The Boogeyman - King's Corner Review
Welcome to King's Corner. A recurring series of reviews based on the Film and TV adaptations of Stephen King's novels and collections, reviewed and released in order of the original source material publishing date.
Director: Rob Savage
Starring: Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, David Dastmalchian, Marin Ireland
Written by: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Mark Heyman
Produced by: Dan Cohen, Dan Levine, Shawn Levy
Cinematography by: Eli Born
Original Score by: Patrick Jonsson
Synopsis:
Still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her younger sister find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it's too late.
Thoughts:
As children we have all had an innate fear of the dark. As we lay in our beds and the lights went out, a fear of what dwelled in the darkness entered our mind. Was it hiding in our wardrobe waiting for us to fall asleep or perhaps it was laying under our bed taking in every fear filled shallow breath we drew. Whatever our imaginations could conjure up, the terror that came with it meant that we would not rest well knowing whatever boogeyman we created for ourselves was waiting to strike. This fear forms the basis for Stephen King's short story, 'The Boogeyman'.
Like so many of his early short stories, 'The Boogeyman' was first published in Cavalier magazine in 1973 before it was added to the short story collection, 'Night Shift'. It tells the story of a man who tells his psychiatrist that he believes three of his dead children (whose deaths were ruled as being due to natural causes) were murdered as they all cried out "boogeyman" the night they passed away. Despite trying to move on, this figure continues to haunt him with more deadly results. The story feels like it is a testing ground for King as the creature featured in it feeds off human emotions before killing them like Pennywise in 'It' or the El Cuco in 'The Outsider'.
In June 2018, Variety announced that filmmaking duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (of 'A Quiet Place' fame) were developing a film adaptation of the short story for 20th Century Fox but after Disney's acquisition of the company it was cancelled. It wasn't revived until November 2021 when Rob Savage, fresh off his success with 'Host' was hired to bring the story to life. It was originally supposed to be made for streaming but its journey to the big screen was explained by Savage in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in May 2023 when he said, "It was a Hulu movie when I signed up, but just through arrogance, [and] with Stephen King's force behind it, I always felt that it was destined for the big screen." King's approval alongside an overwhelmingly positive test audience score made sure it was destined for a big screen release.
The opening scene of the film is an encapsulation of the film's greatest strengths as Rob Savage gets to flex his muscles in how he can craft a good scare. He takes the simple idea of a child scared of what is hiding in the shadows and puts that child's fear into the audience. It is short, sharp and brutal and the fact that a child dies lets you know that all bets are off and that no one is safe. It is far from being a case of a film peaking too early as Savage maintains this sense of danger throughout the film as no one is safe from the titular Boogeyman, lying in wait. After this effective opening, the film settles into a conventional formula for the genre. It's central story which focuses on the Harper family who are still coming to terms with the loss of their wife/mother who dies in a car crash. Head of the family Will (Chris Messina) throws himself into his work as a therapist as a means of coping with the loss while his daughters Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) react differently to this dramatic change in their lives. Sadie seems to feel the loss more as she constantly reflects on her mother through her clothes and paintings. She even tries to find a way to communicate with her as she can't let go and matters are made worse by the fact that she has the worst group of friends imaginable leaving her feeling somewhat emotionally isolated. Sawyer seems to react differently to it as she appears to be taking it in her stride compared to her older sister but this could be down to being too young to bear the brunt of this kind of burden. It serves as a perfectly fine examination of a theme that was all too prevalent (and to an extent still is) in horror today. Grief and trauma has been tied to the majority of films to the point it almost feels like parody talking about it and there is no exception here. It is a generic framework for the film and probably the weakest aspect of it.
In spite of this the performances from this trio are as good as they can be with the material they are given. Chris Messina is solid as the father trying to keep his family together whilst burying his own feelings down inside but his character is underwritten. Vivien Lyra Blair shines in her role as the innocence she imbues into her character despite the loss of her mother and being tortured by the Boogeyman makes her all the more sympathetic when she is placed in danger. The standout though is Sophie Thatcher who is the lead of the film. She does a great job at conveying the weariness of character. Not only has she lost a mother but she is disconnected from the world around her. She is numb to her father's well meaning attempts to talk to her and in trying to seek solace in her friends, who are incredibly self centred and ignorant to her feelings. In almost every scene the hurt is there which is a key feature to why Thatcher's performance works so well. A special mention must also go to David Dastmalchian as grieving father Lester Billings. In the book his character is horrible and racist whereas here he portrays him in a chilling yet empathetic way through his softly spoken manner and the way in which he casts down eyes. It is a small yet impactful role but it is also one of the film's highlights.
Whilst the story elements and script in general are serviceable, you can tell that Savage gets a thrill in trying to scare the audience. The opening scene was just a taste of what he would deliver in the rest of the film as he revels in the tension and the scares he delivers make for perfect popcorn horror in line with 'The Conjuring' series of films. When he utilises a jump scare he earns it. You can feel it coming but it still jolts you in the best way possible. The key to this success is the lighting in these kinds of scenes. One of the first set pieces involves Sawyer afraid that there is a monster in her closet. She clings to a light-up orb in the shape of the moon for comfort but the sound of something making a guttural growl whilst scuttling around the floor terrifies her as it slips under her bed. When she goes to investigate it she tosses her light underneath her bed showing a glimpse of the creature. After the slow build there is the sharp release where you question what you even saw. He uses this simple yet effective technique throughout making the audience focus on any dark corners of the screen throughout the film, keeping the tension alive.
It is these glimpses that make the presence of the creature all the more terrifying as we would catch a glance of its face or limbs but it is most effective when we just see its eyes glow in the dark. The manner in which it can imitate a person's voice adds another layer of creepiness to it. When it is fully revealed it is a gruesome yet impressive design with its spindly appendages and grotesque face. The CGI may not work all of the time with it, but when it is obscured by shadows it is all the more frightening.
With 'The Boogeyman' Rob Savage takes one of Stephen King's more mean spirited short stories and crafts an entertaining piece of mainstream horror. Thematically it treads over tired material but it is a framework that allows him to have fun with the simple premise of a creature in the dark stalking a family. Through his work on the film you can see his deep admiration for the genre as the scares are handled in a highly proficient manner that will make even the most hardened viewer question what's lurking under their bed.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
-Joseph McElroy
Comments