Boogeyman (film)

Last updated

Boogeyman
Boogeyman poster.JPG
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Stephen Kay
Screenplay by
Story byEric Kripke
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBobby Bukowski
Edited byJohn Axelrad
Music by Joseph LoDuca
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • February 4, 2005 (2005-02-04)
Running time
89 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • New Zealand
  • Germany
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million [5]
Box office$67.2 million [5]

Boogeyman is a 2005 supernatural horror film directed by Stephen Kay and starring Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Tory Mussett, Charles Mesure, and Lucy Lawless. Written by Eric Kripke, Juliet Snowden, and Stiles White, from a story by Kripke, the film is a new take on the classic "boogeyman", or monster in the closet, who is the eponymous antagonist of the film. The plot concerns a young man, Tim Jensen, who must confront the childhood terror that has affected his life.

Contents

The film was nearly panned by critics, often citing a generic and unoriginal plot as the main criticism. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, it was a financial success and was followed by two direct-to-video sequels, Boogeyman 2 (2007) and Boogeyman 3 (2008).

Plot

During his childhood, Tim Jensen witnesses his father being taken by the Boogeyman, an evil creature which lives in all closets worldwide. Since then, he has taken precautions to ensure that the Boogeyman cannot get to him, such as sleeping on a mattress on the floor, and removing all closets from his home, and keeping all his clothes in a dresser drawer.

After a Thanksgiving trip with his girlfriend Jessica to her parents' house, Tim has a premonition in which his mother tells him to return to the family home. Soon after, he receives a call from his uncle informing him that his mother has died. Upon returning to the psychiatric ward, where he grew up after his father died, he discovers that one of the patients, a young girl, is being terrorized by something hiding in the ceiling of her room.

Upon a suggestion by his psychiatrist that returning to his family home to spend the night in that house would be a good idea, Tim returns to his old Victorian style house in the open country, where he relives memories of his mother telling his father that the Boogeyman does not exist and therefore cannot possibly harm Tim. Tim is briefly attacked by the Boogeyman when he enters the downstairs closet.

Tim meets a young girl in his woodshed, named Franny, who wants to know if it's true that the Boogeyman murdered Tim's father. Searching the woodshed he discovers a file of Missing Person lists and documents left by Franny, and upon flicking through them, he discovers a disturbing collection of missing children who were all taken by the Boogeyman.

Tim panics and attempts to leave, but Jessica abruptly shows up and takes Tim out of the house for a night to a quiet motel, where she is murdered by the Boogeyman, dragging her into the bath.

Tim returns from getting ice and preparing drinks and enters the bathroom, where he finds that Jessica is missing. He realizes what has occurred, and stumbles blindly into a closet, and then walks out into his family home, just as Kate, his childhood friend, has returned to his home and, upon hearing noises from the closets, was about to open the door herself. Tim drags Kate back to the hotel, where they find the empty bath; this time with blood on the side. Kate begins thinking that Tim might've harmed Jessica, but Tim angrily denies it. Frustrated at Tim's refusal to tell her what is really wrong with him, Kate drives them back to her house where Tim spots something in the window. Kate claims that the person Tim saw was in fact her dead father. She then calls Tim's Uncle Mike to have him check on Tim. But he is captured and taken away by the Boogeyman.

Tim returns to his house and meets Franny once more, who leads him to a house full of proclamations describing the Boogeyman. There is a chair in the middle of the room facing a closet. Tim remembers this house as being the home of a doctor whom everyone thought was insane. Franny then reveals herself to be the doctor's daughter and one of the kids the Boogeyman took, telling Tim he'd best go to the place where it all started. The Boogeyman pulls Tim through various portals in time through the closet, eventually depositing him in his childhood room. Realizing its true weakness, Tim smashes various toys the Boogeyman uses to give itself form, eventually defeating it, and vanishing into the void.

With the Boogeyman gone, Tim hopes that his and Kate's lives will be safer. Morning dawns and Tim already feels better, thinking he's finally safe. However, a post-credits scene reveals a young girl being tormented by the monster, revealing that the Boogeyman has resurfaced out of the closet.

Cast

Release

Boogeyman was released on February 4, 2005, by Screen Gems.

Home media

The film was released on VHS and DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on May 31, 2005, with the DVD release being both on UMD and Special Edition. [6] [7] Universal Pictures released the film on DVD in select international territories later that same year. It was later released by Sony Pictures in 2006 and 2010, both times as a double feature, with the first release pairing it with When a Stranger Calls and the second with The Fog . Boogeyman debuted on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2012, where it was released by Universal. [6] There are currently no plans for an American Blu-ray release.

