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Terror Dogs are a vicious breed of demonic hellhounds found in the Ghostbusters franchise dating back to the original film.

Terror Dogs are large and bulky monsters vaguely resembling actual dogs but have horns and glowing eyes as well as a degree of intelligence and can possess human beings as vessels. The most famous Terror Dogs in Ghostbusters canon were the two loyal servants of Gozer known as Zuul and Vinz Clortho.

Canonicity[]

The Terror dogs in the Primary Canon is developed from Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Staues of them cameo In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), a Secondary Canon, Ghostbusters (1984) pre-date the game, Ghostbusters: Afterlife conflicts with the game. The Terror dogs (prime) appear in the IDW Comic Series, a Secondary Canon, which follows Ghostbusters (1984) and also includes some elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions); as well as being canon to Tobin's Spirit Guide (Insight Editions).

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Tobin's Spirit Guide[]

The Terror Dogs were some of the entities recorded in Tobin's Spirit Guide, including illustrations. One passage in the guide was, "The souls of the dead are ruled by a mighty god Gozer and protected by a powerful Gatekeeper and Keymaster. In order for Gozer to rise up and walk the human plane again, Gatekeeper and Keymaster must assume the form of beasts."[1] The Terror Dogs were depicted as two horned, dog-like, demonic monsters with blazing red eyes and powerful dark-colored bodies. Zuul, The Gatekeeper, and Vinz Clortho, The Keymaster, were famed as the loyal minions of Gozer the Gozerian.

Ghostbusters (1984)[]

In 1984, Zuul and Vinz Clortho manifested from Terror Dog statues on the roof of Dana's apartment building. Zuul stalked Dana Barrett and first appeared inside her refrigerator and later possessed her body in her kitchen. Vinz then appeared in Louis Tully's apartment in the middle of a party and chased him down in Central Park before it took possession of his body. After possessing both tenants the Terror Dogs changed their personality radically. Dana, her body now possessed by Zuul, became hypersexualized. She aggressively seduced Peter Venkman when he arrived for their previously scheduled date, later exhibiting further signs of her demonic Terror Dog possession when she levitated off her bed and growling inhumanly when Peter rejected her advances. Then Louis, became an even clumsier version of his non-possessed self. First stumbling around Central Park, confusing The Gatekeeper for a carriage horse, then presenting his signs of possession by flaring his eyes red and growling at a coachman when he offered him a ride, which gets him arrested and dropped off at the Ghostbusters' headquarters.

Both Terror Dogs later sought each other out, seizing the opportunity caused by the explosion at the Ghostbusters' Firehouse. Zuul and Vinz finally met inside Dana's apartment, kissing passionately and immediately headed for the building rooftop to complete their ritual union. After completing their mating ritual, the two possessed beings were struck by lightning which they used to open the temple door to secure Gozer's arrival then, with the doorway fully open, Zuul and Vinz completed their transformation from Dana and Louis' human forms to their original demonic, Terror Dog bodies. With their transformation complete, they took their places besides Gozer. Later, they become charred statues of their demonic bodies once Gozer was defeated, trapping Dana and Louis inside of them until the Ghostbusters broke them free.

For more detailed information, please continue to Zuul and/or Vinz Clortho articles.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife[]

In summer 2021, the Terror Dogs Zuul and Vinz Clortho manifested at the Shandor Mining Company property in Summerville, Oklahoma but Egon Spengler intervened and trapped Vinz before they could complete their ritual and summon Gozer. Several says later, Vinz was accidentally released by Gary Grooberson, Phoebe Spengler, and Podcast. The next night, Vinz possessed Gary at the Summerville Walmart then the next day, Zuul possessed Callie Spengler at the Farmhouse. Once Zuul saw the ritual was no longer being disrupted by Egon's Proton Cannons, she fled the Farmhouse in search of Vinz then they completed their ritual union. They went to the temple inside the Shandor mine, were struck by lightning, and transformed into their Terror Dog forms. Gozer emerged from the sacrificial death pit in the mine. Phoebe and Podcast were able to trap Zuul with a Remote Trap Vehicle and drove back to the Farmhouse with Callie and Trevor Spengler. Gozer was reduced to a disembodied form but it and Vinz followed them to the farm. Gozer liberated Zuul who possessed Lucky Domingo and transmogrified into her Terror Dog form. Gozer was restored to full power. The hundreds of buried Traps were successfully activated and captured Gozer, Zuul, Vinz, many ghost wisps, and the Psychokinetic Atmospheric Influence above the property. The Terror Dog bodies became charred husks, trapping Gary and Lucky inside until Trevor broke them out.

Secondary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions)[]

In Central Park's Cult Cemetery Shandor Mausoleum, there are two statues of Terror Dogs seen in the room where Ivo Shandor absorbed enough energy to take on a Supreme Destructor Form.

