Disney Channel reportedly received complaints from parents, that this film was too dark and scary, for a younger demographic. It is now aired rarely, but is available digitally, via Amazon.com and Disney+ along with other classic Disney Channel Original Movies.
The second Disney Channel Original Movie to have a TV-PG rating after Halloweentown (1998). There was even a disclaimer before the film began. Other DCOMs that have been rated TV-PG include Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire (2000), Jett Jackson: The Movie (2001), Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001), The Scream Team (2002), Tiger Cruise (2004), Twitches (2005), Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006), Return to Halloweentown (2006), The Witches of Coventry 2 (2007), and Girl Vs. Monster (2012).
Viewers almost got a much scarier Boogeyman as depicted in early concept drawings for the film. In those, the Boogeyman was depicted as a very dark and crow like creature that was hardly visible and it had quills sticking out. Ultimately, director Kenneth Johnson decided he didn't want the Boogeyman to be too dark and made him look more Victorian and made him speak in rhymed couplets to give the Boogeyman a more poetic and light-hearted quality.
One of two Disney Channel productions where Ty Hodges plays a character named Larry. The other was Even Stevens (2000).