Boogeyman (2005), Poster and Movies Reviev

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of horror and terror/violence, and partial nudity.

Genre: Drama, Horror, and Mystery.

Directed by: Stephan T. Kay. Writing Credits: Eric Kripke (Story and Screenplay) Juliet Snowden (screenplay) Stiles White (Screenplay).

Tagline: After years of being taunted by the mythical story of the infamous ‘Boogeyman”, young Tim and his father are about to discover that the Boogeyman is more than a fable, but a tortuous nightmare manifested. After witnessing ’something’ suck his father into the closet whereby he is never heard of again, Tim grows up to be a man still haunted by his childhood fears of the dark, the closet, and that thing they call the Boogeyman.

Summary:

As a young boy Tim’s father used to tell him nightly bedtime stories filled with the haunts and spooks of his wildest imagination. Often, his father’s stories left Tim so traumatized that he would call back his father and make sure he’d check under the bed and in the closet for any probable ghosts waiting to snatch Tim up in the middle of the night.

Though people attest his fear is simply that, a fear, Tim is adamant that the Boogeyman is a living, breathing, threat to society after he witnessed the creature suck his father into his closet as a young boy. Upon witnessing the traumatizing event, Tim becomes plagued by a slew of nightmares and panic spells that follow him into adulthood, which the movie flashes forward to immediately thereafter Tim’s father’s disappearance.

With Tim now a quasi-normal adult living a comfortable life with his new girlfriend Jessica, Tim’s panic attacks threaten to return when he and Jessica set out to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her parents in their lavish home where nightmares of Tim’s mother begin to encroach his sleep.

During their stay, Tim receives a phone call that his mother has died, after years of staying in the very same house that his father was abducted from. Forced to venture back into his childhood home where all the trouble began those many moons ago, Tim makes his way to his old home to confront his deepest fears and tie up loose strings with his Uncle Mike, in hopes that he can finally have some closure over his father’s death.

But as darkness encroaches on his first night back in his childhood house, a mysterious girl, Franny, begins to follow Tim around on his gumshoe investigation for the Boogeyman. Also paying Tim a visit is his childhood friend, Kate. As Kate and Tim venture to discover the true meaning and methods of the Boogeyman, the villain decides to strike, snatching Tim’s girlfriend during her bath in a local motel. Meanwhile Franny keeps reappearing at odd times which leads Tim to believe that she might be the only one who can see what Tim can, for reasons he can’t yet explain.

As Tim’s search continues he stumbles upon Franny’s backpack which contains thousands of photos of missing children which Tim suspects are the result of the Boogeyman after the ghosts of the missing children begin to manifest themselves in the rooms of his old house. Tim then discovers that Franny was also a victim of the Boogeyman, and realizes that Franny has sought out Tim in hopes that he can put a final end to the deathly reign of the monstrous villain.

With Tim’s quest taking him in and out of mysterious portals that launch him from hotel to house and back, Tim takes Kate along for a ride in hopes that two heads work better than one.

Hoping his final stay in his house will cure his childhood fears; it seems Tim’s in for an evil surprise that may be more than he bargained for. As the film begins to border on more of a psychological thriller, tension is mounted as the climax lands Tim back in house, bolted to a chair, where he finally comes face to face with his biggest fear, the Boogeyman himself.

Without giving away the ending, “The Boogeyman” ends with a swift result that leaves more to want. Though the premise was promising, the movie falls short as it runs into slow moments and a flat ending that attempts to be open, but ultimately wraps up the film too quickly. Moreover, the special effects in the final scene borderline on cheesy, which makes the suspense built by the psychological plot seem pointless and ineffective. That said, there were quite a few credible camera tricks and artsy shots that caught one’s eye throughout the duration of the film, including the doorknob shot, etc. In short, if taken at face value, “The Boogeyman” is an entertaining spook film that will make you jump from time to time, but let you walk away resting peacefully at night. Don’t worry, there’s no Boogeyman here.

Main Characters:

Barry Watson = Tim, a young adult traumatized by the paranormal events of his past including the auspicious Boogeyman.

Emily Deschanel = Kate Houghton, Tim’s oldest childhood friend who tires to help him deal with his loss of his mother and his recurring paranoia. She is a testimony to the proverbial saying “curiosity killed the cat”.

Skye McCole Bartusiak = Franny Roberts, the mysterious little girl who aids Tim in solving the mystery behind the Boogeyman and all those missing children.

Tory Mussett = Jessica, Tim’s girlfriend, is a young girl living high on life ignorant to the devilish ways of the evil Boogeyman about to make her his next prey.

Andrew Glover = the tall, dark, menacing Boogeyman that haunts the dreams and nights of innocent victims worldwide.