Review The Boogeyman – Review on FilmTotaal
Director: rob wild | Script: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Mark Heyman | Cast: Sophie Thatcher (Sadie), Chris Messina (Will), Vivien Lyra Blair (Sawyer), David Dastmalchian (Lester Billings), LisaGay Hamilton (Dr. Weller), ea | Time to play: 98 minutes | Year: 2023
Horror movies come in all shapes and sizes, but the ones that really want to scare you often follow the same pattern: a series of terrifying scenes in the first and second halves to unravel the mystery and defeat the evil. Usually there is some breathing room to recover from the stress. the bogeyman he refuses to follow this pattern and keeps the horror going to the very end. The breaks in between are very short, and that works.
Sadie Harper’s mother recently passed away, and despite her and her younger sister’s eagerness to talk about it, their father, who is also a psychologist, sends them to an outside therapist. He himself receives a man at the door who tells him that his children have been killed by a monster in the closet. Soon after, strange things begin to occur in Sadie’s house, particularly around her sister.
That brief conversation between Sadie’s father and the intruder seeking help is all that matters in Stephen King’s tale. The filmmakers of this film use it as the basis for a plot and elaborate on it. King’s 1973 story has been made into a short film and a play twice before. Much has been successfully concocted for this new film adaptation, running for over an hour and a half.
First, it’s about more than just a monster under the bed. The bogeyman symbolizes the dark and corrosive power of mourning. The Harper household is in such grief that the only parent left can’t do anything because he’s not yet ready to fully face the truth. That festering infection appears in the form of a hideous creature that can even mimic the voice of his dead mother. This theme is there until the end.
Second, it’s really creepy. All the cheap tricks are cleverly used to get the viewers to sink deeper into the saddle. He has not been given any rest to recover from that. That causes the unpleasant experience that a horror movie should cause.
Aside from the disconcerting shots of dark corners and hallways, the monster’s voice is deeply haunting. It’s a sort of demonic impression that varies between a flawless imitation of someone who knows the characters, and animal sounds from the deepest depths of hell. The idea of hearing such a thing in the dark of the bedroom is pure horror.
Where the story has that extra layer, the characters are a bit flatter. The younger sister is just a girl who likes to sleep with the light on. Father’s love is a little more complex, but it’s a lot less in the picture. Sadie is the teenager who doesn’t want to be seen at school as “that girl whose mother died.” There’s a schoolmate who’s so antisocial to her that it’s tasteless and unbelievable, but it’s really about the script that Sadie invites this bitch to a little party at her house a little bit later.
Another small flaw is the image quality of the film. It seems there was not enough budget for a decent camera and/or lighting. It doesn’t feel functionally pixelated, but cheap. Modern and flashy things are unnecessary, but the shots are pretty meaningless.
Where this monster comes from and how to fight it is hardly discussed. There is no loss, because it is just there and that is all. It would have made the movie unnecessarily longer and hampered the suspense. There is only one moment when Sadie goes to investigate and visits the house of the man who talked about the coconut. That adds a bit to the plot, but it’s especially strong that even this moment is a bit tense.
The question “will this be the scariest movie of the year?” comes up almost every month on movie sites. Once an effective marketing tool, now an empty promise. On the first day of next year, we get to decide which movie gets that honor. the bogeyman it’s a contender because it sure is scary and effective.