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  A bogeyman (also spelled bogieman, boogeyman or boogieman) is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour. The monster has no specific appearance, and conceptions about it can vary drastically from household to household within the same community; in many cases, he has no set appearance in the mind of an adult or child, but is simply a non-specific embodiment of terror. Parents may tell their children that if they misbehave, the bogeyman will get them. Bogeymen may target a specific mischief — for instance, a bogeyman that punishes children who suck their thumbs — or general misbehavior, depending on what purpose needs serving. In some cases, the bogeyman is a nickname for the devil.

Bogeyman tales vary by region. The bogeyman is usually a masculine entity but can be any gender or simply androgynous.

In some Midwestern states of the United States, the bogeyman scratches at the window. In the Pacific Northwest, he may manifest in "green fog". In other places, he hides or appears from under the bed or in the closet and tickles children when they go to sleep at night. It is said that a wart can be transmitted to someone by the bogeyman.[1]

Among possibly others, an example of another class of mystical beings used by adults to scare children is a werewolf (or the Cajun Rougarou).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogeyman

  Who is the boogeyman? On one level, boogeyman is the general name given to the imagined creature that lurks under every child's bed or peeks from the closet. He's an easy answer for every unexplained bump in the night and a parent's threat to an uncooperative child.
As such, there's some form of this boogeyman in almost every culture. The collective, international opinion describes him as a wicked creature.

 

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