Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History

by Daniel Wallace

WHO YOU GONNA CALL? The Ghostbusters saga has been thrilling fans around the world for over three decades, from the original movies to the animated shows, comics, video games, toys, and other collectibles. For the first time, Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History takes a comprehensive look at the entire franchise, telling the complete story behind the creation of a true pop culture phenomenon. Beginning with an in-depth look at the original film, Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History delves into the archives to showcase a wealth of never-before-seen concept art and photography that will take fans into the production of a true classic. Also featuring a large section on Ghostbusters II, the book brings together exclusive interviews with the key players from both films, including director Ivan Reitman; stars Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver; and producers Michael C. Gross and Joe Medjuck. The book also explores the creation of The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters animated shows, featuring interviews with the writers, animators, and voice artists, plus previously unseen sketches, animation cels, and other stunning visuals. With additional sections on Ghostbusters comics, video games, merchandise, and fandom, Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History is the last word on one of the most popular franchises of all time. ALSO INCLUDES INCREDIBLE SPECIAL ITEMS THAT WILL THRILL GHOSTBUSTERS FANS, INCLUDING: -Peter Venkman’s business card -Sedgewick Hotel storyboard booklet -Rare concept art sketches of ghostbusting gadgets -Stay Puft Marshmallow Man package sticker -Production notes -A schematic of the Gozer temple miniature Ghostbusters TM & © 2015 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, Art, Pop Culture, Horror, Cultural

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2015

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pop quiz time!

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A) Ghostbusters is the most perfect comedy ever made

B) You could argue that Ghostbusters isn’t the best movie of any kind ever made, but you’d be wrong and scorned for your ignorance

C) Murray, Ramis, Ackroyd, and Hudson display so much chemistry that they make Antoine Lavoisier, Marie Curie, and Dmitri Mendeleev look like bumbling amateurs

D) Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History is a must-read for any serious GB aficionado

E) Small children are never frightened of my nose

This book is a beautifully designed and packaged pictorial journey through all things GB, with the bulk of the time spent on the first movie, but ample space devoted to GB II, cartoons, video games, and merchandise. Even for a non-visual guy like me, this stuff is fascinating—from early proton pack prototypes to alternate (and much scarier) designs for the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, this is an orgy of orgasmic minutiae for Ghostbusters obsessives. If you, like me, are one of those, this is well worth your time.

(As for the answer to our quiz…I’d like to say the answer is C, but we all know what the real answer is. Sorry, small children.)

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

And so on to my final update - the next in the Ultimate Visual History series (although I think I am reading in them in the reverse order).

This book is a real gold mine mainly for the films but also for the other shows and merchandise that came out. Now I will admit that it is showing its age with it omitting the latest material - I guess there will be an updated version out there at some point - however it is an amazing collection of facts, insights and trivia.

This is the sort of book that makes you want to go out there and find the films and watch them all over again this time armed with the additional knowledge only reading this book can give you - or is that just me.

Anyway you have everything from the history of the making of the films to rejected designs of the ghosts and apparitions to tricks of the trade that were used while making the films. This book is as much a celebration as it is a history.

But what I think gives this book even greater depth is that it does not shy away from its other incarnations - from comics and cartoons to the toys they spawned. This book captures it all and for me in the process demonstrates the endearing nature and appear of this franchise.

If you are a fan or even just enjoyed the films this book is really worth finding and reading.

[Benji's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much lighter read than the likes of Paul M. Sammon's FUTURE NOIR: THE MAKING OF BLADE RUNNER or NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY by Thommy Hutson, but still an equally fascinating dive into the making of all [most] things Ghostbusters, with the exception of the 2016 remake and any other recent additions to the franchise, like Ghostbusters: Afterlife or Frozen Empire. This book was released in 2018, so no info was given on those most recent titles.

I loved how they even gave insight to the comics, soundtracks, games and collectibles, as GB has such a big following. I, myself, am one of my town's Ghostbusters, with my own suit, patch and of course, proton pack. This history provides both the known and unknown that anyone of film or the Ghostbusters themselves would be lucky to find, accompanied by sketches, behind-the-scenes photos and on top of that, a forward by the late director/co-creator Ivan Reitman.

Highly recommended.

[Christopher Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While there always may be unanswered questions in regard to my favorite movie, this book gave me a far deeper appreciation to it!

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: This is more like 3.5 but Goodreads doesn't do halves.

Not a bad book, full of great illustrations and photos, and certainly the most thorough repository of information on the making of Ghostbusters II there is. However, maybe it's me, but there really isn't much here that I didn't already know, and so I felt kind of underwhelmed by the book despite the research that went into it. Obviously, as with all of these sorts of things, the insight it could really use is that of those who never participate in these things (Bill Murray), or those who have passed on (Harold Ramis, Elmer Bernstein, Laszlo Kovacs, John DeCuir, etc.).

Still, speaking to that second list, the one thing it impressed upon me, which I basically knew but had never really considered as a whole, is how much classic Hollywood talent worked on the first movie, and how that's reflected in the quality of craftsmanship (especially when compared to the sitcommy appearance and tone of the second).

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a 4.5 Stars worthy of a read!

I remember seeing Ghostbusters at the theatre when I was young. It was the first movie my parents let me sit by myself (I chose absolute center, of course.) Ray Stanz was my go to Ghostbuster. Slimmer didn’t even have the moniker yet. And the tape cassette of the soundtrack was so over-played in my red boom box...

Something back then just stuck with me. The story. The laughs, even though I didn’t understand half of it at the time. And then the cartoon...

This book took me back. Made me find the soundtrack within my Halloween playlist on Spotify. Made me smile and made me think. The effects back then were so basic yet so amazing for the time.

I enjoyed reading a behind the scenes look at what it took to get Ghostbusters made in to the eternal classic that it is. I liked reading about parts that were cut... a few of them I questioned as to why they were. Seeing all of the concept art, knowing what was reality. Finding out so much of the dialog was ad-libbed rather than scripted. I have to watch it again (past Halloween, the horror) just to see if I could tell when someone said something off the cuff or if it was script.

This book also covered Ghostbusters II... which let’s not... even though there are some great parts that make me laugh to this day. The cartoons, both of which I watched religiously. There’s even a section of all the toys that I remember eyeing as I strolled through the toy section at Target and Toys R Us, though I’d never own them because of ghosts... I was a weird kid. Hell, I’m a weird grown-up who has a love/hate relationship with the ghostly realm.

Ghostbusters is definitely a big chunk of love on that front.

Honestly, if you enjoyed the movie or appreciate knowing the story behind the story, then YES READ THIS BOOK! It just adds to the specter that can only be Ghostbusters.

Who else are you gonna call for that?

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete with a foreword by Dan Aykroyd and an introduction by Ivan Reitman, this takes us through the production of the first two films, the animated shows and video games and touches, very briefly, on the re-boot/sequel from 2016. As a visual history, this works perfectly and there are a lot of behind the scenes pictures I’ve never seen before and some of the additions are inspired. Bits of paper and card contain information and there’s one image - on animation acetate - that overlays the original prop and shows just how much work went into it. On the downside, while the text is well researched it’s very brisk and I’d have happily seen less drawings and got more information on everything that went into it, including how the time constraints guided the final product. I’ve long been a fan of the original (not hugely fussed about the second and I’ve never seen the cartoon) and loved that the original 1984 novelisation had a small making-of section and reading this made me watch it all over again, which is perfect. Well worth a read for fans.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Busting, and reading about it, makes me feel good.

One of the best film books ever.

[Layne Young-Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!! It was a lot of fun to read through and all the extra little flip ups and add-in’s that made it interesting to read. Really liked that they added in the video game, I’m a big fan of that game.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly one of the best Christmas presents of my adult life.

I was born in the early '80s, and thus grew up on all the great cartoons of the day -- The Real Ghostbusters among them. The movies played all the time on TV, albeit with all the adult humor edited out (ex. "It's true, this man has no dick."), and I watched them every chance I could get. Several years ago, I purchased a special DVD pack and make a habit of watching them on Halloween. (Well, pretty much whenever I feel nostalgic.) When the 30th anniversary came around in 2014 and they put the original back in the theatres, I was there to see it. And it was awesome.

Needless to say, I love Ghostbusters.

This book covers both theatrical movies, the two cartoon shows, the video games, and subsequent merchandise. Details include an extensive behind-the-scenes look at all the practical and special effects, the camaraderie between the cast members, and numerous deleted or revised scenes. Far from throwing the curtain back from the wizard and spoiling my enjoyment of the films, I was continuously amazed at what it took to make both of these movies. I loved all the sketches, especially those of Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (whose name I always mispronounce as "Stay Puff), as well as the various production notes.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go and watch the movies again ...

[Jevron McCrory · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's been a spate of Visual History books recently and they all seem utterly exhaustive.

If anything, the title is misleading. These books are far more than visual journeys through respective films but dedicated expose on said films' creation, flaws, problems, themes, successes, failures and overall impact.

This book, dedicated to the phenomenon that is Ghostbusters, is no different.

It's simply wonderful! A hardback book with glossy high quality pages FILLED with storyboards, interviews, high res photos, discarded treatments and ideas, sketches, screenplays, not to mention prop-like memorabilia replicas that's easily detached for the hard core fan.

This is quite simply essential for ANY Ghostbusters fan! ESSENTIAL!

(It also scores bonus points for only including a couple of sentences on the reprehensible morally bankrupt reboot. Eurgh!)

