Proton Pack from the Film Ghostbusters II

This stunt proton pack was used as a prop in the sci-fi comedy film Ghostbusters II (1989) directed by Ivan Reitman (1946-2022). In the Ghostbusters franchise, this device is worn on a Ghostbuster’s back like a backpack—with the cyclotron (the wheel-like part with four holes in its center) oriented towards the bottom. The smaller device attached by the tube—called the “neutrona wand”—is handheld to aim a beam of protons (generated by a nuclear accelerator in the proton pack) at a ghost, which captures the ghost and allows a person to control its location. The proton pack works in conjunction with ghost traps placed on the ground to position ghosts above the traps, where they get sucked in and passively contained.  

Originally designed and revised for the sequel by Stephen Dane (1941-2016), the proton packs from Ghostbusters II range from fully ornamented, refurbished packs to a mid-level of detail/weight to stunt packs with the least amount of detail and weight. This proton pack is mostly cast in polyurethane foam, indicating that it was designed to be light and worn by a stunt double. The lack of detail demonstrates how the pack would only appear for a short time on camera. Most notably, it is missing several decals, a ribbon cable, and wires of different colors. 

The Ghostbusters franchise includes TV shows and video games, but it is most famous for its movies: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), and Ghostbusters (2016). Excluding the last one, the films star Dan Aykroyd (b. 1952), Bill Murray (b. 1950), Harold Ramis (1944-2014), and Ernie Hudson (b. 1945) as a New York-based group who capture ghosts. Since the 1980s, the Ghostbusters cast, logo, theme song, and fictional technology have become widely recognizable parts of the American cultural canon.