The Ghostbusters are chasing a truck that's being driven by a ghost named Louie. They corner his truck, he exits, and they aim their proton packs at him. He tries scaring them with a scary face, but they aren't scared and they trap him.
They drive back to HQ, and by the time they get there, they're all ready for bed. Peter, however, finds his pillow covered in ectoplasm from when Slimer had been sleeping there. Peter chases Slimer around and threatens to test a machine that disintegrates ghosts on him, causing Slimer to fly away.
Janine wakes the Ghostbusters up some time later to reveal that two young children named Meghan and Kenny Carter have walked into the firehouse. They want to hire the Ghostbusters, paying them off with the money from their shared piggy bank. They don't have enough money, but Peter makes an exception, and sends Janine to get the children some cookies and milk. Winston asks the kids what's wrong and they explain that the Boogeyman lives in their closet and scares them, but Peter thinks they're just imagining things.
Egon, however, wholeheartedly believes the kids and decides they need to investigate immediately. They drive to the Carter house (with Egon, on the way there, explaining that his reason for wanting to take the case is "personal") and initially find nothing in the closet, but then orange light shines from it, and then the Boogeyman comes out and says, "I remember you!". The Ghostbusters zap him, but because he isn't a ghost he can't be trapped, so he escapes and goes back into the closet. When the Ghostbusters are debating whether to chase after the Boogeyman now or think of a plan first, Meghan and Kenny's parents enter. Everyone tries to explain the situation, but Mrs. Carter has them leave.
At the firehouse, the Ghostbusters try to figure out how to catch the Boogeyman, while Peter asks Egon what the Boogeyman meant when he said he remembered him. Egon explains that he first started investigating the supernatural as a child when trying to figure out how to stop the Boogeyman from living in his closet. Winston then reveals that the Boogeyman is attracted to children's fear, and Ray gets the idea of finding another closet with a portal to the Boogeyman's dimension. Egon then suggests using the device Peter threatened Slimer with to defeat him.
The Boogeyman climbs back out of the Carter children's closet, but Winston drives up and zaps him with his proton pack, causing him to run back into the closet. Winston then tells the kids to remember that if they're not afraid, the Boogeyman can't hurt them.
The next morning, Peter thinks of a plan to summon the Boogeyman instead of trying to track him. After several failed attempts at searching for the Boogeyman in different apartments, they go with this plan. They rent an empty room, furnish it to look like a bedroom, and add toys to fool him into thinking a kid sleeps there. Ray is then left to lie in the bed, since he sometimes acts kind of childish, so this may fool the Boogeyman into thinking he's a child.
This works, and when the Boogeyman arrives, Ray leaps out of bed and whips out a proton pack. The rest of the Ghostbusters enter and they all fire at him, then follow him into his dimension; a weirdly-decorated area full of doors that lead to children's closets. They chase the Boogeyman around both its dimension and our dimension, then try firing their proton packs only to get relatively harmless, firework-like explosions since the laws of physics work differently in the Boogeyman's domain.
Egon decides to use the device from before, which is called a "ghost bomb" to seal off the portal. It has no power yet, but he decides to charge it by hooking the proton packs up to it. The Boogeyman shows up and Egon walks up to him. The Boogeyman threatens to kill the Ghostbusters and then the Carter siblings, so the Carter children walk up to him, taunt him, and spill marbles on the floor making him fall over. All the humans run through the portal, then the proton packs explode, sealing it off. Mr. and Mrs. Carter, who witnessed the explosion, apologise to the Ghostbusters for kicking them out. Egon tucks Meghan into bed, then the Ghostbusters prepare to get into bed themselves, only for the Boogeyman to apparently return... but it's just Slimer.
This episode provides examples of
- Alliterative Name: The boy is named Kenny Carter.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Peter initially thinks the Boogeyman isn't real despite knowing that ghosts and demons are real. He outright says that he finds the Boogeyman harder to believe than ghosts.
- Berserk Button: The Boogeyman is visibly irritated that the Carter children are not only standing up to him but insulting him.
- Big Damn Heroes: Winston goes to keep watch over the Carter kids after the initial attempt to "bust" the Boogeyman fails. He gets back to the Carters' building just in time to interrupt the Boogeyman's return.