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this {town!} book! Everything you ever wanted to know about Ghosbusters and ghostbusting is all here. Awesome pictures and info about cast and crew, etc. you can't get anywhere else, and I really enjoyed the last line by Dan Aykroyd: "Whenever I see kids, female and male, no matter how old they are, if they're interested, I always say, 'Welcome aboard. You're one of our cadets.' the kid in me screamed! But I must end on a question.
Are you troubled by strange noises in the middles of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you or your family seen a spook, specter or ghost? Who you gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS!!!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

there is no dana only zuul.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book just looking at the pictures, which are great. After the pictures, I really got a lot more out of text. The behind the scenes story of making the movies was fascinating.

[neil shafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book Is Awesome It Has Pictures With Schematics On How The Equipment Was Made And Used In Both Films, And The Book Is Very Detailed

[Chuck Knudsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat book, filled with production images and design sketches for the Ghostbuster flicks.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun, researched look at the entire franchise up to now.

[Maciej · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History” autorstwa Daniela Wallace’a to prawdziwy skarb dla fanów „Pogromców Duchów” i szerzej - popkultury. Ta bogato ilustrowana historia franczyzy, obejmująca zarówno oryginalne filmy, jak i seriale animowane, komiksy, gry wideo, zabawki i inne kolekcjonerskie przedmioty. Jest obowiązkową lekturą dla każdego, kto choć raz zadał sobie pytanie „Who you gonna call?”.

Książka oferuje szczegółowy wgląd w proces twórczy, od koncepcji po realizację, ujawniając niepublikowane wcześniej szkice koncepcyjne i fotografie. Dzięki ekskluzywnym wywiadom z kluczowymi postaciami, takimi jak reżyser Ivan Reitman, gwiazdy Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver oraz producentami: Michaelem C. Grossem i Joe Medjuckem, czytelnicy mogą głębiej zanurzyć się w świat „Ghostbusters”.

Ważnym aspektem książki jest też eksploracja procesu tworzenia seriali animowanych „The Real Ghostbusters” i „Extreme Ghostbusters”, wzbogacona o wywiady z twórcami i niepublikowane wczesniej szkice koncepcyjne.

Książka nie ogranicza się jednak tylko do aspektów filmowych i telewizyjnych franczyzy, lecz również dokładnie przygląda się komiksom, grom wideo, merchandisingowi oraz fandomowi, prezentując „Ghostbusters” jako zjawisko kulturowe o szerokim zasięgu.

Mimo iż książka nie obejmuje najnowszych materiałów związanych z franczyzą (kończy się na 2015 roku więc pomija ogrom komiksów i aż 3 kolejne filmy) , jej bogactwo treści i detali sprawia, że jest ona cenną pozycją nie tylko dla starych fanów, ale również dla nowych odbiorców, którzy chcą zgłębić historię i tajniki tworzenia „Ghostbusters”, a są już po seansach nowych filmów.

To nie tylko kompilacja faktów, ale przede wszystkim celebracja całego uniwersum „Pogromców duchów”, ukazująca złożoność i wielowymiarowość tego fenomenu. Dzięki „Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History” czytelnicy mogą odkryć na nowo magię i humor serii, docenić jej wpływ na popkulturę oraz przekonać się, jak bardzo prace nad filmami i innymi produktami były przesiąknięte kreatywnością i innowacyjnością.

Przyjemność 4,4/5
Styl: 4,6/5
Historia: 4,5/5

Ocena 4,5/5

[Luca Ruocco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amici dell'Horror, questo è un volume da 5 Skeletor che aspettavo davvero da tanto tempo e di cui si è cominciato a parlare già più di un anno fa, quando la saldaPress annunciò che lo avrebbe pubblicato a fine 2023. L'uscita è stata poi posticipata di poco e il libro è arrivato negli store proprio in contemporanea all'uscita in sala del nuovo film GHOSTBUSTERS - MINACCIA GLACIALE.
Di cosa si tratta? In pratica è la nuova uscita della curatissima collana saldaPress Widescreen [su InGenere Cinema abbiamo parlato del volume dedicato a JURASSIC PARK] ed è anche l'attesissima edizione italiana dell'imprescindibile Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History.

"Nel 1984 uscì un film che sarebbe rimasto per sempre nel cuore di tutti gli amanti della fantascienza, dell’horror, della commedia e persino delle love story. Insomma, nel cuore di tutti amanti del cinema!

"Ghostbusters - Acchiappafantasmi" era una storia che spaziava tra numerosi generi, mettendo in scena un cast di personaggi senza precedenti e destinati a diventare vere e proprie icone immortali. E oggi, grazie al meticoloso lavoro di documentazione del giornalista cinematografico e televisivo Daniel Wallace che firma il raffinato ed elegante volume Dietro le quinte di "Ghostbusters", è possibile conoscere la vera storia dietro la realizzazione dell’intramontabile cult del 1984, del suo sequel del 1989 e di tutto il mondo di prodotti derivati da essi nel corso degli anni [serie animata, videogiochi, merchandising, etc.].

