Ghostbusters II Page #6

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - HOLE - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)

Venkman and Spengler start hauling in the cable as a Con Ed Supervisor's

car drives up, and behind it, the same police car they saw earlier. A

burly SUPERVISOR gets out and crosses toward them, followed by the two

cops.

SUPERVISOR:

(no nonsense)

Okay, what's the story here?

Venkman and Spengler stop pulling up the cable and Venkman tries the

belligerent worker ploy again, only this time he's wearing a Nynex

hardhat.

VENKMAN:

What, I got time for this? We got three

thousand phones out in the Village and about

eight million miles of cable to check.

SUPERVISOR:

(not buying it)

The phone lines are over there.

(points to the curb)

Venkman pops Spengler on the head.

VENKMAN:

I told ya!

Stantz can be heard ranting over Venkman's walkie-talkie.

STANTZ (O.S.)

(filtered)

Help! Help! Pull me up! It's alive! It's

eating my boots.

Venkman switches off the walkie-talkie.

FIRST COP:

You ain't with Con Ed or the phone company.

We checked. Tell me another one.

Venkman stares at the Cop for a long moment.

VENKMAN:

Gas leak?

INT. VAN HORNE STATION - SAME TIME

Stantz is hanging there, looking down into the shaft at the slime which

is now bubbling up the shaft after him.

STANTZ:

(shouting)

Get me out of here!!

Desperate now, he kicks wildly and knocks loose a section of an old,

rusting conduit.

INT. VAN HORNE STATION - BOTTOM OF THE SHAFT

The conduit falls on a heavy electrical transmission line, ripping

through the cable with a SHOWER OF SPARKS.

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - HOLE - CONTINUOUS ACTION

Venkman, Spengler, the cops and the supervisor all react to a bright

FLASH deep down in the hole and a SHOUT from Stantz.

EXT. EAST 77TH STREET - STREET - NIGHT

One by one, all the streetlights go out; then the lights on all the

buildings along East 77th street; then the whole neighborhood blacks

out, and finally the entire city is plunged into darkness.

STANTZ (O.S.)

Sorry.

INT. DANA BARRETT'S APARTMENT - NIGHT (SAME TIME)

She walks around in the dark lighting candles and placing them all over

the living room. Then she finds a transistor radio and turns it on for

information about the blackout. She listens to a special news report

for a moment, then has a compelling impulse to go check on the baby.

She crosses to the nursery carrying a candle and quietly opens the door

and looks in. Suddenly the DOORBELL RINGS, scaring her half to death.

Leaving the chain on the door, she opens it a crack and sees Janosz

standing in the hall, eerily lit by a red emergency spot at the end of

the hallway. He looks slightly dazed and even creepier.

DANA:

(surprised)

Janosz?

JANOSZ:

Hello, Dana. I happened to be in the

neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by to

see if everything's all right with you --

you know, with the blackout and everything?

Are you okay? Is the baby all right?

His affected concern is chilling. She is frightened but conceals it

from him.

DANA:

(mechanically and cautiously)

We're fine, Janosz.

He tires to look around her into the apartment.

JANOSZ:

Do you need anything? You want me to come

in?

DANA:

No, everything's fine. Honestly. Thanks

anyway.

JANOSZ:

Okay, just thought I'd check. Good night,

Dana. Sleep well. Don't let the bedbugs

bite you.

DANA:

Good night, Janosz.

She closes the door behind him and double locks it, then stands there

staring into the candlelight, alone and afraid.

INT. HALLWAY OF DANA'S BUILDING - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS ACTION)

Janosz stands there in semi-darkness, then his eyes light up like

headlights and he walks off down the hall.

CUT TO:

INT. COURTROOM - WITNESS STAND - NEXT DAY

The JUDGE, a rather sour-looking jurist of the old school, calls the

court to order.

JUDGE:

I want to make one thing very clear before

we go any further. The law does not recognize

the existence of ghosts, and I don't believe

in them either, so I don't want to hear a

lot of malarkey about goblins and spooks and

demons. We're going to stick to the facts

in this case and save the ghost stories for

the kiddies. Understood?

DEFENSE TABLE:

Stantz leans over and whispers to Spengler.

STANTZ:

Seems like a pretty open-minded guy, huh?

SPENGLER:

His nickname is "The Hammer."

Stantz and Spengler are seated with their attorney LOUIS TULLY, lawyer,

CPA and former demonic possession victim. Louis is desperately paging

through a mountain of legal textbooks.

LOUIS:

(nervous)

I think you're making a big mistake here,

fellas. I do mostly tax law and some probate

stuff occasionally. I got my law degree at

night school.

STANTZ:

That's all right. We got arrested at night.

SPECTATORS' GALLERY

Venkman is talking to Dana at the wooden rail in front of the gallery.

DANA:

I wish I could stay. I feel personally

responsible for you being here.

VENKMAN:

You are personally responsible. If I can

get conjugal rights, will you visit me at

Sing Sing?

DANA:

Please don't say that. You won't go to prison.

VENKMAN:

Don't worry about me. I'm like a cat.

DANA:

You mean you cough up hairballs all over

the rug?

VENKMAN:

I'm El Gato. I always land on my feet.

DANA:

(sincerely)

Good luck.

VENKMAN:

Thanks.

She gives him a quick, unexpected kiss and exits. Venkman savors it for

a moment then goes back to the defense table.

PROSECUTION TABLE

Jack Hardemeyer, the mayor's principal aide, is goading the PROSECUTOR,

a very sober, humorless woman in her late thirties.

HARDEMEYER:

How are you doing, hon? Just put these guys

away fast and make sure they go away for a

long, long time.

PROSECUTOR:

It shouldn't be hard with this list of charges.

HARDEMEYER:

Good. Very good. The mayor and future

governor won't forget this.

He smiles conspiratorially and makes a point of passing the defense table

on his way out of the courtroom.

DEFENSE TABLE:

The Ghostbusters look up as Hardemeyer approaches.

HARDEMEYER:

(gloating)

Nice going, Venkman. Violating a judicial

restraining order, willful destruction of

public property, fraud, malicious mischief

-- smooth move. See you in a couple years

-- at your first parole hearing.

Herdemeyer exits. Louis looks devastated.

LOUIS:

Gee, the whole city's against us. I think

I'm going to be sick.

Spengler hands him a waste basket as the Prosecutor calls her first

witness.

INT. COURTROOM - WITNESS STAND - DAY (LATER)

The Con Ed Supervisor is testifying.

PROSECUTOR:

Mr. Fianella, please look at Exhibits A

through F on the table over there. Do you

recognize that equipment?

EXHIBIT TABLE:

Lying on the table are the basic tools of the Ghostbusting trade: three

proton packs and particle throwers, a couple of ghost traps, and various

meters and detection devices.

CON ED:

(o.c.)

That's the stuff the cops found in their

truck.

WITNESS STAND:

She continues.

PROSECUTOR:

Do you know what this equipment is used for?

CON ED:

(shrugs)

I don't know. Catching ghosts, I guess.

PROSECUTOR:

(to the Judge)

May I remind the court that the defendants

are under a judicial restraining order that

specifically forbids them from performing

services as paranormal investigators and

eliminators.

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