Ghostbusters Wiki
Ghostbusters Wiki
Ghostbusters Wiki
6,972
pages
in: Locations, GB:FE Locations

Paranormal Research Center

Sign in to edit


The Paranormal Research Center is a research and development facility dedicated to the study of ghosts and other paranormal phenomena and development of new technologies for ghostbusting.

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Before Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire[]

A long time ago, there was once a triborough aquarium on Staten Island. The aquarium ceased operations at an undisclosed point. In recent time, it was a squatter's paradise and rave venue. Winston Zeddemore bought the property and founded the Ghostbusters Engineer Corps and the Paranormal Research Center. He kept their existence a secret from the new team of Ghostbusters but a select circle including Janine Melnitz, Ray Stantz, and Peter Venkman knew about it. Winston hired Lars Pinfield, a parabiologist, as well as a parabotanist, paramusicologist, a scientist named Ruth Myers and many others. Lucky Domingo was also brought in as an engineering intern. A new Containment Unit with an expanded capacity was built at the center but Winston decided to wait until it was ready to show it off to the new team. A new model of Proton Packs with a tri-arm yellow bumper and other modifications was also worked on. All haunted items bought by Ray on his "Repossessed" show were donated to the Paranormal Research Center for extraction in the Ionic Separator. Exorcised items were placed in cases and kept for further observation. Pukey, Bonesy, and Possessor were captured and kept in special enclosures for further study. Pukey was placed in an exhibit formerly used for a Lionfish. Bonesy was placed in an exhibit formerly used for a Diamondback Terrapin.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire[]

In summer of 2024, Janine, Winston, and Lars met with the new team and went over Egon Spengler's original designs for the Containment Unit then the problem of it running out of space. Trevor Spengler asked why another Containment Unit couldn't be built. Lars was surprised they didn't know already. Winston admitted his engineers already did. Winston introduced them to the Paranormal Research Center and its mandate to think about the future, answering the questions ghostbusting poses. Lucky tested a Compact Thrower in the shooting range. She sliced the target in half and was happy to see Trevor standing outside the range. They hugged. Gary recognized a Sony Walkman Sport and grabbed it but it munched at his fingers. Lars took it away and revealed it was possessed by an evil Spin Doctor CD. He pointed out a Haunted Grandfather Clock haunted by the ghost of a grandfather. Gary laughed. Lars demonstrated the Ionic Separator with the Haunted Discman. Phoebe Spengler inquired if they tested it on living possession yet. Lars replied they were still tweaking. He deposited the ghost into the Containment Unit. Winston presented it to the team. Ray remarked it could spin the equivalent of 50 million cubic hectares of plasmic confinement, a space equal to the American West. He and Gary did a riff on "Home, Home on the Range". When Callie Spengler asked how long it would take to transfer all the ghosts in the Containment Unit to the new version at the center, Lucky estimated it would take three to seven years if they went Trap by Trap in regular shifts. Ray handed the plastic bag holding the Orb of Garraka to Lucky and wished her luck on extracting the spirit.

Phoebe looked at an enclosure but saw nothing. Once she turned to ask Winston what it was, Bonesy appeared. Winston confirmed Proton Fields worked on the same technology as Proton Packs and kept the ghosts on display in their enclosures. Gary and Callie looked at one of the ghosts being studied, Pukey. They found it cute and waved. It hurled Ectoplasm towards them. Ray instantly recognized Possessor and called it the most threatening pest in the facility. Possessor jumped from a table centerpiece, into the ceiling light, a plate, a lamp, a folding chair, a TV stand, the vintage Sony television set, a Hoover vacuum cleaner, cup, candy dish, and a pair of scissors. It then launched the scissors towards Trevor Spengler and hit the glass pane. Ray laughed. That night, Lars and Lucky extracted ghosts from several spirit-loaded objects, including a Haunted Doll. Possessor, while in possession of a folding chair, tapped on its enclosure to get Lars's attention. Lars informed it he was too busy to play but promised if it was good, he would give it a tennis ball. It stopped tapping. Lucky chose the Orb of Garraka next but it resisted extraction in the Ionic Separator and the center lost power. Possessor damaged its glass pane with the folding chair. Lars was able to restart the Proton Fields before any ghosts escaped. He grabbed the orb but his hand suddenly started to freeze. He screamed in pain but managed to drop the orb onto the floor.

