Dir. Stephen T. Kay
Boogeyman starts off with an eight-year-old boy, Tim, who is scared of the monster in the closet. His father tries to prove to him theres nothing to fear by investigating the closet while all the lights are off. This leads to fifteen years of therapy for Tim, because he gets to see his father being thoroughly killed by the monster. Since the boogeyman doesnt exist (according to everyone else in the world, anyway) Tim is told that his father abandoned the family. The disbelievers convince Tim his imagination translated this to the whole father-murdered-in-front-of-eyes thing.
Tim, as an adult, is fairly well adjusted. Hes got a beautiful fiance, a great job, and a really cool apartment. Little things still show he hasnt completely come to terms with his childhood trauma: his apartment is a loft, with no closets, armoires, or wardrobes. Hes removed all the doors from the cupboards, and his refrigerator is clear. All of this looks really cool, and also means theres nothing in his home that some thing can hide behind.
When Tims mother dies, he decides to spend the night in the old house. This will give him a chance to go through his mothers things and will prove once and for all theres nothing to be scared of.
I found Boogeyman a really well-done movie of the genre. There were subtleties and complexities that usually arent found in a hack n slash movie. Tim seems to be more than a little psychic, which is not emphasized, but is important to the story. Theres a distinct possibility that Tim is just plain crazy, or he actually is the boogeyman. This last possibility is enhanced by not letting the audience clearly see the monster.
I found the story to be well done, the acting was great, and it was scary enough that my chest hurt by the time I left the theater from all the adrenaline dumps. In fact, I only have one complaint about the movie but it happens in the finale, which is a lousy place to have the one weakness. It also means I cant warn you about it without giving a major plot point away. Still, the positives far outweigh the negatives, so
I rate it: Full Price
Barry Watson as Tim Jensen
Emily Deschanel as Kate (childhood friend)
Skye McCole Bartusiak as Franny (creepy yet likable little girl)
Tory Mussett as Jessica (Tims fiance)
Cameo from Lucy Lawless as Mary Jensen (Tims Mother)