The Boogeyman
Rob Savage’s adaptation of Stephen King’s short story The Boogeyman is the definition of “solid” horror filmmaking. Every culture has a “boogeyman,” and Savage coaxes out the fundamental terrors of a shadow-lurking beast with beady eyes piercing through the darkness. A cast including Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, and David Dastmalchian anchor a story about a fractured family fighting against a devilish creature, keying into intrinsically childhood paranoias that require a nightlight. “Savage doesn’t shy away from in-your-face jump scares, which are [the film’s] addictive bread and butter,” I wrote in my IGN review. Some killer lighting usages from flashing reds as the entity inches closer with each pulse, to a glowing moon orb rolled to inspect sounds from afar, help the otherwise formulaic storytelling structure stand out. It’s not the best horror movie of the year, but might be the most crowd-pleasing by standard horror expectations.
