The Boogeyman

Full disclosure: I haven't read the story on which "The Boogeyman" is based, so I can only assess it on its own merits. It was okay, as I expected. Like many horror movies of recent years, grief plays a major part of the plot. Of course, most of the horror comes from jump scares.

As for the cast, they do a fine enough job, considering what they have to have work. The title character does turn out to be freaky in some scenes.

All in all, this is a movie that you'll probably enjoy enough. I wouldn't say that there were any scenes that stuck me with solid memory, but you do have to admire the intense scenes.

So, it's nothing great, but if you're willing to spend the day with some friends and watch something scary, this should be fun.

This could have been a great horror film. The dread is there, the sets and lighting is perfect. You never really get a good look at the creature, and I felt that worked towards making the film much more suspenseful. The acting is all servicable and the characters feel real, for the most part. My issue with the film was how closed up the father was towards his wifes death and talking with his daughters about it. Seemed very unrealistic for how close they all seemed and only frustrated me in the end.

The pacing was also very off. The opening seemingly took forever to get to any of the good stuff, and when it does get there, we're thrown from scene to scene with almost no set up to it. Some of it felt like they were just throwing ideas for scary scenes at us. Almost as if they had no connection to the story other than the creature and the protaganists.

The film actually started out as a 1.5/5 stars but worked it's way up to 3/5 by the end of it. If the director and writers didn't put the effort into making us care about the characters, then it would've stayed a 1.5, but thankfully, they grew on me and by the end of the film, I was hoping they would make it out alive.

Overall, not a bad film. Slightly above average, but just be aware that it is not a perfect horror film and it does have it's fair share of problems and pacing issues throughout.

3 bumps in the night out of 5.

Fairly enjoyable dark and creepy, jump scare fest.

Its a terrible title - makes it sound like an 80's straight to video affair.

Get past the title and what you have is a fairly enjoyable horror movie.

Theres not much any horror fan won't have seen many times - something goes bump in the night, the person experiencing it is not believed, things escalate... Jump scares.

Its fairly well done. It got a little silly towards the end that took me out of it a bit, but for the most part its enjoyable.

I doubt I'll watch it again or see it as a milestone film, but not every movie is a classic - some are just an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes or so.

Refreshingly it is only 90 ish minutes rather than the current trend for over long posterior numbing.

Never in human history has mankind had access to such a wide variety of lighting implements for virtually any lighting need.

You've got LED flashlights packed with thousands of lumens. Battery powered, solar powered, you name it. Even a cheap dollar store flashlight these days is capable of lighting up your entire backyard so you can see who's been stealing your underthings.

Headlamps? We got headlamps. Get one with a rechargeable battery pack and you'll never be without hands free lighting again.

Why not try the Ryobi work light, which will blast 4,200 blinding lumens at that hard to reach manifold, difficult basement job, or closet dwelling creature trying to eat your kids. It's powered by the popular ONE+ battery so you'll never be in the dark again.

Want something more budget friendly? Strap on a puck light or grab a packet of glow sticks at the dollar store (deep down, didn't you know we'd be back at the dollar store again?) and light up your world for mere pocket change.

Of course, if an ancient evil creature is menacing your family and that creature exists only in the dark, you may choose to go without all of these lighting needs and try fighting it with... Oh, I dunno. An bulk supply of tea candles? Your dead mom's almost-out-of-juice zippo lighter? Some 1970s era Christmas lights that depend on an extension cord, even though electrical power seems to be out all over the house?

Now, see here. I actually enjoyed The Boogeyman to some extent, because the scenes were shot well and it was decently acted. But come on. If even one of the bonehead characters in this movie had made just a cursory trip to Harbor Freight (I like to plug aaaall the stores,) they could have completely vanquished that rather feeble creature the very first night. Hell, what I keep in my glove compartment would have sent that Predator-wannabee packing lickety split.

I'm sorry, but when you get right down to it, that boogey creature wasn't all the powerful. In fact, the most dangerous thing it seemed to accomplish was the spreading of mold throughout the house. That's gonna cost the family a pretty penny to eradicate. Too bad they don't have a Tractor Supply, Dollar Tree or Harbor Freight in their neighborhood.

Kind of a cool movie and some scary scenes, but you have to suspend belief a little too much for it to really sink it. I mean, gee whiz, fellas. They make bright lights with little motion sensors on them now, because we live in a time of wonders.

I probably would have liked this film...if I could have seen it.

Look, I know horror movies rely on darkness, and that it's necessary sometimes. That is one thing this movie did right - kept the titular creature mostly out of sight. Nothing is less scary than too much CGI.

However, when the majority of the film is dark to the extent that you can barely see anything, I find I'm too hacked off to be scared.

That's a shame, because as far as I could make out, the acting was decent, as were the script and story (hit or miss when it comes to Stephen King adaptations). A widowed father, a shrink, takes a walk-in who tells him a harrowing tale of kids dying at the hands of something supernatural, after which his own daughters start to experience spooky shenanigans.

There is the old trope of the parent taking far too long to believe their offspring, and a house in which any given light source only affects about a six inch circle around itself, but I think these would have been minor irritants if the filmmakers had considered that their audience might like to occasionally be able to work out what's happening on screen.

As it is, this was a semi-decent movie which had the potential to be better.