IDW Comic Series[]

As a protracted civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons came to an end on Cybertron when the former left the planet. The Decepticons were unable to pursue them due to the presence of Gozer, Zuul, and Vinz Clortho. Zuul and Vinz' took on robotic forms. 1000 years ago, give or take, in 1984, they took on similar but organic-like forms. The Terror Dogs appeared at Gozer's side when he induced telepathic contact with Ray during the Tiamat incident.

Tertiary Canon History[]

In "The Real Ghostbusters" not much is known about the creatures, however Winston remembers them as the Ghostbusters confronted one in one parallel dimension, ruled by the demon Thole. The Ghostbusters confronted them a few more times. They also appeared in NOW Comics briefly and in Marvel Comics.

  • For more information of the animated version of Terror dogs go to the animated article.

In the 2016 Ghostbusters movie, a Terror dog statue can be seen floating briefly in the Portal. Terror Dogs were present as a enemy in Ghostbusters Activision Video Game (2016).

Ghostbusters: Afterlife ScARe[]

During the ghost invasion in Summerville, Casey Drews reported on a Terror Dog sighting caught on a video posted on social media. In the video, a girl found a Terror Dog in the garbage and wanted to keep it as a pet. Upon seeing the creature, the mother shut the door on it in fear.

After the recruit obtained a power cell for their Proton Pack, a Sentinel Terror Dog appeared and engaged the recruit while surrounded by a smoke-like shield. After the recruit destroyed the stone nodes maintaining its shield, the Sentinel battled them by tossing fireballs before eventually getting trapped.

At some later point, Zuul appeared in a video message for the recruit, having possessed Lucky. Stating that Gozer was coming, Zuul said to wait for the sign and once "the prisoners" would be released, humanity would perish in flame. After releasing Lucky, Zuul let out a roar.

After the recruit obtained the lever for the Trap Field, Vinz Clortho burst from its statue shell and engaged the recruit, charging at them. During the fight, Clortho tagged in Zuul and vice versa. After a grueling battle, Clortho and later Zuul were trapped by the recruit.

Zuul, Clortho, and the Sentinel were eventually freed from the Containment Unit by Gozer. Clortho participated in the climatic showdown, engaging the recruit while Gozer recovered. However, the Terror Dogs were recaptured by the recruit using the Trap Field.

Classification[]

Secondary Canon Classification[]

IDW Comics/Insight Editions Classification[]

Terror Dogs such as Zuul and Vinz Clortho are Class 7 fully corporeal possessors.[2]

Tertiary Canon Classification[]

Ghostbusters: The Board Game Classification[]

Terror Dogs such as Zuul and Vinz Clortho are Class 6s.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife ScARe Classification[]

The Sentinel Terror Dog is a Class 6, whereas both Zuul and Vinz Clortho are both Class 7s.

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia[]

  • The Keymaster-Gatekeeper concept was a struggle during production and was finalized very late into it.[3]
  • Zuul was originally a generic term for the other-dimensional creature that would later evolve into the Terror Dogs.[4]
  • During preproduction, dozens of designs were drawn up for the Terror Dogs. A spiny hammerhead creature was designed by John Daveikis to accompany Dan Aykroyd's original script. A lumbering dim-witted creature was conceived by Thom Enriquez. A Robert Kline concept had the Terror Dog look like a dragon. It was a constant debate if the design should be humorous, horrific or both.[5][6][7]
  • One of Robert Kline's designs was for a svelt Terror Dog would become Dana and a short lumpy one become Louis.[8]
  • Ultimately, Thom Enriquez designed the approved look, Kurt Connor made the preliminary sculpture from the sketch, and the concept was refined by Randall William Cook, sculptor and stop-motion animator.[9][10] Cook was shown a maquette of the Terror Dog based on Thom Enriquez's concept design. Cook found it too cartoonish and something that could not be animated. He was asked to submit his his design. Cook went for something more anatomically valid and his design became the final look.[11]
  • Randall William Cook worked on a small sculpture while the crew in the 'ghost shop' made a full size scale sculpt. When both were finished, they were sectioned off for plastic molds to be made.[12][13]
  • The stop motion version of the Terror Dog was created by using a miniature armature positioned inside its plaster mold prior to injection of the foam latex.[14]
  • In earlier drafts, the Terror Dogs were sympathetic creatures from another dimension trying to escape from Gozer. They sought help from the Ghostbusters in the form of humans. In terms of design, they began as rotting dead dogs dug up from the grave then evolved into the final look. Despite not looking canine, the name 'Terror Dog' stuck.[15]
  • In early storyboards, the Terror Dogs were clumsy. Vinz Clortho would have slid into Louis' wall then caused his bookselves to collapse in one gag that was omitted.[16]
  • The original Terror Dog puppets were actually dark brown, not black.[17]
  • When encountered by humans, one such creature has been mistaken for the following:
  • In the Temple of Gozer scene, stop motion Terror Dogs scaled the stairs and full-size figures rested on the pedestals.[21]
  • Stuart Ziff, from the shop that built the Terror Dogs, was paranoid about the figures being broken on set and was vehement on telling everyone not to touch it. On the first day of shooting at the Temple of Gozer, Bill Murray petted one of the Terror Dogs. One of its horns fell and shattered.[22]
  • The Terror Dogs at the Temple of Gozer were only capable of limited movement because the fully articulated ones weren't finished yet.[23]
  • Bill Murray played a prank on Robin Williams when he visited the Temple of Gozer set with Chevy Chase. He had puppeteer Harrison Ray go into the Terror Dog puppet and stay still until his cue. Murray invited Williams to take a good look at the puppet. When Williams was about to touch it, Harrison Ray roared and raised the puppet's front paws. Williams stumbled backwards and almost fell off the set but Murray and others present grabbed him in time. Williams was not angry and instead laughed at how good they got him.[24]
  • On the Temple of Gozer set during lunch, Terri Hardin ate inside the Terror Dog puppet while watching "All My Children" on the video monitor used to see outside.[25]
  • On the Temple of Gozer set, Bill Murray sneaked up on Terri Hardin while she was in the Terror Dog suit during her lunch break and spooked her.[26]
  • After the Ghostbusters crossed the streams, the initial plan was have the Terror Dogs simply transform back into Dana and Louis but Ivan Reitman came up with the idea of the charred bodies to create suspense for Peter Venkman and the audience.[27]
  • The charred Terror Dogs were made from a very lightweight and fragile foam material.[28]

