Ghostbusters Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Ghostbusters Wiki

Mayhem was a flying creature with animal-like traits that haunted the Stonebrook Theatre. It was the first ghost to be successfully trapped by the Ghostbusters (in the 2016 movie).

History[]

Primary Canon[]

During Rock Revenge Fest XIV, Rowan North planted a Hyper-Ionization Device on a table in the Wardrobe Room of the Stonebrook Theatre. Mayhem manifested soon after in a highly-ionized state. It emerged from a wall vent and attacked a janitor named Fernando. It started tossing him around the room. The only reason he survived was Jonathan the Theater Manager. He screamed and scared the entity off. Fernando thought it was the Devil. Jonathan called the Ghostbusters. The Ghostbusters arrived and started investigating the scene. Abby Yates found the Hyper-Ionization Device. Patty Tolan entered the Laundry Room and it was filled with mannequins. Patty called it a room full of nightmares and turned around. One of the mannequin's head turned. Patty told herself she had a good job at the MTA. The mannequin followed her around the corner. Patty turned around and saw a mannequin right behind her. She tried to remember if it was there before. She told it not to answer. The mannequin chased her. Patty entered the Wardrobe Room and quickly closed the door and used herself as a barricade. Jillian Holtzmann and Erin Gilbert were already inside with Abby. The mannequin kicked a hole in the door near Patty's crotch. Patty screamed then ran over to the others. It kicked its way in through the door with its joints glowing red. Abby realized the ghost performed a full paranormal transferal embodiment and her and Erin's theories on spectral possession were true. Erin wanted that ghost. They opened fire on the mannequin. After a few seconds, Mayhem emerged as they blasted the mannequin apart. It screeched and flew off. Erin ordered them to run after Mayhem. They chased it down the hall. Mayhem snarled. They fired at it. Mayhem screeched and flew up through the ceiling leaving Ectoplasm behind.

The Beasts Of Mayhem performed "Want Some More" as Mayhem rose up through the floor to the stage. The Beasts keep on playing. People in crowd pointed at Mayhem. The lead singer noticed it and gestured, stoked, to the lightboard operator. The operator shouted it wasn't his stage effect. The Ghostbusters stopped at the edge of the back stage. Erin realized the Hyper-Ionization Device was making the ghosts stronger and pointed out Mayhem was super ionized. Abby added it was "super not-benign." Patty remarked the music was so terrible, it made the ghost more angry. She demanded the Beasts play something gentle. The singer addressed Mayhem, still thinking it was a stage effect, and improvised, claiming they summoned Satan himself. Mayhem charged and shoved the singer backwards into the speakers. The crowd cheered. Two spectators high fived each other. The Ghostbusters ran onto the stage. They opened fire, starting with Patty then Erin then Holtzmann and lastly, Abby. Mayhem dodged the streams. Jonathan screamed the auditorium was Art Deco, calling them idiots, and exclaimed to aim for the ghost. An Art Deco piece was blasted off a wall. Jonathan screamed like a high pitched little girl. Abby told Patty to take one aisle and she would take the far one. Patty and Abby ordered the people to clear the aisle but no one listened. Abby jumped off and had the mosh pit carry her off. She ordered them to move her left then to watch the rings. Patty declared she was about to save them from ghosts then jumped. The crowd stepped aside. Patty landed on her pack between them. Erin oohed. Patty didn't care if it was a race thing or a lady thing, she was mad as hell. She yelled at them to pick her up. Abby ordered them to the people to put her down then thanked them.