- Big "NO!": The Boogeyman shouts, "NO! NO!" when he sees the proton packs are about to explode.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Horrifically averted with the Boogeyman’s first sentence upon seeing Egon. He remembers his old victim all too well.
- Cassandra Truth:
- The Carter children's parents, plus Peter Venkman, initially think they're just imagining the Boogeyman, but he's real.
- Mr. and Mrs. Carter don't believe the children and the Ghostbusters when they explain that they're there to get rid of the Boogeyman.
- Children Are Special: According to Winston, the Boogeyman is specifically attracted to the fear of children.
- Continuity Nod: Ray says that, since the laws of physics are different in the Boogeyman's realm, using a proton pack there could be "even worse than crossing the streams". Crossing the streams (which is when the streams from the proton packs get crossed) is mentioned to be possibly apocalyptic in the movie.
- Covered in Gunge: Peter ends up drenched in ectoplasm because Slimer had been sleeping on his pillow.
- Cower Power: The Carter children hide behind Winston during the initial attempt to bust the Boogeyman.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Exploited. The Carter children insult the Boogeyman to get his attention.
- Drives Like Crazy: Louie the ghost drives pretty carelessly and swerves a lot, forcing the Ghostbusters to swerve too in pursuit of him.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Peter observing the Boogeyman has plenty of kids to choose from gives Ray the idea to look for another closet that could lead to his realm.
- Evil Is Petty: After being driven off, the Boogeyman goes back to the Carter kids' room just to torment them for that inconvenience.Boogeyman: That wasn't nice. Not nice at all!
- Evil Laugh: The Boogeyman laughs evilly when Egon says that he won't scare him again.
- Evil Sounds Deep: The Boogeyman has an extremely deep voice.
- Forced to Watch: While facing Egon on the bridge, the Boogeyman opens the door to the Carter children's room to make them watch as he kills the Ghostbusters. This backfires by forcing them to be brave.Boogeyman: Now, watch me put an end to your so-called heroes!
- Forgetful Jones: Louie apparently keeps forgetting that he's a ghost.Louie: You'll never catch me alive, suckers!Egon: Of course not; you're a ghost.Louie: Oh yeah. I keep forgetting.
- Freudian Excuse: Egon says the Boogeyman terrorizing when he was a child was why he started investigating the supernatural.
- Fright-Induced Bunkmate: Kenny climbs into Meghan's bed the second time the Boogeyman emerges.
- The Gadfly:
- Ray makes the most of being forced to pose as a child by mockingly asking Peter for a glass of water and a bedtime story.
- After the Ghostbusters have spent the entire episode chasing the Boogeyman and trapping him, Slimer scares them by making some noise and movement in the closet. Peter is not amused.
- Gilligan Cut: After setting up the room to look like a child's room, Egon muses that they need someone who acts like a child to complete the setup. The other three look at Ray, who's hugging one of the stuffed animals, and then the scene cuts to Ray in the bed, posing as a child.
- Godzilla Threshold: The Ghostbusters try (unsuccessfully) to use their proton packs in the Boogeyman's domain despite it being potentially cataclysmic, since they were running out of choices.
- Go-to-Sleep Ending: The episode ends with the Carter children and the Ghostbusters preparing to go to sleep.
- Got Volunteered: Even after getting an apartment where a portal could appear, the guys need someone to pose as a child. Ray happily looks over a Dopey Dawg stuffed animal, only to wonder why everyone else is suddenly looking at him.
- Happy Dance: During the chase scene, a little boy sees the team chasing the Boogeyman out of his closet and starts dancing with joy, encouraging the Ghostbusters to "bust" the Boogeyman.
- "Hell, Yes!" Moment: A boy starts screaming when the Boogeyman starts running out of his closest, only to cheer wildly when seeing the Ghostbusters right behind him.
- Immune to Jump Scares: Louie tries to scare the Ghostbusters away by morphing into a scary face, but they don't even flinch.
- Implied Death Threat: Subverted. Peter threatens to use a ghost disintegration machine on Slimer as revenge for getting ectoplasm on his pillow, but once Slimer leaves the room, he comments smugly that it works every time, implying that it was more of a bluff than an actual threat.
- Inevitably Broken Rule: Peter tells Janine that they're going to catch some winks and not to let anybody into the firehouse, but she makes an exception for the Carter siblings.
- It's Personal: Egon's answer when Peter asks him why he's so eager to take this case.
