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by Sebastian Kluth

The Boogeyman (2023) - Decent Atmospheric Horror Movie Lacking Depth - 6/10 (21/06/23)

The Boogeyman (2023)

The Boogeyman is based upon a short story by renowned author Stephen King that has been expanded into a full length movie for the first time. This film should appeal to faithful genre fans but doesn't have much to offer for anyone else. This movie convinces with its gripping atmosphere but disappoints with predictable genre stereotypes.

On the positive side, the atmosphere of this movie is captivating. The horror elements start very slowly, come carefully looking around the corner and pick up on intensity in the closing stages. There are no particularly scary scenes but a few moments will send shivers down your spine and keep you on the edge of your seat.

While most of the scenes take place in an old and sinister family home, the few scenes that are taking place elsewhere are quite intriguing and offer some welcome changes. The bullying portrayed at the local high school is quite gripping and the crestfallen family mansion inhabited by a psychologically frail abuser should appeal to genre fans as well.

Some of the acting performances were rather decent. Child actress Vivien Lyra Blair plays the smart but frail little girl who is afraid of the monster under her bed very well. Sophie Thatcher does a decent job at portraying a naive teenage outsider who is still trying to figure out who she wants to be and who her friends and foes are. Both characters convince with a certain degree of realism and the scriptwriters must be praised in this case for keeping things simple and not adding a complicated love story or twisted identity crisis to the plot.

This horror movie however isn't without several significant flaws. The story for instance is paper-thin and very predictable. The scriptwriters have simply failed to add anything unique, surprising or outstanding to the plot. I was waiting for a captivating turn or twist by the end of the film but nothing ever happened. The movie's conclusion has therefore left a slightly bitter taste of disappointment.

Several characters are also lacking depth. This includes the family father played by Chris Messina. The actor isn't much at fault here but his character is extremely thin. This must be the most stupid family father portrayed on the big screen in quite a while because he makes every single possible mistake and almost appears to be a satirical stereotype of the shallowest kind. One also has to point out the movie's antagonist that is simply there but lacking any kind of background story, particular motivation or emotional depth. This could simply be a random monster from a low-budget video game from the nineties. Don't expect any kind of depth from this film.

At the end of the day, The Boogeyman only just gets the passing grade from me. This film offers decent entertainment for one hour and thirty-eight minutes for genre fans. It isn't however of any particular interest for occasional genre fans and doesn't have enough depth to justify any replay value.

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