GHOSTBUSTERS
Final Film Transcript
original script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis
transcribed by MrMichaelT
The classic Columbia Pictures torch lady logo screen starts off the movie.
The scene opened outside of the New York City Public Library with the camera's point of view looking up at the exterior of the building. It was the afternoon. A scaffolding was present on the right end. The camera drifted down on one of the lion statues. The score was foreboding. Pigeons flew off the steps. People entered and exited the library amid a cleaning project going up the stairs. Pigeons landed on a lion statue's head.
Alice, an elderly librarian, pushed a cart of books across the South wing of the Main Reading Room. She paused and took a stack of books off an empty table. Patrons walked past and behind her. She placed the books on the lower level of the cart then continued on. A patron walked across the room. She took those books downstairs into the basement's stacks. She looked up at shelves, took a left into an aisle, scanned the shelves, looked left, and mentally counted then stopped and put the books away. A few books floated from one bookcase to the bookcase on the other side. Alice looked up to her left but didn't see anything. She continued down the aisle and went right. A short time later, Alice paused at a work station and wrote down notes on a clipboard. She picked up the clipboard and walked on. She passed by a card catalog. Several drawers opened on their own and cards shot out all over the area. Alice paused, turned around, screamed and ran, dodged drawers, and hurried through the stacks. She went left, left again, another left, turned and looked briefly, then kept running. She turned right, stopped, turned, and went left instead. She turned right, stopped, and came face to face with a ghost, who was off screen, that transmogrified. Alice screamed and her hair was blown back.
The Ghostbusters' No-Ghost logo dissolved onto the screen while some of the "Ghostbusters" song by Ray Parker, Jr. played. The complete logo appeared. The title appeared on screen. Day. The camera was on the point of view behind the Alma Mater statue at the Low Memorial Library on Columbia University campus. People entered and exited the Weaver Hall building. The Department of Psychology was housed in the building.
Inside Weaver Hall was an area known as the Paranormal Studies Laboratory. Dr. Peter Venkman was inside conducting an ESP experiment with volunteers. On the laboratory's glass door were "Dr. Egon Spengler Dr. Raymond Stantz Dr. Peter Venkman" but someone used red lipstick to write "Venkman burn in hell" over the names. A door knob hanger rested on the knob and read, "Maid please make up this room as soon as possible."
PETER VENKMAN: All right. I'm gonna to turn over the next card. I want you to concentrate. I want you to tell me what you think it is."
Peter sat on one side of a table. A Male Student and Jennifer sat on the other side. They were wired to electrodes of an electro shock generator that laid in the middle of the table. He held up the back of a Zener card to them. The card was a star. The male student pressed his left ring and middle fingers to the side of his head and guessed.
MALE STUDENT: Square.
PETER VENKMAN: Good guess. But wrong
He revealed the card to them and shocked him. Jennifer was squeamish. Peter turned to Jennifer and smiled.
PETER VENKMAN: Clear your head.
She smiled. He held up the next card. It was a circle.
PETER VENKMAN: All right. Tell me what you think it is.
The male student watched her.