The boogeyman : the monster comes out of the closet
The chilling introduction to the horror film The boogeyman is based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name, first published in the magazine Knight in 1973, then in collection Dance of Death. Traumatized, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian) goes to the office of psychiatrist Will Harper (Chris Messina) to tell him about his ordeal. He reveals to her that before dying under mysterious and horrific circumstances, his children continually told him of the black man’s presence in their home, which terrified them. A threat Lester never took seriously, until the dramas.
An extremely effective opening, which play now with the folklore of the monster hidden in a wardrobe or under a bed, responsible for the slightest creak of the floor or the suspicious opening of a door. Did Lester and his children fantasize about his existence? Did the father go crazy after killing them? From the first minutes, The boogeyman he asks questions but doesn’t leave much room for doubt, immediately calling the viewer’s imagination to convince him of a thought he abandoned growing up: the bogeyman has always existed and has never stopped feeding on the souls of the little ones.
The revelation of Sophie Thatcher
feature film by Rob Savage (Guest, dashcam) then moves away from the story to focus on Will Harper and in particular on his two daughters, Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) and Sadie (Sophie Thatcher). The opportunity for the director to build a touching relationship between two sisters, the second watching over the first after his mother’s death. Perfect in the role of Sadie, a tormented teenager who holds her own in the face of misunderstandings and teasing from her classmates and her father’s inability to communicate, Sophie Thatcher confirms that she is an excellent actress to follow closely after the series Yellow Jackets.
The boogeyman do not stray from the marked trails. Its suburban setting is one of the most famous in the horror genre in the United States, explored by John Carpenter (Halloween), Tobe Hoopper (Poltergesit) or West Craven (The claws of the night, The basement of fear), to recite no one else but them. The creature of him adopts a design that evokes that of recent monsters, including those of Without a soundand then inevitably proves disappointing, even if Rob Savage reveals it intelligently, taking his time and constantly playing in the dark. Furthermore, the figure of the misunderstood teenager is a recurring archetype, of which Sydney Prescott (He shouted), Charlie Brewster (Vampire, did you say vampire?) and the Bankruptcy Club (That) are among the most famous examples. Finally, and the film’s main disappointment comes from there, surprise effects are most of the time jumpscarethat indicate the boundaries of the scene even if they work.
In this extremely classic landscape devoid of singularities, the feature film has the merit of adopting the point of view of its grieving heroine. The viewer carefully follows Sadie’s investigations, who sets off in pursuit of the black man mainly because he has no doubts about her little sister, which makes her deeply affectionate. His search for her leads to very successful scenes, starting with the one in which she travels to Lester’s particularly eerie house to try to learn more about the monster.
Stephen King liked the movie
The boogeyman it is therefore far from the disasters represented by the recent Fire Starter, mobile phone OR Dream Catcher, to be ranked among the worst Stephen King adaptations. Apparently the author liked Rob Savage’s feature film, as explained by the director Total movie :
After the good reception from test screenings, we thought it was time to hear his opinion, so we rented his favorite theater in Maine. (…) If we had spoiled his story, he would have told us. But he sent a nice message to tell us how much he liked the film. The next day, I wake up and get an email from Stephen King, telling me he’s still thinking about the film. He said other nice things to me and the most beautiful was: “They would be fucking stupid to release it in streaming and not in the cinema”.
The Croque Mitaine it is to be discovered in cinemas from May 31, 2023.
Source: Cine Serie
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