summary
Egon Spengler’s proton pack remains the Ghostbusters’ iconic weapon against ghosts. Ghost traps have evolved to include remote-controlled versions seen in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Spirit Extractors, seen in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, are a dangerous but useful way to exorcise haunted objects.
The Ghostbusters franchise is filled with tons of amazing gadgets, but a select few reign as the iconic tools of the Ghostbusters’ profession. In the original 1984 Ghostbusters, the four founding members of the undead extermination service had precious few scientific inventions to use against ghosts. Since then, each Ghostbusters film has found new ways for each incarnation of the team to do their job better than ever before.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire added some new gadgets as the latest mainline addition to the series, but the IP spans cartoons, video games, and comics, each with their own clever additions to the Ghostbusters’ arsenal of experimental high-tech gizmos. From weapons made specifically to capture ghosts to more esoteric devices for studying or tracking them, the Ghostbusters have developed some incredibly cool tools over the years.
Related: 10 Most Powerful Villains and Ghosts from the Ghostbusters Movies, Ranked
The Ghostbusters have made a lot of enemies along the way to becoming the world’s most successful and exclusive dedicated ghost-catching agency.
10 Proton Pack
First appearance: Ghostbusters (1984)
Few tools are more familiar to the Ghostbusters than the proton pack. At first glance, this jumble of tubes, wiring, and metal might seem like a crude, improvised weapon that wouldn’t have much effect on ghosts. But thanks to the engineering genius of Dr. Egon Spengler, the proton pack has become the Ghostbusters’ go-to weapon against all manner of ghostly threats.
The proton pack’s design is inspired by real-life particle accelerators, blending science fiction with real science.
Proton packs work by generating a steady stream of positively charged particles that are capable of countering the negatively charged energy of ghosts and evil spirits. When fired from the included Neutrona Wand, this high-powered arc of energy is capable of slowing or completely restraining any ghost it comes into contact with, allowing it to be easily disposed of with a Ghost Trap. While functioning as a pure energy beam, proton packs also have a tendency to produce strange, unexpected results and cause significantly more property damage.
9. Ghost Trap
First appearance: Ghostbusters (1984)
Proton packs are iconic, but ultimately useless if they aren’t combined with ghost traps. These little boxes are what allow the Ghostbusters to actually capture many of the terrifying ghosts featured in the Ghostbusters movies and later store them in giant containment units. Originally, these traps slid along the ground and were remotely activated, allowing them to be used without getting dangerously close to the trapped ghosts.
Since their introduction in the original Ghostbusters, ghost traps have evolved along with the threats they contain. Ghostbusters: Afterlife introduced a clever RC car version of the classic trap that could be safely maneuvered into position from afar, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire expanded the technology even further by attaching the ghost trap to a flying drone. It will be exciting to see how future iterations of the ghost trap will play out in the series.
First appearance: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
The gadgets created by the Ghostbusters are not only used for offensive purposes. Considering that ghost research is at the cutting edge of science, it is equally important to equip the team with devices to better study and understand their ghostly enemies. To this end, one of the most ingenious new inventions introduced in recent films is the Soul Extractor, famously featured in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Essentially a giant cabinet, the Spirit Extractor specializes in de-possessing possessed objects and removing spirits trapped within certain items. However, it is shown to have a chilling dual purpose as when Phoebe is inside it, her spirit is removed from her body, temporarily turning her into a ghost herself. For a variety of reasons, it is one of the most dangerous yet useful machines the Ghostbusters have ever invented.
7. Ghost Tether
First appearance: The Real Ghostbusters (1986)
It wasn’t uncommon for popular ’80s movies to quickly become spin-off Saturday morning cartoons, and Ghostbusters was no exception. The Real Ghostbusters was one of the best installments of Ghostbusters media following the original film, introducing all sorts of clever new devices to the team’s repertoire. One of the most ingenious was the ghost tether, which allowed the team to actually handle freed ghosts to safety.
Slimer, the unofficial mascot-like ghost of the series, appeared alongside the team on multiple occasions in the animated show. To control Slimer, Egon designed the Ghost Tether and accompanying collar, a device that allows the ghost to be retrieved from any distance if it is previously tethered with a magnetic collar. In this way, the Ghostbusters can literally chain Slimer and other weaker ghosts together and have them help them in the field without worrying about unleashing a mischievous ghost.
6. Proton Gloves
First appearance: Ghostbusters (2016)
The 2016 SNL-led reboot of the Ghostbusters series, while largely unmemorable, at least managed to introduce some great new toys for the Ghostbusters to use. Jillian Holtzman, the film’s equivalent of Egon Spengler, designed quite a few unique proton sidearms that expand the Ghostbusters’ arsenal beyond simple proton packs. One of the most unique of these creations is the Proton Glove, a weapon designed for close-quarters combat with spiritual attackers.
Jillian Holtzmann, the film’s equivalent of Egon Spengler, would go on to design a number of unique proton sidearms that would expand the Ghostbusters’ arsenal beyond simple proton packs.
