(L-r): Sophie Thatcher as Sadie Harper, Chris Messina as Will Harper, and Vivien Lyra Blair as Sawyer Harper in 20th Century Studios’ The Boogeyman. Photo by Patti Perret. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
By Marc Butterfield
The Boogeyman opens with a scene that will give any parent the heeby-jeebies, and sets your skin on edge right away. From there, we quickly move to the movie’s main protagonists adjusting to their new lives after a tragic death in the family of the mother. We find that the oldest daughter, 16-year old Sadie, is having the hardest time with it, going so far as to borrow a dress from her mother’s closet to wear to school, in an effort to still feel some connection to her mother. The father, Will Harper (Chris Messina), a psychiatrist, seems unable to address the new family situation, avoiding talking about his recently...
By Marc Butterfield
The Boogeyman opens with a scene that will give any parent the heeby-jeebies, and sets your skin on edge right away. From there, we quickly move to the movie’s main protagonists adjusting to their new lives after a tragic death in the family of the mother. We find that the oldest daughter, 16-year old Sadie, is having the hardest time with it, going so far as to borrow a dress from her mother’s closet to wear to school, in an effort to still feel some connection to her mother. The father, Will Harper (Chris Messina), a psychiatrist, seems unable to address the new family situation, avoiding talking about his recently...
- 6/3/2023
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
There’s something about the names Stephen King gives to characters that instantly evokes those fat, splintered-spine favourites from his back catalogue and my own tween years; with cover art so disturbing they would have to be laid to rest face down before I could go to sleep. The Boogeyman, adapted from his 1973 short story, has a Lester Billings. Lester Billings. Absolutely classic King.
And poor Lester (David Dastmalchian) is having an appropriately macabre time of it. His children each died horribly, their parents powerless to defend them, and the family home has been staked out by the being that claimed their lives. When Lester stumbles into the Thatchers’ house to unburden himself to therapist dad Will (Chris Messina) he is hardly conscious of the dark entity he has brought to their door. He simply wants to share his story. To let go.
Will, by contrast, cannot let go. The...
And poor Lester (David Dastmalchian) is having an appropriately macabre time of it. His children each died horribly, their parents powerless to defend them, and the family home has been staked out by the being that claimed their lives. When Lester stumbles into the Thatchers’ house to unburden himself to therapist dad Will (Chris Messina) he is hardly conscious of the dark entity he has brought to their door. He simply wants to share his story. To let go.
Will, by contrast, cannot let go. The...
- 6/3/2023
- by Emily Breen
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
One of the more effective scares teased in the trailer of The Boogeyman, the latest from director Rob Savage (Host, Dashcam), makes terrifying use of a glowing moon ball in the dark. This moment encapsulates the horror movie’s quintessential light versus dark, good versus evil battle.
Ahead of The Boogeyman’s release in theaters this Friday, Bloody Disgusting spoke with Savage about the fear of the dark and crafting scares from it, which led to a surprising revelation about the light source that Disney vetoed that would’ve created an accidental Star Wars connection.
Because light is so vital in The Boogeyman, Savage explained his approach during our chat. He told us, “I wanted it to be simple and classic. It really is a story about light and dark, and we boil everything down to a very simple mythology. I wanted it to feel like the story that everyone...
Ahead of The Boogeyman’s release in theaters this Friday, Bloody Disgusting spoke with Savage about the fear of the dark and crafting scares from it, which led to a surprising revelation about the light source that Disney vetoed that would’ve created an accidental Star Wars connection.
Because light is so vital in The Boogeyman, Savage explained his approach during our chat. He told us, “I wanted it to be simple and classic. It really is a story about light and dark, and we boil everything down to a very simple mythology. I wanted it to feel like the story that everyone...
- 6/1/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
If the title feels familiar you would not be wrong. The word “boogeyman” has been the subject of numerous movies all using the same moniker, at least ten on iMDB database before I stopped counting, but all of them dated post 1973 when the horror master Stephen King first published his 8-page short story in a magazine, followed five years later by its inclusion in one of his classic short story collections, “Night Shift”. So in one form or another this now 50 year old tale has become shorthand for lots of Hollywood concoctions that had nothing to do with it, but hey a good title is a good title.