Mayhem perched on Patty's shoulders as she got up. The Beasts stopped playing, too. Abby instructed Patty to stay still. Erin tried to tell her. Patty told her she didn't have to tell her anything. Erin kept trying to tell her but Patty refused and told her she really needed her not to tell her anything. Holtzmann insisted. Patty declared she was tired. Erin insisted. Patty proposed she was just going to go ahead and take off. Erin didn't think that was a good idea. Patty walked away. The others called out to her. Patty muttered to herself not to piss off the ghost and told them she was going back to her MTA booth. A couple readied a selfie stick. Patty slowly walked through the crowd but the selfie was taken at Patty's expense. Patty couldn't believe they did that. Abby signaled the others to shoot Mayhem. Erin told Patty to stay still. Abby asked everyone not to hit Patty anywhere important. Patty exclaimed. Erin, Abby, and Holtzmann shot Mayhem. It screeched and hopped off Patty's shoulders. Patty fired at it, too. Abby told Holtzmann to open the Trap. Holtzmann turned off her thrower and reached for the Trap on the underside of her Proton Pack and threw it onto the stage. Holtzmann informed them she was going to open it on three. Patty exclaimed at Holtzmann. Holtzmann swiped her Upper Arm Remote Trigger and the wired pedal shot out from the side of the Trap. Holtzmann counted down to two and rested her foot above the pedal. Patty yelled at her to open it. Holtzmann quickly counted down to one and stomped the pedal. The Trap opened. She resumed firing at Mayhem then told Erin and Abby they were doing great but asked Patty to try a little harder. They steered Mayhem over to the Trap. Patty ordered the ghost into the Trap. The trap pulled in Mayhem at 4:32 pm. Holtzmann stomped the pedal. The Trap closed. Patty ran back up to the stage. Erin asked if they caught it. Holtzmann declared they put a ghost in a box. She held out the Trap as steam hissed from it. The crowd cheered. The Beasts resumed performing their song. Erin shouted "Yes!" The singer declared they were the Beasts of Mayhem. Holtzmann grabbed the guitar away from one of the performers and smashed on the stage. The crowd cheered. Holtzmann whooped. She tossed it back and said she couldn't pay for it. Ozzy Osbourne saw the bust from back stage and became upset. A NY1 News reporter spoke with the Ghostbusters as they exited the theatre. The crowd cheered and high fived them. Abby informed the reporter they were scientists and were in pursuit of the unanswerable questions and, really, to pursue truth. Erin declared they were the Ghostbusters.

Later in the afternoon, Martin Heiss visited the Ghostbusters' Headquarters intent on debunking their claim ghosts were real. After some tense moments, Heiss's taunts got to Erin despite Abby's pleads. As soon as Abby turned away, Erin stomped the pedal and the Trap opened. Heiss cheered her on. Erin and Abby cringed. Erin quickly apologized. Heiss mockingly referred to Mayhem as Casper. Suddenly, Mayhem manifested, flied out of the Trap, carried Heiss through the window and dropped him as it flew away. During the battle at Times Square, he attacked Abby, lifting her off the ground and carrying her for a distance before Erin shot a proton beam at him. He later targeted Holtzmann, but Patty was ready for him with her Ghost Chipper. It pulled Mayhem through and neutralized it. Erin sidestepped its "shredded" mass as it was ejected from the Chipper.

Secondary Canon[]

Ghostbusters Activision Video Game (2016)[]

Mayhem appears as the boss of the the 13th Street Station Level in Ghostbusters Activision Video Game (2016).

  • Category:
  • Type: Ghost (must trap)
  • Attacks:
Containment Unit[]

Note that this is copied directly from the game, including misspellings and incorrect grammar.
Mayhem
This Class 5 specter is a manifestation of pure negative human emotion taking physical form. After escaping from the Ghostbusters, Mayhem returned to the underground beneath the theatre, because he really likes the music.

IDW Comics[]

Mayhem went on a rampage in the city and terrorized several citizens. The Ghostbusters were called.

Classification[]

Primary Canon[]

Erin referred to Mayhem as a Class 3 vapor,[1] whereas Abby refered to him as a Class 4 malevolent apparition.[2]

Secondary Canon[]

Lego Dimensions[]

Mayhem was either a Class 3 or, possibly, a Class 4 vapour.

Ghostbusters Activision Video Game (2016)[]

Mayhem was a Class 5 specter.

Ghostbuster's Handbook[]

Mayhem was a Class 3 vapor.[3]

Powers[]

Mayhem could possess inanimate objects or full paranormal transferal embodiment.[4]

Trivia[]

  • Mayhem was originally going to be a practical effect made by The Creature Shop but the VFX Department decided to do Mayhem themselves.[5]
  • Mayhem is the first and only ghost shown captured by a ghost trap in the 2016 film.
  • Mayhem is inconsistently classified as a Class 3 by Erin and a Class 4 by Abby in the film, even though he more closely resembles a Class 5. The 2016 video game would correctly classify Mayhem as a Class 5.
  • Paul Feig likens Mayhem to more of a 'demon-gargoyle kind of other-worldly thing' that comes from a deeper part of the unknown.[6]
  • Mayhem manifesting at a heavy metal concert was intended to be a funny coincidence.[7]
  • On February 14, 2016, photos of Mattel's 6" inch figures posted first teased Mayhem as a red demonic entity.[8]
  • On February 15, 2016, more photos of Mayhem toy appeared.[9]
  • Stunt mannequin Jen Harris wore a nude spandex unitard and posed as the possessed mannequin for filming.[10]
  • Martin Heiss refers to Mayhem as Casper the Friendly Ghost.
  • In the alternate scene Casper, Abby refers to Mayhem as Casper the Murderous Ghost.
  • In the alternate scene The Mayor's Office, Agent Rorke lays out the cover story that Mayhem was just a hi-tech prop that went haywire.[11]
  • On page 18 of Ghostbusters 101 #6, the sixth image is from the 2016 movie, Chapter 9, during the Stonebrook Theatre bust when Mayhem perched on Patty's shoulders. Peter Venkman appears in place of Patty.
  • On page 1 of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #1, Patty's bio in panel 2 mentions possessed mannequins, a nod to the Mayhem bust in the 2016 movie.
  • Mayhem appears on the IDW Convention Variant Cover of Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary: Answer The Call Ghostbusters.

