Jovan's Slavic accent, Gozer's voice was dubbed by Paddi Edwards.[30]
  • Ivan Reitman was concerned Jovan's accent would come off as funny. Six to seven voices were considered. Reitman tried a traditional 'voice of God' but he thought it was too boring. He tried an effeminate male voice with mixed results. Ultimately, a very low Exorcist type female voice was chosen.[31]
  • For the sequence of Ray talking to Gozer, Ivan Reitman directed Dan Aykroyd to play Ray like a cop.[32]
  • Stunt actors were used for the part when Gozer blasts the Ghostbusters. One stunt actor was injured when he went up into the air on the wire and landed on the stone altar.[33]
  • Winston's "If someone asks you if you're a god, you say yes!" line was improvised when the scene was filmed. Harold Ramis came up with it.[34][35]
  • An early version of Winston's "If someone asks you if you're a god, you say yes!" line appears in the August 5, September 30, and October 7, 1983 drafts drafts. It is, "You should've said "yes!" He might have been willing to negotiate."
  • When Ray pulls his thrower the wire loom ends up on the wrong side of his arm and ends up wrapped around his wrist. It is still wrapped around his wrist right before it is said, "aim for the flat-top".
  • At least two of the cyclotron lights on the packs worn by Egon and Ray were burned out during the Gozer fight scene.
  • Gozer's double-flip was done by a stunt double at Entertainment Effects Group.[36][37]
  • Peter invokes the Miller High Life slogan, "It's Milla Time!"
  • Right before Egon says, "This looks extraordinarily bad," the other end of his leg hose was slid through his pack frame and is clearly sticking out near his right elbow.
  • In the August 5, September 30, and October 7 drafts, Egon uses his P.K.E. Meter after Gozer vanishes.
  • Going off Jovan's accent, in the "Choose and perish" dialogue, Bill Murray did a take where he responded 'Jews and berries? I don't understand.'[38][39]
  • At around the 1 hour, 42 minute mark of the Preview Cut, included first in the 2022 Ghostbusters Ultimate Edition, after Gozer tells them to choose and perish, Peter is confused by "Jews and berries" and wonders if it is talking to them. Peter telling Gozer they don't understand what "choose" means follows.
  • The seismic disturbance caused by Gozer was done practically with sound effects and stagehands throwing rubble.[40]
  • The ornamental lamps affixed to the exterior of the Shandor Building appear on the ex-Cardassian space station in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Fascination" (from Season 3). The lamps were even immortalized in the Star Trek Online video game.[41]
  • When Gozer causes debris to rain down on the people down below, in reality, the hundreds of extras were being hit by bits of styrofoam released from a giant crane.[42]
  • Peter mentions J. Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  • In the drafts, the example given for a hypothetical destructor form is Roberto Clemente, a Puerto Rican professional baseball right fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
    • In the August 5 and September 30, 1983 drafts, on page 126 and 125 respectively, Peter gives the Roberto Clemente example.
    • In the October 7, 1983 draft, on page 87, Ray gives the Roberto Clemente example.
  • In all drafts but the final, Ray protests nobody thought of anything then it is revealed Stay Puft was conjured up by Winston instead of Ray.[43][44]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trivia[]

  • Phoebe Spengler corrects Trevor calling Gozer a "she" and notes it is genderless. In the first movie, Chapter 26: Gozer, Winston thought Gozer was male then Egon states it's whatever it wants to be.
  • Peter refers to Gozer as "Flattop," a callback to the first movie when Ray says, "Aim for the flattop!"
  • Ray addresses Gozer to stop in a similar long-winded way like he did in the first movie.
  • Gozer asks Ray if he's a god.
  • In the end credits tag, Winston quotes one of his lines from the first movie when they thought they defeated Gozer, telling Janine "I had the tools and the talent."

