ReviewThe Boogeyman movie review: Stephen King short story spawns a tense big-screen adaptation that may well start a franchise

Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher and David Dastmalchian star in this adaptation of Stephen King’s scary story from 1973, directed by Rob Savageby

Tense rather than terrifying, the movie is still far better than the recent crop of King adaptations, such as Pet Sematary and Firestarter

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Sophie Thatcher as Sadie in a still from “The Boogeyman” (category IIB), directed by Rob Savage. Chris Messina and David Dastmalchian co-star. Photo: 20th Century Studios

Published: 6:45pm, 29 May 2023

3.5/5 stars

One of Stephen King’s scariest stories, 1973’s The Boogeyman, a tale of madness, monsters and child murder, has already inspired two short films.

For its major studio debut, director Rob Savage (Host, Dashcam) and writers Mark Heyman (Black Swan), Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (both A Quiet Place) manage to steer away from the bleakest elements without declawing it completely, which is quite an achievement.

After the death of wife and mother (Marin Ireland) in a car accident, the Harper family are left reeling. Dad Will (Chris Messina) is a therapist, but he can’t open up to his children. Teenager Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) feels isolated at school, and her younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) is terrified of the dark.

It probably doesn’t help that they live in a huge, empty house decked out in funereal colours.

Arriving unannounced for a session with Will, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian) – the main character in the original short story – describes how his three kids were killed by the Boogeyman, a closet-dwelling creature that preys on the vulnerable.