In The Boogieman Cometh, two children turn up at the Firehouse claiming that the Boogieman is living in their closet, leading the skeptical Ghostbusters on a mission to bedroom closets throughout New York, and finally into the twisted world of the Boogieman himself! [1]
Cast
Equipment
Locations
Plot
The Ghostbusters chase after Louie, a ghost of a gangster. Louie fails to scare them off and they trap him easily. Back at the Firehouse, Peter is annoyed by Slimer and threatens him with a prototype device called the Ghost Bomb. It has the power to disintegrate all spirits in a 50 yard radius. It was unfinished because Egon couldn't find a sufficient way to provide it power.
The Ghostbusters find themselves with two walk-in clients named Megan and Kenny Carter. The brother and sister want to hire them. They are at a loss when it is revealed the standard fee is $1500. Egon becomes oddly interested when the Boogieman is mentioned and takes the case for free. In the Carter's bedroom, Egon picks up high paranormal activity in their closet. At midnight, the Boogieman emerges from the closet! The Ghostbusters are forced to go full stream and force it back in. Mr. and Mrs. Carter check what is going on and don't seem to believe the Ghostbusters' claim of a Class 7 Repeating Corporeal Entity in the closet.
The Ghostbusters regroup at the Firehouse and do some research into the Boogieman. While it would be simple to readjust the P.K.E. Meter for the Boogieman's vibrations, not every closet is an open portal and the entity chooses its victims. Ultimately, it's decided the Ghostbusters will lure the Boogieman into a trap. After renting a rather expensive apartment room, the team quickly converts it into a child's bedroom. Ray is chosen as the bait since he's voted the most childlike among the four. Sure enough the Boogieman arrives but he escapes the team again. They blast the portal to keep it open and pursue the Boogieman, briefly in Hollywood.
The Ghostbusters eventually arrive in the Boogieman's personal domain and find themselves in a dangerous situation. A hyper-spatial implosion could seal the Boogieman in his own domain but the Ghost Bomb is still lacking a power source. Egon hooks up the four Proton Packs to the Bomb and sets them on overload. The Carter children stands up to the Boogieman and helps the Ghostbusters escape. The Ghost Bomb goes off and imprisons the Boogieman once and for all. Egon tucks the Carter children in and bids them good night. The next morning, the Ghostbusters think that the Boogieman returned when something in the closet grabbed Peter's jumpsuit, but it is just Slimer pulling a prank. Peter wants to blast Slimer only to be restrained by Egon, Ray, and Winston.
Quotes
| Ray: "Ah, good evening. I'm Ray Stantz of the Ghostbusters. I'm sorry to have to tell you that you've got what seems to be a Class 7 repeating coporial entity residing here. Or, in layman's terms, the Boogieman lives in your closet." |
| The Boogieman: "I'll be back." |
Trivia
- Just like the rest of the episodes of season 1, it uses a track from The Real Ghostbusters Soundtrack. This episode features the song "The Boogieman" in part of the episode.
- There is a sequel to this episode "The Bogeyman Is Back" which features the return of the Boogieman.
- This episode is one of seven episodes from the early seasons to be re-dubbed with Dave Coulier and Kath Soucie. It was rebroadcast as part of season four. The second version was not included on the DVD. Multimedia samples can be found on Spook Central's Alternate Episodes page.
- Louie is based on characters played by the actor James Cagney.
- Peter mentions their usual fee for standard capture and containment is $1500, much less than their $5000 charge for catching Slimer in the first movie. [2]
- Egon revealed the Boogieman was the reason he started investigating the supernatural, in order to find a way to stop him. [3]
- When sarcastically lamenting his move to New York, Peter refers to it by its nickname of "Fun City." [4]
- When thinking of how to beat the Boogieman, Peter mentions the "Mountain to Mohammed" story, "If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain." Mohammed once sought proof of his teachings by ordering a mountain to come to him. When it did not move, he maintained that God had been merciful, for if it had indeed moved they all would have been crushed by it.
- The Dopey Dog stuffed animal is used in the episode as noted by Ray, [5] however it looks nothing like the character in "Who're You Calling Two-Dimensional?." It's possible Dopey Dog went through design revisions like animated characters such as Mickey Mouse.
- As Peter jumps into the Boogieman's portal, he tells Egon, "See you on the other side, Egon." [6] This is a quote from the first movie when the Ghostbusters cross the streams to defeat Gozer.
- While in the Boogieman's realm, Ray mentions using the Proton Streams may be more dangerous than crossing the streams.
- While in the Boogieman's realm, the Ghostbusters run in a trail that forms the infinity symbol.
- Towards the end of the episode Peter says "You and what Starfleet?" which is in reference to the Star Trek Franchise.[7]
- The door was left open for the Boogieman's eventual return. Egon said the Ghost Bomb "might just seal the Boogieman forever." [8]
References
- ↑ Eatock, James & Mangels, Andy (2008). The Real Ghostbusters Complete Collection booklet, p. 4. CPT Holdings, Inc.
- ↑ Peter Venkman (2009).The Real Ghostbusters-"The Boogieman Cometh" (1986) (DVD). (DVD ts. 4:57-5:00). Time Life Entertainment.
- ↑ Egon Spengler (2009).The Real Ghostbusters-"The Boogieman Cometh" (1986) (DVD). (DVD ts. 9:25-9:32). Time Life Entertainment.
- ↑ Peter Venkman (2009).The Real Ghostbusters-"The Boogieman Cometh" (1986) (DVD). (DVD ts. 12:16). Time Life Entertainment.
- ↑ Ray Stantz (2009).The Real Ghostbusters-"The Boogieman Cometh" (1986) (DVD). (DVD ts. 13:21-13:25). Time Life Entertainment.
- ↑ Peter Venkman (2009).The Real Ghostbusters-"The Boogieman Cometh" (1986) (DVD). (DVD ts. 15:28). Time Life Entertainment.
- ↑ Peter Venkman (2009).The Real Ghostbusters-"The Boogieman Cometh" (1986) (DVD). (DVD ts. 20:00-20:01). Time Life Entertainment.
- ↑ Egon Spengler (2009).The Real Ghostbusters-"The Boogieman Cometh" (1986) (DVD). (DVD ts. 19:29-19:32). Time Life Entertainment.
Gallery
Episode Screen Caps
Collages and Edits
RGB DVD Boxset Features
| Previous Episode | Based on | Next Episode | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troll Bridge | Air Date | Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream | ||
| Troll Bridge | DVD Order | Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream |