3.13 Ghostfacers

Title	Ghostfacers
Episode #	Season 3, Episode 13
First aired	April 24, 2008
Directed by	Philip Sgriccia
Written by	Ben Edlund
On IMDB	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1032133/
Outline	Sam and Dean find themselves on a reality TV show “Ghostfacers” – and in real danger.
Monster	Ghost
Timeline	February 28-29, 2008 Two months before Dean’s deal is up.
Location(s)
[[{{{prevep}}}|« Previous Episode]] | [[{{{nextep}}}|Next Episode »]]

Synopsis

Sam and Dean work a case at the same place where the boys from Hell Hound's Lair, Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler, are shooting the pilot for their reality show "Ghostfacers." Every leap year, beginning at midnight, a ghost who used to be a janitor at a local hospital kills people and keeps their corpses at the Morton House for company. Their spirits remain trapped in the house as well as any living person in the house at midnight. Sam and Dean become trapped in the house with the Ghostfacers crew and must figure out how to kill the ghost as it hunts them one by one.

Characters

• Sam Winchester
• Dean Winchester
• Ed Zeddmore
• Harry Spangler
• Maggie Zeddmore
• Corbett
• Spruce
• Freeman Daggett

Definitions

• Ghosts
• Salt
• Ghostfacers Website
• Deer's Head
• Death Echo
• Morton House

Music

• We're An American Band by Grand Funk Railroad. Plays in the Impala as Sam and Dean drive by when the Ghostfacers are breaking into Morton house.

• Hocus Pocus by Focus. Plays when the Ghostfacers team are setting up their equipment.

• It's My Party by Leslie Gore. The birthday party song.

Quotes

Sam: "Let's go hunt the Morton House," you said, "it's our Grand Canyon".

Dean: Sam, I don't wanna hear it.

Sam: You got two months left. Instead we're gonna die tonight.

Ed: Here we were, thinking we were teaching you, and all this time you were teaching us... about heart, about dedication, and… about how gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day.

Sam: I mean, it's bizarre how y'all able to, to honor Corbett's memory while grossly exploiting the manner of his death. Well done.

Trivia & References

Ed and Harry first appeared in 1.17 Hell House

The hand held camera style of the episode references the horror movie The Blair Witch Project, in which a group of college kids are making a documentary about a witch.

Not dissimiliar in format to Ghostfacers, there is a TV show called Ghost Hunters, a docu-soap following a group of paranormal investigators.

The "corpse birthday party" scenario is reminiscent of the climax of the 1980 Canadian slasher movie Happy Birthday to Me. This film was produced by the same team that made My Bloody Valentine. Jensen will be filming a remake of it during the 2008 summer hiatus.

Harry: Hey! Aren't they those assholes from Texas?
A reference not only to when Ed and Harry first met the Winchesters, but to the fact that Jared and Jensen are both from Texas.

Harry: I don't really like rats. They're gross. Rats are like the rats of the world.
In 1.17 Hell House Dean also says "I hate rats".

Spruce: What's this guy Daggett's problem, anyway?

Sam: Loneliness.
Dean: What, he's never heard of a RealDoll?

A RealDoll is a lifesize silicone sex toy.

Sam: Daggett was the Norman Bates stuff-your-mother kind of lonely.
Norman Bates was the main character in Psycho, who kept the preserved corpse of his mother.

The "Ghostfacers" Title Song is very reminiscent of the "Ghostbusters" title song, also having a line about "who you're going to call". Furthermore, the Ghostfacers have a huddle cheer similarly to the one used by the Ghostbuster.

The framing mechanism of the episode of Ghostfacers - Ed and Harry suited and sitting in front of a fire - is reminiscent of Masterpiece Theatre, which would be introduced by the host who would be sitting in a great chair by an open fire.

There is a poster for the black-and-white horror movie, Coven, on the door of the Ghostfacer-headquarters.

Minutiae

File:Ghostfacers titlecard.jpg

Titlecard of the Ghostfacers pilot episode

The Deer's Head, a regular of Supernatural sets, appears on the wall of the Morton House.

This episode is presented as a pilot episode of Ghostfacers, so for the first time the Supernatural credits occur at the end of the episode.

Sam and Dean use strong swear words in this episode which are bleeped out, with a small Ghostfacers' skull logo over their mouths.

This is the only episode so far that shows the credits roll at the end of the show, and not in the beginning.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

• 3.13 Ghostfacers (transcript)

Promotion

• The CW site featured a Ghostfacer’s website.
• Promo stills
• Interview with Jared Padalecki about the episode (contains mild spoiler for 3.15
• Interview with Brittany Ishibashi about her role as Maggie Zeddmore