Michael J. :: Ghostbusters (1984-1990)

Ghostbusters Onionhead/Slimer Director-Approved Design Movie Concept Drawing

Artist: Thom Enriquez (All)

4 Comments - 1,745 Views - 1 Like

Ghostbusters Onionhead/Slimer Director-Approved Design Movie Concept Drawing Comic Art

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Additional Images:

Screenshot

Making Ghostbusters (Pg. 73)

Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History (Pg. 80 - 81)

Ghostbusters The Inside Story (Pg. 43)

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Artwork Details

Title:	Ghostbusters Onionhead/Slimer Director-Approved Design Movie Concept Drawing
Artist:	Thom Enriquez (All)
Media Type:	Pencil
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	1,745
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	4
Added to Site:	10/31/2021
Comic Art Archive:

Description

This original Onionhead/Slimer drawing by concept and storyboard artist Thom Enriquez was made for the production of Ghostbusters (1984). Accomplished in Prismacolor pencil, the artwork received the approval of director Ivan Reitman before being sent to Boss Film Studios, where the specter was sculpted for a reported price tag of $300,000.

The illustration appears in Cinefex magazine founder Don Shay's authoritative 1985 behind-the-scenes book, Making Ghostbusters, as well as in the 2015 art book Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History and in the 2020 retrospective book Ghostbusters: The Inside Story.

Outlined only vaguely in early script drafts as a malodorous yellow vapor, Enriquez is credited for initially crafting the look of one of cinema's most iconic ghosts, under the art direction of associate producer Michael C. Gross.

As Enriquez's handwritten notes detail, fellow creature design consultant Kurt Conner created a preliminary clay prototype modeled after the piece.

"Onionhead," as the spook went by at the time, then endured a six-month morphing process at the hands of Emmy-winning sculptor Steve Johnson, evolving from a stop-motion puppet into a life-size suit with internal mechanisms for controlling facial expressions.

According to one story told by Johnson, the producers informed him a mere 24 hours before the shooting deadline that John Belushi had served as the inspiration for the character. Channeling Belushi's proclivity for illicit drugs, Johnson turned to snorting lines of cocaine off headshots of the late actor, which fueled an all-night work session that ended with what would wind up on the screen.

"Enriquez's design looks like Slimer's cousin," Johnson commented in an interview, alluding to the point that, although the general anatomy remained the same, the self-assured 22-year-old left his own mark on the movie monster's completed manifestation.

One of the main creature conceptualizers on the film, Enriquez also developed the final approved designs of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man and the Terror Dogs, as well as sketched some of the work-in-progress storyboards. He returned for Ghostbusters II (1989) in the role of production illustrator.

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About the Owner

	Michael J.
Joined:	August 2015
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Michael's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 10/31/2021

What a glorious design! The design was not only scary, but grotesque enough to be funny and a fan favorite. I mean we loved E.T. so why not slimers?

George H
Member Since 2009

Posted on 10/31/2021

Too cool! Thanks for sharing.

matthew reed
Member Since 2006

Posted on 11/4/2021

i really enjoy this production/design artwork. incredible to see the process. such talent!

E. Vets
Member Since 2009

Posted on 2/17/2022

Fantastic piece of movie history

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	Alan E 9/6/2025 10:32:00 PM
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	Mike Sig Slayer 9/6/2025 9:57:00 PM
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