The Boogeyman (2023)

Director: Rob Savage

Starring: Sophie, Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, David Dastamalchian

Primary genre: Supernatural

Secondary genre: Horror

Rob Savage’s “The Boogeyman” (2023) is a mish-mash of better executed films; almost every shot and element is a homage and despite being based on the short story by author maestro Steven King, the movie itself is a lethargic and quite an unremarkable horror flick that ticks all the cliché boxes you would expect from a direct-to-video production.

Resembling very closely the narrative beats of “A Quite Place” (2018), “Lights Out” (2016) and “Boogeyman” (2005) - an emotionally distant parent/guardian, a troubled youth, a sensor sensitive monster, the importance of family and enough gasp! moments to push slightly the PG-13 rating - Savage and a trio of screenwriters craft a telegraphic tale of demonic(?) infestation that moves from point A to point B at no one’s surprise.

Despite a shocking opening (in one shot), the director chooses to take the easy route and reveal his on-screen monstrosity taking away its mystique and purpose of terror. Unlike other horror auteur who remained restraint in the reveal of a creature-feature antagonist (Ridley Scott is the most obvious example), Savage doubles down on CGI attacks which are only saved by the lusciously black cinematography in the darkest and most soundproof house in the city. While the initial sequences are staged with gusto - there is even a direct shot to James Wan’s work in “The Conjuring” (2013), as the scares become more frequent, they diminish the visceral feeling of the first attack; seeing a CGI monster hopping around the cast in similar fashion to every single movie monster of the last 10 years can be described frankly as underwhelming.

Yet, it lacks novelty too by having the same design of the alien creatures from “A Quiet Place” (2018) and its atmosphere tactics (e.g., shimmering eyes in the dark) are a copycat of David F. Sanderberg’s aforementioned “Lights Out” (2016). The cast do their best but occasionally, its pace is crippled by an insistence to melodrama, stupid mistakes and the typical emotional tropes of tragically lost loves ones, leading to a fast momentum loss half way through. The lack of dramatic stakes that conveniently extend the plot contradict previous moments of levity and the addition of superfluous characters (what was the point of the lead’s school friends?) grind the film to a halt offer nothing meaningful or of substance (besides ticking diversity quotas).

For individuals who are uninitiated in horror, maybe “The Boogeyman” will offer some decent or even excellent scares. Horror fans could have a ball with this one initially, but its own stupidity towards the end, its extensive creature reveal and over-reliance on trademark jump scares makes this a disappointing entry after all the excellent promotional material.

Underwhelming Steven King adaptation

+Cast do their best

+Some directional flair

+Begins strong

-and then plunges into darkness

-Too much (CGI) creature reveal

-Boring design

-Uses elements and tropes from better films