The Boogeyman

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.

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.

The scariest things about this ultra-low budget short are the opening titles and jarring score that tries far too hard to mimic Wendy Carlos' 'The Shining' score. It does not succeed.

Even as a student film, it's contrived and poorly executed. Framing is off (and not in an 'artistic' way), direction seems scatterbrained (and not in a 'good horror film' way), and the soundtrack seems out of sync in places (enough to draw attention away from the story). The climactic end scene is anything but, and even confusing.

Steer clear of this slow, tired adaptation - it doesn't represent the story well at all - and read King's original composition. The out-of-print VHS (part of the 'Nightshift Collection') is only worth hunting down if you're a serious collector of Stephen King or amateur/student horror attempts.

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.

This mega-cheap, college film has a way of getting under your skin. The main character is so weird that I didn't know if I was watching a good performance or a bad one. Watch this one late at night with the lights off, then check your closets! I found it when I rented Stephen King's Nightshift Collection which showcases this one along with "The Woman in the Room".