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Trivia[]

  • On the second floor of the Firehouse, in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), on the employee of the month board:
    • For March, the still of Peter is from Chapter 26, around the 1:27:30 mark, when the Ghostbusters prepare to shoot Gozer.
  • Gozer's back story is further revealed in the Museum of (Super)Natural History level, in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions). Throughout the latter half of the Egyptian exhibits, in both "The Ossuary" and "Board of Trustees" areas, the Rookie can listen to audio recordings for the World of Gozer exhibits by pressing the A button. When nearing a console box, the interact option will come up. While there are nine total, six total directly pertain to Gozer.

The Real Ghostbusters Trivia[]

IDW Comics Trivia[]

  • In Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #1:
    • On page 3, Gozer asks Ray if he is a god. This time he answers "yes" but is blasted for lying.
    • On page 4, Gozer fires lightning and Ray is nearly knocked off the roof of 550 Central Park West.
  • In Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #3:
    • On page 2, "It's Milla Time" - a phrase shouted when the Ghostbusters thought they neutronized Gozer appears on one of the neon displays.
    • On page 16, Ray's "Identify yourself..." line is a variation of his 'greeting' to Gozer.
  • On page 4 of Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #6, on the newspaper, Gozer's "Choose or Perish" quote is embedded.
  • On page 4 of Ghostbusters Volume 1 Issue #8, Winston references his famous "Yes!" line.
  • The Cover RI of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #10 is a recreation of the famous scene depicting Gozer's "Then Die!" response.
  • On page 6 of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #11, one thing Kylie asks about is the first encounter with Gozer.
  • On page 17 of The X-Files: Conspiracy: Ghostbusters, Winston references Gozer's "Are you a god?" question from the first movie, much to Ray's dismay.
  • On page 10 of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #15, the It's Milla Time neon display is seen.
  • In Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #16:
    • On Page 1, Peter alludes to the Ghostbusters' storied history of facing 'Big Bads' on the top of buildings.
    • On Page 8, like the first movie, the Ghostbusters reach the roof and see a zigguart in another dimension.
    • On Page 12, the Terror Birds leap away from their positions just like the Terror Dogs did in the first movie.
    • On Page 13, Tiamat knocks the Ghostbusters backwards like Gozer did in the first movie.
  • In Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #17:
    • On Page 1, in the vision, Gozer takes on its first form in the first movie.
    • On Page 8, Ray's lines appear to be a spin on his speech to Gozer in the first movie.
  • On page 16 of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #19, Gozer's consciousness is the first form seen in the first movie.
  • On page 22 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Issue #2, in Ray's locker there is a Camp Waconda pennant.
  • On page 14 of Ghostbusters International Issue #1, the neon light displays are for Miller Time, a nod to Miller Light and Peter's line after Gozer vanished.
