It's Halloween, and Peter is planning to go on a date with a woman named Lynn Stacy, while the others are planning to trick-or-treat. Slimer dresses as Peter, so Peter dresses as Slimer and throws green stuff on him as revenge for sliming him. Lynn arrives, sees Slimer in his Peter costume, and mistakes him for the real Peter. When she asks him for a kiss, she's disgusted by Slimer giving her a wet kiss and runs outside angrily, confusing the real Peter.
Outside are two men named Dr. Crowley and his assistant Fairweather, who claim to want to cancel Halloween as they're part of a group that disapproves of fantasy and similar matters. The Ghostbusters protest, and Egon tries to explain Halloween's historical significance, but Crowley and Fairweather aren't convinced. Peter has Slimer chase them away by lying that there's candy in their socks, but before they leave, Fairweather steals a PKE meter.
The Ghostbusters go to a junior high school and put on a musical number about Halloween. Meanwhile, Crowley and Fairweather build a machine, which makes all of the Halloween paraphernalia disappear. After this happens, however, a portal opens in the sky and demons emerge, led by a large red one named Boogaloo. Fairweather then shapeshifts into a monster and reveals that he'd been planning this all along and was using Crowley as a pawn.
As the demons run rampant around New York, the news shows that the President has declared this situation a national emergency. Then, Boogaloo appears on TV and says that the demons will now be in charge because the "Halloween Deal" was broken. Egon explains that Halloween was originally created as a way of remembering some demons who used to infest Earth, but agreed to be sent to the Netherworld on the condition that the humans remembered them on one day of the year. He determines that unless Halloween is restored before midnight, the demons will take up permanent residence on Earth. The guys then realise that it's 11:30 PM, and the demons might want to attack the containment unit.
At the firehouse, Janine, Louis, and Slimer are guarding the containment unit from demons. However, they fail, and the demons open the containment unit, letting the ghosts escape and they destroy Ecto-1. To make matters worse, the proton packs have only ten minutes of power left. There's still hope, however, if they can close the "door" the demons came through, which they track down to Times Square. Peter and Ray distract Boogaloo while Egon and Winston go to reverse the machine that took away Halloween. However, the machine is then destroyed by demons.
A little neighbour girl named Irma shows up, wanting to help. Egon realises she can indeed be useful and presents her to Boogaloo with only two minutes to spare. She says, "Trick or treat!" and expresses that she isn't afraid of Boogaloo, and seeing as this sentiment is the very essence of what Halloween is, Halloween is promptly restored and the demons are sent back. Time also reverses to eight PM, so Irma goes back to trick-or-treat with her father and the Ghostbusters decide to go trick-or-treating as well.
This episode provides examples of
- Abhorrent Admirer: Lynn is none too pleased with Slimer's slimy kiss.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Boogaloo subverts it when reacting to Peter's snark.Boogaloo: That's cute. I hate cute! [opens fire]
- Admiring the Abomination: Irma laughs at Boogaloo and calls him funny.
- Answer Cut: When Peter asks, "Where's Egon?", the scene cuts to him and Winston.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Boogaloo laughs at the idea of a mere child being the Ghostbusters' "last weapon" to save the day. He then screams in frustration after Irma simply says, "Trick or treat."
- Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption: The news guy says, "We..." and then Boogaloo interrupts with "We are now in charge!".
- Bait-and-Switch: When Peter insults Boogaloo, Boogaloo says, "That's cute. I hate cute!".
- Became Their Own Antithesis: Discussed when Fairweather mentions that sometimes you can become the very thing you wish to destroy.Fairweather: (To Crowley) You forgot the first rule of fanatics: "When you become obsessed with the enemy, you become the enemy!"
- Big Damn Heroes:
- After the demons invade, the guys save a mother her baby from a pair of bat-like ghosts. Ray later traps a three-headed skater preying on a couple.
- Slimer gets Janine and Louis out of the firehouse before it blows up.
- Big "NO!": Boogaloo lets out one (with all his mouths) in defeat after the Ghostbusters prove the Halloween deal is still upheld, thus causing him and his army to get sent back to the Netherworld.
- Breath Weapon: Boogaloo breathes out destructive, red gas.
- Call a Human a "Meatbag": Boogaloo calls the humans "flesh heads".
