The Boogeyman - Origins

As in some American movies, the initial premise is good and full of potential but it goes to waste so soon. However, 5 minutes in and you can predict the rest of the plot. It has chances to be original, but it misses them all.

The scares are visually entertaining but too abundant and loud. It misses the goal of maintaining you tense.

But the most hurtful aspect of the movie is the dedication to look, sound, and happen as in stranger things. I don't deny that a viewer who somehow missed that series can enjoy this movie. But for the rest of the mortals, it's unavoidable to think you are watching a cheap Indian copy of the series. It hurts to watch.

On a more positive note, some of the actors are fairly good, and the effects are good. The only thing that feels professional in this movie.

Spanish cinema has way more to offer than this.

No pun intended - the movie is supposed to give us a new legacy ... a new ... well for lack of a better word (and the English title suggests as much anyway) ... boogeyman! Yes that is what it is called in Germany (and I reckon the same is true for the English/international release of the movie too).

The beginning is quite strong - even if we didn't know we are watching a horror movie, even if the movie did not already told us that it is a horror movie ... the setting, the way an "old man" is talking to a kid ... we know what we are going to get. And as the horror movie cliche goes ... we get that early shocker ... usually that is done and then you get some slower storytelling and all that ... here you get a second shocker thrown in for good measure ... whatever you make of it.

It is decent enough I reckon, the story flows fine too ... if you like horror ... well you could watch worse. Effects are ok too.

The term "Boogeyman" has been widely appropriated to intimidate children into behaving well, fearing the threat of an unknown who will take them away if they don't oblige. Origins features the myth deriving from the Almería (Spain) region, and it's nice to see a local interpretation of the figure.

With children being abducted in regular time patterns, some of the plot points seem quite familiar. In fact, the movie tends to lean heavily on popular influences such as Stranger Things, IT, and Jeepers Creepers. This is a shame because El hombre del saco should have been bathed in Spanish folklore rather than American influences, so it's a bit of missed opportunity.

Origins is however a cut above many straight to VOD horror features, as there are some genuinely creepy scenes and visuals. The production values and effects are also done well enough to provide a creepy atmosphere.

Overall, Origins is a decent entry into the "Boogeyman universe". Plus if you're a Stranger Things fan, you'll probably enjoy this as well.

I use a horror template that always promises success, mix it with the hip coming-of-age elements and go full throttle on jump scares. How can I still make a mess of the whole thing? Ok, I don't want to exaggerate. How do I make a merely average film out of the good source material? I'm borrowing too much from the Stranger Things concept without making my own. The choice of children doesn't make much of a difference, there's a lack of charisma for the most part. The synthy sound is mediocre and doesn't match the ambitions that the film sells in its marketing. I realise somewhere in the middle of my journey that I don't actually want to make a real horror film after all. What do I want then, I don't know, because generally there's a lack of big ideas? And scary, let alone horror. But hey, the pacing is right and the film only takes 90 minutes to watch.

El hombre del saco. An Urban leyend, the boogieman from Spain. If you are a bad kid el hombre del saco will come for you. Gilt is a magnet for him. A group of brave kids face him. Obviously in a time before moviles, when kids rode bicicles and played in the streets. IT and strangers things also viewed the need for that.

The effects are really good and convincing. The acting also is good and i see real caracters renembering that more of the cast are teenagers.

I liked and smiled remembering the crazy idea my brother and I had once: look for the hombre del saco to kill him. Our parents though we were lost and had a really bad evening.