  • On page 20 of Ghostbusters Deviations, the timeline resets at Peter's "Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown" line. As the timeline resets, Gozer does its aerial flip and lands on the altar.
  • In Ghostbusters International Issue #9:
    • On Page 9, Peter alludes to Gozer who blasted the guys with lightning in their encounter in the first movie.
    • On Page 9, Winston alludes to Gozer's "Are you a god?" question.
  • On page 15 of Ghostbusters International Issue #10, Egon 68-R mentions Gozer and speaks of both teams' first encounters with it.
  • In Ghostbusters 101 Issue #1:
    • On the Retail Incentive Wraparound Cover, the PR photo used on the back is of the team at Gozer's altar.
    • On the What Came Before Page, the first battle with Gozer is alluded to.
  • On page 17 of Ghostbusters 101 Issue #3, panels two to three recreates scenes from the arrival of Gozer in Chapter 26 of the first movie: Ray steps up to talk to Gozer, Gozer pets Vinz, and a shot of the Temple of Gozer.
  • On the back of the RI Wraparound Cover of Ghostbusters 101 Issue #5 is a close up on Peter Venkman when the team approaches the Temple of Gozer.
  • On page 1 of Ghostbusters 101 Issue #5, panel 1, the chalk writing left of the drawing of green plant is "...Question, Yes is the answer. Right, Ray?!" is a nod to Winston's "You say Yes!" reply to Ray after Gozer blasted them.
  • On page 8 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #4, Danny is chosen to talk to Michelangelo, mirroring when Ray was elected to talk to Gozer. Danny's speech even mirrors Ray's speech to Gozer and Peter realizes this.
  • On page 4 of Ghostbusters Annual 2018, Ray attempts to communicate with Connla much like Gozer in Chapter 26 in the first movie.
  • On page 2 of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1, Gozer repeats one of its lines, "The Traveler has come."
  • On page 3 of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1:
    • Instead of the Ghostbusters, the four who face Gozer are Decepticons Soundwave, Starscream, Megatron, and Shockwave.
    • In panel 2 are the familiar twin pillars and alter that also appeared on the roof are present.
    • Gozer's counter attack mirrors when it blasts the Ghostbusters in the first movie.
  • On page 4 of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1, instead of Ray, it is Megatron who goes up the stairs to address Gozer.
  • On page 5 of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1, Gozer tells the Decepticons to choose.
  • On page 6 of Transformers/Ghostbusters Issue #1, Gozer suddenly announces the choice is made. Megatron's reaction about someone choosing mirrors Peter's. Shockwave's "what did you do?" mirrors Winston's line. Starscream is in Ray's position of having chosen the Destructor Form.
  • On page 11 of Transformers/Ghostbusters: Ghosts of Cybertron Issue #2, Egon alludes to Gozer's initial arrival in New York.
  • On page 16 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #1, Egon uses the Gamma Rate Meter, the device he used before the disembodied voice of Gozer demanded them to chose a Destructor Form in Chapter 26: Gozer of the first movie.
  • On page 9 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #3, one of the signs is changed from "Miller Time" to echo Peter's "It's Milla Time" in Chapter 26: Gozer after they open fire on Gozer a second time.
  • On page 4 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4, Egon is using the Gamma Rate Meter, famously used after Gozer vanishes in Chapter 26: Gozer.

Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Trivia[]

Hasbro Trivia[]

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord Trivia[]

  • The 23rd trophy is "I love this town!" which quotes Winston's last line in the movie.

References[]

  1. Joe Medjuck (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 49:51-49:54). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Joe Medjuck says: "And the set filled the stage. There was virtually no room on either side of it."
  2. Harold Ramis (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 49:55-49:59). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Harold Ramis says: "It was very high off the ground too. It was almost dizzying when you were up there, about three stories off the ground."
  3. Ivan Reitman (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 50:00-50:03). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "So that I could get really low angle shots to create that perspective of being at the top of a building."
  4. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 11. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Among other things, DeCuir would devise and supervise construction of the Gozer temple -- one of the biggest indoor sets ever built in Hollywood."
  5. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 107 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Prior to construction of the million-dollar set, DeCuir prepared a small foam core study model."
  6. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 107 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "With a makeshift viewing device made from cardboard, Ivan Reitman and Richard Edlund plot out possible camera angles."
  7. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 107 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Using photos and conceptual illustrations for guidance, assistant matte artist Michelle Moen roughs out one of the rooftop matte paintings. In all, more that forty such paintings were employed in the film."
  8. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 168 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph says: "The live-action master shot was later enhanced with a matte painting of the New York skyline - which also encompassed the upper portion of the apartment building and the temple top. Composited into the final scene were animated lightning effects and turbulent night skies - produced by injecting clouds of paint into a giant water tank."
  9. Ivan Reitman (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 1:23:34-1:23:49). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "The whole rooftop sequence took us a few weeks to film. It was all on this stage. The Ghostbusters are actually in there in that shot in the hole, closer you can see the guys walking around. "
  10. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 178 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "The electrical power required to light the set - one of the largest ever constructed on a Hollywood soundstage - was enormous, requiring filming in other parts of the studio to be shut down whenever full illumination was applied."
  11. Ivan Reitman (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 49:38-49:48). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "Which was painted in the old manner and then had to be lit by László Kovács. And we used every generator that was available for rent in the city of Los Angeles when we had to light the damn thing up."
  12. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 171 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Preparing for a wide master of the brightly-lit Gozer temple, the Entertainment Effects Group crew appears silhouetted against the New York skyline - actually a giant cyclorama which encircled more than three-quarters of the temple set and which could be lit for either daylight or nighttime exposures. Although most of the film's expansive production shots could be taken from a crane, any shot requiring later optical enhancement needed to be taken from a much steadier, rigidly constructed platform."
  13. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 171 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Mounted on a Chapman crane, Laszlo Kovacs' production camera is readied for a long shot of the temple."
  14. Harold Ramis (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 49:31-49:37). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Harold Ramis says: "Very tall stage. It's a 360-degree cyclorama of the city, the backdrop."
  15. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 97 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Dan Aykroyd says: "Gozer is based on several things. For one, there's a Gozer Chevrolet dealership in upstate New York. A little more to the point, though, is the fact taht Gozer was a name that related to a documented haunting in England -- the one Poltergeist was based on, in fact. During this particular haunting, the name Gozer appeared mysteriously throughout the house, written on walls and things. So we figured we might as well take something that had been reported in the public domain as an actual occurrence and use it in the film as our main demon and supernatural force."
  16. Paul M. Sammon (2009). Ghostbusters- Slimer Mode (2009) (Blu-Ray ts. 01:26:50-01:27:16). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Paul M. Sammon says: "They actually thought of Pee-Wee Herman, Paul Reubens 'cause they were gonna have Paul Reubens actually come out in a suit very similar to the one he wears or used to wear as that character Pee-Wee Herman on the TV show. So everyone thought that was a great joke, but I think cooler heads prevailed as the varying conferences and meetings and the film itself evolved and the story started to take different directions and shapes."
