The Boogeyman Review

Directed By: Rob Savage
Written By: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, and Mark Heyman; Based on the short story by Stephen King
Runtime: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for terror, violent content, teen drug use, and some strong language

Sophie Thatcher – Sadie Harper
Vivien Lyra Blair – Sawyer Harper
Chris Messina – Will Harper
David Dastmalchian – Lester Billings
LisaGay Hamilton – Dr. Weller
Marin Ireland – Rita Billings
Maddie Nichols – Natalie

The new horror thriller, The Boogeyman, not to be confused with the 2005 horror film, Boogeyman, arrives in theaters this week. The Boogeyman is based on writer Stephen King’s short story of the same name featured in his 1978 collection, Night Shift. The Boogeyman plays very fast and loose with Stephen King’s short story in service of a family-themed creature feature. Rob Savage’s film is heavy on atmosphere but lacks where it counts to make this into a truly unforgettable, skin-crawling experience.

The story follows a grieving family, who are still mourning the recent loss of their wife and mother. Dad therapist, Will Harper (Messina), has turned inward following the tragic loss of his wife, becoming emotionally distant from his two daughters: high school teen Sadie (Thatcher); and precocious pre-teen Sawyer (Lyra Blair). Harper is a good father who loves his kids, but despite his profession as a therapist, he is ill-equipped to emotionally manage his family’s loss. Unfortunately for the Harper family, Will experiences an unexpected consultation at his home office with the emotionally disturbed Lester Billings (Dastmalchian). The frightened Billings believes a dark force that preyed upon his young children is now coming after him.

Billings seemingly hangs himself to death in the Harpers’ home, and soon Sawyer and Sadie start noticing a strange figure moving within the shadows. That evil monster that children believe hides under their beds or in closets is real. The malevolent creature of primeval origins feeds on despair and grief, and it has chosen the Harpers as its next victims.

The Boogeyman was originally planned for a 2023 straight-to-streaming release on Hulu by 20th Century Studios. However, positive test screenings and early buzz turned that around, earning the modestly budgeted horror thriller a full theatrical release. From watching the film, it is evident why executives thought the feature has a decent shot in going theatrical. Horror is always a good bet in theaters, and the film has above-average production elements. Even PG-13 horror has a good chance of becoming profitable. However, The Boogeyman fails more than it succeeds.

To the film’s detriment is the very predictable script by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, and Mark Heyman. The film shocks with its most disturbing unsettling material upfront, but then it becomes a story about a family seeking to find a moment of triumph in their grief. Besides giving physical form to primal fear of the dark, the creature also represents the overwhelming, crippling depression that comes from mourning. By making the Harper family the focus in the cinematic version, it results in a dull, predictable cinematic experience.

Beck, Woods, and Heyman’s screenplay only loosely borrows some of the original short story’s premise, ideas, and characters. Otherwise, The Boogeyman is largely reimagined from King’s originally writing. King’s story is far more chilling, darker, and disturbing while Savage’s take is toned down to make the story PG-13 appropriate. It makes the duration of The Boogeyman wear thin very quickly during a lean runtime of 98 minutes.

Besides how predictable the story becomes, Savage leans too heavily on cheap jump scares and setups, but they fail to compensate for the lack of more spine-chilling material. The human interactions throughout the film tend to fall flat to provide some perfunctory exposition.

The leads Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair deliver strong performances as the Harper sisters. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast fails to match their levels. Chris Messina’s Will is so distant that he fails to be likable, relatable, or believable as a father. His personality is too low-key to truly enjoy. David Dastmalchian’s exceptional talents are wasted in a thankless role that should be more robust, especially considering his character is the protagonist in the original short story.

While The Boogeyman amounts to a fairly mediocre horror movie experience, it does contain a few strengths, specifically the two lead girls and some decent production elements. As a cinematic experience, it’s largely forgettable, average entertainment at best. However, there might still be aspects in The Boogeyman for horror and Stephen King fanatics to enjoy.

5.0

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

The Boogeyman is a largely forgettable, paint-by-the-numbers horror flick that attempts to exploit the Stephen King name, but it's executed in a lackluster fashion. It has some decent performances and production visuals but fails to ascend to greater heights. Rob Savage's direction is over-reliant on cheap jump-scares, and it can't overcompensate for a lazy, predictable script. Nonetheless, as a horror film, there still might be enough at work here to satisfy viewers who are in for a quick and harmless scare.