Warning! This website is
intended for a mature audience due to horror fiction content.
Dec 23, 2024 Site Map
Scary Movie Reviews
Boogeyman
Release Date: February 4th, 2005 (wide)
Length: 1 Hr. 26 Min.
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of horror and terror/violence and some partial nudity.
Distributor: Ghost House Pictures
Starring: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Tory Mussett, Andrew Glover
Directed by: Stephen T. Kay
Produced by: Steven Hein (II), Gary Bryman (II), Joe Drake
Written by: Stiles White, Eric Kripke, Juliet Snowden
The name itself conjures up dark images of a creature, a man in a hat and a cloak who comes at you with his hands wide open - maniacal grin in place. You can almost smell his foul breath and feel his coldness when you think about the Boogeyman. At nights, when it’s raining outside and a sudden sound startles you, you are even scared to open your eyes for fear of seeing him right beside you.
I bet Stephen T Kay felt way more horrible than us normal folks and decided he had to do something about it because he has gone ahead and spoiled one of the biggest, goriest and scariest myths of our times. Anyone who watches the film will be cured of the fear that always possessed them where the boogeyman was concerned.
The film was awaited by many who wanted to see their biggest nightmare on the big screen- moving, slinking- the whole bit. They were probably disappointed when they saw what the poor guy was made into.
The plot is as flimsy as gossamer-to begin with. It could have turned out into a gripping horror flick that would make you scream, but sadly, that was not the case. The story is about a young boy named Tim who grows up to be Barry Watson. He is a normal guy except for one thing- he is terrified that the boogeyman is going to get him too. The same way he got his dad. And his mom. And his friend.
Throughout his life, Tim takes suitable precautions like having no dark corners, no closets, no bed…just so he could escape the boogeyman. But all this goes for a toss when he goes to his girlfriend’s house where all these things are there. It's in her house that he gets the news of his estranged mother’s death-then he knows he can’t escape the boogeyman. So to end it once and for all, he decides to spend one night in his old home with his long lost friend.
As mentioned before, the potential that this plot had, has been hopelessly lost and this skewed storyline has so many pot holes that little could save it. This was not helped by the direction and acting either as both were not up to the mark. The protagonist’s role was a dream role. But sadly, Watson seems to have only a set of expressions-frowning, worried and constipated. The other parts are so insignificantly played that they don’t even merit a mention.
The movie makers have chosen the well trodden path that horror flicks choose-the thrill element. So the entire movie is punctuated with loud bangs, starts and screams. Not so novel if you think about it. Even the editing is a let down in the film. There are actually portions which have no relevance to the plot-there is a clip showing children who have been claimed by the boogeyman. This is totally detached from our main story and is quite illogical.
So what do we say for the movie? Well, if you want to get rid of the boogeyman who haunts you to date, you might want to watch him die a grisly death in this film.
BOO-GEYMAN:
