Don't Look Under the Bed
Encyclopedia
Don't Look Under The Bed is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie. It is also the Disney Channel's second and final attempt at a horror
film (the first being Tower of Terror
) released by Disney
(who also created similar themed films such as Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Watcher in the Woods
). This film was the first DCOM to be rated TV-PG due to scary scenes.
), an intelligent and level-headed girl who is starting high school two years early. Strange things have been going on in the quiet little town of Middleberg: Dogs on people's roofs, alarm clocks going off three hours early, eggs all over a teacher's car, sweet gelatin in the swimming pool, and B's spray-painted all over town, including the lockers of the school—except for Frances' locker, which has a B inside it. All these weird pranks seem to point to Frances, but none of it makes sense to her.
The only person who can help her in this situation is a guy only she can see; Larry Houdini (Eric "Ty" Hodges II). Larry tells Frances that she's being framed by the Boogeyman, and he seems to know what's going on better than she does. Frances has a difficult time believing what Larry tells her, because she's always tried to look at the world like an adult, using logic and facts to explain everything, after her little brother, Darwin, almost died from a serious illness a few years ago.
Over time, the Boogeyman's pranks become more insidious and incriminating which further ruins Frances' life. Frances ends up losing her friend Joanne, making an idiot of herself when she tries to convince others of Larry's existence and having her family questioning her sanity. The two of them decide to put their heads together to get rid of the Boogeyman.
Then she learns that Larry was Darwin's imaginary friend
. But, Frances convinced Darwin in the past that Larry was not real, so Larry starts to turn into a boogeyman himself which is the fate of all imaginary friends who get cut loose prematurely.
Finally, the Boogeyman performs such a crazy prank that the entire town is demanding answers from Frances and her family and turned Frances into an outcast in front of the town and her family. Then Darwin gets kidnapped by the Boogeyman, who hopes to kill him, and Larry and Frances must travel into the mysterious Boogeyworld under the bed to save him and restore her reputation.
For a few minutes, Larry turns into a complete Boogeyman and almost kills Darwin by throwing him over a cliff. But Frances convinces Darwin that Larry is real and Larry reverts back to his normal self. After using a special machine on the original boogeyman, Frances realizes that it's her old imaginary friend, Zoe. Frances had turned her back on Zoe when Darwin became sick and she had decided that imaginary friends and flights of fancy were useless while family and reality was important, which she thought were the only things to save him. She apologizes to the boogeyman and Zoe returns to her old imaginary self.
They all return to the real world and Larry and Zoe have to leave. Frances, whose name was cleared and her life back in order, has become too old and they have to go to new children. Frances is distraught as it was not easy for her to believe in them again so, before Larry and Zoe leave, Larry kisses Frances as a way of showing her that childhood was great but, then, so is adulthood if she keeps a sense of wonder.
, were taken out of out rotation even during Halloween, though the Tower of Terror was presented by Disney, and is not part of the DCOM collection.
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
film (the first being Tower of Terror
Tower of Terror (film)
Tower of Terror is a 1997 made-for-TV supernatural thriller directed by D. J. MacHale. It is based on the theme park attraction, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and was originally a presentation of The...
) released by Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
(who also created similar themed films such as Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Watcher in the Woods
The Watcher in the Woods
The Watcher in the Woods is a 1980 American-British mystery and horror film from Buena Vista Distribution Company. Based on the 1976 novel by Florence Engel Randall, it is a live action movie that, though predominantly a family oriented work, also contains elements of the mystery, thriller, horror,...
). This film was the first DCOM to be rated TV-PG due to scary scenes.
Plot
The movie is about a teenage girl named Frances Bacon McCausland (Erin ChambersErin Chambers
Erin Chambers is an American actress commonly known for her roles in LDS films and as the Irish girl Siobhan McKenna on General Hospital. She has made guest appearances in a number of television shows...
), an intelligent and level-headed girl who is starting high school two years early. Strange things have been going on in the quiet little town of Middleberg: Dogs on people's roofs, alarm clocks going off three hours early, eggs all over a teacher's car, sweet gelatin in the swimming pool, and B's spray-painted all over town, including the lockers of the school—except for Frances' locker, which has a B inside it. All these weird pranks seem to point to Frances, but none of it makes sense to her.
