My quick rating – 6.1/10. The Boogeyman had me thinking one thing as soon as the credits rolled. This is a really well-made horror movie…that I doubt I’ll remember in six months. Everything works, but almost nothing struck me as “fresh”.
The story involves the two sisters named Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair), mourning the loss of their mom, while their dad (Chris Messina) tries his best to keep them all together. What else could possibly go wrong? How about an evil entity deciding that their home was just the right place to settle in?
One thing The Boogeyman absolutely nails is the mood. Stephen King has always been a master of that, and this short story is no exception. Rob Savage is adept at creating suspense, and the filming makes good use of darkness without making it impossible to see anything. Imagine that. We are able to see what’s trying to kill everyone. This film keeps you constantly scanning the background for movement, and it will keep you looking over your shoulder.
Thatcher easily stands out as the anchor of the film. She sells the grief, frustration, and fear in a way that feels genuine without becoming that annoying drama. The rest of the cast does a solid job as well, even if the script doesn’t always give them a lot to work with.
Of course, as soon as the fear wears off, The Boogeyman begins to tick off clichés in its own little box, one by one. Those of you who have seen plenty of supernatural horror movies will definitely recognize everything that is going to happen well in advance of the characters in the movie. The Boogeyman itself is pretty scary, although it does not really have much more than just being some shadowy beast hanging around in dark corners. But then again, who expects a resumé from the Boogeyman? It’s basically every parent’s emergency bedtime threat finally getting its own movie, again.
I wish the film had focused a bit more on the psychological side of grief. It flirts with some interesting ideas about trauma feeding the monster. Unfortunately, it cannot help itself and just flips back to the tried-and-true jump scares.
Despite its flaws, The Boogeyman is quite entertaining. Once again, Rob Savage has shown that he knows how to make good use of his talent and create a scary movie with good visuals and atmosphere. Though it might not be groundbreaking and memorable enough, for those who look for a well-made supernatural horror movie that has some decent scare factors, there is enough in The Boogeyman to switch the lights off. At least until bedtime.
