What’s a Ghostbuster without anything capture ghosts in? The Ghost trap is again one of the most recognized pieces of equipment in the Ghostbusters universe. Around 6 traps were built during the course of the two films. There were hero traps, made from metal and had full electronics, servos to open the doors and lights. Not all traps had opening doors. The hero traps were also the only traps to have the removable cartridge that goes into the Ecto Containment Unit. Stunt traps were built for various purposes. There were trap specifically built to smoke, with strips of fabric that would be soaked in the smoking agent. Other traps were built from foam and hung on the belt, the foam helped keep the weight down for the actors. These traps were known as “belt hangers”.

From Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2, the ghost trap went through a number of subtle changes, similar to the proton pack. The differences are;

1. The side rods on the trap change from being red in Ghostbusters to silver in Ghostbusters 2
2. The battery box is significantly longer in Ghostbusters than it is in Ghostbusters 2. The battery box also had an additional sticker on it, next to the switch and behind the handle. This sticker is the same one which is seen on the top of the EDA on the top of the proton pack, cut down to size.
3. Because the ecto containment unit isn’t seen in Ghostbusters 2, none of the Ghostbusters 2 traps had removable cartridges. Because the handle on the hero trap contained the latching mechanism used to keep the cartridge in place, the Ghostbusters 2 trap handles are slightly less detailed.
4. The side dial on the heatsink side of the trap changes between the two films. The first film is a small black plastic dial whereas the the second film, it’s a metal knurled dial.

Ghostbusters hero Ghost trap. Note the red side rods and the removable cartridge