The Boogeyman Review: Simple Horror Done Right

In the game "Boogieman" everything does not happen at once. Doors opened and closed, lights went on and off, teeth fell out, and an unimaginable shock waved under the bed. The title of the film is derived not only from a very familiar monster from childhood, but also from the family atrocities that children (and adults) suffer from time immemorial. In that sense , Boogeyman is a pretty straightforward haunted house movie, not about inventing new things to scare us, but about bringing some old favorites back to life.

Fortunately , his performance "Boogieman" compensates for the lack of originality of him and the tales of Stephen King. Directed by Rob Savage, this film is a well-crafted horror masterpiece that doesn't reinvent the wheel, but instead reminds us why the creaky floorboards and dark corners of our homes always seem so ominous when everyone goes to bed. It's an efficient and fun ride that neatly encapsulates everything it's supposed to do, though some may be disappointed that it's only designed to entertain and frighten for 91 minutes.

The audience has already seen the story of "Boogieman" . The film opens with Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher from Yellow Jackets ) weeks after her mother's tragic death, an event that has left her, her younger sister Sawyer ( Obi-Wan Kenobi 's Vivien Lear Blair) and their psychiatrist father in escape. Hats off to Will (Chris Messina of Water ), a quiet circle of shared feelings. Unfortunately, life takes another tragic turn when recently deceased father-of-three Lester Billings ( Suicide Squad 's Dasmalchian) shows up at Will's office, seeking advice on how to deal with the evil face he's pretending to be. He killed children.

Moments later, Sadie finds Lester hanging from his mother's closet door, apparently on his way to the Harper house to get something . The movie monster of the same name will also soon target grieving families. Soon, not only does Sawyer wake up in the middle of the night, but Sadie has a series of terrifying visions and night visions that she can't rationally explain. As the Boogeyman reaches its final chapter, even Will finds himself caught in the protagonist's trap.

During the show , Boogeyman oscillates between two different types of scenes: moments of immersion and well-constructed jump scares. In the second half of the second act, this plot throws the ghosts into a repetitive and unsatisfying skirmish. However, Savage's powerful handiwork makes the boogeyman compelling, and the speed with which the film's final third is constructed helps offset the boring bareness of the second half.

In the creepy opening scene , Boogeyman Savage sets up a pattern that he more or less follows for the rest of the film. As the camera slowly rotates 360 degrees, the director only gives us an idea of ​​what is happening. For example, we see an open closet door, a gnarled hand holding a bed and bleeding. Later, in one of the film's standout scenes, Savage uses the dim light of a flat screen television to illuminate the gruesome attack on Blair Sawyer. Once the attacks turn violent, Savage turns his attention solely to the television, a decision that not only leaves most of the action unnoticed, but pays off as the show comes to a violent conclusion.

The director fills Boogeyman with the same clever touch. In one memorable moment, Savage carefully touches the actor's face, then moves his eyes to focus on a new threat. In other series, Savage not only juxtaposes the tension that sets up a scene with a definite punch, but also frames menacing reappearances of characters through the curved glass of an open washing machine door. If his 2020 feature The Host doesn't do it, Boogeyman proves that Savage knows how to create suspense and terror from the simplest of solutions.

Unfortunately, the Boogeyman script, written by "A Quiet Place" writers Mark Heyman, Brian Woods and Scott Beck, ultimately prompted Savage to abandon the cut of the first half of the film. In the final act, the boogeyman focuses on the eponymous monster, and when he does, the film's effectiveness is diminished. As is often the case when it comes to horror, the boogeyman is best served as little as possible. However, Savage's direction minimizes the damage caused by the Boogeyman's latest mistake and his now well-known and painful history.

Forced to manage the plot of the film and carry emotional baggage on his shoulders, Thatcher perfectly and calmly acts as the hero of the boogeyman . While Messina and Blair have less to do as Sadie Thatcher's father and younger sister, they both manage to capture her attention on screen.

Familiar characters from the Harper saga keep Boogeyman from becoming a new horror classic, but the cast and Savage's convincing performance are enough to keep it from falling into mediocrity. Ultimately, the film is a fun and mostly shocking collection of gags and gags that can be rehearsed while you eat popcorn and scream while being drunk. As far as horror movies go, it's a nice reminder that sometimes there's nothing scarier than the feeling of someone hiding under your bed in the middle of the night.

The Boogeyman is now in theaters nationwide. See Boogeyman's Ending Explained for similar content.

Editor's note

Boogeyman movie review