Ghostbusters II Trivia[]

  • In the August 5, 1988 draft, Ray mentioned the Terror Dogs on page 5 at the birthday party.[29]
  • In the August 5, 1988 draft, page 83, (and September 29, 1988 draft on page 85), Peter alluded to the Terror Dogs when talking to the Mayor.[30]
  • In the November 27, 1988 and February 27, 1989 drafts:
    • On page 27, Dana asks if it's in her genetics that makes her vulnerable to the supernatural. Peter asks if she means like when she turned into a Terror Dog. He calls it a total coincidence.
  • In the Ghostbusters II deleted scene Dana's Curse, Peter mentions how Dana was turned into a Terror Dog.[31]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trivia[]

  • Concept artist Brynn Metheney did anatomy studies on the Terror Dog and generated a lot of extra details about them in her designs:[32]
    • Terror Dog eyes can glow hot red and white with malice. Their pupils are triangle shaped to constantly honor Gozer with their gaze.
    • Terror Dog tongues are forked and exhibit backward facing barbs for licking up the flesh of mortals.
    • Terror Dog drool is a toxic and viscous substance. It's been noted to smell like an odd combination of jasmine and ammonia.
    • Terror Dog claws are made of a rare compound containing keratin, carbon and ferrocerium. This combination causes Terror Dog claws to produce sparks as they run across hard surfaces.
    • The large spurs on the back of the Terror Dog's foot are formidable. They are composited of rigid bone and hardened nail to deliver a nasty blow to who or whatever is on the other end. Both males and females have these spurs.
    • The Terror Dog is a heavy set Class VII Metaspectre.
  • The Sentinel Terror Dog started out as a different character. Francois Audouy asked Brynn Metheney to design a "Terror Dog Minotaur." She suggested the name "Sentinel" based on Dungeons & Dragons. It was a guardian and an "in-between" creature.[33][34]
  • Afterlife ScARe and other merchandise for the film refer to Vinz Clortho's Sentinel form as a seperate entity known as the "Sentinel Terror Dog".
  • Gary Grooberson choosing to play "Cujo" for his students was not meant as an allusion to the Terror Dog.[35]
  • The teenagers looking down the Shandor mine shaft and seeing a figure say "Gozer" mirrors the first movie when Dana Barrett looked in her refrigerator and sees a Terror Dog say "Zuul".
  • The close up of the red eye on the Terror Dog statue was a nod to when a similar manifestation happened in the first movie, Chapter 16: Dogs Drag Dana, of the Terror Dogs starting to break out of their statues.
  • At one point, there was talk of changing the look of the Terror Dog. Arjen Tuiten felt strongly against that and wanted to keep the iconic look. He put his foot down and the original look was kept.[36]
  • The Terror Dog puppet in Afterlife:
    • Arjen Tuiten met with Jason Reitman around January 2019 and they quickly hit it off within 10 minutes. Reitman visited Tuiten's shop a week later and talked about some ideas.[37]
    • About a week later, Tuiten got a call asking if he would be willing to do the Terror Dogs as well. He quickly agreed to. Sony gave him access to never-before-seen stills of the original puppets and reference material for the sculptures.[38][39]
    • Arjen Tuiten and his team wanted to stay with the process used by the Boss Films crew rather than scanning and milling one out in foam. They started with making a Terror Dog maquette. Steve Koch sculpted the maquette. They photographed it, projected ut on the wall four times the size, made an armature, and used 600 pounds of wet clay. They spent two weeks sculpting.[40]
