The Collect Call of Cathulhu Air Date Number: 045 Episode Number Dvd: 041 Production Number: [1] 76028 Written By: Michael Reaves Date First Aired: 10/27/1987 Regular Voice Actor(s): Lorenzo Music

Frank Welker

Maurice LaMarche

Arsenio Hall

Laura Summer Guest Voice Actor(s): Jodi Carlisle Season Aired: Season 2 On Boxset: Vol. 2, Disc 2





In The Collect Call of Cathulhu, when the Necronomicon is stolen from the public library, the Ghostbusters find themselves fighting creatures in the sewers, chasing down cults, and researching comic books to help them in their mission.[2]

Cast

Ted Klein

Clark Ashton

Spawn of Cathulhu

Egon Spengler

Peter Venkman

Ray Stantz

Winston Zeddemore

Janine Melnitz

Candy

Alice Derleth

Cult of Cathulhu

Shuggoth

Mr. Howard

Cathulhu

Equipment

Necronomicon

Ecto-1

Proton Pack

Particle Thrower

Trap

P.K.E. Meter

Tobin's Spirit Guide[3]

Weird Tales

Locations

New York City Public Library

Firehouse

Miskatonic University

Wagner's Occult Shop

Coney Island

Plot

It is almost 6 pm at the New York City Public Library. Professor Ted Klein was very nervous. He didn't like having the Necronomicon on public display. Clark Ashton, an official with the library, reassured him the book was safe. After Ashton locked up the room, something broke in from outside. A security guard checked the room, saw the Necronomicon was gone, and ran into a creature. The guard fainted.

The next morning, the Ghostbusters are huddled at the kitchen table reading the Sunday newspaper. Ray is excited and read a headline to everyone. From Monday to Friday, the New York City Public Library planned to exhibit the Necronomicon. Egon explained to Winston it was the single most powerful book of spells ever written. Ray theorized with glee the book's copyright page alone must have a P.K.E. valence of 9.9. Peter shifted the discussion to his date. Meanwhile downstairs, Janine answered a phone call just as Peter's date arrived. Egon took the call as Peter introduced Candy to everyone. However, Egon relented the date would have to wait. He believed there was a Class 7 Corporeal Entity at the library.

The Ghostbusters met with Klein and Ashton. Klein is visibly terrified while Ashton was the exact opposite. Ashton chalked up the theft to a ransom attempt. Egon pulled out his P.K.E. Meter and confirmed a high paranormal reading. Klein is even more alarmed and pleaded with the Ghostbusters to get the book back as soon as possible. The world was at stake. As the guys followed Egon outside, he explained the book was the only English translation of the Necronomicon and if its spells were read out loud, the results would be catastrophic. The spells acted like sonic keys that could open portals to other dimensions where the Old Ones waited to take over the Earth. Egon especially noted Cathulhu made Gozer look like Little Mary Sunshine. They stopped at a sewer manhole and climbed down.

The Ghostbusters are quickly surrounded by Spawn of Cathulhu (and rats). The Proton Streams had a temporary effect and the spawn regenerated their missing body parts. Ray adapted and shot into the water to create steam. The guys used the diversion to escape the sewers. Peter held them off but lost his left boot. Ray slammed the manhole cover down on one of the spawn. Back at the Firehouse, Ray confirmed the entities were Spawn of Cathulhu while Winston and Peter recuperated. Egon thought as much but is still worried, as the spawn probably served a cult. Ray revealed the stars had to be in a certain alignment in order for Cathulhu to be raised from the ocean floor. Peter correctly guessed the stars were in alignment that night.