  17. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 170 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Appearing before the Ghostbusters as a kind of New Wave demon, the character of Gozer had passed through more drastic conceptual variations than any other creature in the film. Described in Dan Aykroyd's script as looking like Bert Parks, and in later collaborations with Harold Ramis as a Robert Young-type character, Gozer - in its final form - resembled neither."
  18. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 170 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Joe Medjuck says: "Ivan thought it might be more interesting if Gozer was rather androgynous-looking - someone like David Bowie. That idea led logically to the consideration of androgynous-looking female rock stars - someone like Grace Jones would have been perfect. Unfortunately, by the time we came up with this concept, it was too late to sign on a big name. We did retain the basic idea, however, which is why Gozer appears in the form of a woman."
  19. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 170 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Harold Ramis says: "I was not convinced that it was going to work - Gozer in five-inch spike heels and a plastic bubble suit. But, considering the fact that Gozer could take any form it wanted, it made sense that it might choose to materialize as this very contemporary figure. And there is something rather terrifying and slightly sadistic in some of these New Wave styles. Ultimately, I think Ivan's instinct paid off. Having Gozer as a woman set up some very funny lines - things like 'This chick is toast' and 'Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown.'"
  20. Harold Ramis (2005). Ghostbusters- Commentary (2005) (DVD ts. 1:26:20-1:26:33). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Harold Ramis says: "Remember you offered it to Anna Carlisle, who was a punk rock singer at the time? Her complaint was 'No, the chicks in this movie are just to be had!' "
  21. Entertainment Weekly ""Ghostbusters: An Oral History" Slavitza Jovan quote 11/7/14
  22. Labrecque, Jeff (2014). "Ghostbusters: An Oral History". Entertainment Weekly.
  23. TCU Collectibles facebook "Mark Bryan Wilson (Slimer Performer/Creature Shop, Ghostbusters) Interview" 43:35-43:59 8/30/2020 Mark Bryan Wilson says: "I remember one day they were having a little technical difficulties with those doors but you figure the doors to open up are 20 feet tall, 25 feet tall and they're on kind of a cushion of air so they can get those massive things to move so I remember waiting around for those doors to get teched out with whatever it was. They couldn't get the balance right."
  24. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 171 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "A behind-the-scenes view of the upper temple reveals its plexiglass portal and staircase - over which dry ice fog would be pumped during photography - and the hollow pedestals from which concealed operators could bring their Terror Dogs to life."
  25. American Cinematopgrapher June 1984 László Kovács says: "The idea was to use a strong backlight on the whole stairway, and also use cross light. First of all, I had to build the stop up to about f/16 because, when the ghost appears, we wanted to create this overexposed effect with everything bathed in light. I had to give the 65mm camera an f/8 stop. I used the same f/8 stop on my camera, but it needed two more stops overexposure. That's why I needed all this tremendous amount of power. Also, creating the backlight effect is really not using the full extent of the lights. If you front-light you've got overexposure much sooner. It's very difficult to overexpose with cross light and backlight."
  26. TCU Collectibles facebook "Mark Bryan Wilson (Slimer Performer/Creature Shop, Ghostbusters) Interview" 44:00-44:13 8/30/2020 Mark Bryan Wilson says: "They rigged a line that went up the middle of the stairs to put a light bulb on which was supposed to be Slavitza's character as it's first coming in. It's just basically a light on a wire."
  27. The Good, The Bad, and The Sequel Stitcher "Special Effects Master Tim Lawrence" 6:18-6:54 4/17/2019 Tim Lawrence says: "Two weeks after that wrapped, Mark Wilson, who I worked with together on Thriller, had gone on to Boss Film in Marina del Rey to work on Ghostbusters. And they were getting close to needing to shoot the Terror Dogs, the big puppets on the steps of the Temple of Gozer. And he said we need some puppeteers, can you come down and be a puppeteer? So I went down, auditioned, got a position. So that's myself and Mark Wilson are in the long horn dog - the one she pats on the head as she walks down the stairs. Mark's in the front and I'm in the back."
  28. TCU Collectibles facebook "Mark Bryan Wilson (Slimer Performer/Creature Shop, Ghostbusters) Interview" 42:26-42:51 8/30/2020 Mark Bryan Wilson says: "So the puppeteer for the Terror Dogs would have been myself. Tim Lawrence would have been on the one which would have been Vinz's character and Terri Hardin and her husband at the time was Ron. So Ron and Terri were on the other and they switched back and forth occasionally so that Ron got a chance to be on the inside."
  29. TCU Collectibles facebook "Mark Bryan Wilson (Slimer Performer/Creature Shop, Ghostbusters) Interview" 40:18-41:19 8/30/2020 Mark Bryan Wilson says: "The master shot, the pair were so tiny we decided we would like a witness camera so they put a video camera kind of off to the side and then about that up close so I believe each of the dogs had their own camera so when Slavitza would start to walk over to us, we could react. I'm in the dog in the wide shot. You will see he's got no teeth because there wasn't time to sculpt the teeth build, build the mouths, do all of that stuff so at that point I the long shot the mouths are closed. We go into the close up, she reaches down to pet the dog. It's still me in a long shot. She touches it on the head. We cut into the close up and that dog's got more teeth than Christmas and that was shot many months later when they had a chance to do all the teeth, the tongues, the inside of the mouth, the mechanics, the brows, they would move so that was a fully mechanical puppet by that time. So we had kind of a rudimentary puppet that we use of the wide shots."
