Boogeyman (Special Edition)
by Stephen Kay
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Actor: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Lucy Lawless, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Tory MussettDirector: Stephen Kay
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Producer: Carsten H.W. Lorenz
Producer: Chloe Smith
Producer: Doug Lefler
Producer: Eric Kripke
Writer: Eric Kripke
Writer: Juliet Snowden
Writer: Stiles White
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 89 minutes
Published: 2005-05-01
DVD Release Date: 2005-05-31
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Boogeyman (Special Edition)
DVD Review: Obtuse
Summary: 2 Stars
The Hindenburg. The sinking of the Titanic. The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. Hurricane Katrina. The 2004 Tsunami. World War II. The 2005 film "Boogeyman". Do you know what all of these things have in common? If you said they were epic disasters that claimed human lives, you win a prize. You might question the inclusion of that last item, the film directed by Stephen T. Kay and produced by none other than Sam Raimi. How could a movie claim lives? "Boogeyman" likely killed no one (the number of fatalities aren't in yet), but I think it's safe to say that this clunker claimed the career of one Barry Watson, a former cast member of "7th Heaven" and a one time co-star of popular actress Jessica Biel. It must kill Barry that Biel's star keeps rising while his founders in dreck like this. That's Hollywood for you. Then again, Watson didn't seem to understand an important horror film fact, one that angers fans of the genre to no end. That fact, in a nutshell, is this: WE HATE PG-13 RATED HORROR FILMS! "Horror" and "PG-13" don't go together, period. We want blood and guts and scares. We do not want Barry Watson in a PG-13 rated horror flick.
"Boogeyman" starts off promising (Then again, so did I. Now look where I've ended up--reviewing films like this one.) as we see a young kid in bed at night, horrified of the creature that lives in his closet. Dad ambles in just in time to explain that there is no such thing as the "Boogeyman" immediately prior to the non-existing Boogeyman pulling him into the closet. Dad, despite a brief reappearance seconds later, disappears forever. Flash forward fifteen years (too bad we can't flash forward to the closing credits), and we now see the aforementioned little tyke, Tim Jensen, suddenly assume the form of a grown up Barry Watson. Tim, who also seems to fear an electric shaver, tries to move on with his life the best he can. He's a big shot at a magazine, and he's involved with a beautiful girl named Jessica (Tory Mussett). There's some song and dance about meeting her parents--I don't know...I wasn't paying attention--followed by scenes showing Jensen's obvious fear of closets. A few minutes later, Tim experiences some sort of vision/dream concerning his mother (played by Lucy Lawless) that forces him to return to his childhood home.
In short, Mom died. This means Tim has to attend her funeral and then go back to the domicile alone. After a ridiculous scene on the road, Jensen arrives at a house so run down it makes the Addams family digs look like the Trump Towers. He soon runs into a childhood friend, Kate (Emily Deschanel paying her mortgage), before the real weirdness starts. Some of the strangeness involves an enigmatic youngster named Franny (Skye McCole Bartusiak). Most of it involves the reappearance, and subsequent disappearance, of Tim's girlfriend Jessica. Soon the madness engulfs Kate as well. People appear and then disappear with frightening regularity, usually after entering a closet. Time and space mean nothing as Tim lurches from one improbable reality to another. Needless to say, it's the Boogeyman who stands behind this lunacy. Or is it Tim? Kate suspects he did something sinister to his girlfriend. Maybe Jensen's fear of the Boogeyman, coupled with the return to his childhood home, has resulted in a psychotic break of epic proportions. Never fear, however, as the conclusion explains everything in dreary detail. As an aside, the end of "Boogeyman" ranks as one of the lamest showdowns I've ever seen during my cinematic excursions.
Where to start with this nightmare? Other reviewers have rightly noted the mind-deadening reliance on sound effects to get a cheap scare out of the audience, so I won't go there except to say they're absolutely, positively correct. I could rail against the jarring editing techniques, so overused here that they negate any impact the film might have had on an audience above the age of fourteen. The acting isn't any better. With the exception of Emily Deschanel, one wonders what medication the rest of the cast took before stepping in front of the camera. My guess is Thorazine. Except for Barry Watson during the scenes where he grooves along the walls in the closet. In this instance, his behavior closely mirrors someone on the last day of a month long cough syrup binge. I think it's safe to say that just about every element of "Boogeyman" fails to project serious scares. The lack of gore and the lack of a scary monster is just the icing on this terrible tasting cake. Here's something truly scary, though: "Boogeyman 2" is coming to a theater near you in the future! How is that remotely possible? Because this movie grossed 46 million dollars! Gawd help us!
The movie looks great, and sounds great, on DVD. No problem there. As for supplements, we get a few deleted scenes, some special effects mumbo jumbo, a documentary that devolves into a lovefest between cast and crew, some animated storyboards, and an alternate ending. Trailers for a few other films round out the disc. I'm greatly disappointed that I spent ninety minutes of my life watching this crud. It's not scary, not bloody, and not that well acted. The idea isn't bad, especially the mind bending second half where we start to question the reality of what's going on, but it's not unique and comes far too late to save the film. I'm actually agonizing over whether to give "Boogeyman" one or two stars. I guess I'll go with the latter, as I usually round up when in doubt. But make no mistake about it; this film is NOT worth your valuable time. Rent something else instead.
Description of Boogeyman (Special Edition)
A YOUNG MAN IS TRAUMATIZED BY MEMORIES OF TERRIBLE EVENTS INHIS CHILDHOOD BEDROOM. YEARS LATER HE RETURNS HOME TO FACE HISFEARS.Bestsellers in DVD
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