    • The large sculpture was led by Norman Cabrera, a creature effects artist, Tanner White, Danny Wagner, and Bryan Ray. As time went on, workers came in sets to work on different aspects of the Terror Dogs.[41]
    • Bill Sturgeon, of Spectral Motion, took lead on the Terror Dog's body skin. All other head foam skins and cosmetic elements were handled in Tuiten's shop.[42]
    • Bill Sturgeon scanned the core and designed all the internal head and body mechanisms then Jurgen Heimann built them.[43]
    • Ended up weighing close to 450 to 500 pounds.[44][45]
    • Foam latex was chosen over silicon for the Terror Dog puppet due to weight issues. Silicon would have been about 500 pounds heavier.[46]
      • Lacking an oven of proper size, Tuiten turned to Bill Fesh for the foam skin.[47]
    • Had teeth made with acrylic.[48]
    • Had horns and nails made with urethane resin.[49][50]
    • Had 21 servos in its face to help create subtle expressions. One mouth movement took up to three people to perform it.[51][52]
    • Bill Sturgeon placed a linear actuator in the stomach of the Terror Dog puppet to mimic realistic breathing.[53]
    • Had drool that was actually a product called UltraSlime.[54]
  • When Gary Grooberson comes upon Vinz Clortho eating bags of dog food, Jason Reitman didn't think the sound the Vinz crunching the food sounded violent enough, so re-recording mixer Will Files added the sound of a lion eating an animal.[55]
  • For the Terror Dogs in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, re-recording mixer Will Files had work with sounds with low fidelity quality. Using the originals as a foundation, they edited it, augmented it, added their own voices pitched down to blend with the animal sounds.[56]
  • Vinz Clortho's snarl was one of the most complicated movements for the puppet. Bill Sturgeon used cables to work alongside the servo motors in the lips.[57]
  • The Terror Dog was a mix of puppetry and CGI.[58]
  • The crew studied various things for the Terror Dog's movements, including the Running of the Bulls and how the bulls regained their footing after smashing storefronts.[59]
  • For the close up shot of Vinz stomping on the hood of Gary's car, puppeteer Rob Binion wore a mechanical Terror Dog arm controlled by a series of cables.[60] The leg was so big, a human arm could not reach the foot so cables were used for the ankle and toe movements.[61]
  • The shot of Vinz sitting on the hood of Gary's car was done practical and with CG instead of the puppet because the back half was never made so it could be attached to a cart for mobility.[62]
  • Jason Reitman was adamant about the visual effects team following Tuiten's sculpture so the maquette and sculptures were scanned and used for their models.[63]
  • Possessed Callie and Grooberson's transformation into Terror Dogs mirrors Dana Barrett and Louis Tully's transformation in the first movie, Chapter 25: Working the Crowd.
  • The Terror Dog puppets were too heavy for the initial temple set so it had to be reinforced overnight to compensate.[64]
  • There was talk of Arjen Tuiten's shop doing stop motion animation for the parts when the Terror Dogs run up the stairs and when Callie and Gary transform. However, they simply ran out of time during production and the idea was discarded.[65]

The Real Ghostbusters Trivia[]

IDW Comics Trivia[]

Ghostbusters 2016 Trivia[]

Miscellaneous Trivia[]

See Also[]

Appearances[]

Primary Canon Appearances[]


Expanded Universe

Secondary Canon Appearances[]


