No, this is not a biopic of KC and The Sunshine Band, so leave your flared pants and platform shoes at home… (You’re dating yourself, you old geezer!) That said you may want to bring an extra pair of underwear, as The Boogeyman, an adaptation of a 50 year-old Stephen King short story, is that frightening.
This old-fashioned monster-in-the-closet thriller is the near perfect blend of creepy and edge-of-your-seat scary, without resorting to the heavy handed, blood and guts gross-outs that turn me off with so many of the modern day horror flicks.
The story has teenage Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher of Showtime’s Yellowjackets series) and her young sister, Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) dealing with the emotional aftermath of their mother’s untimely death. Their disengaged Dad (Chris Messina) is a psychiatrist who unwittingly lets an evil entity into their household and nightmarish nuttiness ensues.
Thatcher and Blair both deliver fabulous performances, and the hidden-in-the-dark creature effects are first-rate. Actress Marin Ireland is also great in a pleasantly surprising role that, for a little while, gives the movie a bit of an Aliens feel. (Could Sadie Harper be the next Sigourney Weaver? I see many similarities.)
Directed by Rob Savage with a screenplay by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place), The Boogeyman is sort of small-scale, odd offering in the midst of the big summer blockbusters, but if you are just looking for a simple, old-school scare, you won’t find much better than this.
