Mr. Boogedy first aired on ABC on April 20, 1986, and came back a year later in Bride of Boogedy. Here’s how a scrapped Cheech & Chong horror spoof became a Disney Halloween cult classic.
If a green-faced pilgrim ghost gave you nightmares as a kid, there’s a good chance it was Mr. Boogedy.
Disney’s spooky TV movie aired on ABC in 1986. It was short, goofy and, for a lot of kids, a little too scary. Its villain was a ghost who loved to jump out and yell “boogedy” at children, according to D23, Disney’s official fan club.
He was popular enough to come back the next year in Bride of Boogedy, with Eugene Levy along for the ride. Both movies are streaming on Disney+, so here’s the full story behind them.
What is Mr. Boogedy about?
The Davis family moves into an old house in Lucifer Falls, a small New England town. The dad (Richard Masur) sells gags and novelties, and the family plans to open a joke shop there.
He and his wife, Eloise (Mimi Kennedy), have three kids: Jennifer (Kristy Swanson), Corwin (David Faustino) and Aurie (Benji Gregory, credited as Benjamin Gregory).
There’s a sign outside the house that reads “Not Really Haunted,” at least until a storm knocks the “Not” over, /Film pointed out. Since the dad is a big practical joker, the family figures the strange noises are just more of his gags. They aren’t.
The house belongs to a ghost who’s been around for 300 years, according to Disney+. Local historian Neil Witherspoon, played by John Astin of “The Addams Family,” fills the kids in on the legend.
In the movie’s backstory, a pilgrim sold his soul to the devil for a magic cloak so he could win the woman he loved. Then he blew up his house, killing himself, the woman and her young son, and all three have haunted the place ever since, What’s On Disney Plus reported in its review.
That pilgrim is Mr. Boogedy, played by Howard Witt under some very green makeup. The family finally beats him by taking away his magic cloak, D23 says.
When did Mr. Boogedy first air?
Sunday, April 20, 1986, on ABC. It ran as part of The Disney Sunday Movie, according to D23.
Yes, April. The movie most people tie to Halloween premiered in the spring.
The Disney Sunday Movie was Disney’s weekly TV anthology at the time, and it aired on ABC from Feb. 2, 1986, to Sept. 11, 1988, D23 says. Disney CEO Michael Eisner hosted it, Turner Classic Movies noted.
Mr. Boogedy filled a one-hour slot, according to D23. On Disney+, it runs just 45 minutes.
Oz Scott directed it. Michael Janover wrote it, and he’d also written the 1984 sci-fi movie “The Philadelphia Experiment,” TCM reported.
A collector’s VHS recording of the 1986 broadcast opening is on YouTube:
How did Mr. Boogedy get made?
It started as a very different movie.
Janover originally pitched a horror parody called “Cheap Thrills,” in the style of “Airplane!,” for Columbia Pictures, with Cheech & Chong set to star, he told MLive in 2011, according to /Film. That version fell apart after a planned scene spoofing Max von Sydow’s priest from “The Exorcist” upset the head of the studio.
Then Disney called. The studio had Janover and Scott tone down the horror, and the result was Mr. Boogedy, /Film reported. TCM also says Janover first imagined it as a feature film.
At one point, Mr. Boogedy was supposed to launch a TV series, /Film reported. The show never happened, but the ghost got a second movie anyway.
What happens in Bride of Boogedy?
The sequel aired on Sunday, April 12, 1987, on The Disney Sunday Movie, according to D23. Scott directed again, and Janover wrote it.
This one was a two-hour TV movie, about twice as long as the first. On Disney+, it runs 1 hour and 32 minutes.
A year after the first movie, the Davis family has settled into Lucifer Falls. The dad gets picked as honorary mayor of the town’s Lucifest celebration, which annoys grumpy shop owner Tom Lynch, played by Eugene Levy, /Film reported.
