The best thing about this frustratingly bad film is the opening sequence. It is almost identical to Monsters, Inc. in that it recreates the spooky twilight between wake and sleep when the mind of a child does all the dirty work of scaring. Things move and shift subtly: are they shadows? is it the boogeyman?
The greatest opportunity for making a movie about the incomprehensible and completely irrational fear of children is that, while the manisfestation isn't real, the fear itself is very real. Ultimately, what scares children/us is fear and not that which generates the fear. Dare I say "we have nothing to fear but..."?
Both movies make good and very similar use of the boy in bed with covers to his nose watching things 'move' around the room, hearing creaks, feeling the presence of something. Monsters, Inc. turns the lights on, shows us the monster and lets the pratfalls begin. Boogeyman turns on the lights, brings in the dad to comfort the son, and has him get sucked into the closet before the child's eyes.
What's great about Monsters, Inc. is that not only does it show the monsters, it creates their entire 'behind-the-scenes' universe and explains their need to scare children ('scream' is the fuel that Monstropolis runs on!). What's bad about Boogeyman is that it ultimately misses the point by...showing the monster.
It sets up an interesting premise by saying "let's see what happens when we put the irrational fears of a child into the mind of an adult." Then it ruins everythings by revealing that the fears are not irrational and that 'the boogeyman' is real. And not only real, protrayable with awful CGI effects.
We all need to pause and remember Halloween (1978) when Michael Meyers, the 'boogeyman', was a guy in a jump-suit, rubber-mask and a big knife. perfect.
Boogeyman can't say "Boo" louder than I can say "boo-hiss"
Directed by Stephen T. Kay, I give it 5 out of 10 bones and then I take back 4.
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