Tertiary Canon Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Podcast (2022). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 6 (2021) (Blu-Ray ts. 37:58-38:25). Sony Pictures. Podcast says: "The Sumerians believed in a land of the dead, a dark and shadowy realm within the bowels of the earth. The souls of the dead are ruled by a mighty god, Gozer, and protected by a powerful Gatekeeper and Keymaster, in order that Gozer might rise up and walk the human plane again. The Gatekeeper and Keymaster must assume the form of beasts ."
  2. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.82). Paragraph reads: "CLASS VII. FULLY CORPOREAL POSSESSORS."
  3. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 12. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Ivan Reitman says: "The whole Keymaster-Gatekeeper idea came very late, and we struggled with it all the way."
  4. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 125 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In Dan Aykroyd's original script, the root of New York's widespread psychic disturbances lay in the fact that a 'Zuul' -- a generic term for the other-dimensional creature which would later evolve into the Terror Dogs -- had somehow strayed out of its rightful time and place and was being held captive by the Ghostbusters' employer, himself a transdimensional being. Unfortunately, the Zuul happened to be a favored pet of the all-powerful Gozer -- absolute ruler of the sixth dimension -- who, it seemed, would stop at nothing to recover it. When this concept was superseded in subsequent drafts, Zuul became a given name for the female Terror Dog, which -- along with her like companion Vinz Clortho -- is seeking refuge from the Gozer in New York."
  5. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 116 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "During preproduction, several artists were engaged to generate literally dozens of widely divergent proposals for the Terror Dogs' appearance, only sketchily described in the script. Among them were a spiny hammerhead creature -- designed by John Daveikis to accompany Dan Aykroyd's original script -- and a lumbering dim-witted creature conceived by Thom Enriquez."
  6. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 116 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Whether to make the creatures humorous or horrific was a matter of considerable debate -- with some concepts (such as Berni Wrightson's below) attempting to do both."
  7. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 117 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "A later Kline concept began to take on the appearance of a dragon."
  8. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 117 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "A few of the early renderings took a literal approach to the Terror Dogs -- depicting them as partially decomposed canines returned from the grave. Robert Kline went so far as to devise separate concepts -- one rather svelte creature which would transform into Dana, played by an as yet unspecified actress; and a short dumpy one which would become Louis, played by John Candy."
  9. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 117 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Thom Enriquez prepared the final Terror Dog drawing which was okayed by Ivan Reitman. From the approved sketch, a preliminary sculpture was rendered by Kurt Conner. Even at this point, however, the filmmakers realized that the concept needed considerable refinement."
  10. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 118 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "After the basic concept was approved, it was delivered to sculptor and stop-motion animator Randall William Cook, who modified and refined it into workable form."
  11. Randall William Cook (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:14:54-1:15:31). Bueno Productions. Randall William Cook says: "Then they made a maquette of that, which Michael Gross presented to me as something that was animateable and I didn't think it was. It was very cartoonish. I was asked what my design would be, and so I sculpted my interpretation of it, which was more anatomically valid. Richard wanted him to be more muscular, more weight liftery."
  12. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 118 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "While Cook worked on the small sculpture, other members of the 'ghost shop' were busy scaling up the creature so it could also be produced in full size. Once completed, the clay sculptures -- both large and small -- were sectioned off so that plaster molds could be made."
  13. Randall William Cook (2019). Cleanin' Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:16:18-1:16:29). Bueno Productions. Randall William Cook says: "But I oversaw the sculpture of not only the small one, which I sculpted myself, but the big one, which Mike Hosch led off on, that he and Linda Frobos were working on at night."
  14. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 119 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "A miniature Terror Dog armature positioned inside its plaster mold prior to injection of the foam latex used to produce the final stop-motion puppet."
  15. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 114 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Michael Gross says: "The concept of the Terror Dogs changed considerably -- both in the way they fit into the story and in their design. In earlier drafts, they were sympathetic creatures from another dimension -- sort of 'strangers in a strange land' -- who were terrified of Gozer and trying to escape him. They took the form of human beings and went to the Ghostbusters seeking help. By the time the script reached its final form, however, that idea had been completely reversed. Design-wise, they began as rotting, dead dogs -- creatures that had been dug up from the grave. We began to realize, though, that we didn't have to be literal, or 'earthbound,' in the design. As with the ghosts, the Terror Dogs could be anything we wanted them to be. Ultimately, they evolved into creatures that are not particularly canine, but the name 'Terror Dog' seemed to stick."
  16. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 120 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "The clumsiness of the Terror Dogs was emphasized in some of the early boards, although many of the gags -- including a shot of it sliding into the wall and causing Louis' bookshelves to collapse -- were omitted prior to photography."
  17. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 14:31-14:42 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "And again, having gotten some of the stills from the vault from Sony, it's clearly a dark brown and I later checked this with Andy Cook, who came by my shop not that long ago."'
  18. Louis Tully (1999).Ghostbusters (1999) (DVD ts. 54:48). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Louis Tully says: "Nice doggy."