The next day, Ray and Podcast returned to the Paranormal Research Center and learned about Lars's findings regarding the orb. Lars used a grabber claw to pick up the orb and placed it up against the Puft Terrarium. The Mini-Pufts inside jumped towards the glass, smashing themselves flat. While everyone watched the Mini-Pufts, Possessor's Proton Field was sabotaged by the Death Chill. It escaped through the cracks in its glass, jumped into a mop leaning against its enclosure, and hid in Podcast's audiovisual gear. Ray was amazed by the Zero Kelvin temperature, extreme thermodynamic excurions, and thought transference of the Orb. Ruth Myers tested a Slime Blower and doused another in Psychomagnotheric Slime. Lars and Lucky, along with Trevor, visited Nadeem Razmaadi to learn more about the Orb. Nadeem was brought to the Paranormal Research Center after Lucky got P.K.E. readings off of him. Nadeem was outfitted with the Aura Video-Analyzer helmet by Lucky. Peter Venkman assured Nadeem he was only asking garden variety questions. He started with asking Nadeem if he was a human. He noted it was easy to answer unless he was possessed by a cross-dimensional beast. Nadeem confirmed he was human. Peter asked if he loved or killed puppies. Nadeem answered with the former. Peter asked him twice if he felt deja vu. Nadeem caught on. Peter threw a pen at his face. Lucky noticed a Bunsen burner flame reacted. Peter asked if he would eat a small child with its skin on or skinless. Nadeem was appalled and tried to stall by asking he meant a human child. Peter inquired if there were any other kind. Nadeem declared the interview was over. Peter noted he refused to answer. Nadeem panicked and asked if the child was related to him. Peter asked if that was necessary. Nadeem pointed out he brought it up and he didn't want to eat either. Peter threw a pen twice more into his face. Peter, Lars, and Lucky all saw Nadeem, in his highly emotional state, was unknowingly manipulating the flame. Nadeem asked if he passed.

After some light breaking and entering in the evening, Phoebe gained access to the Paranormal Research Center and entered with Melody. Phoebe booted up the Ionic Separator while Melody stared at the Orb of Garraka. Phoebe explained the Separator would temporarily split her spirit from her body and allow them to exist on the same dimensional plane for two minutes then she would regain consciousness. Phoebe went into the Separator. Her spirit was extracted and she emerged from chamber II in spirit form. Phoebe quoted Melody's "Boo" from an earlier encounter but she noticed something was wrong. Melody apologized. Garraka took control of both Phoebe's spirit and body and made her recite the chant to free him from the orb. Melody explained Garraka could control only ghosts and not humans. Phoebe's ghost-walking was a loophole that Garraka exploited to gain his freedom. Melody claimed Garraka was her only chance to see her family again because she believed he could open the door to the Other Side. The orb rose up from the desk and completely disassembled into pieces. A black smokey mass was left and spread across the room. Phoebe was freed. She and Melody looked up at a pair of eyes and heard Garraka say, "Your world will shatter. Bones and ice. My empire will rise." Melody vanished and Phoebe was back in her body. Garraka manifested his corporeal form. Lucky slid a Trap toward him and opened fire with an upgraded Proton Pack but the stream had no effect on Garraka. He froze the stream and it fell to pieces on the floor. The pack froze and turned off. Lucky began to freeze as Garraka left the building. The next day, Callie and Gary rushed into the lab and found Phoebe and Lucky huddled in Parka Uniforms on the floor. They tried to explain but Gary told them all that mattered was they were okay. Lars saw the pieces of the Orb and knew they were in trouble. They left for the Firehouse in Ecto-1 and Ecto-Z to prepare for a confrontation with Garraka.

