The Boogeyman is a 2023 supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage (Host) from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place) and Mark Heyman (Black Swan), based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King. The film was originally scheduled for a streaming release on Hulu before switching to a theatrical release.

High school student Sadie Harper and her younger sister Sawyer are reeling from the recent death of their mother and aren’t getting much support from their father, Will, a therapist who is dealing with his own pain. When a desperate patient unexpectedly shows up at their home seeking help, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims.

The film stars Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), Chris Messina (Birds of Prey), Vivien Lyra Blair (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Marin Ireland (The Umbrella Academy, Madison Hu, LisaGay Hamilton (Vice), and David Dastmalchian (Dune).

The Boogeyman made its debut in theaters on June 2nd, courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

THE GOOD

Ever since the original Pet Sematary traumatized me as a child to the point where I genuinely believed my dead pets would eventually come visit me at night, I have had a unique attachment to anything Stephen King. Plus I am also a native of his home state of Maine. Now in the last several years we have had an abundance of King adaptions make their way to the big-screen, some great, some not so great. But there is no denying the fact that he is a horror mastermind and when something of his gets the big-screen treatment, it is worth a look. Now add in the fact that Rob Savage, director of the terrifying under-the-radar horror film Host (streaming on AMC+), is at the helm for The Boogeyman, I was extra intrigued. So, did it satisfy my thirst for horror or send me home disappointed? Keep reading to find out!

I am pleased to report that The Boogeyman was actually really good, especially considering it is a PG-13 horror movie. Right from the outset I loved the tone as it was ominous and dark from the start, and I also really liked that the core of the story is rooted in real-life trauma which helps to make the story have a layer of depth beyond just having a scary monster lurking in the shadows. In The Boogeyman the monster preys on the vulnerability of those dealing with immense grief, and in this story he latches onto a family that is grieving the sudden loss of a wife and mother. As someone who has suffered a similar loss in my life, I was able to relate to the characters particularly Sophie Thatcher’s character Sadie, who finds herself becoming an outcast among her friends as they are unable to understand or grasp what she is dealing with while also proving to be extremely inconsiderate and harsh towards her. I thought the foundation of the story was very well-executed, and I found myself sympathizing and ultimately caring for these characters pretty much right away.

The majority of viewers are coming to see The Boogeyman because of the source material, which is of course a short story from Stephen King originally published way back in 1978. I made it a point to avoid researching the short story prior to seeing the film, and I also avoided watching the trailers to make sure I was surprised when seeing the movie and I was impressed by the story. My favorite thing about The Boogeyman aside from the effective technical elements was the less is more idea as it relates to the monster. Back in 2015, Robert Eggers directed the horror film The Witch (our review here) which was fantastic by the way, and in an interview, Eggers talked about how with horror movies he believed the monster was often scariest in the shadows, and that really resonated with me.

I felt like The Boogeyman took this approach to heart, and although we do get a good look at the monster by the end, the majority of the film it is just quick glimpses and he is quite literally lurking in the shadows often only revealing his eyes. The story in itself is rather simple and stays true to the overall idea of a boogeyman hiding in the closet or under the bed, but the additional layers to the story and how the monster feeds off grief and trauma put it over the top for me. As far as scare factor, the film has lots of jump scares but the scenes that instill real fear and give you chills really did it for me. I can handle scary with ease and still sleep like a baby, and I thought The Boogeyman did enough to make it easy to recommend to horror fans.

Acting is often overlooked in horror films, but I was genuinely impressed with the performances in The Boogeyman. Sophie Thatcher takes on the lead role in the film and I thought she was fantastic. Thatcher has proven herself to be an extremely versatile actress after her breakout role in the Showtime original series Yellowjackets, which is a fantastic show if you haven’t seen it. Similar to that series, Thatcher’s character is required to carry a heavy emotional weight and you can see the pain and despair in her eyes. So much of the film relies on the believability of her character and I never once questioned her authenticity.

Starring alongside Thatcher is young actress Vivien Lyra Blair as her little sister Sawyer. It can be difficult to find talented young actors who can effectively play a substantial role in a film like The Boogeyman that does rely heavily on the cast, and I feel like Blair has a very bright future. She is often the focal point during the film and I thought she did a great job. Chris Messina, former star of The Mindy Project who has taken on several roles since, plays Will Harper the widowed father of two young girls. I really like Messina as an actor and I thought he was absolutely the right choice for this role. Will Harper is a therapist who sees patients from his home, and the fact that he is dealing with a significant trauma of his own and spends his days talking through his patients issues adds a unique element to the film. I also really liked David Dastmalchian and thought that even though he had a limited amount of screen time he still brought a ton of value to the film.

I was impressed with what The Boogeyman brought to the table as far as technical elements, particularly the unique camera work, the score, and the great use of lighting. As far as the camera work is concerned, the film was able to maintain an intimate feel throughout and that is a big reason why. At one point Blair’s character Sawyer looks under her bed and the camera rotates with her to give viewers a sort of POV perspective of what she is seeing which helps to create a level of suspense. I also thought they did a really nice job with several great emphasis shots whether it be holding to see if something is in fact in that dark corner, or just helping to create the feel of helplessness the characters are experiencing. Director Rob Savage clearly has the right feel for the horror genre, and I hope he continues to get more opportunities in the future.

The score was fantastic from start to finish helping to create an uneasy feel throughout, and for me that is a pivotal piece of what makes for a horror movie that is able to really immerse viewers. Lighting was a big part of The Boogeyman as the darkness was the primary strength of this monster that feeds off the trauma of its victims. Light bulbs would constantly blow leaving viewers staring into the fateful darkness, and I really liked the use of the light ball Sawyer’s character would always have with her due to her fear of the dark. She would often roll the ball toward the darkness to ensure nothing was there, and this was something that helped to create tension throughout the film.

THE BAD

The Boogeyman is a really good horror movie but it’s not perfect, and more than anything else it suffers from the usual horror pitfalls, which is story inconsistencies or the “why the heck would you do that” moments during the film. I am a firm believer that it is impossible for everything the characters do to make sense otherwise every scary movie would include the cast getting far away from whatever monster or killer trying to get them as fast as possible, and that would make for a very, very boring movie. This of course allows viewers the opportunity to shake their heads when a character does something that will almost surely end badly, and that does happen more than a few times here.

It was also interesting that Sawyer’s character, who is very young and would likely be more so under the watchful eye of a parent, is involved in quite a few traumatic incidents where it takes quite some time for anyone to come and check on her. And I’m talking lots of loud banging etc to the point where it would be impossible not to be hear it throughout the house. Now I know it is silly to harp on this because clearly it was important for viewers to feel the sense of helplessness from Sawyer’s character especially being the most vulnerable, but it is just one of those things that you overanalyze without even realizing.

THE VERDICT

An effective and unnerving horror thriller that emphasizes chills over jump scares while still offering a good balance, The Boogeyman thrives with a talented cast and a less is more approach bringing the Stephen King short story to life. I genuinely enjoyed this movie and felt like it earned its place as one of the better King adaptations. I will always feel like a horror movie could be scarier just because I am sick in the head, but The Boogeyman gave me chills more than a few times and kept me on the edge of my seat. As I mentioned I have yet to read the short story the film is based on, but I plan on checking it out soon to see just how accurate the film is. Don’t let the PG-13 rating deter you because all it did was force the film to get creative with the scare factor instead of relying on blood and gore, and that is a plus in my book.