The Boogeyman

Interesting 28 minute short film based on a Stephen King short story from his popular Night Shift collection. While most may find the twist pretty predictable, what makes it really enjoyable is the 80s style synth score and creepy camera work that also manages to hide the films extremely low budget. Michael Read who would go on to have a supporting role in Army of Darkness does a fine job as well. Overall worth the watch though nothing spectacular.

Amateur-grade adaptation of a Stephen King story from his legendary NIGHTSHIFT collection. A screwy father's three children die, one by one, which he attributes to a monster in the closet. Now he is worried he will be next. Most of this short film has the dad telling his story to a kindly psychiatrist. A very static film, consisting mainly of one actor at a time appearing on screen to spout his dialog. Michal Read is the nervous dad, and the best part of this odd little thriller. The surprise ending is a hoot. Bert Linder is the benevolent shrink. The editing is on the choppy side, so be prepared. It is worth watching if for no other reason than to see what lies on the other side of that closet door.

The Boogeyman (1982)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Stephen King adaptation has a father (Michael Read) being arrested for killing his child but the story he tells Dr. Harper (Bert Linder) is quite different than what the police think happened. The father claims that his son was murdered by the boogeyman who lived in his closet and he tells the doctor his story. This student film from Jeff Schiro actually managed to get released back in the day and while I think it has a few good moments the end result isn't quite as good as one would hope. I thought the first five minutes were quite effective and I think they really captured the heart of the story, which is meant to say that the boogeyman kid's fear is living in their closet is real and it can kill them. The middle section of the picture is where it drags as we get some rather boring dialogue scenes that I'm sure were meant to work as psychological horror but they never really reach a creepy level. The ending of the film finally picks up some but at 28-minutes there's no question that it feels a tad bit too long. The performances are really hit and miss but I thought both Read and Linder were fine, although I think some better editing could have helped both. The music score isn't all that good and appears to be trying to copy THE SHINING. With that said, fans of King's short story should get a few kicks out of this but a better version is certainly needed.

This one is probably misunderstood by many, because of it's genre. It's short but very powerful story and I can't see any way in which it could have been done better. It perfectly reflects the horror and disturbance in the main characters mind. It doesn't really give you too much of a plot, but because of it's genre it's not what it's supposed to do. The main thing here is psychology and this short delivers that part perfectly. And I guarantee that some words said here will haunt you for some time. I'm a fan of Stephen King and can really see his reflection here, it really reflects his style - madness, disturbance and despair - that's the glorious mix of Mr. Stephen King. Watch it if you have some free time to waste.

Not because it's a college short film, but because:

a) it butchered possibly Stephen King's best short story &

b) as a film alone it doesn't really make any sense

the acting left something to be desired too and I really found the music annoying. The main protagonist (Lester Billings) was interesting but I was unsure if this was a good or bad performance, I want to say good but the direction was bad and the effects were cheesy thus bringing down the actor. Too bad.

Final verdict: Stay away from the film. Read the book.