King’s “The Boogeyman” was basically a two hander between a disturbed patient and his therapist who indeed turned out to be his boogeyman. It was actually shot as a short by some entertprising filmmakers in 2012, but clearly there was not enough...
King’s “The Boogeyman” was basically a two hander between a disturbed patient and his therapist who indeed turned out to be his boogeyman. It was actually shot as a short by some entertprising filmmakers in 2012, but clearly there was not enough...
- 5/31/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Plot: A grieving family is haunted by an evil entity that preys on the suffering of others.
Review: While all of the headlines out of this year’s CinemaCon were about Warner Bros showing The Flash to the assembled press and exhibitors, it wasn’t the only screening of a movie the studios were hot on. Disney used the event to give us all a look at The Boogeyman, a horror flick by director Rob Savage, which was initially set for Hulu. The movie turned out so well and was received so positively at test screenings the studio pivoted to a theatrical release, given how well recent movies that nearly went to streaming have done, including Smile and the studio’s own Barbarian.
While The Boogeyman, based on the Stephen King short story, is ultimately too mild to become a cult classic like Barbarian or a viral sensation like Smile,...
Review: While all of the headlines out of this year’s CinemaCon were about Warner Bros showing The Flash to the assembled press and exhibitors, it wasn’t the only screening of a movie the studios were hot on. Disney used the event to give us all a look at The Boogeyman, a horror flick by director Rob Savage, which was initially set for Hulu. The movie turned out so well and was received so positively at test screenings the studio pivoted to a theatrical release, given how well recent movies that nearly went to streaming have done, including Smile and the studio’s own Barbarian.
While The Boogeyman, based on the Stephen King short story, is ultimately too mild to become a cult classic like Barbarian or a viral sensation like Smile,...
- 5/26/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Rob Savage's "The Boogeyman," the latest in a long line of Stephen King adaptations, is a solid, sturdy entry in the modern horror canon. Loosely based on King's short story about a terrifying creature that targets a family, this version expands the narrative's scope while still maintaining a contained, personal feel. Several King tropes and themes pop up throughout, all of which are artfully and efficiently folded into the eerie, occasionally unsettling tapestry of tension Savage weaves here.
While there are plenty of jump scares, this likely won't be the scariest thing you see at the movies this year. But for a film that was initially intended to go straight to streaming, "The Boogeyman" could end up being 2023's version of last year's "Smile" — a project that surprises audiences with its effectiveness and outperforms expectations from industry analysts.
Bad Tidings
It's been a month since the Harper family suffered a tragic loss.
While there are plenty of jump scares, this likely won't be the scariest thing you see at the movies this year. But for a film that was initially intended to go straight to streaming, "The Boogeyman" could end up being 2023's version of last year's "Smile" — a project that surprises audiences with its effectiveness and outperforms expectations from industry analysts.
Bad Tidings
It's been a month since the Harper family suffered a tragic loss.
- 5/25/2023
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Stars: Odessa A’zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn | Written by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski | Directed by David Bruckner
A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.
Ever since first seeing The Ritual back in 2017, it’s been crystal clear to me that filmmaker David Bruckner is one of the best of our time. His horror films are legitimately terrifying and manage to tackle themes such as grief, loss, and trauma in shockingly powerful ways. My favourite film of 2021 was The Night House, directed by Bruckner masterfully. On the surface, it’s essentially a creepy movie about a woman who may or may not be dealing with some paranormal, otherworldly stuff in her complexly designed house, but underneath it all, it’s really a...
A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.
Ever since first seeing The Ritual back in 2017, it’s been crystal clear to me that filmmaker David Bruckner is one of the best of our time. His horror films are legitimately terrifying and manage to tackle themes such as grief, loss, and trauma in shockingly powerful ways. My favourite film of 2021 was The Night House, directed by Bruckner masterfully. On the surface, it’s essentially a creepy movie about a woman who may or may not be dealing with some paranormal, otherworldly stuff in her complexly designed house, but underneath it all, it’s really a...
