The Boogeyman Movie Review: A Terrifying Tale of Childhood Fears

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When you were a kid, did you believe in the boogeyman? I know I did, and it scared the crap out of me. Now that I think back, I realize the real boogeyman was our parents for putting that evil in our heads.

But let’s say the boogeyman was real and you found out the hard way. Imagine this.

You are exhausted after a long day at work. You wish you had your car, but the gas prices are too high for you to afford. You walk nervously in the dark, hearing only your footsteps and the occasional car zooming by. You quicken your pace, hoping to reach home safely. You turn a corner and see a faint light ahead. You feel a glimmer of hope, thinking that you are almost there.

But then, you hear a low growl behind you. You freeze, feeling a shiver down your spine. You slowly turn around and see a  shape lurking in the alley. It has a twisted body and red eyes. You don’t know what it is, but you know it is dangerous.

You scream and run towards the light, looking for help. But the creature is faster than you. It dashes out of the alley and onto the street. It hisses and disappears into thin air, only to reappear in different spots around you. It seems to be everywhere and nowhere at once, hunting you like a predator with its prey.

You run faster than ever before, looking for an escape. You see a house with a broken window nearby. You climb through it and slam it shut behind you. You look around and see that the house is deserted and gloomy. You wonder if anyone ever lived here or if it was always empty.

As you explore the house, you catch a glimpse of the creature standing outside the window, staring at you with its red eyes.  You feel a surge of fear and look for a hiding place. You see a closet in the corner of the room. You run towards it and open the door. You slide inside and close the door behind you. You hope that the creature will not see you here.

You hold your breath and listen. You hear the window shatter and the creature enter the house. You hear it sniffing and snarling, looking for you. You hear it getting closer and closer to the closet.

Can you imagine this situation? Would you be trembling, would your heart be pounding so hard that you feel like fainting?

You pray that it will not open the door. You hope that it will lose interest and leave. You wish that this was all a dream.

You hear it stop right outside the closet. You hear it scratching on the door. You hear it whispering in a raspy voice:

“I know you’re here”

You cover your ears, hoping to block out his voice.

But then, you hear him laugh and walk away. You hear him say:

“Next time.”

You wait for a few minutes, hoping that he is gone. You wonder if he was just playing with you, or if he really left.

You decide to take a risk and open the door. You peek outside and see that the house is silent and empty. You don’t see any trace of the creature.

You feel a wave of relief, thinking that you are safe. You sigh and lean back, resting on the wall. You sit down on the closet floor and try to relax.

You close your eyes and think of happy things. You think of your family, your friends, your pets. You think of anything but the creature.

But then, you feel something breathing behind you. You feel his breath on your neck.

You open your eyes and see…

Movie Synopsis

From the director of Host, the horror movie that terrified audiences with a Zoom call gone wrong comes The Boogeyman, a new adaptation of Stephen King’s chilling short story. The Boogeyman follows Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher), a high school student who has to protect her younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) from a sinister force that lurks in the shadows of their home.

Their father, Will (Chris Messina), a grief-stricken therapist, is unaware of the danger that his family faces. But when one of his troubled patients unleashes the Boogeyman, a creature that feeds on fear and hides in closets, Sadie and Sawyer must confront their worst nightmares and fight for their survival.

The good

The good things about The Boogeyman movie are the acting and the direction. Sophie Thatcher is awesome as Sadie Harper, a smart and brave girl who tries to protect her sister and deal with her own trauma. She shows a lot of emotion and vulnerability with her face and body. Vivien Lyra Blair is also very good as Sawyer Harper, a sweet and innocent kid who has a strong bond with her sister and a vivid imagination.

She makes us feel bad for her when she is tormented by the boogeyman. Chris Messina is solid as Will Harper, a conflicted dad who loves his daughters but can’t communicate with them or help them. He shows us his guilt and frustration with his gestures and voice. David Dastmalchian is creepy as Lester Billings, the patient who brings the boogeyman into the Harper’s house. He plays a crazy and desperate man who has a dark secret and a sinister plan.

Rob Savage is also impressive as the director of The Boogeyman. He creates a tense and atmospheric mood with his use of lighting, camera angles, and sound design. He knows how to build suspense and anticipation with his slow shots and long takes.

He also knows how to surprise us with his fast cuts and quick movements. He uses the closet as a symbol of fear and repression, as well as a gateway to another world where the boogeyman lives. He also uses some clever visual tricks to make us question what is real and what is not.

The bad

The Boogeyman movie has two major problems: the story and the scares.

The story is a mess. It tries to copy from other better horror movies like The Conjuring, Insidious, Sinister, Poltergeist, The Babadook, and so on. But it fails to make any sense or originality. It is full of holes and contradictions that will make you scratch your head or roll your eyes. For example, why does the boogeyman only go after the Harpers? How does he move from one closet to another? How does he know what scares each person? How can he be stopped? The movie never explains these things well or logically.

The scares are also bland. They are all the same old tricks that we have seen before in many other horror movies. The movie relies too much on jump scares that are easy to see coming and not scary at all. The movie also uses loud noises and music to try to make us jump, but it only makes us annoyed or amused. The movie lacks any tension or atmosphere that would make us feel nervous or uneasy throughout. The movie also lacks any gore or violence that would make us feel disgusted or shocked.

Rating

The rating I would give The Boogeyman movie is 3 out of 5 ravens. This rating reflects my mixed feelings about the movie: I liked some aspects of it but disliked others. I think the movie has some emotional depth and some creepy moments, but it also has some flaws and clichés that prevent it from being truly great or original.

Think Horror-the deeper meaning

The Boogeyman movie is a frightening movie that tries to use our own fears against us. The boogie man of folklore was a monster that lived in our closets and imaginations who fed on our fears, but what is the deeper takeaway?

We at Think Horror believe that many of us keep our fears and insecurities in the closets of our minds and memories. We keep them locked up, hoping they’ll go away, but they don’t go away, do they. Fear festers and grows (if you allow it) to become a powerful force that overpowers your mind and occupies every thought just like boogeyman …boo!

Conclusion

To sum up, The Boogeyma movie is a film that has some good things and some bad things about it. It has some emotional depth and some creepy moments, but it also has some flaws and clichés that prevent it from being truly great or original. It is not a terrible movie, but it is not a great one either. It is somewhere in between, which is why I give it 3 out of 5 ravens.

What about you? What did you think of the movie? Did you like it or hate it? Did you find it scary or boring? Did you get any deeper meaning or lesson from it? Let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on The Boogeyman.

Also, if you have any suggestions for future movies or topics that you want me to review, let me know as well. I’m always open to new ideas and recommendations. You can also follow me on social media for more horror content and updates.

Thank you for reading Think Horror, Until next time, stay safe, stay scared, and stay tuned for more. Think horror.