The Scariest Part of Ghostbusters Has a Surprising Origin Story

When Ghostbusters premiered in June 1984, the world was introduced to a whole new world of wacky ghosts, creatures, and characters. Born out of the ingenious mind of Dan Aykroyd, then shaped and refined by collaborators Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman, the now-classic horror-comedy introduced moviegoers to Slimer, Gozer, and, of course, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Part of what makes Ghostbusters so engaging is the imagination and uniqueness of its world-building. When the camera cranes down on the New York Public Library in the opening scene, we, the viewers, feel that we’re entering an already realized universe where sometimes librarians turn out to be ghosts.

One of the most unforgettable scenes in film is when Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) is possessed by one of the fearsome terror dogs; however, did you know that originally, those terror dogs weren’t a part of Ghostbusters lore? And it was a misunderstanding by Sigourney Weaver during her audition for director Ivan Reitman that caused their inclusion in the movie?

The Terror Dogs Put the Horror in Ghostbusters’ Horror Comedy

Before the terror dogs are introduced in the movie, Dana (Weaver) is heading back to her apartment to get ready for her date with Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) when she bumps into her neighbor, Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). Louis cajoles Dana into stopping by his party with Peter. It’s a sweet, lighthearted scene, but minutes later, both Dana and Louis will be transformed into hellish monsters. Dana enters her apartment and takes a phone call from her mother. What happens next is a shining example of Reitman’s ability to deftly balance both the horror and comedy genres.

As Dana has her very ho-hum conversation with her mother, the foreboding starts to build. We, the audience, see that the door to Dana’s bedroom is eerily glowing, and then she does. The film’s score turns ominous, and just as Dana glimpses claws pushing at the door, the terror dog’s limbs emerge from the armchair she’s sitting in! They hold her down against the chair, making escape impossible, no matter how much Dana screams. Her armchair magically turns and slides toward the now-open bedroom door, where her monstrous (albeit temporary) fate awaits.

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This iconic moment of the beloved film wouldn’t have existed, however, if it weren’t for Sigourney Weaver misinterpreting the nature of Dana’s possession by Zuul. Recently, while on The Graham Norton Show, Weaver revealed that during her audition for Ghostbusters, “I misunderstood the script, because I thought the girl did turn into a dog. So, at a certain point … the director, Ivan Reitman, was filming me, I started to turn into a dog, and started to gnaw on the cushions, and kind of, you know, shake them, and howl a little bit. I’m an actor. I really got into it.”

It’s no surprise Weaver completely committed to the character, as she’s a graduate of the prestigious Yale Drama School and was already a rising star (after her role in Ridley Scott’s Alien) when she auditioned for Reitman. Her performance was so arresting that Reitman turned off the camera while she acted out Dana’s canine possession. “He turned the camera off, he said, ‘Don’t ever do that again. It’s so grotesque an editor might want to use it,” she said.

Weaver’s Mistake was Ghostbusters & the Fans’ Gain

As it turned out, it was Reitman, along with writers Aykroyd and Ramis, who wanted to use it. They were so impressed by Weaver’s audition choice, although it was misinformed, that Reitman incorporated Dana turning into a dog during her possession by Zuul into the production.

The movie is ultimately better for it. Especially since the implementation of the terror dogs led to another memorable and fan-favorite sequence in Ghostbusters: Tully’s possession. A terror dog barrels into his party, then chases Tully out of his apartment building, into Central Park, and pins him against the glass walls of the famous restaurant Tavern on the Green. Again, it’s another brilliant blend of horror and comedy executed by Reitman. Particularly when, after Tully is possessed, he runs around the park disheveled, scaring New Yorkers and professing “I am the Keymaster!”

The terror dogs made their on-screen return in 2019’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by Ivan Reitman’s son, Jason Reitman. It’s crazy to think that terror dogs, now emblematic of the franchise, would have never made it to screen if it weren’t for Weaver’s mistake. Proof that ‘happy accidents’ do exist.

You can stream Ghostbusters movies online.