- Kid Hero: The Carter children play a role in defeating the Boogeyman when they trip him up with Kenny's marbles.
- Lampshade Hanging: Peter pointing out they were lucky that Mr. and Mrs. Carter didn't have them arrested.
- Layman's Terms: Ray explains to Mr. and Mrs. Carter that a "Class 7 entity" is living in the children's closet, "or, in layman's terms, the Boogeyman".
- Let Me at Him!: After Slimer scares them with some movement in the closet as a joke, the other three Ghostbusters have to hold Peter back from blasting him with a proton gun.
- Little "No":Boogeyman: I remember you!
Egon: No. Not again! [opens fire] - Loud Gulp:
- Ray gulps when he's used as bait for the Boogeyman.
- Egon when he sees the Boogeyman standing between them and the doors, after the bomb is activated.
- Manchild: Exploited when Ray's occasional childish behaviour (such as hugging a plush dog, which he does in the episode) is used to fool the Boogeyman into believing Ray is a child.
- Mistaken Age: Invoked. The Ghostbusters trick the Boogeyman into thinking Ray (a grown man with a childish side) is a child.
- No-Sell: The Boogeyman can't be put in a ghost trap since he isn't a ghost.
- Not So Stoic: Egon looks visibly shocked when the Carter kids tell him and the others about the Boogeyman, and looks horrified when the Boogeyman does show up.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Ray, upon realizing the Boogeyman isn't a ghost.
- The Boogeyman after Ray gets the drop on him.
- Once Upon a Time: Peter's frustrated reaction to Ray asking for a bedtime story.Peter: Once upon a time, there were four Ghostbusters who had a job to do, and they couldn't do it 'cause one of them wouldn't go to sleep! The end! [slams the door]
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Egon’s eagerness to take the kids’ case and his barely disguised terror at seeing the Boogeyman is enough to give even Peter concern.
- Outside-Context Problem: To the Ghostbusters' surprise, the Boogeyman isn't a ghost. While the particle beams do cause Boogey some discomfort, the guys can't actually trap him like they did Louie or a host of ghosts. Ultimately, Egon's plan is to use a new device to seal the Boogeyman within his own domain.
- Pet the Dog: Peter initially doesn't really believe the Carter kids' claims, but he appreciates that they are genuinely scared, so he indulges them, has Janine get them some snacks, and assures them the usual fee won't apply.
- Race Against the Clock: After the bomb is activated, the Ghostbusters only have so much time to get around the Boogeyman and back to the real world.
- Say My Name:
- Peter angrily yells, "Slimer!" upon finding ectoplasm in his bed.
- Ray yells, "Egon!" when Egon approaches the Boogeyman in his dimension.
- Shock-and-Switch Ending: At the end, the Ghostbusters see movement coming from their closet and think the Boogeyman has returned, but it's just Slimer.
- Tempting Fate: The Boogeyman emerges moments after Peter says he must be gone.
- Things That Go "Bump" in the Night: The episode centres around the Boogeyman, who lives in some children's closets and scares everyone he meets.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Egon when seeing his childhood nightmare emerge from the closet.Egon: It's him!
- Trauma Button Ending: Invoked. After the Ghostbusters have spent the entire episode dealing with the Boogeyman, they see movement in the closet. When they open it up, proton guns at the ready, it turns out to be Slimer. Peter is so enraged at the "joke" that the others have to hold him back.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: While chasing the Boogeyman through portals, the Ghostbusters end up running through another couple's house; Ray takes a moment to reassure them and tell them go back to sleep. The reaction is more subdued than you might've expected.Wife: I knew we shouldn't have bought a house in Hollywood.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Louie shapeshifts into a scary face in a failed attempt at scaring the Ghostbusters.
- Weaksauce Weakness: Seeing as the Boogeyman only attacks people who are afraid, you're safe from him as long as you're not afraid.
- Why Are You Looking at Me Like That?: Egon says they need "someone whose thoughts, actions, and general state of mind are identical to a six-year-old" to serve as bait for an ambush they've laid for the Boogieman. He, Peter, and Winston all glance at Ray, who's hugging one of the stuffed animals they put on the bed.Ray: Uh...is there something I can do for you guys?
- You Need a Breath Mint: Kenny Carter insults the Boogeyman by telling him he has bad breath.
