The Boogeyman

With Host and Dashcam writer and director Rob Savage (though writing credits here are Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman) established his talent for adaption, with format, character and probably more important to the powers that be, to budget.

Those two films were low budget affairs that demonstrated a good eye and ambition. With The Boogeyman Savage has stepped up to the major league with a major studio adaptation of a Stephen King story. Originally intended as a tv production it’s been given a theatrical release having test screened positively.

The basic story is a recently bereaved father of two Will Harper (Chris Messina) is a shrink who takes on the case of a man who walks in off the street, confesses to killing his family then commits suicide in his house, letting loose an evil spirit that begins to torment Harper and his daughters Sadie and Sawyer (Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair respectively), feeding off their despair.

There isn’t that much here that could be thought of as innovative or come as much of a surprise to viewers with the film set well within the parameters of mainstream commercial horror. Which these days tends to lean towards a few jump scares, some creepy atmospherics with adequate performances from the actors.

The film doesn’t have a great sense of dread or menace, though there’s some effective use of light and shade in the tighter sequences. Not helping matters is that is has a very dull palate with the hues making it all look glum, rather than grim. That was countered by a very effective sound design as the protagonists’ stalk around the houses. The decision to go theatrical is moot and I doubt that the film would be any more or less effective a spooker on the smaller screen.

What The Boogeyman does do is act as a calling card for Savage who demonstrates his versatility and capacity to handle major budget studio productions as efficiently as indie shoestring ones.

The Boogeyman will be released in the UK on 2 June 2023.