We leave you our review of ‘The Boogeyman’, a film that will soon be coming to theaters across the country to make you jump out of your seat.
Almost every year we get a tape (or more) based on a story or novel of good Stephen King with uneven results. This 2023 we receive The Boogeymanbased on the story of the same name that was published in the already distant 1973. The film is directed by Rob Savage (host) with hyphen Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (A peaceful place, 65) and mark hayman (Black Swan).
The tape tells us the story of a family that has just suffered the death of their mother. Sadie (Sophie Thatcher), sixteen years old, and her sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair), out of ten, have serious problems dealing with the situation. His father, therapist Will Harper (Chris Messina) is shown as a father physically present, but emotionally absent.
An unexpected visit
Family ties, already fractured, are jeopardized when a new patient, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian), unexpectedly arrives at Will’s office asking for help. In the conversation, the mysterious visitor tells him about the death of his three children at the hands of something that moves in the dark and that does not have a precise origin.
From that moment on, horror settles in the Harper home. Sawyer begins to witness that something who lurks in the dark, who watches over the family and seems to be getting closer to them.
the start of The Boogeyman is powerful: a little girl is killed in her room by a monstrous entity whose shadow we only see projected on the walls. The dramatic scene culminates in a blood splatter on a family portrait. What could be more terrifying than a family beset by something unknown?
After that, the story mixes scenes full of mysterious atmospheres with a lot of drama and splashes of good humor. Perhaps the latter to rip the tension from the viewer’s chest, although this is not entirely necessary, since the film never manages to lead us to true tension, much less horror.
The Boogeyman: A metaphor about loss and grief
Rather than presenting a direct adaptation of King’s text, The Boogeyman uses its premise to delve into the horror of a family upset by the pain of losing a loved one. The memory, the loneliness, the memories that refuse to go away seem to be the true monster of the date.
It’s painful to watch the family deal with their own demons: Will Harper deals with guilt every day without much success; his eldest daughter Sadie deals with the anger and taunts of her unsympathetic school “friends”; Finally, little Sawyer and her permanent fear of the dark give the story a touch of tenderness and grace.
The Boogeyman It’s full of clichés that the regular horror movie viewer will pick up on as the movie progresses, but it also has a handful of virtues that make for a fun time. I highlight the fact that the writers highlight the presence of darkness as the trigger for humanity’s first (and permanent) fears.
should see The Boogeyman? If you’re a laid-back moviegoer and you’re going to see something that just distracts you and makes you have a good time, this is your movie. If you are one of those who likes to see much more original proposals in the horror genre, it is likely that you will leave somewhat dissatisfied. Because The Boogeymanfor better or for worse, is a production that bets on a formula that we have already seen on countless occasions.
Even so, you should protect yourself from the horrors that lurk under your bed or inside your closet when you turn off the light. Good night.
The Boogeyman will be released June 1 in theaters nationwide.
Smash verdict: 3 stars.
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