Hollywood Babylon

Summary
A filmmaker fakes a supernatural soundstage death to create online buzz for his in-production horror flick. But the second death is all too real.

Recap
On the set of Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning, being directed by McG, a stage hand is killed and the star of the movie, Tara Benchley, reports seeing an apparition near the body.

Dean has convinced Sam to come to Los Angeles for a break after the death of Madison, but Sam wants to throw himself into work. Dean, a movie buff, becomes enthusiastic as he discovers the movie is a horror movie starring one of his favorite actresses, Tara.

It doesn’t take the boys long on the set to discover that the stage hand’s death was faked by the studio executives to promote interest in the movie. But then a studio executive, Brad Redding, dies in the middle of the set after encountering a ghost. Dean goes undercover, joining the crew as a P.A., a job he embraces. The boys discover that a young actress killed herself in the 1920s after being wooed and then dumped and fired by a studio executive. They find her buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where they salt and burn her bones.

Meanwhile, an executive producer, Jay Wiley, wanders around the set. He encounters a different ghost. He is killed after being pulled into a large stage fan. After Jay Wiley is killed, Sam notices that the Latin in the movie script is a real summoning ritual. They confront the writer, Martin Flagg, who admits that any authentic rituals in the script are all that remained from the original script by writer Walter Dixon.

Dixon lures Flagg onto the set to kill him, but Sam and Dean arrive in time to save him. Walter admits that he was conjuring real ghosts and forcing them to kill those he saw as responsible for ruining his script. Before they can stop him, Walter destroys the talisman he was using. This frees the spirits who, enraged at being used, turn on Walter and kills him.

The production of the movie continues, with Martin incorporating his experiences with the ghosts into the script. Sam finds Dean emerging disheveled and with a post-coital glow from Tara’s trailer. Sam and Dean walk off into the sunset together - until it is wheeled away and revealed as just another Hollywood prop.

Featured Supernatural Being

 * Ghost

Featured Music
"Green Peppers" by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

"I've Got The World On A String" by James Darrin

Continuity

 * Dean mentions Madison and her death from the previous episode.
 * The first episode in the series without Dean's Impala.

Trivia

 * While on the tour of the lot, the tour guide mentions they are passing the set of Gilmore Girls and that they may see one of the stars, at which point Sam looks really surprised. This is a shout out to Jared Padalecki and his Guest-Star appearance on Gilmore Girls. Coincidentally, his character was named Dean. And the reference to Lois and Clark TV series after that could be a reference to Jensen Ackles being on Smallville (both about Superman) but because its filming now they may have not been able to say it.
 * Dean thinks he saw Matt Damon. Sam denies this, because the mentioned person is sweeping the floor, to which Dean replies that probably he is doing research for a new role. This is a reference to Matt Damon's role in Good Will Hunting.
 * Sam remarks the weather is pretty crappy for L.A., and that it's practically Canadian. The majority of the show is filmed in British Columbia.
 * Dean mentions Tara's (fictional) role in Boogeyman and she says, "God, what a terrible script." This is a good-natured jab at Eric Kripke, who developed the story and helped write the screenplay for the film.
 * The fact that Tara likes to take Polaroid's of the cast to 'kill time' is a reflection of Jensen Ackles' pastime on set - taking photos of his fellow cast and crew in between takes.
 * Realizing that the summoning ritual being used on set is real, Sam and Dean go visit Marty in his office. On the back wall there are posters for several movies two of which are from previous Supernatural episodes: Monster Truck (29:59) is from Route 666 and Carnivore Carnival (30:10) is from Everybody Loves a Clown.
 * In the trailer for Hell Hazers 2 there are several scenes from previous Supernatural episodes. The shot of the knife being dipped in blood (27:00) is from Bloodlust. The shot of the coffin lid with the lining torn and symbols carved on it (27:06) is from Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things. When announced that it is from the producers of Cornfield Massacare (27:10) that shot is from Scarecrow. When Monster Truck is announced (27:12) that shot is from Route 666.
 * This episode sports another reason why, in-universe, going public with the supernatural is a really bad idea.
 * Dean mentions that the movie is like "what happened with Three Men and a Baby, referencing the (debunked ) Urban Legend that the ghost of a boy who committed suicide is (very) briefly visible in a shot from the movie due to the fact that interior scenes of the movie were filmed in the house where the suicide happened (all interior scenes of the movie were filmed on a Toronto soundstage). Ironically, it is believed that the studio itself circulated the rumors to boost home video sales of the movie, similar to the plot of the episode.

Quotes
Dean: "Sam, check it out, it's Matt Damon."

Sam: "Yeah, pretty sure that's not Matt Damon."

Dean: "No, it is."

Sam: "Well, Matt Damon just picked up a broom and started sweeping."

Dean: "Yeah, well, he's probably researching a role or something."

Sam: "Uh... I don't think so."

Sam: "Dude, you wanted to come to L.A."

Dean: (complaining) "Yeah, for a vacation! I mean, swimming pools and movie stars ... not to work!"

Sam: "Does this seem like swimming-pool weather to you, Dean? I mean, it’s practically Canadian."

Dean: "So this crew guy, what did he...? He died on-set?"

Sam: "Yeah, rumour's spreading like wildfire online. They're saying the set's haunted."

