A new horror film has hit theaters courtesy of 20th Century Fox. The black man is based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King. It is directed by Rob Savage, who previously directed the 2020 quarantine horror film Host. It was co-written by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place, 65) and Mark Heyman (Black Swan). You are in good hands with a team like this. The Boogeyman is a well-made horror film with some excellent performances and a level of suspense that will keep you in suspense.
A new horror film has hit theaters courtesy of 20th Century Fox. The black man is based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King. It is directed by Rob Savage, who previously directed the 2020 quarantine horror film Host. It was co-written by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place, 65) and Mark Heyman (Black Swan). You are in good hands with a team like this. The Boogeyman is a well-made horror film with some excellent performances and a level of suspense that will keep you in suspense.
The Boogeyman was originally scheduled to be released via streaming, but positive test screenings allowed the film to be released in theaters. Another recent horror film with a similar path to theaters was Smile, which was released in 2022 and grossed $217.4 million on a budget of $17 million. It looks like a similar fate may befall The Boogeyman, about high school student Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and her younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair). As they mourn the death of their mother, their father, Will (Chris Messina), is unable to offer them comfort.
A man named Lester (David Dastmalachian) visits Will at his therapy job and asks for help. He unknowingly brings with him a terrifying being called The Boogeyman. This is your classic horror movie setup with a demon haunting a family. It might be derivative and formulaic at times, but when it comes to good horror, direction is a crucial factor in making it work. Savage is a veteran director who has previously worked in the horror film industry and is now applying his skills to a more traditional film. He builds up a lot of suspense by taking the well-known Bump in the Night scene template and using specific ideas to bring the horror to life.
The film uses a spherical lamp to create some fun horror scenes. There’s another scene promoted in the trailer that uses a red strobe light, which seems like it was made for an excellent spooky effect. It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to sleep with the closet door closed. It’s a film that plays on the infamous image of children fearing the monster under their bed or in their closet. It does a lot of things you’ve seen before, so in the hands of a weaker director, this film could have been a throw-away. However, Savage’s directing helps bring The Boogeyman to life as he knows how to catch you off guard.
Thatcher is outstanding in the film. She’s best known to audiences for her performances in Yellowjackets and The Book of Boba Fett, and she could be a rising star. She brings a lot of sadness to the character of Sadie, who spends the film grieving the loss of her mother. Her isolation is evident as she nurtures her friendships in high school and a few others who aren’t so nice to her. Her character is very realistic and compassionate as she spends the film clinging to her mother’s remains, unable to move on.
Chris Messina is fantastic too. He gives a reserved but saddened appearance as a therapist whose job it is to help people but is unable to help himself or his daughters due to his own grief. It’s a marked departure from his other role in Air earlier this year, and those who don’t know the actor may not be able to tell that it’s the same person. In addition, Vivien Lyra Blair can once again shine in this film. Following her breakthrough role as a young Princess Leia in the Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi, in this film she showcases her talent with great humor and charm, but also allows herself to be realistically frightened in the film’s more intense scenes.
As with all great horror films, The Boogeyman is centered around a disturbing mystery. The problem is that there isn’t a very precise set of rules for its antagonist, nor is there that much fun in the idea. There are times when the film feels like a fictional movie that’s scary, but not particularly good. It has all the flickering lights and jump scares you’d expect from a movie of this premise, but also knows how to surprise and should satisfy most fans of the horror genre.
While there are some who look down on PG-13 horror – this isn’t one of the scarier films to come out in recent years – The Boogeyman has a lot going for it. It’s part Lights Out, part The Babadook, and it’s scary, although there are moments of lightness that don’t break the suspense. It encapsulates most of its storylines well and pays tribute to the King story it’s based on without sticking too much to it. If you’ve been looking for a summer 2023 horror fix, this isn’t a bad choice.
SCORE: 7/10
As explained in ComingSoon’s Rating Guidelines, a rating of 7 equals Good. A successful entertainment that is worth a visit, but may not please everyone.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press preview for us The black man Review.