The Boogeyman | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Rob Savage |
Screenplay by | |
Story by |
|
Based on | "The Boogeyman" by Stephen King |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Eli Born |
Edited by | Peter Gvozdas |
Music by | Patrick Jonsson |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes [3] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $35 million [4] |
Box office | $82.3 million [5] [6] |
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. [7] 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.
An adaptation of King's short story was first announced in June 2018 with Beck and Woods writing the screenplay, but the project was canceled in 2019 due to Disney's acquisition of Fox. However, it was revived in November 2021 with Savage directing the project. Thatcher, Messina, Dastmalchian and the rest of the cast signed in early 2022. Principal photography began in February 2022 in New Orleans. Originally planned to be released on the streaming service Hulu, the Walt Disney Studios eventually opted for a theatrical release first following positive test screenings.
The Boogeyman was theatrically released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on June 2, 2023. The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $82 million worldwide.
Therapist Will Harper is struggling to overcome the death of his wife, who died suddenly in a car crash. His daughters, Sadie and Sawyer, are likewise struggling to deal with their mother's passing.
One day, a disturbed man named Lester Billings visits Will's office. Lester explains that his three children, including his youngest daughter Annie, have died, all killed by an evil entity that latched onto his family. A disbelieving Will goes to call the police. Lester slips away and Sadie finds his body hanging in her mother's art closet.
Soon afterwards, Sadie notices a strange mold beginning to form around the house while Sawyer glimpses a sinister creature under her bed. This creature continues to terrorize Sawyer while Sadie suspects the phenomenon is related to Lester's suicide. She visits the Billings' rundown house. Inside, she discovers Rita, the now-unhinged wife of Lester. Rita identifies the creature as "The Boogeyman", the culprit behind her children's deaths. The creature feeds off fear and grief and can mimic voices. The only way to ward it off is by light. Feeling unsafe around Rita, Sadie flees.
During a sleepover with a group of girls from her school, Sadie encounters the Boogeyman and Sawyer is attacked shortly thereafter, ending up hospitalized. Sadie is contacted by Rita, who needs her help to kill the Boogeyman. When Sadie arrives, Rita attacks her, planning to use her as bait for her trap. The Boogeyman survives the trap and kills Rita. Sadie escapes and realizes her family has returned home. At home, she finds Sawyer hiding. The creature has taken Will into the basement.
In the basement, the sisters find the creature feeding off Will. They rescue their father and a chase ensues through the basement. After a struggle, Sadie sets the creature on fire, avenging the Billings family, and the family escapes the burning house.
Some time later, the family have a group session with their therapist Dr. Weller. As they leave, Sadie is called back by Dr. Weller, only to discover she is not there and the closet door is open, suggesting the creature has returned. Dr. Weller appears and asks why Sadie is there. Suspicious, Sadie shuts the closet door.
The Boogeyman is a film adaptation of Stephen King's 1973 short story "The Boogeyman".
On June 26, 2018, it was announced filmmaking partners Scott Beck and Bryan Woods would write the screenplay with Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, and Dan Cohen attached to produce for 21 Laps Entertainment, with 20th Century Fox set to distribute. [9] However, in 2019, after the Walt Disney Company's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the film was canceled, along with other films in development. [10] In November 2021, the film was revived, and it was reported that Rob Savage would direct from a screenplay by Mark Heyman, based on original drafts by Beck, Woods, and Akela Cooper, with streaming service Hulu set to distribute. [11] In early 2022, Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, David Dastmalchian, Marin Ireland, Vivien Lyra Blair, and Madison Hu were added to the cast. [12] [13]
Principal photography began in February 2022 in New Orleans. [13]
Patrick Jonsson composed the film's score. [14]
The Boogeyman was released by 20th Century Studios in the United States on June 2, 2023. It was originally planned to be released on Hulu in 2023, [11] but following a positive test screening in December 2022, it was announced that it would instead be released theatrically. [15] According to Savage, "When the movie tested so well, we decided it was time to get Stephen King's input, so we rented out his favorite cinema in Maine." He also stated, "He knows what he doesn't like and if we'd have fucked up his story, he'd have told us. But he sent a lovely almost-essay about how much he enjoyed the movie. And then the next day I wake up and there's an email in my inbox from Stephen King and he said he's still thinking about the movie. He said a few more nice things and the nicest thing that he said was, 'They'd be fucking stupid to release this on streaming and not in cinemas.'" [16] An advanced screening of the film took place at CinemaCon on April 26, 2023, as part of the Walt Disney Studios' presentation of their 2023 release schedule. [17]