Things go downhill from there. Mr. Boogedy comes back and puts the dad under his spell, D23 says. He wants his magic cloak back, and he also wants a bride.
When Eloise dresses up as the Widow Marion, the woman Boogedy once loved, he puts her under his spell, too, according to a review on Comet Over Hollywood.
Some faces changed. Tammy Lauren took over as Jennifer and Joshua Rudoy as Aurie, while Faustino came back as Corwin, according to D23’s cast list and Comet Over Hollywood. John Astin didn’t return, /Film noted.
Mimi Kennedy posted the sequel’s opening Halloween prank on her own YouTube channel:
Where can you watch Mr. Boogedy and Bride of Boogedy?
Both movies are streaming on Disney+, and both are rated TV-PG.
Mr. Boogedy got a second life when Disney+ launched in 2019. /Film called it “truly bizarre family-friendly horror” when it showed up on the service that November.
If you’re watching both, go in order. Bride of Boogedy doesn’t stop to explain who Boogedy is or what happened the year before, /Film noted.
Is Mr. Boogedy too scary for kids?
It depends on the kid. Both movies are rated TV-PG on Disney+, and the first one is only 45 minutes long.
/Film called the ghost “pure nightmare fuel,” but also called the movie “a great and safe gateway horror movie for kids.” The scares come mixed in with the dad’s corny gags.
The sequel is gentler. Bride of Boogedy “drops most of its scary elements” in favor of comedy, /Film wrote, and you don’t see the real Boogedy until about the last 10 minutes.
Where is the Mr. Boogedy cast now?
A lot of familiar faces came out of a 45-minute TV movie.
Kristy Swanson (Jennifer) was in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” the same year, then played Buffy in the 1992 movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” /Film noted.
David Faustino (Corwin) became Bud Bundy on Fox’s “Married... with Children.” That show premiered on April 5, 1987, a week before Bride of Boogedy aired, according to Cord Cutters News.
Benji Gregory (Aurie) went on to play Brian Tanner on NBC’s “ALF.” He died on June 13, 2024, at 46, The Associated Press reported.
John Astin (Neil Witherspoon) was already famous as Gomez on “The Addams Family.”
Richard Masur (the dad) has a long list of movie credits, including John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and “My Girl.”
Eugene Levy (Tom Lynch) was years away from “American Pie” and “Schitt’s Creek.”
What are some fun facts about Mr. Boogedy?
Joaquin Phoenix almost got a part. A young actor named Leaf Phoenix auditioned for the role that went to Faustino, and Scott turned him down, /Film reported, citing the 2011 MLive interview. Leaf Phoenix later went by his given name, Joaquin.
Both movies premiered in April. Neither one was a Halloween premiere, even though Bride of Boogedy opens with a Halloween prank.
The town’s name was a clue. The Davis family moves to Lucifer Falls, and the sequel’s festival is called Lucifest. Disney wasn’t being subtle.
It made PNP’s list of Disney’s creepiest. Pirates & Princesses included Mr. Boogedy in its July roundup of Disney movies too creepy to be Disney.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
D23 Disney A to Z: Mr. Boogedy, Bride of Boogedy and The Disney Sunday Movie entries
Disney+: Mr. Boogedy and Bride of Boogedy title pages
Nathaniel Thompson, Turner Classic Movies, Sept. 23, 2015: Mr. Boogedy
Rafael Motamayor, /Film, Nov. 21, 2019, and July 3, 2020: Mr. Boogedy and Bride of Boogedy, citing Michael Janover’s 2011 MLive interview
Jeremy Brown, What’s On Disney Plus, Oct. 24, 2020: Mr. Boogedy review
Comet Over Hollywood, Nov. 1, 2015: Bride of Boogedy review
Cord Cutters News, April 5, 2026: Married... with Children premiere
The Associated Press via NY1, July 11, 2024: Benji Gregory
Dino Drac’s Retro Commercials and Mimi Kennedy on YouTube
AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.