- Conforming OOC Moment: Egon, despite being serious and reserved usually, joins in on the Halloween musical number and even dances.
- Continuity Nod: This is the second time the Ghostbusters have Slimer chase someone by claiming the person had candy in their socks. The first was in "When Halloween Was Forever", another Halloween Episode.
- Cosmic Plaything: After Slimer causes Lynn to walk out on him, Peter lampshades his role as this.Peter: You know, sometimes I think life is one big bullet with my name on it.
- Covered in Gunge:
- When dressed as Slimer, Peter throws green goo at him.
- When Boogaloo appears on TV, he sends a sea of green stuff onto the Ghostbusters.
- Cyclops: Some of the demons look like one-eyed octopi.
- Darkest Hour: Following Ecto-1 being dismantled by ghosts, Ray and Egon don't like their chances with so little time to restore Halloween.Ray: Okay, so the firehouse is gone, Ecto-1's been destroyed, we're out of ghost traps, and we've only got another 10 minutes of power left in our packs. Egon, you got a plan?
Egon: Not a one. - Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?:
- Peter tells Boogaloo (a powerful demon) to his face that he's ugly and his mother dresses him funny.
- Irma openly laughs at Boogaloo and says she finds him funny.
- Distressed Dude: Dr. Crowley ends up being trapped in his machine.
- Do Not Adjust Your Set: During an emergency news broadcast, Boogaloo takes command of the airwaves to say he and his horde have come back to stay.
- Doomy Dooms of Doom: Egon at one point clams that humanity might be "doomed". Dr. Crowley repeats the sentiment when the demons destroy his machine beyond repair so it can't be reversed.
- Dry Crusader: Implied when one of the things Dr. Crowley bans is sherry.
- Ectoplasm: When Slimer kisses Lynn, he gets slime on her lips, grossing her out.
- Evil Cannot Stand Cuteness: Boogaloo hates Peter's insult because he finds it cute.
- Evil Gloating: Fairweather reveals the plan for demons to infest Earth once he reveals his true form.
- Evil Laugh:
- Dr. Crowley laughs evilly after ending Halloween.
- Boogaloo laughs evilly when running rampant through New York.
- Extra Eyes: Some of the demons, and some of the Halloween costumes, have more than two eyes.
- Eyes Do Not Belong There: Boogaloo has eyes (and faces) on his elbows, knees, and tummy.
- Fat and Skinny: Subverted — Dr. Crowley is thin, and Fairweather appears to be a podgy man but he's actually a demon in disguise.
- Fat Bastard: Subverted for Fairweather, who appears to be a stodgy, fat man who wants to end Halloween, but he turns out to be a demon.
- Flight: Some of the demons can fly.
- For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: In the end, Peter suggests the guys take advantage of the night being reset by going trick-or-treating themselves, saying they technically have the costumes for it. Everyone is in full agreement.
- From Bad to Worse: First Halloween is cancelled... and then demons show up and start causing destruction... and then it turns out they'll never leave if not dealt with in half an hour... and then they open the containment unit... and the proton packs are running out of power.
- Fun-Hating Villain: Dr. Crowley swears to end Halloween since he doesn't like kids running around using their imaginations.
- Ghost Story: Defied when Dr. Crowley makes all the scary novels disappear.
- Halloween Episode: This episode takes place on Halloween, with the holiday's cancellation resulting in a demon invasion.
- Happy Dance: Peter dances on the spot after throwing slime at Slimer.
- Hero of Another Story: According to Egon, the Halloween deal was negotiated at a time when demons ran rampant across the planet. A group of Druids managed to convince the absolute worst demons to leave in exchange for a yearly holiday that would remember them.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Dr. Crowley ends up trapped in the very machine he helped build.
- Hold the Line: Janine, Slimer, and Louis try to keep the legion of ghosts from getting anywhere near the Containment Unit, but they fail.
- Hope Spot: Peter and Ray take aim at Boogaloo, only for their packs' power to cut out at the last second.
- Ignored Aesop: After everything is restored to normal, Crowley demonstrates he learned absolutely nothing from this and vows to try again. Slimer takes the opportunity to scare him away.
