About
There is no X, only Zuul refers to someone or something that appears to have demonic transformation or possession. The quote comes from a scene in the 1984 film Ghostbusters. [1] Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) believes her apartment is haunted after she opens her refrigerator and sees a vision of a far away temple above the clouds where a dark monster growls the word, “Zuul”. She contacts a group of paranormal investigators, the Ghostbusters, to examine her claim. Later, one of the investigators, Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), finds Dana has been possessed by the spirit of the demonic demigod, Zuul. Venkman tries to revive Dana:
Peter Venkman: Dana? It’s Peter.
Dana Barrett: There is no Dana, there is only Zuul.
Peter Venkman: Ol’ Zuula you nut, now c’mon. C’mon. I want to talk to Dana. Dana. Just relax, c’mon. Dana. Dana. Can I talk to Dana?
Dana Barrett: [deep demonic voice] There is no Dana, only Zuul.
Peter Venkman: What a lovely singing voice you must have.
Origin
It’s hard to pinpoint the beginnings of a meme based on a memorable quote from a blockbuster movie. In late 2006 a Capper Wiki entry for Only Zuul [2] appeared but interest quickly waned. Later in 2007 several events seem to have created a resurgence. The trash/death/black metal band named Only Zuul created a MySpace page [3] in 2007. Early in 2007 an episode titled, “Road to Rupert” of the animated TV series Family Guy referenced the quote.
Louis: Get out of the fridge, Peter.
Peter: There is no Peter, only Zuul.
But most significantly website for the G4TV network [4] began putting the grayed out words, “There is no search, only Zuul” in its search box as random filler text.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Internet Movie Date Base – Ghostbusters
