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Ray's Occult Books is the fourth chapter on the DVD of Ghostbusters II. This Chapter shows Ray working at his "Ray's Occult Books" while Egon is researching the event that happened to Dana.

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Equipment[]

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Locations[]

Plot[]

Egon Spengler looked through a book in Ray Stantz's store, Ray's Occult Books. The store was full of shelves of books, objects were hung up. Ray rang up a customer. Egon found an interesting passage and read it aloud to Ray. In Berlin, in 1939, a flower cart took off by itself and rolled half a kilometer. There were 300 eyewitnesses. Ray finished ringing up the sale. Egon turned and looked at the customer. The doorbell rang as the customer left. Ray gave his best to the coven then Ray stepped out from the counter over to a book shelf with Egon. He placed his pipe in his mouth then suggested they check Duke University's mean averaging studies on controlled psychokinesis. Egon affirmed that he pulled it. Peter Venkman entered the bookstore and spoke in an accent. He jokingly explained he was looking for a love potion aerosol that he could spray on a certain Penthouse pet to obtain her total submission. They both greeted Peter. Peter threw his coat onto an empty book cart. He asked Egon how school was and joked those "science chicks" must really dig that large cranium of his. Egon believed they were more interested in his epididymis. Peter scoffed then paused in thought. He told Ray to close up so he could buy him a calzone.

Ray informed him that he was busy working on something but revealed his book order came in, "Magical Paths to Fortune and Power". Peter thanked him. Egon snickered while Peter held his head up high. Egon wished him good luck with that. Peter politely asked Ray to put it on his account. Egon found something else and showed it to Ray. Ray skimmed and agreed. Peter was curious and asked what they were working on. Ray started to answer but from the back of the store, Egon cleared his throat to subtly warn Ray not to blab. Ray told Peter they were checking something out for an old friend. Peter pressed on and asked who the "old friend" was. Ray was saved by the phone and answered. He replied to the caller that the store's closing hours were 7:00 on weekdays and midnight on Saturdays. He thanked the caller, hung up and looked back down at his book. Peter placed his left hand under Ray's chin and made him look into his eyes. Peter again asked who. Ray tried to fib and said it was just someone they knew. Peter pretended to be satisfied then pulled on Ray's ears. Egon turned around and could only stand there as Ray screamed. Peter asked again. Ray repeatedly refused to answer but Peter implored him to. Ray finally caved and revealed the client was Dana Barrett. Peter was surprised and released him. Ray massaged his ears. Peter couldn't believe the person was his ex-girlfriend.

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters II Trivia[]

  • In the August 5, 1988 draft:
    • On page 16, Peter's 'chicks really go for that big cranium' line appears during a scene at the Institute for Advanced Theoretical Research.
    • On page 20, Ray's Occult is described as a 'small basement shop on a quaint commercial block in Greenwich Village'. Ray also refuses to help Peter at first. On page 21, Ray states the store hours are closing at seven every day.
    • Ray lost everything after the events of the first movie. He rebuilt his life with Ray's Occult Books.[1][2]
  • In the November 27, 1988 and the February 27, 1989 drafts:
    • On page 19, Ray tells a crank caller he carries books on alchemy, astrology, apparitions, Bundu Magic Men, demon intercession, U.F.O. Abductions, psychic surgery, stigmata, modern miracles, pixie sightings, golden geese, geists, and ghosts. He tells Egon the crank asked for goat hooves. Ray suggests checking the ASPR, volume 6, number 3, 1968-1969, Renzacker and Buell, and the Duke University mean averaging study on controlled psychokinetics.
    • On page 20, Peter intimates he made the crank call then tells Ray to be him a sub. After Egon's epididymis line, Peter replies he doesn't want to know where that is. Peter takes a beer out of Ray's mini-fridge.
    • On page 21, Ray gives Peter his Magical Paths to Fortune and Power. In this draft, Ray doesn't get a call asking about store hours and is immediately tortured by Peter.
  • In the February 27, 1989 Draft, Ray only mentions the Duke University mean averaging study.
  • The exterior of Ray's Occult Books was 33 St. Mark's Place in New York City.
  • The interior of the book store was on Stage 15 next to the The World of the Psychic set at Burbank Studios. Set decorator Cheryl Carasik populated the set with old used books.[3][4]
  • In Ray's Occult, Egon is looking at a copy of "The Great Book of Magical Art, Hindu Magic and East Indian Occultism".
  • Egon mentions Berlin.
  • Ray refers to early parapsychological research conducted by J. B. Rhine at Duke University in the 1930s. One such psychokinesis test was to influence the outcome of tossed dice.
  • Peter references the Penthouse magazine.
  • Ray's Occult closes at 7:00 pm on weekdays and midnight on Saturdays.
  • Peter previously pulled Ray's ear after they first sighted the Library ghost in the first movie in Chapter 3: "Get Her!" and decided what to do next.
  • In Chapter 05: Investigating Oscar, Ray tells Dana about how Peter pulled his ears.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trivia[]

  • Ray still operates Ray's Occult Books.
  • In the end credits tag, it is revealed Winston Zeddemore has been covering the rent for Ray's Occult.