Trivia[]

  • At one point, the name was going to be the Paranormal Discovery Center.[Note 1] The name was accidentally used in the initial digital release's special features section.
  • The exterior shots of the Paranormal Research Center were filmed outside the Lyons Pool on Staten Island.[1][2]
  • The interior shots of the Paranormal Research Center was a set in Winnersh Film Studios in Wokingham, United Kingdom.[3]
  • The design of the interior of the Paranormal Research Center was inspired by an Art Deco aquarium that operated in the 1930s in Baltimore, Maryland.[4]
  • The blue tile on the walls are not real glazed ceramic tile. In reality, they are just plaster with layers of paint.[5]
  • The fish wall sculptures on the corridor walls were inspired by the Berlin Zoo.[6]
  • The horn bought for the narwhal hanging in hallway was 1 meter too long so set decoration had to jam the horn into the narwhal's nose.[7]
  • The haunted plant at the parabotanist's station was hooked up to several wires to give the idea that the scientist was studying to see to what extent is the plant haunted: just a leaf or down to the chlorophyll and cells.[8]
  • The haunted cello at the paramusicologist's station was hooked up to suggest the scientist was monitoring sounds like modern day ghost hunters using heart monitors and similar medical devices.[9]
  • The paramusicologist uses a Panasonic Toughbook CF-29 laptop.
  • Nine ghost targets were made for the on-set pyrotechnics.[10]
  • As demonstrated in the March 21, 2024 episode of Tested's set visit, the haunted Sony Discman Player props were operated with a Futaba T16IZ digital transmitter.
  • The more aggressive of the two haunted Sony Discman Players had a servo receiver battery that also drove a leg at the bottom that acted like a ratchet and allowed it to hop around.[11]
  • Gil Kenan specifically brought the haunted dolls to set.[12]
  • The new Containment Unit was originally straight along one wall but it was deemed boring and filling up too much wall. Eve Stewart and Gil Kenan decided to give it the L-design.[13]
  • For the Puft Terrarium, Eve Stewart looked up what lab animals were kept in and bought a spinning disc tower from a cake store.[14]
  • The Ionic Separator was painted yellow as a contrast to the color of the ghosts that appear in them in the movie.[15]
  • The Ionic Separator took about a month to complete.[16]
  • Armorer Doug McCarthy made the Pukey set puppet.[17] He hand carved it from a closed cell white foam and it was used for the actors to perform to and with during filming.[18]
  • The ectoplasm made for Pukey was referred to as Ecto Puke. The colors were yellow with a little bit of green.[19][20]
  • Doug McCarthy made and shot all the Ecto Puke for Pukey.[21]
  • Over 24,000 pints of Pukey's ectoplasm was made for practical on-set use and testing.[22]
  • A compressed air slime system was rigged to emit the ectoplasm from the on-set Pukey puppet's mouth. For each scene, it would shoot 28 pints.[23]
  • At some point during production, Bonesy was swapped into the movie in Phosphor's place.[24][25]
  • Possessor's enclosure includes a 1969 Sony Trinitron KV model TV and a 1978 Hoover Junior vacuum cleaner.
  • The Aura Video-Analyzer helmet is connected to a Commodore PET 2001 Series personal computer.
  • The door to a room full of recordings has the maid service door sign from the beginning of the first movie.
  • Several cassette recordings in the Paranormal Research Center have the Zeddemore Industries logo.
  • A motion controlled camera was used to film the part when Phoebe ghostwalks out of the Ionic Separator.[26]
  • Originally, Garraka's form was going to revealed gradually from a vapor with the suggestion of eyes to the completed form.[27]

Appearances[]

Primary Canon Appearances[]

Notes[]

  1. ↑ In an email exchange between Paul Rudoff of the Spook Central website and Eric Reich of Ghost Corps on May 8, 2024, Reich revealed, "They are going to correct on digital, and hopefully in time for physical. At one point it was called the Paranormal Discovery Center which is how the mistake occurred."