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film ranked at #1, grossing $19,020,655 and nearly equaling its production budget. The film grossed $46,752,382 domestically and $20,440,477 internationally, for a worldwide total of $67,192,859. [5]

Critical reception

Boogeyman received largely negative reviews from film critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 13% of 87 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 3.4/10. The site's consensus states: "The plot is been-there done-that generic, and none of the shock effects can do anything to build up suspense". [1] Metacritic gave the film a 32 out of 100 ratings, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [8]

Anita Gates from The New York Times gave the film a negative review, writing, "The filmmakers are smart enough to keep the monster out of sight for a long time and then to show only glimpses, but a similar tactic of providing only glimpses of plot and character is disastrous. Moviegoers never learn who or what the boogeyman is, what his particular beef with Tim is, what his powers are and what has stirred up his wrath after all these years," summarizing, "The house is very creaky, but then so is the movie." [9] Marc Savlov from The Austin Chronicle awarded the film one out of five stars, panning the film's pacing, under-lit sets, computer-generated effects, and overuse of horror clichés. [10] Frank Wilkins from Reel Talk gave the film a negative review, stating, "Although Boogeyman starts out with a stylishly depicted premise that promises a nightmarish ride into terror, after about twenty minutes the movie falls flat with its cheap terror tactics, its abysmal dialogue and its shamelessly tawdry script." [11] Tom Meek from the Boston Phoenix gave the film one and a half out of four stars, saying, "Director Stephen T. Kay knows how to get under your skin, and Watson nails the internal-turmoil bit, but it's still just a one-trick pony that comes up lame long before the insipid climax." [12] Jeremy Wheeler from AllMovie complimented Barry Watson and Emily Deschanel's performances, and promising start, but criticized the design of the film's title monster, and the finale, which he called "ridiculous" and "downright embarrassing". [13] Film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film a mixed two out of four stars, writing, "Despite its predictable blueprint there are a couple of pretty decent scares to be had here... [though] you might consider chapter-skipping on your DVD to get to the good stuff." [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Anything Else</i> 2003 film by Woody Allen

Anything Else is a 2003 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, produced by Letty Aronson, and starring Allen, Jason Biggs, Stockard Channing, Danny DeVito, Jimmy Fallon, and Christina Ricci. The film premiered as the opening night selection of the 60th Venice International Film Festival. It was released theatrically in the United States on September 19, 2003, to mixed reviews.

<i>Godsend</i> (2004 film) 2004 horror film by Nick Hamm

Godsend is a 2004 psychological horror thriller film starring Greg Kinnear, Rebecca Romijn, and Robert De Niro, and directed by Nick Hamm from a screenplay by Mark Bomback. It follows a couple who are approached by an enigmatic doctor who offers to clone their deceased son. It received generally negative reviews from critics.

<i>Eulogy</i> (film) 2004 film by Michael Clancy

Eulogy is a 2004 comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael Clancy. An international co-production between companies from Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the film follows a dysfunctional family as secrets come to light at the funeral of the family's patriarch. The film was given a limited theatrical release and grossed just under $90,000 against a $10 million budget.

<i>From the Life of the Marionettes</i> 1980 West German film by Ingmar Bergman

From the Life of the Marionettes is a 1980 television film directed by Ingmar Bergman. The film was produced in West Germany with a German-language screenplay and soundtrack while Bergman was in "tax exile" from his native Sweden. It is filmed in black and white apart from two colour sequences at the beginning and end of the film.

<i>The Cider House Rules</i> (film) 1999 film by Lasse Hallström

The Cider House Rules is a 1999 American drama film directed by Lasse Hallström from a screenplay by John Irving, based on Irving's 1985 novel. Its story follows Homer Wells, who lives in a World War II–era Maine orphanage run by a doctor who trained him, and his journey after leaving the orphanage. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Michael Caine, Jane Alexander, Kathy Baker, Kieran Culkin, Heavy D, Kate Nelligan, and Erykah Badu.

<i>Dont Come Knocking</i> 2005 film by Wim Wenders

Don't Come Knocking is a 2005 American western film directed by Wim Wenders, and written by Wenders and Sam Shepard. They had previously collaborated on the film Paris, Texas (1984). It was submitted at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Failure to Launch</i> (film) 2006 film by Tom Dey

Failure to Launch is a 2006 American romantic comedy film directed by Tom Dey, and starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker alongside Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bartha, Bradley Cooper, Terry Bradshaw, and Kathy Bates. The film focuses on a 35-year-old man living with his parents who shows no interest in leaving the comfortable life that they, especially his mother, have made for him. It was released on March 10, 2006, and grossed over $128 million.

<i>The Believers</i> 1987 film by John Schlesinger

The Believers is a 1987 Canadian-American neo-noir thriller horror-noir film directed by John Schlesinger, starring Martin Sheen, Robert Loggia and Helen Shaver. It is based on the 1982 novel The Religion by Nicholas Conde.

<i>Friends with Money</i> 2006 comedy-drama film

Friends with Money is a 2006 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nicole Holofcener. It opened the 2006 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2006, and went into limited release in North America on April 7, 2006.

