Thanks to the folks at Bloody Disgusting for this bittersweet find: in an interview at retro-game fansite 2600 Connection, former Atari designer Roger Hector revealed that a Ghostbusters-themed attraction at Six Flags Amusement Park came soooo close to happening in the '80s.
According to Hector, a massive high-concept ride called “The Hauntington Hotel” would put visitors in the role of ghostbusters, complete with proton guns and a gallery of ghost targets to capture in order to win prizes. The ghosts were a combination of physical animated props and CG images, and they reacted when hit with the guns, which were a combination laser-pointer and infrared emitter.
“The whole thing was created, designed, engineered, and prototyped at Sente, and the ride system was in the hands of a prominent roller coaster engineering company, Intamin,” Hector revealed. “But before it could be rolled out in the Six Flags parks (1st one was slated for Texas), Bally sold the Six Flags division in 1987, and the project fell into a corporate black hole, never to be seen again, which is too bad, as it was really pretty cool, even by today’s standards.”
While it's a huge tragedy that this didn't come to pass (especially since they came so damn close!), there is at least a massive gallery of concept art and technical designs at 2600 Connection, so be sure to check it out!