Courtesy 20th Century Studios
Director Rob Savage tackles The Boogeyman, a new horror-lite flick based on the 1973 Stephen King short story of the same name. Despite the mature themes and age of its source material, Savage’s adaptation sometimes seems like it was ripped straight out of an episode of the über-campy 90s’ Goosebumps television series—and it’s not his first attempt at horror. 2020′s Host and 2021′s Dashcam were both new additions to the then-recent subgenre known as computer screen horror. This time, though, the plot has nothing to do with screens, which reveals Savage’s weaknesses when it comes to directing a more traditional form of horror. The Boogeyman suffers from beginner’s cliches that will likely even bore the more modern audience to which he previously catered.
The story revolves around a therapist (Chris Messina, Birds of Prey) and his two daughters (Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair) who are still grieving after their mother’s accidental death. While the premise promises to help forge a compelling and emotional story, it actually cheapens the horror at play and fails to properly contextualize the movie’s monster—arguably the oldest in the monster pantheon. Actually, maybe it’s the monster that cheapens the emotional side of the story, but you can’t really tell what’s supposed to be more important—the scares or the parallels to trauma and grief. Audiences are expected to connect said trauma to the literal monster-in-the-closet, but Savage doesn’t make it worth our while; I stopped caring as soon as one character said, verbatim, “They call it…The Boogeyman.” Despite his sincere stab at representing the emotional fallout that occurs after experiencing the death of a loved one, Savage cannot deliver scares or thrills through his actors without making the viewer (and, frankly, the performers) feel awkward.
It’s not Messina’s or the kids’ fault, though, more like The Boogeyman is eye-rollingly lazy in its creature design, leading to a tall and borderline goofy creature with no unique physicality or features. This renders the monster instantly forgettable. As such, the only frights The Boogeyman knocks out of the audience are cheap shots; loud, drumkit-heavy jump scares more likely to piss you off than honestly surprise or alarm. Instead, it feels more like Savage steals his scares from you, just like his movie steals your money and time.
You could probably make fun of The Boogeyman with your friends, but if you were expecting an original take on an overdone monster concept, be prepared to leave the theater exhausted instead.
5
+Tooth scene is freaky
-More Cliches than you can count
The Boogeyman
Directed by Savage
With Messina, Thatcher and Blair
Violet Crown, Regal, PG-13, 98 min.
