The film I'm going to banter about is not the ridiculous 1980 The Boogeyman which I banter about here, or the 2005 Boogeyman with Barry Watson from TV's mildly religious 7th Heaven (nor its 2 sequels). Those aren't worth bantering about. I'm talking about the 2023 Rob Savage film, The Boogeyman.
Starting with The Babadook, a lot of horror films seem to be using familial trauma as a sparking point. A list eventually grew to include Hereditary, Midsommar, The Lodge, and Goodnight Mommy which I've babbled about all on here. Please feel free to click.
Or don't. I don't give a shite.
Stephen King's short story The Boogeyman, which appears in the collection Night Shift is the first King short story I've read, and I do recall it scaring the shit out of my 11 year old ass. It's when I knew after reading a couple of his novels that he was and is a true master of his craft.
The Boogeyman is a very short story, and as I recall, the main protagonist is mentally on the edge of paranormal hysteria. He walks in the door of this film and makes a connection to the true centers of this movie before meeting his unfortunate fate. A family of three, about a month beyond the loss of their matriarch is the core of this film.
Before you think this is indeed another grief-based horror film, give it a second. There's some layering here from the start right to the last frame that show grief may be a factor, but there's elements to grief. And this wonderfully played family battles all of them. Even the supernatural.
Director Rob Savage has his hands firmly on the wheel preventing this vehicle from going over the edge, guiding great performances form a widely varying age group. You have sympathy in your heart for these folks from the jump, and that heart needs to be ready, because there's some solid scares waiting for you.
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