Dean: "What, like Poltergeist?"

Sam: "Could be a poltergeist."

Dean: "No, no, no. The movie, Poltergeist."

(Sam looks confused.)

Dean: "You know nothing of your cultural heritage, do you?"

Brad: "Don't get me wrong. Everyone at the studios loves the dailies. Myself included. We were just wondering if it could be ... you know, a little brighter."

Jay: "Brighter?"

Brad: "Yeah, Jay. More color. McG, you know what I'm saying. You're the master of that stuff."

McG: "Brad, this is a horror movie."

Brad: "And who says horror has to be dark? It's sort of depressing. Don't you think?"

Brad: "Uh, excuse me, uh, green-shirt guy? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you, come here. Could you get me a smoothie from Craft?"

Dean: "You want a what from who?"

Brad: "You are a P.A.? This is what you do?"

Dean: "What's a P.A.?"

Sam: "I think they're kind of like slaves."

Brad: "No, no, no, look. See, it's a great scene. Really. Dynamite. But I still got a few ... not problems, just questions."

McG: "Like what?"

Brad: "Well, for one thing, the rules aren't really landing for me. Like, the kids do this Latin chant, and that makes the ghost show up?"

McG: "Yeah."

Brad: "But see if the ghosts are in hell, how do they hear the chanting? I mean, what, do they have super-hearing? Well, it's a logic bump. The rules don't track."

McG: (after thinking) "Marty, you're the writer."

Marty: "What if I throw in an explainer?"

(Next movie scene.)

Mitch: "When we read from that book, we must've brought them back. Back from hell."

Kendra: "But I don't understand. If they were in hell, how could they hear a chanting?"

Mitch: "They must have super-hearing."

(Movie scene.)

Tara: "Salt. Okay, we need salt. I read in that book that it keeps ghosts away."

(Talking to producer later.)

Tara: "I-I just, I just can't wrap my head around the dialoge. You know, salt. Doesn't that sound silly? I mean, why would a ghost be afraid of salt?"

(Dean smiles to himself.)

McG: "Okay. Uhm... Marty, what do you think?"

Marty: "Not married to salt. What do you want? We still sticking with condiments?"

McG: "It just sounds different. Not better. What else would a ghost be scared of?"

Walter: "Aww, you gotta be kidding me."

Marty: (to Jay) "What would a ghost be scared of?"

Marty: (to McG) "Maybe shotguns."

McG: "Okay, that makes even less sense than salt."

Walter: "These people are idiots."

Sam: "How's it going in here?"

Dean: "It's going really good. man. Tara's really stepped up her performance. I think it's probably from all that sense memory she's drawing on."

Sam: "Sense memory?"

Dean: "Yeah."

Sam: "Dean, you know, when I ask how it's going on here, I'm talking about the case, right? We don't really work here. You know, I thought you hated being a P.A."

Dean: "I don't know. It's not so bad. I kind of feel like part of the team, you know. It's good."

Sam: "Listen, I conned my way into the morgue."

Dean: "And?"

Sam: "News reports are right. Brad's a doornail, no question."

Dean: (into radio) "Copy that." (to Sam) "Sorry, what?"

Sam: "Copy that?"

Dean: "What'd you say?"

Sam: "The news reports are right. Brad's a doornail."

Dean: (into radio) "They're aware."

Sam: "Who's aware?"

Dean: "Sorry, what were you saying?"

Sam: (slightly irritated) "Uh, what, uh, that the newspaper's right. Brad's a doornail, no question about it."

Dean: "It's a good thing we didn't skip town." (into radio) "Copy that. On my way."

Sam: "Hey, where'd you get this DVD?"

Dean: "They're called dailies. I got it from Cindy. She's got this on-and-off thing with Drew. He dubbed me an extra copy."

(Sam looks confused.)

Sam: "Here check this out." (hands Dean a picture)

Dean: (into radio) "Yeah, go for Ozzy."

Ozzy: "You have eyes on Tara?"

Dean: "No, I don't have a 20 on Tara. I think she's 10-100."

Ozzy: "Copy that. Send her my way."

Dean: "Okay, copy that." (to Sam) "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

(Sam looks confused / irritated.)

(While trekking through a cemetery at night.)

Dean: "Man, this map is totally worth the 5 bucks. Hey, we gotta go check out Johnny Ramone's grave when we're done here."

Sam: "You wanna dig him up, too?"

Dean: "Bite your tongue, heathen!"

(trailer for Hell Hazers II: The Reckoning)

Announcer: "They never forgive. They never forget. And this summer they're coming back again to settle the score... AGAIN!"

Brody: "We must've brought them back. Back from hell. AGAIN."

Sam: "You know, maybe the spirits are trying to shut down the movie because they think it sucks. Because, I mean, it kinda does."

Marty: (to Dean after Dean saves his life) "You are one hell of a P.A."

Dean: "Yeah, I know."

Tara: (to Dean after some fornication in her trailer) "You're one hell of a P.A."

Dean: "Thank you."

International Titles

 * Finnish: Kauhua Hollywoodissa (Horror in Hollywood)


 * French: Le Chef-d'OEuvre de l'horreur (The Masterpiece of Horror)


 * German: Hollywood Babylon