The arm-worn devices are fitted to the wrists and fists and function as giant, high-tech brass knuckles. When activated by movement, the device fires a devastating proton burst over a wide area, virtually incapacitating any ghosts in the vicinity. Abby uses the device to great effect in the film’s hectic battle with period-clad ghosts in Times Square, knocking them into the modern world with a proton-charged punch.
5 Ecto 1
First appearance: Ghostbusters (1984)
One of the most famous cars in movie history, the Ecto-1 is more vehicle than gadget. Still, it’s an essential part of the Ghostbusters’ tool kit, ready to respond quickly to any call to action. A 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor Sentinel modified to look like a cross between a hearse and an ambulance, the Ecto-1 (aka the Ectomobile) is both stylish and practical as the Ghostbusters’ primary mode of transportation.
But the Ecto-1 is more than just a car; its subsequent appearances in Ghostbusters media reveal it’s capable of a whole host of useful tricks: in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the vehicle is modified to be equipped with a proton pack gunner seat to combat roaming ghosts that the car needs to keep up with, and in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, the car is revealed to be capable of mounting a giant, super-strong ghost trap to its roof that acts as a miniature containment unit.
4 Proton Grenade
First appearance: Ghostbusters #4
The Ghostbusters movies and TV shows aren’t the only properties that have contributed to expanding the series’ ghost-busting arsenal. The IDW Ghostbusters comics are all too often overlooked. One of the comics’ biggest influences on the series is the introduction of proton grenades. Sometimes proton flux alone isn’t enough, and the Ghostbusters require high-powered proton emissions to deal with certain foes.
In the comics, these grenades are often used to break through psychokinetic energy barriers or to weaken particularly powerful supernatural beings before capturing them in a proton pack. Proton grenades finally appeared in the big screen in 2016’s Ghostbusters. In the film, they were designed by Jillian Holtzman to be used in conjunction with a grenade launcher, greatly increasing their range compared to the comic book version. Again, proton grenades were used during the Battle of Times Square.
3 PKE Meter
First appearance: Ghostbusters (1984)
Finding ghosts is often just as difficult as subduing them, and finding a way to reliably detect supernatural forces was one of the first challenges Egon Spengler had to accomplish. Luckily, the PKE Meter has been there for the Ghostbusters to use almost from the beginning. A replacement for the Psychokinetic Energy Meter, the device detects the elemental forces that ghosts use to manifest in the Ghostbusters world.
In Ghostbusters II, Egon was able to develop a new version of the PKE meter called the Gigameter, which was calibrated to instead measure the psychomagnetic energy emanating from Viggo.
In Ghostbusters II, Egon develops a new version of the PKE Meter, the Giga Meter, which is tailored to measure the psychomagnetic energy emanating from Viggo. However, the device has reappeared many times throughout the series, mostly retaining its original purpose of measuring ghost activity and determining with amazing accuracy whether an object is haunted. Though it never directly interacts with ghosts beyond pointing them out, the PKE Meter is one of the Ghostbusters’ most valuable tools.
2 Ecto 2
First appearance: The Real Ghostbusters (1986)
The Ecto-1 may be the most famous vehicle used by the Ghostbusters, but it’s not the only one. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire introduced the Ecto-C, a motorcycle and sidecar combination perfect for navigating the narrow streets of New York City. But by far the coolest secondary vehicle in the Ghostbusters garage is the Ecto-2, a lightweight gyro helicopter featured in the animated series The Real Ghostbusters.
Considering flying is the preferred mode of transportation for most of the ghost army, it’s easy to see the value of a flying vehicle to the Ghostbusters. Stored on the roof of Ecto-1 and the famous Ghostbusters fire station, the Ecto-2 is incredibly easy to use to fight ghosts, thanks to its small size and ability to hover vertically and take off. While it’s likely a sign of the cartoon’s need to sell new toys, the Ecto-2 is undoubtedly a useful piece of equipment.
1 Slime Blower
First appearance: Ghostbusters II (1989)
Given how frequently the Ghostbusters are attacked by slime, it’s no wonder they quickly came up with a way to use this sticky substance to their advantage. After experimenting with the pink slime that contaminated New York City in Ghostbusters II, Egon Spengler was able to create a positively charged version of this sticky ghostly substance. To implement this, the Ghostbusters employed a large, back-mounted slime-spraying machine, officially adding a valuable new piece of equipment to their toolbox.
At first glance, a device that simply squirts slime may not seem like much use against incorporeal ghosts. However, it’s important to remember the properties of positively charged slime, which allowed the Ghostbusters to move the Statue of Liberty and use it in the final battle against Viggo. The slime squirter also appears in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, proving to be one of the most enduring tools in the Ghostbusters’ arsenal.
Related: 10 Long-Awaited Updates Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Adds to the Franchise After 39 Years
The first trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has been released, showing that the sequel will bring some much-needed updates to the classic franchise.
