Boogeyman (2005)

Chalk yet another “interesting concept, failed execution” film to the list of anemic PG-13 “thrillers”. I say “thriller” because there sure isn’t one damn trace of horror to found here. I hear this was initially given an R rating, then cut down to achieve a broader (see more profitable) audience. That’s sort of a shame, since this was Ghost House Productions (Sam Raimi/Rob Tapert) initial offering, you would have thought that the film would have included a little more balls behind it than the fluff audiences received. Oh well.

The obligatory plot breakdown goes like this. A young boy named Tim (Barry Watson) witnesses the boogeyman kidnapping his dad through the closet into the great unknown. After the death of his mother, Tim must return to his childhood home and his fears of old. For whatever reason, the boogeyman of his nightmares decides to return, and Tim must face the creepy bastard one more time. Yawn.

You know, like I said above, the overall idea of this thing is sorta neat. It’s got a general scare that all audience members can relate to like the thing under the bed, in the closet, and the like. Christ, I still can’t sleep with a bare foot sticking out of the covers for fear of being grabbed by some unholy demon. Then again, I still live with my parents at age 28 so that may explain something right there. My problem’s aside, this movie’s problem is that the filmmakers, sans a creepy opening sequence, failed to fully exploit what is a generally creepy concept. There are so many story angles that are raised and never explained, such as Tim’s relationship with his mother, why is the creature out to get him, etc. Nothing is followed up on. Barry Watson does do a good job with what little he has to work with, as his character pretty much does nothing more than look at closets in a paranoid way while appearing to be in a constantly confused state. Others are introduced only to serve as boogeyman fodder, and for the old bogie hisself, well; he’s simply the lamest looking CGI creation I’ve seen in a long time. There is a decent bit of atmosphere, and some of the camera work is pretty nifty but you know…where the hell is my horror?