Room 428 (or How Peter Venkman Became a Parapsychologist)

Back in 2015, Moviepilot, an online pop culture site written by fans for fans, held a writing contest: Pick your favorite movie character and give us his or her origin story (if they didn't have one already). I chose Peter Venkman from Ghostbusters, the skeptical parapsychologist with the dry sense of humor, immaculately played by Bill Murray.

I wondered how Venkman, who obviously believed the whole parapsychology thing was a bunch of hokum and an easy way to make a living, would choose parapsychology in the first place. Was he just a con man at heart? Or was there something more?

The story that follows is that exploration. I like to think it gives the character a little more depth, maybe a little more pathos? At any rate, it does give him reason to excel in parapsychology, even if a big part of him doesn't quite believe it all.

It also gave me a chance to tie the Ghostbusters origin to my alma mater, Ohio University. Athens, Ohio, where the school is located, is considered one of the most haunted places on Earth. And Room 428 in Wilson Hall has a history all its own (read about it here: https://athensohio.com/wheretoplay/haunted-athens/wilson-hall-room-428/)

The story won the contest, I'm happy to say. Now that Moviepilot is no more, I hope it finds a new group of readers who enjoy this little bit of fanfiction.