The Boogeyman Review: Childhood Fears Revisited!

Childhood terrors come back to haunt us in the new horror film, The Boogeyman, directed by Rob Savage. From the mind of Stephen King, this adaptation follows a high school teenager, Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher, Yellowjackets), along with her younger sister Sawyer Harper and their therapist father Will Harper, who are coping after the loss of their family matriarch, suddenly face a malevolent entity inhabiting their suburban home.

The film opens in a bedroom of a young toddler girl in her crib focused on the closet. As the viewer, we hear a voice speaking to her, assuming it’s her father, as we get a slight glimpse of a dark creature-like presence in the room. Seconds later blood splatters on a family photo frame as the camera continues to zoom in while the toddler is continuing to cry uncontrollably.

The film transitions to the Harper family, who are struggling with the death of their family matriarch who was killed in a car accident. Sadie struggles to transition back into school, as her best friend hangs with a popular clique, who aren’t nice to Sadie. Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) often struggles with nightmares and Will (Chris Messina) keeps himself busy with his work, unwilling to address his own pain.

One day a stranger shows up unannounced pleading to speak with Will. He reluctantly agrees and proceeds with the appointment. The stranger, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian), reveals to Will that his three children are dead, all dying one by one, and believes they were killed by an evil entity that latched onto him and his family. Will slips outside to phone the police concerned for his mental state, leaving Lester alone to make his way around the house, spotting Sadie who returned home from school early. She makes her way into her mom’s art studio after hearing banging noises and finds herself in the closet, unknown to her that anyone else is in the house. Once her dad finds her, he warns her someone is in the house, but it’s too late after they discover his dead body hanging on the back of the door.

After Lester’s death, the family resumes back to normalcy yet Sadie and Sawyer begin experiencing weird occurrences. Sadie notices dark mold forming around the house, while Sawyer believes something is under her bed and in her closet. Sadie starts investigating deeper into Lester’s visit right before he died, learning the unexplainable events happening to them have happened to him and his family. It’s up to Sadie and Sawyer to confront their fears, persuade their dad to listen to them, and battle the malevolent monster known as “The Boogeyman”, before it’s too late for them all.

The Boogeyman dives deep into our childhood fears we all may have faced growing up. Afraid of the dark. Afraid something is living in our closet or under our beds. Hearing that well known phrase, “The Boogeyman is going to get you!” Just like any movie where characters experience grief, I like how this movie illustrates Sadie, Sawyer, and Will coping differently. Sadie is emotionally attached to her mother and her personal belongings, struggling to let go and say goodbye. Sawyer might not have fully processed what happened, but she’s a child who may honestly prefer normalcy. Although it’s evident she needs a strong support system not only from her sister, but from her father too. Will keeps busy with work so much, he refuses to acknowledge his personal pain, or act as a strong support system for his daughters.

Furthermore, I also enjoyed the use of closets in this film, and how the concept of a simple small space was created for scares! I think I counted seven total, but there could have been more! The Boogeyman also reminds me of Lights Out (2016), in a similar concept of an entity attacking someone in the dark, although the storylines are different. I also like how darkness is used throughout the film instilling that childhood fear in us questioning what is real once the lights go out, and how light is often a security blanket (night lights, light décor, etc.) we like to use to feel safe at night. Lastly, my favorite scene is when the girls visit their family therapist, and she creates an exercise with this red light that is flicking on and off (I don’t want to spoil too much – so if you know you know!).

The Boogeyman is now playing in theaters. Rated PG-13 for terror, violent content, teen drug use, and some strong language with a runtime of 99 minutes.