The Boogeyman (2023) By no means the greatest horror movie of the year.......but if this doesn't scare the bajeebies out of you on the most primal level, check yourself for a pulse......
And isn't that what it comes right down to with horror movies.........forget critical analysis of the script, direction, acting.....the success or failure of any horror film hinges on one simple criteria.....
Did it scare you? Or didn't it?
I'm not making any great claims for "The Boogeyman" as a work of cinematic art, but it accomplished its mission with single-minded efficiency.....it sure as hell freakin' scared me.
How could it not, considering its source came from a little known Stephen King short story. And the idea is so perfect in its simplicity, it's a wonder nobody ever thought of it before Uncle Stevie........
All you need do....recall your childhood and imagine if that nameless, shapeless, evil monster you thought lurked in your closet or under your bed was for real,. And that you could see it and hear it, dreading the right moment it'll leap out at you, snarling through rows of razor sharp teeth.
Even worse, imagine even if your dad comes in your room and dissolves it with simple flick of the light switch, the Boogeyman's neither thwarted nor discouraged.......he's only itching for a comeback........
So there's the movie for you but I won't encumber this review with its extraneous plot details that include a crazed married couple whose three children were Boogey'd to death, one after the other.
The Boogster has moved on to torment and terrorize a tragedy stricken family, left without a wife and mom after her accidental death. Widowed therapist Will (Chris Messina) can do little to ease the pain of his daughters, teen Sadie (Sophie Thatcher, superb in film's lead role) and her kid sister Sawyer (Vivian Lyra Blair).
It doesn't take long for a terrified Sawyer to convince Sadie that the Boog-inator isn't imaginary.......and this leads to no end of of nerve shredding scenes in darkened hallways, basements and closets, with you-know-who waiting to leap out and make you spill your popcorn all over the floor.
Blatantly obvious? Well, sure. But for everyone who'd enjoy a cheap thrill equivalent to walking through one of those Halloween 'haunted houses' (with costumed ghouls popping out at you" every other minute) this movie's the next best thing. And you don't even have to venture out of your house on these chilly October nights.......
In the final showdown, the CGI brigade of digital animators do indeed make a valiant effort to conjure up a Boog-o-rama as scary repulsive and disgusting as you always imagined him.........but frankly, I suffered far more goosebumps in the middle of the film, when all you saw of him were two gleaming eyes in the darkness......exactly like in your worst childhood nightmares.
BQ extends a hearty Halloween 'Well Done' to the the filmmakers and cast. here. See if you can squeeze this one into your spooky season viewing list.....and get a solid grip on your popcorn. 3 stars (***).
No comments:
Post a Comment