When I was in college I was a serious student of literature and a dedicated author of short stories with dreams of a great American novel occasionally passing between my ears. I was reading Hemingway and Raymond Carver and Jim Harrison, and I did my best to ignore my friend who kept insisting that Stephen King was a genius. But he was persistent, and when I discovered King’s Night Shift (1978) short story collection it seemed like just the right sampler to read so I could dismiss King and my annoying pal once and for all. I read the first three stories in the book over three nights just before sleep and was greeted with three of the most terrifying nightmares I’ve had to this day. After that third story I quietly placed the book back on the shelf without reading the rest.
Stephen King is a genius.
One of the scariest stories in Night Shift is “The Boogeyman.” It’s a twisted yarn about grief that superimposes the myth of the monster in the closet over the horrors of losing a child. It’s a terrifying read with some fun twists — it’s perfect for any gloomy night in October. Director Rob Savage’s movie version expands on the short story, book-ending it with the therapist’s office setting from Stephen King’s tale and adding a brooding family drama in-between. After Will Harper’s (Chris Messina) wife dies in a car crash, he’s left to raise his daughters Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) on his own while managing his therapy practice from a home office. Will receives a visit from a deranged-seeming man named Lester Billings who claims he’s being blamed for the murder of his three children who were actually killed by a monster. While Will sneaks off to call the police, Billings hangs himself in the closet of his deceased wife’s art studio. Strange things are happening in the Harper household following the incident, and that’s when Sawyer sees a monster under her bed.
Savage has previously directed screen-based thrillers like Host and Dashcam. I’m no fan of this gimmicky movie genre that takes place on the laptop and phone displays we already spend too much time staring at. I was surprised that the haunted house atmospherics of The Boogeyman are one of this film’s biggest strengths given Savage’s previous resume. The director and cinematographer Eli Born make the most of their doomed domestic settings, a creature that’s repelled by light and children who are afraid of the dark. The house begins to feel like a sinister maze more than a familiar home before the film’s climax drags everyone into the basement for a final standoff. Savage and his effects team also do a great job with their creature here, slowly revealing the beast in glimpses and flashes — the first real look we get at a visit to the therapist’s office is truly disturbing.
Some critics say that The Boogeyman has too much mood and not enough genuine terror, and that’s a common criticism for any horror film that dares to take its time. I might have felt the drag myself if I hadn’t enjoyed the performances here so much. Sophie Thatcher is especially engaging as the teenage girl protagonist struggling to keep her family together while unraveling the mystery of the otherworldly monster. The Boogeyman is a solid new Stephen King adaptation that introduces a unique movie monster to horror cinema. Add it to your cauldron of spooky season movie viewing in these last few weeks before Halloween.
The Boogeyman is currently streaming on Netflix
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.