  19. Louis Tully (1999).Ghostbusters (1999) (DVD ts. 53:57). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Louis Tully says: "Help! There's a bear loose in my apartment!"
  20. Police Investigator (1999).Ghostbusters (1999) (DVD ts. 55:15-55:18). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Policeman Investigator says: "Some moron brought a cougar to a party, and it went berserk."
  21. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 169 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Though the transformation was achieved via stop-motion animation, full-size figures - operated from beneath the set - were employed once the creatures took their positions on the staircase."
  22. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 169 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Michael Gross says: "Stuart Ziff - whose shop was responsible for building the Terror Dogs - was always paranoid whenever his creatures were on the set. He'd had bad experiences on other projects with things being broken and shooting being stopped for repairs, and he was always warning all of us to stay away from them. Once we got the Terror Dogs on their pedastals, I assured Stuart that I'd keep everyone away. But the first day we had them on the set, Bill Murray walked up to one of them - who's going to tell Bill Murray not to touch the dogs, right? - and he said, 'Gee, this is neat.' Then he reached out and petted it on the head - and almost as if on cue, one of the horns fell off, dropped to the floor and shattered."
  23. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 182 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "The Terror Dogs employed on the full temple set were capable of only limited movement, but were manufactured and installed on the pedestals because the fully-articulated creature - which required considerably more time to produce - would be completed until later in the production schedule."
  24. William Forsche facebook comment 11/19/2017 Carl Perez wrote: "My friend, the late Harrison Ray, was the actor who was inside the "Terror Dog" suit. Bill Murray, being the jokester that he is, told Harrison that Robin Williams and Chevy Chase would be visiting the set, so Bill wanted Harrison to get in the costume and sit perfectly still until Robin stepped up for a close look. So Bill is showing Robin and Chevy around. Bill walks them over to Harrison and invites Robin to take a good, close look. As Robin reaches out to touch the costume, Harrison roars and raises the costume's front paws. Robin stumbles backwards and almost falls off the set...which is elevated ten feet off the ground! Harrison is thinking, "Oh my God, I killed Robin Williams!" Fortunately, Bill and the others grabbed Robin and pulled him to safety. So Robin instantly storms over to Harrison who's now thinking, "Oh my god, I'm about to get my ass kicked by Robin Williams!" So Robin looks the costume right in the eye..and he starts to laugh, "You SOB! That was a good one! You got me good!"
  25. The Containment Unit YouTube "Terri Hardin (Zuul, Ghostbusters) Interview" 46:08-46:20 1/2/2021 Terri Hardin says: "So I would grab my lunch and I would climb up into my dog and I would ask Ian who was the video guy if he would pipe in "All My Children" so that I could sit in my dog and eat my lunch and watch All My Children."
  26. The Containment Unit YouTube "Terri Hardin (Zuul, Ghostbusters) Interview" 47:36-48:23 1/2/2021 Terri Hardin says: "So he sneaks up all of these stairs. He tiptoes painstakingly-and he peeks in that space and there I am watching just in deep...enraptured with this, it's good. Will they do it? And he just, he must have pulled back and he leaned in really close to the space he went "bulaaa!" and the dog went "Ah!" like this and then he went "Ahahahaha" and I said "I'm gonna get you, Bill." But that was the kind of stuff he would pull on me all the time."
  27. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 197 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Joe Medjuck says: "Originally, we were going to have the Terror Dogs simply transform back into Dana and Louis - just like the first transformation. But Ivan came up with the idea of charred bodies that could be chipped away, revealing Dana and Louis inside. It was a much more imaginative way to bring them back and it created some suspense because, for a moment, Venkman and the audience think Dana is dead."
  28. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 199 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "A fire-blasted Terror Dog - constructed from a very lightweight and fragile foam material - lies atop a mound of rubble in the aftermatch of the temple explosion."
  29. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 5). Ray Stantz says: "...so we get up to the very top of the building and, yep, sure enough, there was a huge staircase, just hanging in mid-air, leading up into the middle of nowhere with those two vicious terror dogs I told you about guarding the entrance."
  30. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 83). Peter Venkman says: "You remember that, I'm sure: ancient Sumerian deity, big lizard dogs, hundred foot marshmallow man?"
  31. Peter Venkman (2014). Ghostbusters 1 & 2 Gift Set (2014), Ghostbusters II, Dana's Curse (1989) (DVD ts. 00:20-00:25). Columbia Pictures. Peter says: "Look, one time you got turned into some sort of monster Terror Dog and tried to destroy the city."
  32. Brynn Metheney instagram 1/7/2022
  33. The Containment Unit YouTube "Brynn Metheney (Concept Artist, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) Interview!" 26:00-26:57 1/26/2022 Brynn Metheney says: "I think, actually I wish there was a little more of the Sentinel involved and the Sentinel was interesting because Francois approached me, he asked me to design a Terror Dog Minotaur and was I was like 'Okay Minotaur's a cool name but how about we call it a Sentinel?' and "Sentinel" came from I was playing a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with my husband and we were all sentinels in the game and so I was like 'Oh the word sentinel is really cool' and the role of the thing is kind of this guardian and so that's a great name so why not so that was kind of cool to see that stick but I wish more of that character was in the film because there were some really really stunning moments with it that were listed in the script that I think would have just been really awesome to see and I know they were kind of there up until a certain moment and then it kind of changed but that would be one thing I wish would come back was that big boy."
  34. The Containment Unit YouTube "Brynn Metheney (Concept Artist, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) Interview!" 27:49-27:54 1/26/2022 Brynn Metheney says: "He's kind of an in-between. I'll just say that you know, sort of an in-between creature."
