Inside the laboratory, Dr. Venkman is conducting an ESP (extra-sensory- perception) test on two young students, both of who are wired up to electrodes. One of the students is a young, attractive blonde-haired woman called Jennifer, the other is a male student whose name we don’t learn. The first thing we see is a star symbol on a card. The male student looks very nervous before he pauses and stutters his answer.
Male student: “S-square?”
Turning the card to show the student, Dr. Venkman immediately responds with a subtle, dry sense of satisfaction.
Dr. Venkman: “Good guess, but wrong.”
For guessing incorrectly, Venkman proceeds to give the male student a sharp electric shock, forcing the young man to wriggle comically in his seat. Venkman then gives him a brief look of disdain before looking down to write something. With the deadpan delivery of Bill Murray as its spearhead, the film is already funny. Then, with his head still, Murray’s subtle comic ability comes to the fore as his eyes shift from a look of disappointment in the male student, to a look of encouraging warmth toward Jennifer. A reassuring smile appears as Venkman says…
Dr. Venkman: “Clear your head. All right, tell me what you think it is.”
Venkman holds up a new card for Jennifer, as she asks in a soft, calm voice…
Jennifer: “Is it a star?”
The male student sniggers at her answer and the camera cuts back to Dr. Venkman who says with a hint of false sincerity…
Dr. Venkman: “It is a star! Very good, that’s great.”
We then see a camera angle from behind Venkman that reveals the card was in-fact a circle. Jennifer is delighted to think she has guessed correctly, while the male student wears a look of disbelief. It’s immediately funny, while at the same time, shows us that Peter Venkman is a con man. A man with no reverence for his work, willing to abuse his position for a chance romantic encounter with a young student half his age. What ought to be alarming is brilliantly amusing, thanks to Bill Murray’s screen reputation and sardonic mannerisms.
Dr. Venkman then reaches for another card, (we see that the symbol is a square) – addressing the male student…
Dr. Venkman: “All right. Think hard. What is it?”
The male student, more nervous this time, but quicker in his response goes for broke…
Male Student: “Circle!”
Dr Venkman sucks air into his cheeks and says in a thinly-veiled, patronising way…
Dr Venkman: “Close…but definitely wrong”
The answers are black or white, meaning there is no such thing as “close”, only right or wrong. Venkman enjoys taunting the hapless young student, in an attempt to make Jennifer feel good about herself, thus grooming her to be more receptive to his eventual advances.
Venkman leans forward to push the switch to administer yet another electric shock to the male student. This time, when he does, the resulting jolt forces the young man to comically spit out his chewing gum onto the desk. The male student puts the chewing gum back into his mouth before the next round of tests begin. Steven Tash, the young actor playing the ‘male student’ deserves much credit for his own comic performance in this scene – his anxiety being a key part of what makes it funny.
Venkman holds up another card, this time with a plus (+) symbol printed on it, adopting a more friendly demeanour to help Jennifer relax. It’s clear he has no intention of giving her an electric shock.
Dr. Venkman: “Okay. All right. Ready? What is it?”
As Venkman says this, he points a pencil at his his temple as Jennifer hesitates with her answer. Making light of her uncertainty, he pulls a goofy face as he whispers in a faux-inpatient way…
Dr. Venkman: “Cmooon”
Jennifer suddenly gains some confidence as guesses…
Jennifer: “Figure eight”
Bill Murray’s reaction here is hilarious, as he understands the key to great comedy often stems from so-called pregnant pauses. He stalls for a long moment, playing along with his own twisted game of being astonished by Jennifer’s psychic abilities. He sits still, holding the card up, his eyes darting from it to Jennifer before he says…
Dr. Venkman: “Incredible. That’s five for five. You can’t see these, can you?”
Venkman pretends to be amazed, holding the card at different angles.
Jennifer: “No, no”
Dr. Venkman: “You’re not cheating me, are you?”
The double bluff is funny, as Venkman pretends to be in awe of Jennifer’s abilities.
Jennifer: “No, I swear, they’re just coming to me.”
