Ghostbusters II

 

 

 

Screenplay by       Dan Aykroyd

          Harold Ramis

 

Produced by       Ivan Reitman

 

Directed by       Ivan Reitman

 

 

 

Cast List:

 

Bill Murray      Dr. Peter Venkman

Dan Aykroyd      Dr. Raymond Stantz

Sigourney Weaver   Dana Barrett

Harold Ramis     Dr. Egon Spengler

Rick Moranis     Louis Tully

Annie Potts      Janine Melnitz

Peter MacNicol      Janosz Poha

Harris Yulin      The Judge

David Margulies    Mayor

 

 

 

 

FADE IN:

 

 

EXT. MANHATTAN ISLAND – DAY

 

A high AERIAL SHOT of the island features the Statue of Liberty prominently in the foreground then TRAVELS ACROSS the harbor, OVER the Battery and Lower Manhattan to Greenwich Village.

 

 

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET – DAY

 

A car is being hoisted up by a municipal tow truck while its owner is having a terrible screaming argument with a parking enforcement officer. DANA BARRETT comes home pushing a baby buggy, struggling with two full bags of groceries, and trying to dig her keys out of her purse. The building superintendent FRANK, sees her struggling but pretends not to notice.

 

DANA

(exasperated)

Frank, do you think you could give me a hand with these bags?

 

FRANK

I'm not a doorman, Miss Barrett. I'm a building superintendent.

 

DANA

You're also a human being, Frank.

 

FRANK

(reluctantly going to help)

Okay, okay. It's not my job, but what the hell. I'll do you a favor. He takes the grocery bags from her.

 

DANA

(setting the wheel brakes on the buggy)

Thank you, Frank. I'll get the hang of this eventually.

 

She continues digging in her purse while Frank leans over the buggy and makes funny faces at the baby, OSCAR, a very cute nine-month old boy.

 

FRANK

(to the baby)

Hiya, Oscar. What do you say, slugger?

 

FRANK

(to Dana)

That's a good-looking kid you got there, Ms. Barrett.

 

DANA

(finding her keys)

Thank you, Frank. Oh, are you ever going to fix the radiator in my bedroom? I asked you last week.

 

FRANK

Didn't I do it?

 

 

BABY BUGGY

 

It starts to vibrate as if shaken by an unseen hand.

 

 

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET – BABY – DAY

 

He GURGLES with delight at the movement.

 

 

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET – DANA AND FRANK – DAY

 

Neither of them notice the movement of the carriage.

 

DANA

No, you didn't, Frank.

 

FRANK

Okay, that's no problem.

 

DANA

That's exactly what you said last week.

 

 

BUGGY WHEELS

 

The brakes unlock themselves.

 

 

DANA

 

She reaches for the handlebar of the buggy, but the buggy rolls forward just out of her reach and stops. Surprised by the movement, she reaches for the handlebar again, but this time the buggy rolls away even further. Alarmed now, Dana hurries after it, but the buggy keeps rolling down the street at ever increasing speed.

 

 

SIDEWALK

 

Dana chases the buggy down the street, shouting to passing pedestrians for help, but every time someone reaches out to stop it, the buggy swerves and continues unchecked.

 

 

INTERSECTION

 

Cars, trucks, and buses speed by in both directions as the buggy races toward the corner.

 

 

DANA

 

She puts her head down and sprints after the buggy like an Olympian.

 

 

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET – INTERSECTION – DAY

 

A city bus is on a collision course with the speeding baby buggy.

 

 

BUGGY

 

It careens toward the corner.

 

 

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET – BABY – DAY

 

Its eyes are wide open with excitement.

 

 

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET – INTERSECTION – DAY

 

Bus and buggy are closing fast as the buggy bounces over the curb and into the crosswalk.

 

 

BUS

 

The bus driver reacts in helpless horror as he sees the buggy enter the intersection at high speed.

 

 

BUGGY

 

It comes to a dead stop right in the middle of the street. The bus continues missing the buggy by inches.

 

 

INTERSECTION

 

Cars and trucks swerve and hit their brakes as Dana runs into the intersection and snatches up the baby. She hugs it close, deeply relieved, then looks at the buggy with the dawning awareness that the supernatural has re-entered her life.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. UPPER WEST SIDE – NEW YORK CITY STREET – GHOSTBUSTERS LOGO – DAY

 

THEME MUSIC kicks in strongly as we see the familiar "No Ghosts" symbol and PULL BACK to reveal that it's painted on the side of Ecto-1, the Ghostbusters' emergency vehicle, which is speeding up Broadway on the Upper West Side. RAY STANTZ is driving and WINSTON ZEDDEMORE is riding shotgun.

 

 

EXT. WEST 77TH STREET – DAY (MOMENTS LATER)

 

The Ectomobile pulls up in front of a carefully-restored brownstone. Stantz and Winston, wearing their official Ghostbuster uniforms, jump out of the old ambulance, shoulder their proton packs and enter the house.