<i>Mumford</i> (film) 1999 American film

Mumford is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. It is set in a small town where a new psychologist gives offbeat advice to the neurotic residents. Both the psychologist and the town are named Mumford, a coincidence that eventually figures in the plot. The film co-stars Hope Davis, Jason Lee, Alfre Woodard, Mary McDonnell, Martin Short, David Paymer, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Ted Danson, and Zooey Deschanel in her film debut.

<i>Picture Perfect</i> (1997 film) 1997 film by Glenn Gordon Caron

Picture Perfect is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, written by Arleen Sorkin, and starring Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr, Kevin Bacon, Illeana Douglas, Olympia Dukakis, and Anne Twomey. The film centers around a young advertising executive's life, which becomes increasingly complicated when, in order to impress her boss, she pretends to be engaged to a man she just met. Picture Perfect was released on August 1, 1997, by 20th Century Fox. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $44.3 million against an $18 million budget.

<i>The Boogey Man</i> 1980 film by Ulli Lommel

The Boogey Man is a 1980 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Ulli Lommel, and starring Suzanna Love, John Carradine, and Ron James. The film's title refers to the long-held superstition of boogeymen beings, and its plot concerns two siblings who are targeted by the ghost of their mother's deceased boyfriend which has been freed from a mirror.

<i>Prom Night</i> (2008 film) 2008 slasher film by Nelson McCormick

Prom Night is a 2008 slasher film directed by Nelson McCormick. It is the fifth and final installment of the Prom Night film series. It is a reboot film, mainly taking inspiration from the original 1980 film. The film stars an ensemble cast including Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jessica Stroup, Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, Kelly Blatz, James Ransone, Brianne Davis, Johnathon Schaech, and Idris Elba.

<i>Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten</i> 2007 Ireland, United Kingdom film

Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a 2007 documentary film directed by Julien Temple about Joe Strummer, the lead singer of the British punk rock band The Clash, that went on to win the British Independent Film Awards as Best British Documentary 2007. The film premiered 20 January 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. It was also shown at the Dublin Film Festival on 24 February 2007.

<i>The Comedy</i> (film) 2012 American film

The Comedy is a 2012 American drama film co-written, co-edited, and directed by Rick Alverson, and starring Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, James Murphy, and Gregg Turkington. The film was executive produced by David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, Jody Hill, Darius Van Arman, and Larry Fessenden.

<i>Some Kind of Beautiful</i> 2015 film by Tom Vaughan

Some Kind of Beautiful is a 2014 American romantic comedy film written by Matthew Newman, directed by Tom Vaughan, and starring Pierce Brosnan, Jessica Alba and Salma Hayek. It was produced by Kevin Frakes and Richard Lewis.

<i>Captive</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

Captive is a 2015 American crime-drama thriller film directed by Jerry Jameson and written by Brian Bird and Reinhard Denke, based on the non-fiction book Unlikely Angel by Ashley Smith.

<i>Closet Monster</i> (film) 2015 Canadian film

Closet Monster is a 2015 Canadian drama film written and directed by Stephen Dunn. It stars Connor Jessup as a closeted gay teenager, using elements of the body horror genre as a metaphor for internalized homophobia.

<i>A Babysitters Guide to Monster Hunting</i> American comedy horror film

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting is a 2020 American dark fantasy comedy film directed by Rachel Talalay and distributed by Netflix. The film was written by Joe Ballarini and is based on his book trilogy of the same name. It stars Tom Felton, Indya Moore, Tamara Smart and Oona Laurence.

<i>The Boogeyman</i> (2023 film) American film by Rob Savage

The Boogeyman is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, and Mark Heyman, and a screen story by Beck and Woods. Based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King, the film follows a family that becomes haunted by the Boogeyman after a troubled man visits and inadvertently brings the creature to them. The ensemble cast includes Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, and David Dastmalchian.

References

  1. 1 2 "Boogeyman (2005) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Boogeyman (2005)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Boogeyman". New Zealand Film Commission . Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ "THE BOOGEYMAN". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Boogeyman". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Boogeyman (2005) - Stephen Kay". AllMovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Boogeyman". Dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Boogeyman Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic.com. MetaCritic. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  9. ↑ Gates, Anita (February 5, 2005). "Things That Go Bump in the Closet (Oh, My!) - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ Savlov, Marc. "Boogeyman - Film Calendar - The Austin Chronicle". Austin Chronicle.com. Marc Savlov. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ Wilkins, Frank. "The Closet is Empty - ReelTalk Movie Reviews". Reel Talk.com. Frank Wilkins. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  12. ↑ Meek, TOm. "BOOGEYMAN". Boston Phoenix.com. Tom Meek. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  13. ↑ Wheeler, Jeremy. "Boogeyman (2005) - Stephen Kay". AllMovie.com. Jeremy Wheeler. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  14. ↑ Leonard Maltin (September 2, 2014). Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN   978-0-698-18361-2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.