- Insult Friendly Fire: Ray accidentally offends Slimer by claiming that he and the other Ghostbusters don't like ghosts.
- Kid Hero: Irma, who looks no older than eight, by enacting the spirit of Halloween, brings it back and thus saves the world.
- Lean and Mean: Crowley is lanky and a huge buzzkill who hates fantasy.
- Literalist Snarking: When Peter tells Slimer, "You're dead!", Slimer points out that this is true.
- Loophole Abuse: The demons couldn't break the contract to get what they wanted, but they could manipulate a human patsy (i.e. Dr. Crowley) into doing it for them.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": The Ghostbusters instantly fear when they realise the demons will probably want to open the containment unit.
- Mistaken Identity: Lynn mistakes Slimer dressed as Peter for the real Peter.
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate: The guy who wants to end Halloween is named Dr. Crowley.
- Musical World Hypotheses: While there's no explanation for why Boogaloo is singing, the song about "we call it Halloween" is sung in-universe as part of a show for a school.
- Near-Villain Victory: Boogaloo came very close to victory, with just two minutes away from gaining permanent freedom. As such, it just adds to his fury when the Ghostbusters beat him.
- Never My Fault: Dr. Crowley denies all responsibility for causing the main conflict.
- No Ontological Inertia: Boogaloo and his horde getting sent back to the Netherworld undoes all the damage they causednote , restores everything Halloween-related that was erased by Crowley's machine, and turns time back to eight'o'clock. Egon surmised that they earned the right to do it again.
- Not-So-Innocent Whistle: Slimer whistles upon realising that he was mistaken for Peter by Lynn.
- One-Liner:
- When preparing to take on Boogaloo, Peter says, "Okay, who brought the dips and chips?".
- When a giant demon picks Peter and Ray up, Ray says, "I can see your house from here."
- Out-of-Character Moment: The usually pragmatic Egon is more concerned about Janine than about the demons opening the containment unit.
- Pointy Ears: One girl is seen in a costume with pointy ears.
- The Pratfall: Egon is sent flying onto his butt at one point.
- Properly Paranoid: Winston reasons that with all the ghosts plaguing the city, they'd eventually pay a visit to the firehouse to liberate their captured friends.
- Race Against the Clock: According to Egon, they only have until midnight (i.e. 30 minutes) to restore Halloween. If they fail, the contract is permanently broken and there will be no way to send the demons away. They're down to two minutes when Egon figures out a solution.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: A few of the demons are shown with red eyes.
- Red Is Violent: Boogaloo is red and stomps through the city, breaking a lot of buildings.
- Reset Button: The demons being banished snaps time back to before Crowley activated his machine, giving the city back Halloween night.
- Revenge: Played for laughs when Peter throws gunk at Slimer as revenge for sliming him.
- Skewed Priorities: When the Ghostbusters realise the containment unit will be opened by the demons, Egon is more worried about Janine.
- Speak in Unison: When Crowley and Fairweather tell the Ghostbusters to help them cancel Halloween, they, plus Janine and Louis, say, "You want us to do what?!" in unison.
- Sweet Tooth: Discussed when Peter pretends Crowley eats a lot of candy and carries it around in his socks to excite Slimer.
- Tentacled Terror: Several of the demons, including Boogaloo, have tentacles.
- This Is Gonna Suck: As the various Halloween decorations disappear, Egon says this is going to be big trouble.
- Unwitting Pawn: The demons covertly helped Dr. Crowley with his work to eradicate Halloween because they knew that would break the contract and allow them to invade the mortal world. Fairweather is only too happy to mock him for this.
- Villain Song: "Boogaloo is Back In Town", which the titular sings in regards to being free again while causing untold damage to New York.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting:
- Fairweather is a demon who morphed into a human to disguise himself as Crowley's assistant.
- One female demon is seen changing form from a woman to a ghoul.
- Wham Shot: After Crowley succeeds in destroying Halloween, a hole appears in the sky and a massive demon (Boogaloo) emerges. Followed by Fairweather's body cracking apart, revealing a demon underneath.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Fairweather isn't seen again after he mocks Crowley. It's likely he got taken to the Netherworld along with Boogaloo and the others.
- Your Mom: One of the things Peter says to Boogaloo is "Your mother dresses you funny".