Appearances[]

Primary Canon[]

Secondary Canon[]

References[]

  1. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie), Extended Version - "Chapter 10" (2016) (Blu-ray ts 1:07:44-1:07:48). Erin Gilbert says: "Today, at 4:32 p.m. we successfully trapped a Class 3 vapor."
  2. Abby Yates (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 12 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:17:56-1:18:05). Sony Pictures. Abby Yates says: "All right, I would like to remind everybody here that in a very short amount of time, we have seen multiple Class 4 malevolent apparitions."
  3. Narrator (2016). Simon & Schuster- "Ghostbuster's Handbook" (2016) (Book p.71). Page reads: "The Ghostbusters met with the Class III vapor they named "Mayhem" during their sweep of the Stonebrook Theatre."
  4. Abby Yates (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 8 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:59:38-00:59:42). Sony Pictures. Abby Yates says: "It's a full paranormal transferal embodiment. Erin, all of our theories on spectral possession are true."
  5. The Creature Shop "Who ya gonna call? The Character Shop!" 2016 Line reads: "We were also going to create a practical Theater/Concert Ghost, but somewhere along the line the VFX Dept. got a little...well, greedy...and decided to do it all themselves."
  6. EMPIRE Online "Empire Podcast: Ghostbusters Spoiler Special with Paul Feig" 19:01-19:13 7/27/16 Paul Feig says: "Yeah, to me, he's more kind of like a demon... gargoyle kind of other worldly thing but it does have a dragon-ish quality to him."
  7. EMPIRE Online "Empire Podcast: Ghostbusters Spoiler Special with Paul Feig" 19:20-19:33 7/27/16 Paul Feig says: "I like the idea of as he's energizing things. He's pulling from weirder weirder places and deeper parts of the unknown, so this one comes up and also just comedically I like the idea at this heavy metal concert he'd show up and everyone would think it's part of the show."
  8. Toy Ark "Toy Fair 2016 – Mattel Ghostbusters 2016" 2/14/16
  9. Ghostbusters News "Mattel reveals a kid sized Ghostbusters proton pack + more!" 2/15/16
  10. Jen Harris (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Special Features; "The Ghosts of Ghostbusters" (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:08:19-0:08:32). Sony Pictures. Jen Harris says: "I was in a nude spandex unitard. In post they're going to, obviously turn me into a mannequin. I was here to recreate mannequin movements."
  11. Agent Rorke (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Deleted/Alternate Scenes; (Deleted Scene): The Mayor's Office (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:03:34-0:03:42). Sony Pictures. Agent Rorke says: "Oh, you mean a bunch of whacked out metal heads who saw a hi-tech prop go haywire and all their cell phone photos were wiped out by a magnetic wave blast?"
  12. Kevin Beckman (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 12 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:17:10-1:17:14). Sony Pictures. Kevin Beckman says: "Hey, guys, I've been meaning to ask, what was that thing that threw that man out the window the other day?"
  13. Jillian Holtzmann (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 12 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 1:17:15-1:17:16). Sony Pictures. Jillian Holtzmann says: "Kevin, it was a ghost."
  14. Officer Stevenson (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Deleted/Alternate Scenes; (Deleted Scene): Casper (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:00:09-0:00:00). Sony Pictures. Officer Stevenson says: "And if you tell me that a ghost threw him out of the window again, I swear to you, you're gonna be answering this behind bars."
  15. Jillian Holtzmann (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Deleted/Alternate Scenes; (Deleted Scene): Casper (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:00:26-0:00:27). Sony Pictures. Jillian Holtzmann says: "A ghost did it."
  16. Abby Yates (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Deleted/Alternate Scenes; (Deleted Scene): Casper (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:00:26-0:00:30). Sony Pictures. Abby Yates says: "She said "a ghost." "A ghost did it." a ghost like Casper."
  17. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Deleted/Alternate Scenes; (Deleted Scene): Casper (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:00:59-0:01:00). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "He was trapped. I let him out."
  18. Patty Tolan (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Deleted/Alternate Scenes; (Deleted Scene): Casper (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:01:02-0:01:03). Sony Pictures. Patty Tolan says: "It's not your fault, the ghost did it."

Gallery[]

Primary Canon[]

Secondary Canon[]

Behind the Scenes[]

Advertisement