Egon proposed they seek out Alice Derleth from Miskatonic University in order to gather as much information on the Cult of Cathulu. While Ray and Winston looked up the Book of Dzyan and Pnakotic Manuscripts, Egon and Peter took a plane trip to Arkham, Massachusetts. They met with Alice outside Miskatonic's administration building and talked over at the campus cafeteria. Alice was concerned and declared she was going back with them to New York. Everyone gathered outside of Wagner's Occult Shop in East Greenwich Village. They heard chanting from the basement and raided the cult. However, the cult leader summoned a Shuggoth. It grabbed the Ghostbusters and Alice. Luckily, Alice spellcasted and turned the entity to stone.

Back at square one, Ray proposed they visit an old acquaintance to seek out his collection of old pulp magazines. After several hours, Alice found the Weird Tales issue, and Ray confirmed it was the one that revealed how to defeat Cathulhu. Per Egon's calculations, Ecto-1 was headed to Coney Island on the southern tip of Brooklyn. It was the best place to summon Cathulhu. However, the Ghostbusters ran into some car trouble. Peter neglected to rotate the tires and they had no spares. The Ghostbusters took the subway to Coney Island but they were too late. The cult summoned Cathulhu. The Ghostbusters switch to full stream but it had no effect. Neither did Alice's spell. Cathulhu's power was completely off the scale and none of the equipment stood a chance to stop him.

Alice reminded Ray about the comic book. Ray skimmed the story and revealed Cathulhu was lured to an electric plant and blasted with 100 giga volts of electricity. Egon peered at Astroland's Cyclone roller coaster and came up with a strategy. If they used their equipment to ionize the metal's superstructure, they could attract a lightning bolt. Peter elected to ride the roller coaster and lure in Cathulhu. After Peter fell to safety, the Ghostbusters electrified the tracks. A lightning bolt struck Cathulhu. He melted into a red vapor and drifted into the sky. The cult was angered and was about to attack when the police arrived. Winston stepped forward and unmasked the cult leader. It was Clark Ashton!

Back at the Firehouse, Alice volunteered to take the Necronomicon back to Miskatonic University with her. Peter convinced her to stay a few days though she took charge again and suggested they see the exhibit of the Eltdown Shards at the Natural History Museum and a lecture on the Zanthu Tablets at Columbia University. Peter walked with her and attempted to suggest a nice restaurant.

Quotes

Winston: Cathulu? I've heard of him. He's bad, right?

Egon: He makes Gozer look like Little Mary Sunshine.

Winston: You're kidding! We're following them into the sewer!?

Egon: There's no other choice.

Peter: Anything that looks like Godzilla wearing an octopus hat shouldn't be hard to find.

Trivia

The episode was recorded on July 30, 1986. [4]

The title on the episode call sheet was "The Collect Call of Cthulhu". [5] It was the original title of the episode. [6]

It was the original title of the episode. Cathulhu is based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

The episode is full of references to Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos: Clark Ashton A reference to Clark Ashton Smith, a major Cthulhu Mythos writer Ted Kline A reference to T.E.D. Kline, a Cthulhu Mythos writer Necronomicon A fictional book about the Old Ones, their history, and how to summon them. Spawn of Cathulhu Based on Spawn of Cthulhu, exactly as it sounds; offspring of the Old One. Miskatonic University A fictional university set in Arkham and is considered to be a highly prestigious university on par with Harvard University. Arkham A fictional city set in Massachusetts. Alice Derleth A reference to August Derleth, a publisher and contributor to the Cthulhu Mythos. Old Ones Broad term for an extra-dimensional race of beings composed of pure evil. Mystery of the Worm [7] A fictional book containing spells and enchantments written by Ludwig Prinn, an alchemist, necromancer, and mage burned at the stake during the Witch Trials. Book of Dzyan An ancient text of alleged Tibetan origin dealing in the occult and esoteric. Pnakotic Manuscripts A fictional manuscript that deals in the history of the Great Race of Yith, predating that of man. Shuggoth Based on Shoggoths, protoplasmic monsters created to serve as slaves but rebelled against their creators. H.P. Lovecraft American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction. Mr. Howard A reference to Robert Howard, a Cthulhu Mythos writer and part of Lovecraft's inner circle. Weird Tales "The Horror from the Depths" An American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. Lovecraft and many writers contributed to this magazine over the years. Wagner's Occult Shop A reference to Karl Edward Wagner, an American writer, editor and publisher of horror, science fiction, and heroic fantasy. He wrote stories set in Robert Howard's writings. Eltdown Shards Mysterious pottery fragments found in 1882 in southern England. Also details history of the Great Race of Yith. Zanthu Tablets 12 engraved pieces of black jade inscribed by Zanthu, a wizard and high priest of the god Ythogtha. They are written in a hieratic form of Naacal, the language of the sunken continent of Mu. The tablets reveal a partial history of Mu.