Ghostbusters III: Hellbent Trivia[]

  • In a limited script revision done on June 23, 2006, it is revealed Peter died from slipping during an industrial accident involving the making of a love potion. Ray blamed himself.[5][6][7][8]

IDW Comics Trivia[]

  • In Ghostbusters Volume 1 #5:
    • On Page 12, "Magical Paths to Fortune and Power" can be seen by Kylie Griffin.
  • In Ghostbusters Volume 1 #6:
    • On Page 5, Peter pulls Ray's ear to get the truth.
  • In Ghostbusters Volume 1 #10:
    • On Page 13, Ray mentions his store, Ray's Occult Books.
  • In Ghostbusters Volume 2 #11:
    • On Page 5, Ray is wearing the civies he wore in Ray's Occult in Ghostbusters II.
    • On Page 5, to the left of Ray is a pink canister marked Love Potion, in reference to Peter's request when he enters Ray's Occult in Ghostbusters II.
  • In Ghostbusters Volume 2 #15:
    • On Page 8, Outside Ray's Occult is a Psychic flier with I.L.M. on it, a nod to Industrial Light and Magic, the company that primarily did effects for Ghostbusters II.
  • In Ghostbusters: Get Real #1:
    • On Page 18, Ray is wearing the outfit he wore at Ray's Occult Books in Ghostbusters II.
  • In Ghostbusters: Get Real #2:
    • On Page 8, on the bottom right corner of the Universal ad is a Ray's Occult Books business card.
  • In Ghostbusters: Get Real #3:
    • On Page 7, Egon alludes to Ray's Occult Books.
    • On Page 11, Ray is back in his attire from the Ray's Occult Books scene in Ghostbusters II
    • On Page 15, on the bottom right, a Ray's Occult Business Card.
  • In Ghostbusters Annual 2015:
    • On Page 15, Ray is wearing his red shirt, tan vest combo from Ghostbusters II.
  • In Ghostbusters International #2:
    • On Page 11, Ray's Occult Books' neighbors St. Mark's Deli and Manic appear in panel 1.
    • On Page 22, in Ray's locker is his reading glasses from Ghostbusters II.
  • In Ghostbusters International #3:
    • On Page 19, in panel 3, on far left corner, there is a yellow crumpled Ray's Occult Books paper bag by the console.
  • In Ghostbusters International #7:
    • On Page 17, Loftur mentions Ray's Occult Books.
  • In Ghostbusters 101 Issue #1:
    • On Page 7, Ray has on his pair of glasses from Ghostbusters II.
  • In Ghostbusters 101 Issue #2:
    • On Page 7, in panel 2, Ray's Occult Books is featured. Ray has on his civies he wore while at the store in Ghostbusters II.
  • In Ghostbusters 101 Issue #2:
    • On Page 7, in panel 2, Ray's Occult Books is featured. Ray has on his civies he wore while at the store in Ghostbusters II.
  • In Ghostbusters: Funko Universe:
    • On Page 3, Ray wears his civies from Ray's Occult.
  • In Ghostbusters 101 Issue #4:
    • On Page 6, in panel 1, Kylie alludes to Ray's Occult Books.
  • In Ghostbusters 101 Issue #5:
    • On Page 12, Erin alludes to Ray's Occult Books.
    • On Page 23, Ray's Occult is mentioned again.
  • In Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2:
    • On Page 19, the main source of the books in Ray's Occult is revealed to be from the New York Public Library's occult collection. Rebecca suggests he open a bookstore, foreshadowing the founding of Ray's Occult.

Tertiary Canon Trivia[]

  • On page 12 of Egon's Journal, a supplement of the Hasbro Haslab Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack, there is a reference to Chapter 4: Ray's Occult Books:
    • Egon acknowledges a callback to his epididymis joke.
  • On page 27 of Egon's Journal, there is a reference to Chapter 4: Ray's Occult Books:
    • The photo of Ray.

References[]

  1. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 21). "Ray Stantz says: "I had every penny invested in Ghostbusters. You had nothing. Between the fines and the lawsuits I lost everything."
  2. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 21). "Ray Stantz says: "This bookstore is all I have."
  3. Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 151. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Line reads: "The interior of Ray's Occult Books came to life on Stage 15, right next to the World of the Psychic set."
  4. Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 151. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Tom Duffield says: "We filled it up with a lot of old used books that our LA set decorator Cheryl Carasik, put in there."
  5. Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 165-166. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "Aykroyd and Tom Davis dusted off Hellbent in the summer of 2006 for a "limited revision." There were talks with Columbia Pictures around that time about reviving the script as a computer-animated feature. One of the most significant updates Aykroyd and Davis made to Hellbent added more color and weight to Peter Venkman's absence at the top of the story. After an experiment with a highly unstable artificial black hole goes awry, Ray Stantz looks up at a portrait of Venkman that graces a wall in the Ghostbusters headquarters. "I could have killed us all," he says. "Like my last mistake did to him." "Ray, you did not kill Venkman," Egon Spengler counters. "It was an industrial accident. He lost his grip and slipped." "But he was trying to help me." "Peter Venkman was the Chairman of this company. He called the shots on what we were to research. He was obsessed with developing his foolproof love potion and it cost him his life. We were all merely instruments in his hands." Astute, considering how attempts to revive Ghostbusters III in subsequent years would play out."
  6. Aykroyd, Dan (2006). Ghostbusters III: Hellbent (June 23, 2006 Draft) (Script p. 25). "Line reads: "A PORTRAIT OF VENKMAN- WITH A GOLD PLAQUE- CLOSE-UP PETER VENKMAN 1948-1998."
  7. Aykroyd, Dan (2006). Ghostbusters III: Hellbent (June 23, 2006 Draft) (Script p. 25). "Egon Spengler says: "Ray you did not kill Venkman. It was an industrial accident. He lost his grip and slipped."
  8. Aykroyd, Dan (2006). Ghostbusters III: Hellbent (June 23, 2006 Draft) (Script p. 25). "Ray Stantz says: "He was obsessed with developing his foolproof love potion and it cost him his life."

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