THE BOOGEYMAN (2023)

Bring a change of pants because The Boogeyman brings the scares in a terrifying film that smartly uses loss and grief to drive a well-crafted, well-acted, welcome addition to the horror genre.

In the film, in the wake of their mother passing, Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and Sawyer’s (Vivien Lyra Blair) therapist father (Chris Messina) sees a patient who introduces the family to a vicious supernatural being that preys on their emotional suffering. Director Rob Savage is best known for smaller hits like Host and Dashcam, the first a pandemic darling that utilized Zoom for its storytelling and the latter an unhinged horror thriller. Here he gets the chance to flex his chops with a studio film based on an entity that we all know, The Boogeyman, with the story influenced by Stephen King’s short story. Unique camerawork and excellent use of sound maximizes the uneasiness and anticipation that ultimately leads to intense jump-scares aplenty. From the opening scenes, it’s clear that this isn’t a watered down horror film; Savage came to play and deliver. And this is the version that had to be recut due to how much test audiences were screaming! The Boogeyman isn’t a film that is going to reinvent the genre and certainly is familiar in structure to many that have come before, but it is nonetheless a solid, effective film.

Thatcher and Blair are the standouts, the former a strong presence throughout the film who has moments of emotional longing that anyone would emphasize with. Blair is simply a rockstar at the young age of 10 years old. From Bird Box to Obi-Wan Kenobi and now with a strong performance in a horror film such as this, she has quickly cemented herself as one of the finest young actors out there. Her delivery of lines in The Boogeyman are pointed and often times hilarious in a way that doesn’t detract from the seriousness of the moment, rather reflects an authentic response to otherworldly happenings around her. Together they hold your attention throughout the film, wrestling with their own grief as the entity that is after them feeds off of it. The titular creature itself, looking like a Cloverfield monster-esque design, never once loses the menacing, unpredictable qualities that drive the terror of the film.

All-in-all, The Boogeyman is a satisfyingly effectual horror entry that will please fans of the genre and casual moviegoers looking to be tortured for an hour and a half alike.

The Boogeyman hits theaters on June 2nd, 2023.

Rating: 4/5