- 3/23/2023
- by Guest
- Nerdly
Stars: Odessa A’zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn | Written by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski | Directed by David Bruckner
A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.
Ever since first seeing The Ritual back in 2017, it’s been crystal clear to me that filmmaker David Bruckner is one of the best of our time. His horror films are legitimately terrifying and manage to tackle themes such as grief, loss, and trauma in shockingly powerful ways. Last year, my favourite film was The Night House, directed by Bruckner masterfully. On the surface, it’s essentially a creepy movie about a woman who may or may not be dealing with some paranormal, otherworldly stuff in her complexly designed house, but underneath it all, it’s really...
A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.
Ever since first seeing The Ritual back in 2017, it’s been crystal clear to me that filmmaker David Bruckner is one of the best of our time. His horror films are legitimately terrifying and manage to tackle themes such as grief, loss, and trauma in shockingly powerful ways. Last year, my favourite film was The Night House, directed by Bruckner masterfully. On the surface, it’s essentially a creepy movie about a woman who may or may not be dealing with some paranormal, otherworldly stuff in her complexly designed house, but underneath it all, it’s really...
- 10/10/2022
- by Caillou Pettis
- Nerdly
Wild Indian is a bold, anger-wreaked character study, creating a deeply unsympathetic antihero who nevertheless inspires some pity and understanding. Although representation for indigenous American people in the arts is increasing, it’s still hard to recall a film quite like Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.’s debut, which moves its Native American characters from a cinematic periphery they’re most often found towards the center. Its story of an upwardly mobile Ojibwe man (Michael Greyeyes), haunted by a past crime, surprises us, its progression almost like an old-fashioned morality tale, and Corbine feels no pressure to skew to politically correct positive representations.
Many debut films proceed as if the director believes they will never make another one; any idea is fair game for inclusion. Wild Indian embodies this––but in the best possible sense. It shows a real mastery and confidence in achieving a certain cinematic language: a pre-title prologue...
Many debut films proceed as if the director believes they will never make another one; any idea is fair game for inclusion. Wild Indian embodies this––but in the best possible sense. It shows a real mastery and confidence in achieving a certain cinematic language: a pre-title prologue...
- 2/1/2021
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
Following the recent announcement of their full film lineup that includes Trainwreck, Get Hard, and Spy, South by Southwest has revealed their lineup of Midnight movies and short films to screen during the festival. Chief among them is the Sundance 2015 hit Turbo Kid (read our review here) and the Sundance ’15 winner of the Short Film Prize World of Tomorrow. SXSW runs from March 13-21. View the full Midnighters and Shorts lineup below via the SXSW website.
****
Midnighters
The Corpse of Anna Fritz (Spain)
Director: Hèctor Hernández Vicens, Screenwriters: Hèctor Hernándes Vicens, Isaac P. Creus
Anna Fritz, a famous and beautiful actress, has died recently. Three young men sneak into the morgue to see her naked. Fascinated by her beauty, they decide to become the last people to have sex with her. Cast: Alba Ribas, Cristian Valencia, Bernat Saumell, Albert Carbó. (World Premiere)
Deathgasm (New Zealand)
Director/Screenwriter: Jason Lei Howden...
****
Midnighters
The Corpse of Anna Fritz (Spain)
Director: Hèctor Hernández Vicens, Screenwriters: Hèctor Hernándes Vicens, Isaac P. Creus
Anna Fritz, a famous and beautiful actress, has died recently. Three young men sneak into the morgue to see her naked. Fascinated by her beauty, they decide to become the last people to have sex with her. Cast: Alba Ribas, Cristian Valencia, Bernat Saumell, Albert Carbó. (World Premiere)
Deathgasm (New Zealand)
Director/Screenwriter: Jason Lei Howden...
- 2/10/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
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