Boogeyman (2005) Movie Review
Written By: LFG
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Stephen Kay
Producers: Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert
Writer: Eric Kripke, Juliet Snowden, Stiles White
Date Released: February 4, 2005
Cast:
Barry Watson as Tim Jensen
Aaron Murphy as Young Tim Jensen
Emily Deschanel as Kate Houghton
Skye McCole Bartusiak as Franny Roberts
Tory Mussett as Jessica
Andrew Glover as Boogeyman
Charles Mesure as Mr. Jensen
Lucy Lawless as Mary Jensen
Phil Gordon as Uncle Mike
Rating = 2/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Tim Jensen (Barry Watson) is haunted by the memory of seeing his father (Charles Mesure) being killed by the Boogeyman (Andrew Glover) back when he was eight years old. One day while spending time with his girlfriend Jessica (Tory Mussett) and her family, Tim has a premonition about his mother telling him to go back to their old home. Coincidentally, he then gets a call from his Uncle Mike (Phil Gordon) informing him that his mother has just passed away, so he returns to his hometown for her funeral and visits his childhood house, as suggested by his old psychiatrist, in hopes of conquering his childhood fears. However, he only ends up reliving his memories with his family and gets attacked by the Boogeyman while he was in the closet, furthering his belief that the Boogeyman is indeed real. He then meets a mysterious young girl named Franny (Skye McCole Bartusiak), who seem to have knowledge about what happened to him as a child. Now Tim must find a way to face his fear and free himself from the Boogeyman once and for all before it takes him and the people he loves.
Gore Factor
There is no violence nor gore to the film, but there is a number of intense and frightening scenes, particularly when the Boogeyman’s aura and presence is shown onscreen. There is one instance where blood is shown, but it is very minor and would not be considered disturbing to viewers. One of the creepiest scenes in the film is when Tim comes face to face with the ghosts of the missing children, all of whom were Boogeyman’s victims.
The Grave Review
Boogeyman (2005) is a take on the classic horror story that haunts kids of all ages. The premise is familiar to most viewers, which is why it is intriguing to watch. People looked forward to how their childhood fear would be played out in the big screen, and because of the generic plot, making it a success became a daunting task for the film director.
The main protagonist, Tim, is an interesting, pitiful, yet very relatable character who is tormented by his past. This takes a toll even in his adult life as nobody believed that a Boogeyman killed his father right before his very eyes. This trauma resulted to him staying in a psychiatric ward as a way to get over his childhood fears. It even came to a point where he takes necessary precautions such as sleeping on the floor or doing away with closets by keeping his clothes in a drawer just to ensure that the Boogeyman will never get him. His childhood trauma was so intense that he developed claustrophobia, and this is partly perhaps because of the way his father desensitized him from his fear of closets as a kid. Another character who stood out is Franny, the ghost girl. The revelation of her being one of the Boogeyman’s victims all along was one of the pivotal moments in the film. This is also the reason why Tim is unknowingly drawn to her.
The movie starts off pretty good, especially the opening scene where Tim (as a child) lay in bed in the dark, waiting for the Boogeyman to appear. It did not have as many jump scares as other films, but the way the character was always on the edge—almost brooding—was an effective way to convey horror. The film’s somber setting gives off the best horror atmosphere and would leave viewers constantly looking over their shoulders in anticipation of the Boogeyman. However, the way Tim was able to conquer and defeat the Boogeyman was lame, making the ending seem a bit random and tame—leaving one to ask what just happened. The special effects used to portray the Boogeyman was decent yet not scary at all.
Ultimately, this film is a hit and miss but it is still pretty watchable—at least once. The beginning of the film came strong and was very promising, but the plot falls flat toward the end with its anticlimactic ending.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Boogeyman (2005) two graves out of five graves.
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