An Interesting Stephen King Adaptation


A new horror movie has arrived in theaters courtesy of 20th Century Fox. The Boogeyman based on Stephen King’s 1973 short story of the same name. It was directed by Rob Savage, who previously directed the 2020 quarantine horror film Host. It was written by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place, 65), and Mark Heyman (Black Swan). With a team like this, you’re in good hands. The Boogeyman is a well-crafted horror film with excellent performances and tension that will take your breath away.

The Boogeyman was originally to be released on streaming, but positive test screenings allowed the film to be placed in theaters. Another recent horror film with a similar path to theaters is Smile, which came out in 2022 and earned $217.4 million against a $17 million budget. A similar fate seems to befall The Boogeyman, which follows high school student Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and his younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair). While grieving the death of their mother, their father Will (Chris Messina) cannot give them comfort.

A man named Lester (David Dastmalachian) visits Will at his work as a therapist and asks for help. He unknowingly brings with him a terrifying entity known as The Boogeyman. It’s your classic horror movie setup with a demon haunting a family. It can be derivative and formulaic at times, but when it comes to good horror, direction is a key part of making it work. Savage is a skilled director, who has previously operated on screen horror, and now he brings his skills to a more traditional flick. He builds a lot of tension in the familiar “bump in the night” scene template and uses some ideas to bring the horror to life.

The movie uses spherical lamps to create some fun horror scenes. There’s another scene, advertised in the trailer, that uses a red strobe light that feels tailored for a really good scare. This is the kind of movie that makes you want to go to bed with your closet door closed. This is a movie that plays on the bad trope of kids who are afraid of the monster under their bed or in their closet. It does a lot of things you’ve seen before, so in the hands of a lesser director, this movie could have worked. However, Savage’s direction helps bring The Boogeyman to life, knowing how to catch you off guard.

Thatcher was very good in the film. Audiences were introduced to him from his appearances in Yellowjackets and The Book of Boba Fett, and he could be a future star. She brings a lot of sadness to the character of Sadie who spends the film mourning the loss of her mother. His isolation is palpable as he navigates his high school friendships and a few others that don’t go so well with him. His character is well realized and sympathetic as he spends the film holding his mother’s remains, unable to move on.

Chris Messina is great too. She gives a restrained but heartbreaking performance as a therapist whose job is to help people, but, beneath her own sadness, cannot help herself or her daughters. It’s a significant departure from his other role earlier this year in Air, and those unfamiliar with the actor may not be able to tell they’re the same person. Also, Vivien Lyra Blair will shine again in this film. After her breakout role as a young Princess Leia in the Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi, she shows her talent in this film with a lot of humor and charm while also being genuinely scared during the more intense scenes. in the movie.

Like all great horror movies, The Boogeyman has a disturbing mystery ahead. The issue is that it doesn’t have a proper set of rules for its antagonist, nor does it entertain the idea. There are times when the movie feels like a by-the-numbers creature feature, doing a good job of scaring you, but not a great one. It has all the flashing lights and jump scares you’d expect from a film with this premise, but manages to surprise you and should satisfy most fans of the horror genre. .

Although there are some who don’t watch PG-13 horror — it’s not one of the scariest movies to come out in recent years — The Boogeyman has a lot to offer. It’s one part Lights Out, one part The Babadook, and it scares you while having moments of silliness that don’t break the tension. It wraps up most of its story threads well and pays homage to the King story it’s based on without sticking too closely to it. If you’re looking for an awesome fix for summer 2023, this isn’t a bad choice.

SCORE: 7/10

As ComingSoon policy review explains, a score of 7 equals “Good.” A successful piece of entertainment worth watching, but it won’t appeal to everyone.


Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our The Boogeyman review.



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