One of the things about physical media whether that be film, discs, or props is that they tend to deteriorate over time. Things made of rubber or foam start to fall apart. The only way to keep it forever is to restore it from time to time. Fortunately for the “Ghostbusters” 1984 terror dog statue, that was the case. In charge of the restoration was Tom Spina Designs.
Due to the size of this prop, it was no small undertaking. To begin restoring it, they had to seal all of the exposed foam in order to begin to build on top of it the things that had been lost to time.
The Vinz Clortho Terror Dog statue was missing some teeth and spikes that had fallen off in post-filming storage. Some of these had to be re-carved by hand in rigid foam, then textured with a hard coat. Others were sculpted in clay for molding in silicone, then casting in resin and foam.
To see more images of the restoration and the sheer size of this thing you can visit Tom Spina Design’s website here.
After watching the scene in the film, you definitely notice that prop was really on its last days. Tom Spina Designs did a LOT of work, and thanks to them the prop will live to see quite a few more years. Just look at these before and after photos.