The Boogeyman was released on digital formats on August 29, 2023, followed by the release of the DVD and Blu-ray on October 10, 2023. [18]
As of August 1,2023 [update] , The Boogeyman has grossed $43.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $39.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $82.3 million. [5] [6]
In the United States and Canada, The Boogeyman was released alongside Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , and was projected to gross around $15 million from 3,205 theatres in its opening weekend. [4] The film made $4.8 million on its first day, [19] [20] and went on to debut at $12.4 million in its opening weekend, finishing third behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Little Mermaid . [21]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 60% of 194 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.90/10.The website's consensus reads: "The Boogeyman might fall short of its terrifying source material, but a spooky atmosphere and some solid performances help keep the chills coming. " [22] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled at PostTrak gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars. [24] [25]
Wendy Ide of The Observer wrote, "It's an effectively spooky horror film but a generic one. Savage's approach is efficient but workmanlike: he makes liberal use of jump scares and thunderous crashes on the score." She gave the film 3/5 stars. [26] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter said the film "mostly works, thanks to the expertly calibrated atmospherics, a memorable visual style... and the committed performances of a very talented cast." [27] CNN's Brian Lowry wrote, "As is so often the case with these movies, the buildup is generally more terrifying than the payoff, and Savage doesn't scrimp when it comes to jump-at-you scares." [28]
Kevin Maher of The Times gave the film 2/5 stars, saying that it was "90 minutes of dark corridors, plot holes and jump scares, followed by a silly climactic confrontation and some saccharine nonsense in a therapist's office." [29] Jake Wilson of The Age also gave the film 2/5 stars, writing, "We're at a strange moment in horror cinema, when a film that presents as earnestly as this one can't match the complexity and ambiguity of early Stephen King." [30]
"The Boogeyman" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the March 1973 issue of the magazine Cavalier and later included in King's 1978 collection, Night Shift.
A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall under the horror, comedy, fantasy, or science fiction genres. Monster movies originated with adaptations of horror folklore and literature.
Spider-Man in film dates back to 1977, the rights belonging to Marvel until 1999, when Sony bought them for $7 million. He has been Marvel's most successful character in the cinema industry ever since. After selling the Spider-Man motion picture rights to Sony, Marvel eventually founded its own studio, developing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) based on the characters they still held the rights to. This would change in 2016, when Sony and Disney entered an agreement to include Spider-Man in the MCU. Despite some disagreements pertaining to finances and merchandising between the two parties, the agreement proved a successful endeavor for both companies. The following two Avengers sequels, finally with Spider-Man, crossed the $2 billion mark at worldwide box office for the first time. Meanwhile, Sony in association with Marvel launched the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), with Sony entering a 3 billion-dollar streaming agreement with Netflix and Disney.
The Mist is a 2007 American science fiction horror film based on the 1980 novella The Mist by Stephen King. The film was written, directed and co-produced by Frank Darabont. Darabont had been interested in adapting The Mist for the big screen since the 1980s. The film features an ensemble cast, including Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Nathan Gamble, Andre Braugher, Sam Witwer, Toby Jones, Frances Sternhagen, Buck Taylor, Robert Treveiler, William Sadler, Alexa Davalos, David Jensen, Chris Owen, Andy Stahl and future The Walking Dead stars Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden, Melissa McBride and Juan Gabriel Pareja.
Boogeyman 2 is a 2007 American psychological slasher film edited and directed by Jeff Betancourt and the sequel to the 2005 film Boogeyman. The film was written by Brian Sieve and stars Danielle Savre, Matt Cohen, David Gallagher, Mae Whitman, Renee O'Connor, and Tobin Bell. Savre portrays Laura Porter, a woman who witnessed her parents' murder alongside her brother as a child. She believes the killer to be the Boogeyman, and now as an adult seeks group therapy to overcome her phobia of the creature. However, her fears become reality as her fellow patients are murdered one by one.