  35. EMPIRE Online "Ghostbusters: Afterlife Spoiler Special – Director Jason Reitman On Cujo, Callbacks And Killing JK Simmons" 12/30/2021 Jason Reitman says: "Oh my God, I wish I could say that that was on purpose! I really just wanted to make the Beethoven joke, there was no Terror Dog thought. In the future, of course yeah, I will say that, so you think it's part of my overwhelming genius. But no, I didn't think of that."
  36. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 7:42-8:13 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "At one point, they were talking about changing him in design. They came by my shop, I remember which is a very common thing with films unfortunately especially follow-ups and sequels where they have to change things. I felt strongly that was a mistake. And I just put my foot down, and we just cannot change the Terror Dog. It's an iconic character. It's like E.T. Coming back with ears."'
  37. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 4:00-4:47 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "And skipping to... I believe early 2019, January or something, and I heard about Jason-was doing a new one and I knew somebody that knew him and we set up a meeting. I went to Sony and met with Jason and within the first ten minutes, we just instantly hit it off. He's only two or three years older than I am. I guess we're in the same age range. And he knew exactly what I was talking about and the other way around. And I think a week later, he came by my shop just to check the place out. We talked about some ideas and it went very fast from that."
  38. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 6:52-7:00 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "After I got the show, they called two weeks later, again to say, "Would you be willing to do the Terror Dogs as well?" I'm like of course."'
  39. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 7:25-7:41 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "Sony actually gave me access to some of the never-before-seen stills from that time and, I mean, there's quite a bit of reference of the actual sculpture so for us, it was more of the excitement."
  40. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 9:34-10:27 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "We started with a maquette actually. It was sculpted by Steve Koch, a very talented sculptor, and we followed everything, that's again, to reference to Andy Cook and once we had that done and it was approved, we-Nowadays, we could probably scan it and mill one out in foam. The process is a lot faster and every accurate but I felt, also for my own crew, this was such a special moment and to capture that handcraft and feel within the creatures, I felt 'Let's just sculpt it.' In other words, we'll photograph the maquette, we'll project it on the wall to four times the size, we'll make an armature and we'll get 600 pounds of wet clay like they did back then. And we did. And we had the best two weeks sculpting that."
  41. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 10:45-11:18 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "The big sculpture was led by Norman Cabrera. Very talented creature effects artist. And Tanner White. And Danny Wagner. Bryan Ray. I kid of let them spearhead that. Because I had 44 people in total, including makeup artists, rig makers, mold mak-it's a lot of people. Not all the same time. They came through in sections so I had a lot on my plate. As much as I want to be involved and I was, I had great people on certain things."
  42. Stan Winston School "The Phantasmic Makeup & Creature FX of Ghostbusters: Afterlife" 1/11/2022 Line reads: "The Terror Dog's body skin was run by Spectral Motion foam technician Bill Fesh, while the head foam skins and other cosmetic elements were created at Arjen, LLC."
  43. Stan Winston School "The Phantasmic Makeup & Creature FX of Ghostbusters: Afterlife" 1/11/2022 Line reads: "With the cosmetic work underway, Spectral Motion's Bill Sturgeon scanned the core and designed all the internal head and body mechanisms. Spectral's Jurgen Heimann would be tasked with building the head mechanism based on Sturgeon's design."
  44. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 15:32-15:38 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "It's light because the Terror Dog itself weighed close to 450 to 500 pounds already."
  45. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 2:25-2:33 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "With the mechanics and protective fiberglass shell, the Terror Dog ultimately weighed 450 pounds--still heavy, but light enough to maneuver."
  46. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 2:15-2:24 12/23/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "We opted to go with foam latex because of the weight, but it also moves great in compression. Silicon would've worked, but it also would have made the Terror Dog about 500 pounds heavier than it already is."
  47. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 15:08-15:13 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "I didn't have an oven the size for the body so it was run by Bill Fesh, who is one of the best foam runners in the business."
  48. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 2:34-2:40 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "Softer foam latex wouldn't suffice for every part of the creature, like its teeth, which were made with acrylic."
  49. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 2:57-3:00 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "So they used a urethane resin for light, tough, and hollow nails ."
  50. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 3:05-3:10 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "These horns were also made of the same resin as the nails, which let light in to look more realistic on camera ."
  51. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 4:00-4:09 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "The Terror Dog had 21 servos in its face alone to allow for subtle expressions. And one mouth movement could take three people to perform it."
  52. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 18:17-18:44 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "The head was operated by servos. I think there was 21 servos in there. Motors. And then there was some cable controls like the jaw and the lip snarl is cable controlled by a device but everything moves from nose to the eyelids to the brows, in and out, up and down, to the actual front snarl, to the lips, those are by servos-done by the servos."'
  53. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 5:08-5:14 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "Sturgeon placed a linear actuator in the beast's stomach. This specific servo would only push out in a straight line to mimic realistic breathing."
  54. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 7:54-7:59 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "So the crew applied a product called UltraSlime to the dog's lips on set."