References[]

  1. ↑ Spook Central "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Production Notes" 3/22/2024 Eve Stewart says: "We knew we had to have an exterior for this aquarium in New York, so we found a big, round building on Staten Island that we could use as the exterior. That, in turn, informed the very aqueous shapes and corridors and arches we have designed inside. And it seemed natural to have empty fish tanks for the ghosts to live in."
  2. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 00:36-00:48 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "Well, we saw a really brilliant exterior on Staten Island/ A round building which Gil and I, well mainly Gil, fell in love with and then I really bought into so I just imagined what the inside looked like."
  3. ↑ horacestunts instagram 4/6/2024 Kevin Mangold writes: "Research Lab Winnersh Film Studios, Wokingham, UK."
  4. ↑ Spook Central "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Production Notes" 3/22/2024 Eve Stewart says: "We wanted to set it in an abandoned aquarium. I did a lot of research and found an amazing deco aquarium that had existed in Baltimore in the 1930s -- that gave me the inspiration for all the tiles and the shapes."
  5. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 1:38-1:59 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "These ones are real process and what's been amazing because obviously you're on a budget and tile and the plasterers again together with the painters are just genius. The ones I work with so these look like really really well glazed ceramic tiles but they're not. They're just plaster with layers of paint but now you must look up because there's a really exciting graffitied narwhal."
  6. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 00:53-1:12 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "This tile, I did loads of research on abandoned aquariums and I found an amazing one from the 30's in Baltimore and they had these incredible glazed tiles and then so I embraced that completely and then after that I was looking at other aquariums and I found these in Berlin Zoo."
  7. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 2:05-2:13 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "This is from one of those and but to fit in the curved corridor was a meter too long so poor narwhal, we just had to shove it in his nose."
  8. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 3:18-3:33 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "Yeah, so we've attached all these wires to different liquids to find out with the osmosis that the plant's doing and the chlorophyll and moving through its cells. What's happening-is it every vells is possessed or is it a whole leaf? I'm trying to work that out."
  9. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 3:41-3:59 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "If you look up what happens when real ghost hunters are on the trail of a ghost, they definitely listen to sound, and sound vibrations and waves of wound so we were trying to think how to express this with a cello and then I just thought the heart monitor."
  10. ↑ Ghostbusters Fans PukieDoug reply 3/1/2024 Doug McCarthy says: "We did the on set pyro for the ghost targets there were about 9 of them that."
  11. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested "The "Possessed" Props of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire!" 2:37-3:07 3/21/2024 Mark Bullimore says: "So just to show you, I've taken the interior panel off so there's a servo receiver battery. The servo is driving two actions so you get the little leg at the bottom and that's got a little one way sort of ratchet so it'll move forwards. It can or I can get it as I've got it at the moment so it jumps."
  12. ↑ Den of Geek YouTube "How Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Director Gil Kenan Got Bill Murray to Return AGAIN | Talking Strange" 13:07-13:28 3/24/2024 Gil Kenan says: "The haunted dolls that are interacted with in this film are all dolls that I personally brought to set to be able to put on screen because I, too, come from the same dark corner of the world that you and Dan do which is that we are open to wonder."
  13. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 4:34-5:00 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "Because we did have it and it was much straighter on the wall and it didn't look great. It looked a bit boring and it was filling up too much wall and suddenly with Gil, we came in and I went 'what if we just chop it in half?' and he went 'turn it around the corner' and suddenly it all came to life. We were running outside and finding bits of pipe and handles and I think the joy of it is it became a kind of collaborative event trying to create something that worked."