Philip Anderson Lord and Christopher Robert Miller are American filmmakers. They are the creators and co-stars of the adult animated sitcom Clone High, and the writers and directors of the animated films Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and The Lego Movie (2014), as well as the directors of the live-action comedy film 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel, 22 Jump Street (2014).
David Dastmalchian is an American actor, writer, and producer. He has had supporting roles in a number of superhero franchises: he portrayed Thomas Schiff in The Dark Knight (2008), Kurt and Veb in the Ant-Man franchise, Abra Kadabra in the CW's The Flash, and Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad (2021).
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a 2018 American animated superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales / Spider-Man, produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the first animated film in the Spider-Man franchise and the first film in the Spider-Verse franchise, which is set in a shared multiverse of alternate universes called the "Spider-Verse". Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman from a screenplay by Phil Lord and Rothman, it stars Shameik Moore as Morales, alongside the voices of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Vélez, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, and Liev Schreiber. The film's story follows Miles as he becomes the new Spider-Man and joins other Spider-People from various parallel universes who team up to save New York City from the Kingpin.
Mark Heyman is an American screenwriter and film producer who is best known for co-writing Black Swan (2010), The Skeleton Twins (2014), and The Boogeyman (2023). He also created the television series Strange Angel which aired on Paramount+ for two seasons.
Madison Hu is an American actress. She is known for playing the role of Frankie Wong on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark, and for her previous recurring role as Marci on another Disney Channel series, Best Friends Whenever. More recently she played Grace, a recurring role in the American action comedy drama series The Brothers Sun, which premiered in January 2024.
Spider-Man: Far From Home is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and the 23rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Jon Watts, written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, and Jake Gyllenhaal. In the film, Parker is recruited by Nick Fury (Jackson) and Mysterio (Gyllenhaal) to face the Elementals while he is on a school trip to Europe.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a 2023 American animated superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales / Spider-Man, produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It is the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and the second film in the Spider-Verse franchise, which is set in a shared multiverse of alternate universes called the "Spider-Verse". The film is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin. K. Thompson and written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who both also produced alongside David Callaham. Shameik Moore voices Miles, starring alongside Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Shea Whigham, Greta Lee, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, and Oscar Isaac. In the film, Miles goes on an adventure with Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman (Steinfeld) across the multiverse, where he meets a team of Spider-People led by Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099 (Isaac) known as the Spider-Society, but comes into conflict with them over handling a new threat in the form of the Spot (Schwartzman).
Sophie Bathsheba Thatcher is an American actress and musician. She is best known for starring as young Natalie Scatorccio in Showtime's psychological drama series Yellowjackets (2021–present), and for her appearance as Drash in The Book of Boba Fett (2022).
The Last Voyage of the Demeter is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by André Øvredal and written by Bragi F. Schut Jr. and Zak Olkewicz. It is an adaptation of "The Captain's Log", a chapter from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. The film stars Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, and David Dastmalchian. Its plot follows the doomed crew of the merchant ship Demeter who attempt to survive the treacherous ocean voyage from Transylvania to London while being stalked by a legendary vampire known as Dracula.
Vivien Lyra Blair is an American child actress. She made her debut in Band Aid (2017) and rose to prominence for her role as Girl in Bird Box (2018). Blair garnered further recognition for her appearances in video game Telling Lies (2019) and superhero film We Can Be Heroes (2020). In 2022, she received critical praise for her portrayal of Leia Organa in the streaming series Obi-Wan Kenobi. She later had a supporting role in the horror film The Boogeyman (2023).
Rob Savage is an English filmmaker. Initially gaining attention at the age of 19 when he wrote, directed, produced and edited the low-budget romantic drama film Strings (2012), he later became more widely known for his work in horror films and has since co-written and directed Host (2020), co-written and directed Dashcam (2021), and directed The Boogeyman (2023).
Late Night with the Devil is a 2023 supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Colin and Cameron Cairnes. It stars David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Georgina Haig, and Josh Quong Tart. Incorporating elements of documentary filmmaking and found footage, the film follows the events of a late-night talk show episode aired on the night of Halloween 1977, during which the host attempts to boost ratings by inviting an allegedly possessed girl onto the show.