He now has Jennifer in the palm of his hand, having given her the belief that she has ability. This scene is an early signpost of how risky Ghostbusters is for a film certified PG. The girl in question is being portrayed as the stereotypical dumb blonde, being preyed upon by her mentor…all in the name of comedy.
Venkman turns to address the male student for round three of the tests…
Dr. Venkman: “Okay. Nervous?”
Venkman gives a smug smile as he speaks. Considering Venkman is the heroic centre of the piece, it’s a bold choice to introduce him as such an unlikable character.
Male Student: “Yes… I don’t like this.”
The male student becomes emotional, prompting us to feel sympathy for him. We have been made to feel complicit in his ordeal. How much more will he take before he blows??…we don’t need ESP abilities to know he won’t last much longer.
Dr. Venkman: “You only have seventy-five more to go. Okay, what’s this one?”
You male student pauses briefly, in the face of yet another smug grin from Venkman. He makes a small wavy gesture with his hand and asks…
Male Student: “A couple of wavy lines?”
As the student gives his answer, the camera angle switches to behind Venkman. We clearly see that the male student has guessed correctly. Venkman quickly puts the card down, at the same time saying…
Dr. Venkman: “Sorry! This isn’t your lucky day!”
Venkman’s cruelty is complete. He gives a half-exasperated laugh as he says the word “day”.
Male Student: “I know…er”
The male student’s agitation is reaching explosion-point. We hear some mock-suspenseful piano-tinkling as Venkman reaches for the switch to give another electric shock. The camera cuts to the face of Jennifer, who looks concerned. Venkman slightly raises his eyebrows as he looks at the male student. This moment is vaguely akin to a ‘Mexican standoff’, famously found in the Spaghetti Western genre.
Male Student: “Wai..erm…erm”
In his most audacious moment yet, Venkman moves his glance to Jennifer, giving her a look that suggests he’s enjoying the moment and that she should too. Jennifer smiles back, which suggests she’s now happy to play along with whatever Venkman has in mind. Venkman then winks at her before pushing the switch to give the male student another zap. The male student has had enough as he gets a final shock and begins to yell…
Male Student: “Hey! I’m getting a little tired of this!”
Dr. Venkman: “You volunteered, didn’t you? We’re paying you, aren’t we?”
Bill Murray’s delivery is often so subtle, that small moments can easily slip by. As he says “aren’t we?”, his intonation and gestures reveal that he isn’t sure if the student is being paid.
Male Student: “Yeah, but I didn’t know you were giving me electric shocks! What are you trying to prove here anyway?”
This reveals that the male student has no interest in the studies, and that he only volunteered for a quick buck. He most likely wouldn’t have bothered, had he been aware of the electric shocks. Venkman answers by pressing together the palms of his hands in an attempt to appear wise…
Dr. Venkman: “I’m studying the effect of negative reinforcement on ESP ability.”
Dr. Venkman seems to have an answer for everything. He’s trying to suggest the male student’s negativity is hindering any ESP ability, whereas Jennifer, who is calm, is performing well. Standing up and uncoupling himself from the electrodes, the male student responds angrily…
Male Student: “The effect?! I’ll tell you what the effect is! It’s pissing me off!”
The male student rounds the table and begins to walk out of the room. At the same time, Venkman stands and says…
Dr. Venkman: “Well, then maybe my theory is correct!”
As a parting shot, the male student says..
Male Student: “You can keep the five bucks, I’ve had it!”
It’s funny that he only got paid $5 for so much trauma.
Dr Venkman: “I will mister!”
We get the feeling that Venkman always has to have the last word.
The male student is seen hurriedly leaving the laboratory. On the wall by the door, there is a large black & white poster of Marylin Monroe wearing a bathing suit. This tells us three things – the laboratory is a ‘man cave’, they are unprofessional, yet, they have high taste in pin-ups.
Trivia: This scene was filmed in a basement area of Columbia University.
Words by Gareth Rhodes.
Ghostbusters: Scene by Scene 