Arsenio Hall voiced the library security guard. [8]

The opening shot of a focus on the library's lion statue is similar to the opening shot of the first film.

According to the script, it was planned for Slimer to swoop in and eat Peter's breakfast roll. This was cut from the episode apparently. [9]

When Janine answered the phone call from the library, she was reading "Changing Your Job."

In the script, when Ecto-1 departed the Firehouse for the library, there was an exchange between Ray and Peter. Peter referred to the Library ghost in the dialogue. [10]

When Clark Ashton speculated the theft would lead to a ransom, Peter referenced the Lindbergh kidnapping. [11]

Ray references the Atomic Bomb when comparing the power and danger of the Necronomicon. [12]

Egon references Gozer as the team departs from the library. [13]

Peter has an Uncle Alf. He advised Peter to open a hardware business. [14]

When Ray declared the stars were in alignment every 60 years, it was originally 600 years in the script. [15]

Omitted from the episode, Alice Derleth translated the "Mystery of the Worm" from Latin. [16]

Peter refers to Miskatonic University as Frankenstein's alma mater. [17]

Alice's quote is from H.P. Lovecraft's "The Nameless City." [18]

The cult meets in an occult bookstore; Ray in Ghostbusters II operated a occult bookstore.

The magic spell that Alice uses to turn the Shuggoth into stone - "Duppira al-kushni, askupati ani kalatum!" - originates from the Dungeons & Dragons episode "Day of the Dungeon Master" which was also written by Michael Reaves, who wrote this episode.

Peter references horror writer Stephen King when the gang pulls up at Mr. Howard's home. [19]

When Ray was a child, he used to borrow books from Mr. Howard. [20]

The man on the train says he would have thought Venkman was an astronaut. The man at the Sedgewick hotel in the first movie asks Venkman, "What are you supposed to be, some kind of a cosmonaut?"

Peter references Godzilla when describing Cathulhu. [21]

The Ghostbusters and Alice battle Cathulhu at Coney Island's Astroland and used the Cyclone roller coaster to defeat him. [22]

The spell Alice uses to attempt to stop Cathulhu includes "Nodens," an Elder God of the Cthulhu Mythos. [23]

Winston voiced his regret over answering the ad the Ghostbusters placed during the events of the first film. [24]

After retreating from Cathulhu, Peter mocks Egon by calling him a Pollyanna. [25] A principle, based on a 1913 novel, that indicates at the subconscious level, our minds have a tendency to focus on the optimistic while, at the conscious level, people have a tendency to focus on the negative. This subconscious bias towards the positive is often described as the "Pollyanna principle."

A principle, based on a 1913 novel, that indicates at the subconscious level, our minds have a tendency to focus on the optimistic while, at the conscious level, people have a tendency to focus on the negative. This subconscious bias towards the positive is often described as the "Pollyanna principle." Ray moves his lips when he reads. [26]

After Peter falls from the roller coaster, he referred to the experience to an E ticket ride - a thrilling and/or expensive ride from pre-1982 Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. [27]

As he is hauled off by the police, Clark Ashton's tirade is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulhu" to which this episode is named after.

At the end of the episode, Alice mentions the Natural History Museum and Columbia University. [28] [29]

Slimer doesn't appear in this episode.

References

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