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Currently pursuing a film career with a passion for film journalism, storytelling of any kind has allowed me to let my imagination run wild in ways even I couldn’t predict. Expect me to write about film, TV, and the entertainment industry.
Today, there are so many flavors of horror you can enjoy. From major studios producing movies such as The Conjuring, or David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy, to Neon giving filmmakers a vehicle to explore cerebral concepts like Infinity Pool. There’s probably never been a time where the genre offered so many different styles for audience members to choose from.
Arguably one of the most important figures in the world of scares is the legendary novelist Stephen King. He birthed icons such as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, traumatizing several generations in the process. What made King’s work so effective and original is that he never put himself in a box.
King constantly allowed his stories to evolve from one sub-genre of horror to another. This made his catalog of books incredibly diverse. But there’s something about tropes that King seems attracted to no matter how many times he reinvents himself. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Boogeyman is proof of that idea.
Background On The Boogeyman
Stephen King’s “The Boogeyman” was published by Cavalier magazine in 1973, which later included in King’s 1978 collection “Night Shift.” The short story tells the journey of psychiatrist Dr. Harper as he receives an unexpected visit from a new patient named Lester Billings (Davis Dastmalchian, The Suicide Squad). Here, the mysterious man begins to describe the death of his three children. The more we learn, the darker his recollection of events turns as he swears an entity named the boogeyman is what killed his kids.
Writers Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman had to extend King’s original story to fill a feature film. On top of what the story explores, director Rob Savage goes a step further by adding a layer of tragedy. We’re introduced to Dr. Harper’s (Chris Messina, AIR) daughters Sadie (Sophie Thatcher, Yellowjackets) and Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair, Obi-Wan Kenobi), dealing with the loss of their mother. After Lester’s visit to their home, both sisters soon encounter the boogeyman as well.
Recreating Childhood Fear Of The Dark
As adults, we’re supposed to abandon any fears we used to have. At least those are the norms we tell each other. The truth is those fears never really go away. One common thing most people were afraid of when they were young was being alone in the dark. Fear of not being able to see your surroundings and the idea of a monster lurking in the shadows. Some of us might have overcome that phobia, but certainly not all of us.
If there is one thing both Stephen King’s original story and Rob Savage’s adaption does well is taking you back to staring at an empty closet in the middle of the night, unsure if you’re looking at a pair of jackets or something evil. From its opening scene, The Boogeyman recreates that dread of uncertainty with utterly terrifying visuals.
Nightmare Inducing Visuals
Cinematographer Eli Born’s use of lighting really conveys what Stephen King must have envisioned when he wrote this short story. Born tricks you into believing you’re seeing things where there might be nothing, putting you in this sense of hysteria. The sound department consisting of Russell Topal, Trevor Gates, Nancy MacLeod, Craig Mann, and so many other talented artists, complement Born’s visuals. We’ve heard doorknobs be turned around in numerous horror pictures, but the sound team essentially unlocks childhood memories of the mortifying quietness of a dark room here. It’s incredibly immersive.
You can’t recreate the anxiety of being stuck in a dark room without a fantastic creature design. Luckily for The Boogeyman, the film has a pretty darn memorable design for its titular monster. Creature designer Daniel Carrasco and concept artist Rob Stanley’s work is as effective as it is because it doesn’t try to do too much. The boogeyman’s design is nightmare inducing due to its simplicity. It looks exactly like what a kid would imagine the boogeyman appearing to be: human, but not entirely.
Stars Shining In The Dark
From a technical point of view, The Boogeyman is flawless. Impeccable artistry is impressive, though ultimately can mean nothing if not carried by a solid cast. After all, actors are the ones who must sell the scary nature of these kinds of films through their performances. So, that’s exactly what Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair accomplish.
Thatcher does an exceptional job at putting you in Sadie’s headspace grieving her mother. That’s a thorough line she carries from beginning to end that makes the sheer terror Sadie is feeling believable. She even manages to make her connection with a lighter feel special that has a great cathartic conclusion. Blair, on the other hand, has some of the movie’s funniest line readings that give audiences a sense of relief in between the film’s most intense sequences.
Chris Messina’s Will Harper does often feel underdeveloped. He’s got some great on screen confrontations with Thatcher’s character, although they can be a bit generic. You’ve seen the reluctant parent refusing to believe in the supernatural and unfortunately, The Boogeyman does not change that formula. The moments Messina gets to share with Davis Dastmalchian’s Billings as he narrates his tragic backstory do end up being some of the movie’s biggest highlights though.
Final Thoughts
The Boogeyman is not a perfect horror piece of entertainment. Its pacing can be a bit on and off, side characters such as Sadie’s friends are underplayed, and for what is worth the ending might not work for everyone as it leaves things open to interpretation, though viewers may end up preferring this. But the film’s strengths are more prominent than its flaws. The Boogeyman isn’t attempting to blow your mind. It is merely trying to pick your brain apart and remind you of how it felt to be afraid. For what is worth, Rob Savage and his crew achieve their goal by creating a creature feature that feels like a throwback to classic monsters.
3.5/5 stars.
Currently pursuing a film career with a passion for film journalism, storytelling of any kind has allowed me to let my imagination run wild in ways even I couldn’t predict. Expect me to write about film, TV, and the entertainment industry.
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