Hi guys, OK, for all I know this is already common knowledge, I apologize if it is, but I was watching Ghostbusters II the other day, specifically the restaurant scene, and for the first time I managed to make out Ray’s entire line when everyone’s talking at once. Specifically when he’s describing the mood slime:
“It effects behavior, it effects behavior–like we were fighting! Now we’re just excited, you see?! It’s like a drug!”
I’ve watched this movie my whole life but I have to admit, I hadn’t put it together before that Ray, Egon, and Winston are acting especially nuts in that scene because they’re still covered in slime, lol. It’s a good touch, like they’re still under the influence but not at each other’s throats anymore.
But we’re talking about the way the slime affects the people it touches over time. Winston seemed pretty scared when he was pulled into the river of it, but the slime affected him and made him angry when they crawled out. Later, at Armand’s, Ray implies that the slime has changed moods again and is merely making them excitable.
Sure, Judy was incensed that her dress had been ruined at first, but after that, in what ways did it influence her moods?
I was thinking that too, if they’re not careful they could end up with another lawsuit!
The one I’m worried about is Ray, he’s going to go through some major slime withdrawal after the movie. I mean after positively charge slime, why you ever want to go back??
Mm, yeah, it seemed like they cut down a whole lot on the science. I remember in the August 5, 1988 script they delved into the psychomagnotheric force a bit more. But it was the psychomagnetic force at that point. On page 19, Egon linked psychokinetic energy to quantum mechanics where energy is composed of particles and every particle has an antiparticle. Ray and Egon discovered a new energy composed of P.K.E. antiparticles they called the “psychomagnetic force”. They detected it everywhere they looked but had no idea what it did or where it came from. In the movie itself, that scene became how he and Ray came up with a theory negative emotions could affect the physical plane. Later on in the script, on page 85, Egon explained negative human emotions generated measurable amounts of psychomagnetic energy. Ray elaborates about 65 GeVs per person.
It’s been a few years since I’ve read that draft! Yeah, it’s cool to see the progression of the gear and jargon that made it into the movie. On a related note, the Visual History book has a concept drawing of an early version of the Giga meter called the GEV meter on page 59, incorrectly in the GB1 props section.
That really threw me for a loop at first. I had always thought that the river of slime came before Vigo. Ramis mentioned in the Cinefex article that it took them a bit to get to the slime idea, but then they had to add the motivating element, which was Vigo. In the 8/88 script, Vigo was already a character. I’m wondering if the river of slime was in the script earlier but dropped in the 8/88 draft? So little is known about the pre-August collaborative drafts of GB2.
I agree it is very likely they put the slime idea aside at first. I think there’s at least one more before this draft.
We know that four-hour lunch meeting at Jimmy’s in Beverly Hills with Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis, Reitman CAA agent Michael Ovitz and CAA’s head of business affairs Ray Kurtzman was in early 1988. This draft we’re talking about was in August 1988.
We know they had at least 4 ideas early on
*The first idea of the river of slime was introduced shortly after they started with the moral notion that negative human emotions have consequences. The idea carried over to the sense that the bad vibes can build up in big cities like New York City and Los Angeles.
*The second idea entailed Peter Venkman and Dana Barrett getting married and having a child. The infant was possessed and suddenly had adult agility and focus. Ramis concluded it was too horrible an idea for a movie and the marriage angle was a creative dead end.
*The third was had the Ghostbusters as very successful, based in a high rise building, and now a worldwide company called Ghostbusters Inc. (like in the shooting script ending had)
*The fourth was the sequel picking up literally from the end of the first movie.
(sources Cinefex #40 p5-6, “Later with Bob Costas” 6/15/1989 episode 6:29-32 mark I think it was this one of Newborn’s videos)
I know that quite a bit of story development /collaborative writing was going on in late 87/early 88. The first script that Columbia and ILM saw was the 8/88 draft. Everything prior was apparently kept pretty close to the vest, as not much as popped up over the years. I’m really hoping this is all covered in the doc.