The only person who can help her in this situation is a guy only she can see; Larry Houdini (Eric "Ty" Hodges II). Larry tells Frances that she's being framed by the Boogeyman, and he seems to know what's going on better than she does. Frances has a difficult time believing what Larry tells her, because she's always tried to look at the world like an adult, using logic and facts to explain everything, after her little brother, Darwin, almost died from a serious illness a few years ago.
Over time, the Boogeyman's pranks become more insidious and incriminating which further ruins Frances' life. Frances ends up losing her friend Joanne, making an idiot of herself when she tries to convince others of Larry's existence and having her family questioning her sanity. The two of them decide to put their heads together to get rid of the Boogeyman.
Then she learns that Larry was Darwin's imaginary friend
Imaginary friend
Imaginary friends and imaginary companions are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than external physical reality. Imaginary friends are fictional characters created for improvisational role-playing. They...
. But, Frances convinced Darwin in the past that Larry was not real, so Larry starts to turn into a boogeyman himself which is the fate of all imaginary friends who get cut loose prematurely.
Finally, the Boogeyman performs such a crazy prank that the entire town is demanding answers from Frances and her family and turned Frances into an outcast in front of the town and her family. Then Darwin gets kidnapped by the Boogeyman, who hopes to kill him, and Larry and Frances must travel into the mysterious Boogeyworld under the bed to save him and restore her reputation.
For a few minutes, Larry turns into a complete Boogeyman and almost kills Darwin by throwing him over a cliff. But Frances convinces Darwin that Larry is real and Larry reverts back to his normal self. After using a special machine on the original boogeyman, Frances realizes that it's her old imaginary friend, Zoe. Frances had turned her back on Zoe when Darwin became sick and she had decided that imaginary friends and flights of fancy were useless while family and reality was important, which she thought were the only things to save him. She apologizes to the boogeyman and Zoe returns to her old imaginary self.
They all return to the real world and Larry and Zoe have to leave. Frances, whose name was cleared and her life back in order, has become too old and they have to go to new children. Frances is distraught as it was not easy for her to believe in them again so, before Larry and Zoe leave, Larry kisses Frances as a way of showing her that childhood was great but, then, so is adulthood if she keeps a sense of wonder.
Cast
- Erin ChambersErin ChambersErin Chambers is an American actress commonly known for her roles in LDS films and as the Irish girl Siobhan McKenna on General Hospital. She has made guest appearances in a number of television shows...
as Frances Bacon McCausland. The main character. - Jake SaksonJake SaksonJake Sakson is an American actor who has played several child parts in film and on television.Sakson has received an award in the under-10 category and one of his features was reviewed in the New York Times....
as Darwin McCausland. The third main character. - Eric "Ty" Hodges II as Larry Houdini. The second main character.
- Robin RikerRobin RikerRobin Riker is an American actress. She has guest-starred in a number of notable television series, including The Rockford Files, M*A*S*H, The A-Team, Airwolf, Murder, She Wrote, Sliders, Malcolm in the Middle, Pyramid, Six Feet Under, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch among other...
as Karen McCausland. mother of Frances. - Steve ValentineSteve ValentineSteven John Valentine is a Scottish actor, singer and magician who has performed on stage and screen, but is best known for his role as the eccentric Nigel Townsend on NBC's crime drama Crossing Jordan...
as Boogeyman. The main antagonist of the film. - Stephen TobolowskyStephen TobolowskyStephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
as Michael McCausland. father of Frances. - Rachel KimseyRachel KimseyRachel Kimsey, born August 28, 1978 in Tustin, Orange County, California, is an American actress. She holds a BFA from Brigham Young University, which she earned in 2000.-Career:...
as Zoe. The old imaginary friend of Frances.
Reception
Though the movie was liked by fans and some critics, the movie allegedly received some complaints by parents who found the movie was too scary and dark for the likes of children. Disney apparently had similar problems of producing films with dark themes in the 1980s, especially the 1983 Something Wicked This Way Comes. Once Disney decided to switch to mainly comedies, the movie and other movies geared toward horror, Tower of TerrorTower of Terror (film)
Tower of Terror is a 1997 made-for-TV supernatural thriller directed by D. J. MacHale. It is based on the theme park attraction, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and was originally a presentation of The...
, were taken out of out rotation even during Halloween, though the Tower of Terror was presented by Disney, and is not part of the DCOM collection.