Interviste al cast, materiali di scena mai visti prima e un ricchissimo apparato fotografico rendono questo volume – il più recente della prestigiosa collana Widescreen di saldaPress dedicata al grande cinema – un vero e proprio must-have per chi è appassionato di cinema e sa che... sono gli acchiappafantasmi quelli da chiamare quando serve."

Ne parliamo qui: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09cvg...

[Eric Nierstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

GHOSTBUSTERS holds a special place in my heart. It was the first franchise of any kind I remember loving as a child, and I've worked my way through the movies, games, and TV shows over the years. So I can say with full confidence that this book is essential, not just for fans, but for anyone that wants the history behind this amazing franchise. It starts with the earliest conception of the film and Dan Akroyd's interest in ghosts; it's fascinating to see the early sketches and the plans for John Belushi to be involved before tragedy struck and Bill Murray was cast instead. The book takes you through the writing, the studio pitches, the mechanics and settings for filming, as well as plenty of actor recollections.

What's really impressive is how well the book movies through everything beyond the original film. Not only is the media craze of the film examined, there's expert analysis and history of the second film, the animated series (including the oft-forgotten EXTREME GHOSTBUSTERS) and even the modern video game. The book ends just at the announcement of the all-female reboot (for better or worse), but it establishes it's goal perfectly. More then Tobin's Spirit Guide, this book is required for GHOSTBUSTERS fans or for any who want to know why after 30 years, we still ain't afraid of no ghosts.

[Tim Lapetino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a nice job of telling the story of the making of the original Ghostbusters film, and its subsequent sequel. It doesn’t go into exquisite depth the way others (like JW Rinzler’s work on the Star Wars original trilogy) but it is a nice overview. I also appreciated the inclusion of the 1989 sequel and subsequent media like the cartoons, video games, and toys. (The edition I read was our before the 2016 Ghostbusters remake, so there was merely a mention of it.)

I’d be willing to bet this isn’t exhaustive enough for the diehard GB fan, but works well for a general audience. I wouldn’t have minded a little more depth and some more original profiles and creator interviews, which could have boosted the page count another 100 pages.

It does have some fun reproduction paper pieces that are ripped into the pages or glued, as was the trend for some of these “vault” style memorabilia books a few years ago, but I didn’t feel like these would have been any worse if they were just in the regular book itself.

Overall, I liked this book, but I feel like with a little bit deeper dive and more art, visuals, and photos, it could have been 5 stars. Recommended.

[Johnathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb coffee table book that covers everything great about of the "Ghostbusters" franchise, from the first film to the cartoons and video games. The book gets interviews from everyone involved, along with get production art (it was here I learned the late, great Bernie Wrightson did the creature designs for the first film), photos and even extra pages, such as a copy of the test audience card to animation cells from the cartoon. The one thing the book doesn't touch is the infamous "Ghostbusters" 2016 remake, but that's more of a plus in its favor, while focusing more on the underrated "Extreme Ghostbusters" cartoon of the 1990's and the IDW "Ghostbusters" comic (which incidentally showed the female Ghostbusters were long part of the canon before the failed film). Overall, if you are a Ghostbusters fan, this is a must own.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good breakdown of the making of the first two movies. Lots of pictures and insights from the cast and filmmakers. It even covers a good portion of the first cartoon. A little bit less of Extreme Ghostbusters. And breezes through the video games and merchandise.

Overall, really good read with lots of info and pictures.

I’d like to see this updated with the 2016 Answer the Call, Afterlife and Frozen Empire.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really neat book for Ghostbusters fans. There are plenty of behind the scenes details, interviews, production concept designs, and a fair number of inserts like recreations of the test screening survey, a replica of a still from the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, etc. This is an all around awesome book.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

42 WORD REVIEW:

In posing the question ‘how did all those iconic visuals come to be’, this hefty hardcover provides a comprehensive behind-the-scenes chronicle not only of the making of the original Ghostbusters films (primarily), but also of the two animated series and other spinoffs.

[Pug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book: lots of great color pictures, history, and behind-the-scenes tidbits!

Coulda/shoulda been way more interesting, though. The movies were fun, the book needed to be fun, too.

Very dry writing. Very bogged-down.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two movies are pretty good. So if you're a fan of the movies or the shows, then this book is for you. It does cover everything Ghostbusters.

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is absolutely essential for any Ghostbusters fan. The stories and details are fascinating, and the pictures (especially the concept art) are incredible and enlightening.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough compendium on the adult end about a movie I've loved since I was a kid. I never get tired of reading and learning about this movie.

[Rob Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan, it's a huge treasure chest of images and trivia. Encompasses not only the original film and its 1989 sequel, but also the shows, comics and video games.