  55. Variety "How ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Pays Homage to the Original With Audio Easter Eggs" 11/24/2021 Article reads: "Files says that one of the first sounds heard when the characters are introduced in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is a terror dog crunching on dog food, but when Reitman heard the sound, it didn't seem violent enough for him. "What you’re hearing,” Files reveals, "is actually the sound of a lion eating an animal"."
  56. Variety "How ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Pays Homage to the Original With Audio Easter Eggs" 11/24/2021 Article reads: "Bringing back the terror dogs, also featured in the original, presented a greater challenge. When he came across the soundtrack, Files says, the quality was low fidelity. So he used the original effects as a foundation. "We found sounds and tried to guess what the sources were," he explains. "We guessed they were lions and tigers and started playing with them, augmenting them, and we also put our own voices in, pitched down to blend with the animal sounds"."
  57. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 5:32-5:45 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "Puppeteers will also rely on traditional cables when the movement calls for it. Like with this snarl, one of the most complicated movements for the dog. Sturgeon used cables to work alongside the servos in the lips to really nail the look."
  58. IGN YouTube "Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Exclusive Trailer Breakdown with Director Jason Reitman" 08:44-09:15 7/26/2021 Jason Reitman says: "And our Terror Dog is a mix of puppetry and beautiful CG. There's a spectral form of the Terror Dog as well in this trailer. You know, something about the original when you try to kind of breakdown the way the Terror Dogs worked in the original film, there were gaps left in between the possessions and the moments which you saw the mechanics of the Terror Dog mythology and we wanted to explore that the spectral Terror Dogs looked like."
  59. IGN YouTube "Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Exclusive Trailer Breakdown with Director Jason Reitman" 09:31-09:44 7/26/2021 Jason Reitman says: "So one of the things we studied was the Running of the Bulls and the way those bulls will smash into storefronts and then find their footing again in the way their hooves lose traction on the bricks."
  60. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 0:02-00:16 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "In this shot from "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," a Terror Dog stomps on Paul Rudd's car. But that's not CGI. It's actually a puppeteer wearing a mechanical Terror Dog arm controlled by a series of cables."
  61. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 6:59-7:16 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "To get the full force, Arjen created a separate Terror Dog leg made of the exact same materials. Puppeteer Ron Binion grabbed onto a metal armature inside the leg to move it. But the leg was so big that a human arm couldn't reach the foot. So cables were used to give convincing ankle and toe movements."
  62. Insider YouTube "How Hollywood Makes Hyperrealistic Practical Creatures | Movies Insider" 5:15-5:31 12/23/2021 Narrator says: "This full-body shot of the Terror Dog right here, that's actually CGI, as Arjen and his team never created its back half for real. Instead, the top half was attached to a cart with two weights on it. The cart made it easier to move the heavy puppet around so it could be placed on the hood of a car in one shot."
  63. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 19:34-19:45 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "No, so Jason was adamant that the visual effects team, who were amazing by the way, follow the design or sculpture that we had done, so they scanned our maquette but also the big full size Terror Dog and used it for their model."
  64. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 16:26-17:18 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "The mechanics were designed by Bill Sturgeon who actually worked on the first one at Boss Films. I think he was 21, 22. He actually designed the mechanics for this one but it was all steel and laser cut and milled out. It was-we had a wheel rig underneath that. We could lift him up on and it took about seven puppeteers to bring him to life. But nowadays, not everyone is-they're expecting these weight issues so when we arrived on this temple set, it was beautifully done, but I remember the temple was made out of a certain foam-type with structures of wood in it. It wasn't strong enough to hold the Terror Dogs and nobody had thought of that. It was reinforced overnight."'
  65. Ghostbusters Interdimensional Crossrip "#743 - Arjen Tuiten, Special Make-Up & Live Acton Creature Effects Designer" 19:58-20:15 11/29/2021 Arjen Tuiten says: "There was talk at some point. 'Oh maybe we could do this as a stop motion.' Where it's running up the stairs of the temple and like Paul Rudd is changing into the Terror Dog. We do that as a stop motion. But I think we simply just ran out of time."'
  66. straczynski Tweet 5/6/19 J. Michael Straczynski says: "That really wasn't much of a problem, Michael and Joe were very gracious and open in letting us do what we wanted. The only conversation related to this that I seem to recall was that we should avoid using the terror dogs for some reason. Maybe they had plans, I dunno."
  67. Post Perspective "‘Ghostbusters’ VFX: Proton streams and monster Rowan" 9/1/16 Dave Seager says: "Even to the point where we hid, in one of the shots, the statue of the gargoyle that Rick Moranis' character and Sigourney Weaver's character break out of in the first film. It's one of our little Easter eggs that we tossed in there when the building is destroyed and there's giant debris flying around"
  68. Robert St. Aubin ArtStation "Ghostbusters: The Video Game" 6/26/2016
  69. Louis Tully (1999). Ghostbusters II, Chapter 10: Their Day in Court (1989) (DVD ts. 28:49-28:51). Columbia Pictures. Louis Tully says: "Because one time I turned into a dog and they helped me."
  70. Louis Tully (2022). Ghostbusters Ultimate Edition (2022), Ghostbusters II, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Audience (1989) (Blu-ray ts. 00:19-00:21). Columbia Pictures. Louis Tully says: "'Cause one time, I turned into a dog and they helped me."
  71. Louis Tully (2014). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #15" (2014) (Comic p.20). Louis says: "And don't worry - there's not gonna be any turning into a dog or anything."
  72. Dana Barrett (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #3" (2020) (Comic p.2). Dana Barrett says: "I never told my doctor about seeing monsters in my fridge."

Gallery[]

Primary Canon Images[]

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