By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA-- Don't be afraid of
"The Boogeyman." The new horror movie from director
Rob Savage ("Dashcam") is more creepy than scary. Still, it's a nice little summer treat for horror fans.
"The Boogeyman" is based on
Stephen King's 1973 original short story of the same name and was made as a short film in 1982.
I saw this movie in April at
CinemaCon. I was fortunate to be seated among a few diehard Stephen King/horror fans. That made "The Boogeyman" even more enjoyable.
Screenwriters
Mark Heyman (TV's "Strange Angel"),
Bryan Woods ("A Quiet Place II"), and
Scott Beck ("A Quiet Place: Day One") certainly know their way around a haunting story.
With "The Boogeyman," they have created a familiar, yet riveting drama filled with things that go bump in the night.
It begins when an odd-looking man named Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian, "Oppenheimer") wanders into the home office of therapist Will Harper (Chris Messina, "Air") and begins rambling to him about how he's killed his own children. Naturally, Will is stunned by his comments and has reason to be nervous.
Plus, Will's kids, 16-year-old Sadie (Sophie Thatcher, TV's "Yellowjackets") and 10-year-old Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair, TV's "Fatal Attraction") are also in the house in their rooms.
Will has also been dealing with a lot. His wife was recently killed in a car accident. He's trying to be strong for his daughters who are still reeling from their mom's death. Lester is looking for someone to talk to. Will has called it a day. That changes when Lester starts roaming around the house. He ends up going upstairs and hangs himself in a closet.
The story gets darker and better when Sadie and Sawyer start seeing this spooky, spider type creature at night in their bedroom.
That would be The Boogeyman. It would also be the last time I slept in that room or stayed at that house.
There is a malevolent and supernatural entity at play here that has now taken over Harper’s house. Weird things begin to happen along with strange noises and the like. Sadie and Sawyer are even seeing a psychologist (a particularly good Lisa Gay Hamilton, TV's "The Lincoln Lawyer") to help them deal with their newfound trauma.
Discovering why the Boogeyman has come to get this family plays out with such eeriness. This thing lives off of grief. At first you just see shadowy images of this creature. Then, when it finally comes out of the shadows, it's one, big bad monster. This beast isn't going down easy either, but with some clever maneuvering by Will, it meets its match.
"The Boogeyman" eschews blood and gore and instead dishes up some good old fashioned jump scares by making the most of creaky doors, dark rooms and even stillness. It all works and makes "The Boogeyman" an effective, psychological thriller.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Look At This Trailer For
"THE BOOGEYMAN"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
