The Boogeyman (2023)

The Boogeyman (2023). The Boogeyman: Directed by Rob Savage. With Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, David Dastmalchian. Still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her younger sister find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it's too late.

“Truly, this movie was screwed over with its title. I know itu0026#39;s an adaptation, but u0026quot;The Boogeymanu0026quot; makes it sounds like a bottom-of-the-bargain-bin DVD movie. But while far from original, this is a thoroughly well-crafted, at times thoughtful horror film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBy far, this is one of the most frightening PG-13 movies Iu0026#39;ve seen. Director Rob Savage has a lot of talent, and he wields the camera with style and with care. Excellent sound design and mixing, as well as a smart subdued musical score, build anticipation for each scare and donu0026#39;t let up the tension once something has been revealed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe monster is horrifying in its design, but Savage wisely doesnu0026#39;t show it to us very often, and never really shows it to us in detail. Dark, oppressive atmosphere pervades the screen and it leaves a lot of distressing things to the imagination.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile this isnu0026#39;t the first film to hold grief or trauma as a metaphor for its monster, itu0026#39;s done quite well here. The family dynamics in this script are restrained and well-realised, with satisfying thematic payoff at the end.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI have only one major issue with the film, and thatu0026#39;s that the characters seem to easily brush off when they see horrifying things. They didnu0026#39;t sell the paranoia at all. And at a couple points Sadie finds potential proof of the monsteru0026#39;s existence but never does anything with it. Perhaps there was some material left on the cutting room floor that fills in these gaps, but we may never know.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eStill, this is a supernatural scare-fest thatu0026#39;s several cuts above average and I would truly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a decent story with their spooks.”