 

 

INT. BROWNSTONE – DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)

 

A WOMAN greets them and leads them through the expensively-furnished house.

 

STANTZ

(all business)

How many of them are there, ma'am?

 

WOMAN

Fourteen. They're in the back. I hope you can handle them. It's been like a nightmare.

 

WINSTON

How big are they?

 

She holds her hand out indicating about four feet.

 

WINSTON

(resolute)

We'll do our best, ma'am.

 

WOMAN

They're right out here.

 

She leads them to a set of French doors that open into another room. Stantz and Winston pause to make final adjustments to their equipment.

 

STANTZ

Ready?

 

WINSTON

I'm ready.

 

STANTZ

Then let's do it.

 

He pushes through the French doors and they step into the room.

 

 

INT. BROWNSTONE – DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)

 

They are immediately attacked by fourteen or fifteen screaming KIDS between the ages of seven and ten.

 

KIDS

(disappointed)

Ghostbusters!! Boooo!!

 

Tables are set with party favors, ice cream and birthday cake and the room is strewn with discarded toys and games. A couple of weary parents sink onto lawn chairs as Stantz and Winston take over the party.

 

WINSTON

(trying his best)

How you doin', kids?

 

LITTLE BOY

(nasty)

I thought we were having He-Man.

 

STANTZ

He-Man couldn't make it today. That's why we're here.

 

BOY

My dad says you're full of crap.

 

STANTZ

(stopped cold)

Well, a lot of people have trouble believing in the paranormal.

 

BOY

No, he just says you're full of crap and that's why you went out of business.

 

He kicks Stantz in the leg. Stantz grabs him by the shirtfront.

 

STANTZ

(low and menacing)

I'm watching you.

(to Winston)

Song.

 

Winston switches on a tiny TAPE RECORDER which starts PLAYING the Ghostbusters THEME SONG. Stantz and Winston start singing

 

STANTZ & WINSTON

'There's something wrong in the neighborhood. Who you gonna call?'

 

KIDS

(all together)

He-Man!!

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. WEST 77TH STREET – DAY (LATER)

 

Stantz and Winston wearily load their equipment into the Ectomobile.

 

WINSTON

That's it, Ray. I've had it. No more parties. I'm tired of taking abuse from over-privileged nine-year-olds.

 

STANTZ

Come on, Winston. We can't quit now. The holidays are coming up. It's our best season.

 

They get in the car

 

 

INT. ECTO-1 – DAY (CONTINUOUS ACTION)

 

Stantz tries to start the car, but the engine won't turn over.

 

WINSTON

Give it up, Ray. You're living in the past. Ghostbusters doesn't exist anymore. In a year these kids won't even remember who we are.

 

STANTZ

(tries to start the car again)

Ungrateful little Yuppie larvae. After all we did for this city.

 

WINSTON

Yeah, what did we do, Ray? The last real job we had we bubbled up a hundred foot marshmallow man and blew the top three floors off an uptown highrise.

 

STANTZ

Yeah, but what a ride. You can't make a hamburger without chopping up a cow.

 

He turns the key again, the ENGING TURNS OVER, then starts GRINDING and CLUNKING disastrously, chewing up vital parts and dropping twisted bits of metal onto the pavement. Finally, with a BLAST of black sooty exhaust from the tailpipe, Ecto-1 shudders and dies. Frustrated, Stantz bangs his head lightly on the steering wheel.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

INT. WKRR-TV STUDIO RECEPTION AREA – DAY (LATER)

 

A bank of monitors in the lobby show the program now running on WKRR, Channel 10 in New York. We PUSH IN ON one of the monitors as a title card and logo come up accompanied by some EERIE SYNTHESIZER MUSIC, and we return to the show in progress: "World of the Psychic with Dr. Peter Venkman." There is a video dissolve to a standard talk show set and sitting there is our host PETER VENKMAN, the renowned and somewhat infamous ex-Ghostbuster.

 

 

VENKMAN

 

He turns TO CAMERA and talks to his viewers in a suavely engaging tone, understated and intimate.

 

VENKMAN

Hi, welcome back to the 'World of the Psychic,' I'm Peter Venkman and I'm chatting with my guest, author, lecturer and of course, psychic, Milton Anglund.

(to his guest)

Milt, your new book is called The End of the World. Isn't that kind of like writing about gum disease. Yes, it could happen, but do you think anybody wants to read a book about it?

 

MILTON

Well, I think it's important for people to know that the world is in danger.

 

VENKMAN

Okay, so can you tell us when it's going to happen or do we have to buy the book?

 

MILTON

I predict that the world will end at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.

 

VENKMAN

This year? That's cutting it a little close, isn't it? I mean, just from a sales point of view, the book just came out, right? So you're not even looking at the paperback release for maybe a year. And it's going to be at least another year after that if the thing has movie-of-the-week or mini-series potential. You would have been better off predicting 1992 or even '94 just to be safe.