  14. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 5:55-6:26 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "This is a--it's a containment unit where all the Mini-Pufts who've kind of gone off their heads are stored now and what I did is this is, I looked at a laboratory-keeping creatures, that's terrible-but I looked at those and often you get these kind of turning discs so we found one of these in a cake store. Found this and then like we've done loads of illustrations where the Mini-Pufts have gone completely bananas and then sort of reenacting medieval torture on each other with lab equipment."
  15. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 8:13-8:17 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "Often the ghosts are kind of bluey so I just thought the yellow's a real good contrast."
  16. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours The Ghostbusters Research Lab Set!" 8:37-8:54 3/26/2024 Eve Stewart says: "We probably went like probably about a month and then we did some adaptation but I think we were both of the mind of this-the right shapes from quite early on and we've got loads of original sketches from me and him in a big book."
  17. ↑ Ghostbusters Fans Doug McCarthy reply 12/18/2023 Doug McCarthy says: "I made Pukey ( an on set puppet for the actors to react to) for the film amongst lots of other things can't tell you anything about him though until it's public."
  18. ↑ Ghostbusters Fans Doug McCarthy reply 3/8/2024 Doug McCarthy says: "The Pukey on set puppet I hand carved from a closed cell white foam . He was used for the actors to perform to and with."
  19. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Gets SLIMED on the Ghostbusters Set!" 2:34-2:40 3/5/2024 Doug McCarthy says: "We've made another one called Ecto Puke. Yes, Pukey."
  20. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Gets SLIMED on the Ghostbusters Set!" 2:43-2:49 3/5/2024 Doug McCarthy says: "It's a lot of yellow. Bright yellow with a bit of green in it just to give this luminescent horribleness."
  21. ↑ Ghostbusters Fans PukieDoug post #2 2/23/2024 PukieDoug says: "I made and shot all the Ecto puke for Pukey , was a lot of fun but messy work."
  22. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "Making Slime On Set - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" 00:14 3/8/2024 Factoid reads: "Over 2,400 pints of Pukey's slime were made for practical on-set use and testing."
  23. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "Making Slime On Set - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" 1:44 3/8/2024 Factoid reads: "The compressed air system was rigged to shoot 28 pints of slime for each Pukey scene."
  24. ↑ Ghostbusters Fans Doug McCarthy post #1 3/26/2024 Doug McCarthy says: "Strange how they Left phosphor’s tank in this video as he was cut from the film and Bonesy put in his place."
  25. ↑ Ghostbusters Fans Doug McCarthy post #2 3/26/2024 Doug McCarthy says: "No that is Bonesy, they released a toy of him early on, wasn't in the script we had. Phosphor was VERY different and had his own scene later on . So am hoping he may be in the deleted scenes. I made the on set puppet which was filmed on and he was scanned by Vis FX but maybe they did not rendor him . Who knows. There were some changes after and during the script writer and SAG strikes . So very hard to know . I finished on Firehouse at the end of June last year."
  26. ↑ beforesandafters "Making slimer, a sewer dragon and those Mini-Pifts for 'Frozen Empire'" 21:49-22:06 4/29/2024 Jason Greenblum says: "There was one shot I think they used motion control for and it really helped and it was the one where she came out of the separator and had the two of them together, but every other shot was handheld or on a dollie so it was all recreated."
  27. ↑ beforesandafters "Making slimer, a sewer dragon and those Mini-Pifts for 'Frozen Empire'" 23:22-24:30 4/29/2024 Jason Greenblum says: "Originally, the idea for him was that he was going to reveal in that initial moment when he gets released from the orb as 90 percent vapor. Maybe you would see the suggestion of eyes. Maybe where was some shoulder. Something in there but it's going to be just all vapor but it evolved into this thing where he was torso and a lot of vapor and then as he realized in this world he would get more and more formed, it was--effects is always a challenge. They don't work. They take more time than you expect them to. There's challenges you didn't expect. And I think with Garraka, it was no different. How thick was the vapor? How much movement would it have? And landing on the final result turned out nice the way the vapor had an otherwordly feel and cold and the parts of adding the icy quality to him and his Death Chill breath."

Gallery[]

Primary Canon Images[]


Behind the Scenes Images[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
More Fandoms