To be scared is to be human. How many tales have there been of the boogeyman, a terrifying but otherwise nondescript monster that causes children to cower under their blankets at night, asking for their parents to check for the creature under their beds or in the closet?
It’s a classic creature that’s more timeless than Freddy Krueger and Michel Myers; as such, it should be no surprise that there have been quite a few movies with the same name.
Well, this particular effort by British director Rob Savage is based on a 1973 short story by horror maestro Stephen King. So, what’s it about?
Teenager Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher) and her little sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) have lost their mother in an accident, but their therapist father Will (Chris Messina) has basically shut off and refuses to talk about the loss with his daughters (which makes you question how good a therapist he is, but never mind).
The horror begins when one of Will’s patients, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian, in what is effectively a five-minute cameo), talks about a terrifying creature that has haunted and killed his children.
Not long after, Billings himself is offed by this insidious monster, which then sets its sights on the Harper siblings. Fun!
Thereafter, the sisters have to deal with this nightmare that thrives on fear and darkness and feeds on their grief. Naturally, Will reacts to his daughters’ claims with parental incredulity – until the creaky doors, flashing lights, and creepy mimicking voices start.
As Sadie, Thatcher effectively pulls off a sympathetic protagonist, making it easy for audiences to root for her. Her sadness, anger, and protectiveness of younger sis Sawyer make for a compelling performance, and the “Yellowjackets” star brings her A-game.
Blair is equally effective as the frightened younger child, thankfully avoiding the annoying-kid stereotype who, in any other horror flick, would get everyone else killed with her stupid antics. Her Sawyer goes from bringing a smile to your face in one scene to causing you to dig your nails into your palm during her encounter with the monster in the next.
As the family patriarch, Messina, too, is competent, even if it feels like Will is an afterthought – after all, he is conveniently missing for a big chunk of the goings-on even though he lives in the same house. It’s almost as if his own grief places in him a cone of silence where even the bloodcurdling screams of his daughters go unnoticed!
Now, a good horror film lives or dies by the effectiveness of its scares. With “The Boogeyman”, director Savage does a good job of balancing jump scares and sound effects that will make the audience dread every half-open door and out-of-place noise.
A couple of memorable moments come from Sawyer, who for most of the film carries a moon-like orb light that she rolls towards dark corners of the house, bringing a sense of unease as to what the illumination will reveal.
The boogeyman itself is terrifying when it’s hidden in the shadows with only two glowing eyes and the occasional outstretched hand, but the creep factor drops significantly when it (mostly) reveals itself at the end of the second act.
In this regard, the movie could take a page out of other creature-features that hold off on showing the monster until the very last minute. After all, it’s the fear of the unknown that makes it so unsettling, is it not?
Overall, “The Boogeyman” is a so-so adaptation that’s elevated by compelling performances and some well-executed scares. Apart from these, though, it doesn’t really steer far from the classic horror tropes.
Still, it’s good enough for you to enjoy with your bucket of popcorn alongside like-minded moviegoers for a solid hour and 40 minutes – even if watching it at night in the cinema might make you wary of the darkness around you.
As of press time, ‘The Boogeyman’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.