 

MILTON

(irritated)

This is not just some money-making scheme! I didn't just make up the date. I have a strong psychic belief that the world will end on New Year's Eve.

 

VENKMAN

(placating)

Well, for your sake, I hope you're right. But I think my other guest may disagree with you. Elaine, you had another date in mind?

 

The CAMERA REVEALS ELAINE, an attractive, aggressive New Jersey housewife, sitting on the other side of Venkman.

 

ELAINE

According to my sources, the world will end on February 14, in the year 2016.

 

VENKMAN

Valentine's Day. That's got to be a bummer. Where did you get that date, Elaine?

 

ELAINE

I received this information from an alien. I was at the Paramus Holiday Inn, I was having a drink in the bar when he approached me and started talking. Then he must have used some sort of ray or a mind control device because he made me follow him to his room and that's where he told me about the end of the world.

 

VENKMAN

Your alien had a room in the Holiday Inn?

 

ELAINE

It may have been a room on the spacecraft made up to look like a room in the Holiday Inn. I can't be sure, Peter.

 

VENKMAN

(humoring her)

No, you can't, and I think that's the whole problem with aliens; you just can't trust them. You may get some nice ones occasionally like Starman or E.T., but most of them turn out to be some kind of lizard. Anyway, we're just about out of time.

(does his wrap-up right to the camera)

Next week on 'World of the Psychic,' hairless pets.

(holds up a hairless cat)

Until then, this is Peter Venkman saying...

(puts a finger to his temple and sends out a though to his viewers)

... Good night.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

INT. TV STUDIO – CORRIDOR – DAY (LATER)

 

Venkman comes out of the studio squabbling with his producer, NORMAN, a well-meaning young incompetent.

 

VENKMAN

Where do you find these people? I thought we were having the telekinetic guy who bends the spoons?

 

NORMAN

A lot of the better psychics won't come on the show. They think you're too skeptical.

 

VENKMAN

Skeptical! Norman, I'm a pushover. I think professional wrestling is real.

 

There is a small commotion down the hall as two plainclothes cops come out of the next studio followed by a group of mayoral assistants.

 

VENKMAN

(to Norman)

What's all this?

 

NORMAN

They just interviewed the mayor on 'Cityline.'

 

VENKMAN

The Mayor! He's a friend of mine.

 

Venkman starts down the hall as the MAYOR and his principal aide, JACK HARDEMEYER, come walking out of the studio.

 

VENKMAN

(calling to the Mayor)

Lenny!

 

The Mayor sees Venkman, blanches and hurries off, pretending not to know him.

 

VENKMAN

(starts to follow him)

Lenny! It's Pete Venkman!

 

The plainclothesmen cut Venkman off and Hardemeyer puts a heavy hand against Venkman's chest.

 

HARDEMEYER

(snide)

Can I help you?

 

VENKMAN

(dangerous)

Yeah, you can get your hand off my chest.

 

Hardemeyer smiles and drops his hand.

 

HARDEMEYER

I'm Jack Hardemeyer. I'm the mayor's assistant. What can I do for you?

 

VENKMAN

I'm an old friend of the mayor's. I just want to say hello to him.

 

HARDEMEYER

(scornful)

I know who you are, Doctor Venkman. Busting any ghosts lately?

 

VENKMAN

No, that's what I want to talk to the mayor about. We did a little job for the city a while back and we ended up getting sued, screwed and tattooed by deskworms like you.

 

HARDEMEYER

(bristling)

Look, you stay away from the mayor. Next fall, barring a disaster, he's going to be elected governor of this state and the last thing we need is for him to be associated with two-bit frauds and publicity hounds like you and your friends. You read me?

 

Hardemeyer walks off with the two cops.

 

VENKMAN

Okay, I get it. But I want you to tell Lenny that, because of you, I'm not voting for him.

 

CUT TO:

 

 

EXT. MANHATTAN MUSEUM OF ART – DAY

 

The broad front steps of the museum are crowded with tourists and visitors. Dana arrives carrying a portfolio and artist's tackle box and enters the museum.

 

 

INT. MUSEUM – RESTORATION STUDIO – DAY (LATER)

 

We are FULL-FRAME ON a larger-than-life, full-figure portrait of VIGO THE CARPATHIAN, a demented and sadistic 16th century despot with an incredibly powerful evil presence. Then we PULL BACK to reveal the studio, which is a large open space on the top floor of the museum, lit by large skylights in the ceiling. Working on the Vigo painting is JANOSZ POHA, a youngish art historian and painter, the head of the department, quirky, intense and somewhat creepy. Janosz is staring longingly across the room at Dana.

 

 

DANA

 

She is carefully cleaning a 19th Century landscape painting, still preoccupied by the extraordinary near-accident with the buggy. Janosz watches her for a moment, then comes up behind her and looks over her shoulder.

 

JANOSZ

(with an Ea