  30. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 183 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Due to the actress' Slavic accent, the voice of Gozer was dubbed by Paddi Edwards."
  31. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 183 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Ivan Reitman says: "We tried for a long time to use the actress' real voice but because of her accent, I was afraid it might come off as being funny. After that, we went through six or seven different voices. I did one myself, but it wasn't very good. I tried a traditional 'voice of God' approach, but that was boring. I tried an effeminate male voice which was okay on some of the lines, but really sounded silly on others. Finally I decided on a very low Exorcist type female voice which - although it had obviously been used before - still worked out the best."
  32. Ivan Reitman (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 01:26:39-01:26:44). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "That's right. I remember telling him, "Okay, just play him like a cop right here.""
  33. countdowncitygeekcast "Bill Murray Q&A Part 5" (Wild Bill in ATX) 00:38-1:30 2/29/2024 (recorded 1/26/2024) Bill Murray says: "But the only one I didn't do was on Ghostbusters where they blasted off and everyone flies up in the air and I said "How are we going to to do this?" but they said "You're going to be on a wire" and we had a great friend of really funny comedian George Memoli who they put on a wire and they put him against the wall and cracked his brain and he was never funny again. So, I just said "You know, I'm going to skip the wire." So, and they got, you know, the some may give me a lot of "it's right here, pal" in case you were looking for it, but you know, but he proceeded to take the wire, fly up in the air and land right on the corner of that throne tablet there and they took him away. No, he's alive today but he's, you know, milking cows. That's all he can do."
  34. Josh Gad YouTube "Who Ya Gonna Zoom? | Reunited Apart GHOSTBUSTERS Edition" 13:31-13:38 6/15/2020 Ernie Hudson says: "Well, it happened, I think it was improv'ed in the moment. And I'm not sure if it was Danny or Bill's suggestion."'
  35. Josh Gad YouTube "Who Ya Gonna Zoom? | Reunited Apart GHOSTBUSTERS Edition" 13:40-13:42 6/15/2020 Dan Aykroyd says: "Th-that's a Ramis I think."
  36. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 177 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Attached to a wire rig, Slavita Jovan prepares to launch herself into Gozer's double-flip - a maneuver completed later in post-production by a stunt double."
  37. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 179 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Evading the particle streams, Gozer does an impressive double-flip - executed by a stuntswoman and shot during postproduction at Entertainment Effects Group."
  38. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 183 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Michael Gross says: "Bill did a hilarious take of this scene playing off the fact that the actress had an accent. When Gozer says, 'Choose and perish,' Bill responded: 'Jews and berries? I don't understand.'."
  39. Ivan Reitman (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 01:27:33-01:27:42). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Ivan Reitman says: "Yes, there was a long improvisational sequence involving Jews and berries... Being misunderstood as "choose and perish," from choose and perish."
  40. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 179 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "The seismic disturbance was accomplished quite simply with sound effects and bits of rubble released from above by concealed stagehands."
  41. Spook Central Facebook Page - Image Comparison
  42. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 183 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Hundreds of New York extras were pelted with cement debris - actually harmless bits of styrofoam released from a giant crane extending out over the crowd."
  43. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 184 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In all of the drafts but the final one, it is Winston - not Stantz - who inadvertently conjures up the Stay-Puft marshmallow man."
  44. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 184 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Harold Ramis says: "We had to talk Danny into it. It goes back to his generosity - he saw it as Winston's big moment. But Ivan and I both felt very strongly that it should be Dan's line. The Stay-Puft marshmallow man was, after all, Dan's creation in reality. So why shouldn't he create it in the film? He resisted for a long time, but finally accepted the notion."
  45. Eatock, James & Mangels, Andy (2008). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection booklet, p. 9. CPT Holdings, Inc.
  46. The Real Ghostbusters (2009).The Real Ghostbusters- "Doctor, Doctor" (1986) (DVD ts. 18:47-18:49). Time Life Entertainment.
  47. Egon Spengler (2009). The Real Ghostbusters - "The Haunting of Heck House" (1990) (DVD ts. 04:27-04:36). Time Life Entertainment. Egon says: "We faced demons, monsters, Gozer, multi-dimensional invasions but there is nothing you can say that will get me within a mile of Heck House."


Gallery[]

Selected Screengrabs[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Secondary Canon[]

 
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Chapter 25: Working the Crowd Chapter 27: Stay Puft Man
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