Flip the Script: Peck (1986)

By Tom Cash - Posted Jan 15, 2026

Ghostbusters (1984), directed by Ivan Reitman, was a commercially and culturally successful supernatural comedy that remains widely regarded as a genre landmark. In this installment of Flip the Script, I examine its lesser-known follow-up, 1986's Peck.

Walter Peck (William Atherton) is a hard-working, diligent member of the New York branch of the Environmental Protection Agency. He is made aware of a suspicious new business that popped seemingly overnight and began making extraordinary claims about catching ghosts. Peck is skeptical and bemused, and forgets about it entirely until this business - the Ghostbusters - suddenly become an international sensation. Something about it deeply bothers him, beyond the lack of regulatory transparency, so he begins looking into them.

After an exhaustive search of public records, he discovers that their power usage is off the charts. Having a solid lead, he calls the Ghostbusters directly, hoping to schedule an interview with Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), primary owner of the Ghostbusters. However, when his secretary, Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) asks Venkman if he's interested in speaking with Peck, Venkman blows him off loudly enough for Peck to overhear. He continues trying to call over several days, only to be given excuse after excuse.

One night, Peck is out to dinner with his wife Darla Peck (Christine Lahti) when he spots Venkman seated at a nearby table. He excuses himself and goes to introduce himself to Venkman. Venkman publicly humiliates Peck, who leaves in embarrassment.

Peck gathers all his evidence and presents it to the municipal court, and is granted a writ to search the Ghostbusters facility for evidence of malfeasance, accompanied by a police officer and an electrician from the Department of Public Works. When Venkman and his team refuse to cooperate, Peck orders the containment grid shut down by the accompanying city electrician, with catastrophic results.

Several months later, Peck is called upon to be a principal resource during the discovery phase of a civil suit against the Ghostbusters for damages incurred during what is now considered to be a publicity stunt. Acting as a key witness in the case, his testimony is pivotal in rendering a verdict against the Ghostbusters, heavily fining them, confiscating their equipment, and revoking their business license.

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