Sophie Thatcher

Vivien Lyra Blair

Chris Messina

David Dastmalchian

Marin Ireland

Madison Hu

Maddie Nichols

Mabel Tyler

Leeann Ross

Shauna Rappold

LisaGay Hamilton

Cristala Carter

Shayla Bagir

Han Soto

Seylan Baxter

Aadyn Encalarde

Rio Sarah Machado

Ellie Bogert

Maisie Bogert

Noah Brand

Emily Morris

John H. Starke

Rob Savage

Mark Heyman

Patrick Jonsson

Peter Gvozdas

Jeremy Woodward

Adam McClain

John Sanchez

Tim Cohn

Kari Perkins

Russell Topal

Trevor Gates

Jonie Bertin

Christina Graff

Paul Graff

Scott Beck

Bryan Woods

Robyn Meisinger

Adam Kolbrenner

Eli Born

Chelsea Barber

Gabrielle Burns

Tracie A. Harper

Myeisha Wade

Miranda Welsh

Wittney Horton

Colin MacLellan

Jason Chandler

Jenna Dalla Riva

Mark DeSimone

Alan Freedman

Jerry Gilbert

Steven Huerstel

Craig Mann

Chris Navarro

Richard Schexnayder

Tyler Hohmann

Melissa Stryker

Elias Duhe Jr.

Matt Kutcher

Justin Kane Miller

Chelsea Bruland

Allen Parks

Courtney Lether

Jamie Marie Dunn

Judd Wild

Molly Miller

Sarah Fisher

Max Patrucco

Shawn Levy

Patti Perret

Stephen King

Dan Cohen

Ryan H. Cunningham

Dan Levine

Horror

Thriller

Mystery

The Boogeyman

21 Laps Entertainment

20th Century Studios

United States of America

English

based on novel or book

amused

cliché

Manuel São Bento

MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2023-edition

"The Boogeyman quickly becomes one of my favorite horror flicks of this year! It won't leave any viewers used to these formulaic stories surprised, but director Rob Savage tremendously elevates a film that would otherwise fall into oblivion once the end credits started rolling.

Creative, clever build-ups for truly suspenseful sequences, as well as efficient jumpscares that I haven't experienced in a long time. But the cast is essential to the success of this movie. I've no words to describe how impressive Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, and Vivien Lyra Blair (11 years old!) are. Absolutely outstanding performances!

For fans of the genre. Definitely see it at the cinema!"

Rating: B+

CinemaSerf

Oh well, I suppose I was being overly optimistic in expecting anything different from this. The "Harper" family are still grieving after the death of the wife/mother and with each struggling to deal with this aftermath the father (Chris Messina), elder daughter "Sadie" (Sophie Thatcher) and the younger one "Sawyer" (Vivien Lyra Blair) are all just drifting along. When dad "Will", who is a therapist, gets a visit from "Billings" (the always slightly sinister looking David Dastmalchian) and then a few pots of mother's paint get spilled, it becomes clear that the eponymous creature is out to capitalise on their familial misery. Can the family realise the peril they are in in time to thwart it's evil intentions? Could the beastie do us all a favour and just come for the audience first? To be fair there are a few jump points, but otherwise this is a really dialogue heavy, family melodrama that focusses way to much on the who's neglecting/loving/hating whom and nowhere near enough on trying to create something original and/or scary. It may well be based on a Stephen King short story but that doesn't mean it has the credentials to stretch into one hundred minutes of pretty mediocre storytelling and acting. The lack of light works to a certain extent, but after a while it appears (or not) to be all that the film is relying upon to create any sense of jeopardy. I suppose the moral of the story might be: always keep a set of portable Christmas lights handy? Halloween television fodder only, sorry.

I've watched a couple of former cinematic takes on Stephen Kings Boogeyman novel and this is by far, the least inspiring.

The real issue lies, in what can best be described, as the treatment of the tale of the cruel, child stalking creature, that potentially lives in every  closet.

Its tone is obsessively analysing, of the dysfunctional family dynamic, to the point of neurosis. Yes, grieving families don't work too well, unsurprisingly. The less than optimistic over statement of this fact, overtakes the actual horror story. This, in turn, renders this film, too dark and too depressing, for its own good.

The results a predictable, not terribly enjoyable watch, that left this reviewer feeling a little washed out and disappointed. 

In summary, the too dark and maudlin treatment, robs this film of the glimmer of hope, that lies at the heart of any half decent, horror film.

Based on a  1973 short story of Stephen King, the movie itself doesn't bring neither anything new and follows the pragmatic of 80% of the terror movies out there. 

The issue isn't the style of Stephen King, that is more than know today, but the way you convey it on a screenplay. It simply didn't have any jump scare of of the obvious.

I expected a bit more from Rob Savage ("The Host" released in lockdown, and that I still need do see) but it wasn't this time. The actors are ok in their roles but nothing much there.

I still search to find another horror movie that innovates somehow, but it gets harder and harder. Basing the horror around a real character instead of fictional also didn't help at all, because all the logic you can make of how defeating it (that isn't so hard) is lost in the way...oh and yeah it left a little of the closet door open for a sequence.

For this one a 5,0 out of 10,0 score / C.

The Boogeyman( 2023)

It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.

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A review by Manuel São Bento

Written by Manuel São Bento on Wed May 31 2023

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