The Boogens

The Boogens is a good fright flick. It plays well on the fear of dark abandon mine shafts, and creepy old buildings. I gave it a "7" out of ten - mostly because of the effectiveness that the movie sets in its atmosphere, from the opening sequence of old photographs and news stories that set the stage for the movie, to the ending - which I found really funny - in a good sort of B-movie way.

Being in Australia The Boogens was not really a movie that i had seen or heard of before researching horror films from the 80's. For Americans i think this was a TV movie that impacted most kids that saw it at the time and hence leaves fonds memories of being scared.

I knew what i was getting into when i went into this - a very early 80's film with dud monster effects. What i was surprised at was for a slow burning movie i actually became quite immersed. First of there was a layer of suspense that was quite well executed and the characters themselves seemed very 'normal' compared to the models that litter our movies these days. The story, though basic, was creepy and i have to say i fell in love with Tiger the dog who really does in many ways steal the the entire movie away from the cast.

The only real kick to the teeth here is what others have commented in relation to the monsters themselves. With a lot of POV shots, tentacles and a water scene that was quite well shot the monster for the large part is not shown on screen and for good reason. I know this was a low budget TV production but movies such as The Deadly Spawn, which was incredibly low budget, did a much better job with there creatures. As another poster commented the creature looks like a hybrid of a sea turtle and octopus and strangely has the most cute fake dow like eyes hahaha. Simple fact is it looks like a rubber toy and when shown on screen it doesn't really do anything but sit there.

As most would know if you make a monster movie and have a huge set up with it and it looks fake it can ruin the whole experience of what came before it and The Boogens nearly does this.

I appreciate the budget restraints and for the most past the director did an excellent job of working around it but this will be only a one time watch for me and soon to be long forgotten

Here's an odd one: plot development is decidedly lackadaisical, such that the film is almost half over before it starts to feel like it's slowly begun to pick up. In the interval, we get expository dialogue and scene writing that's at most indirectly tied to the predominant narrative, but somehow a lot of it is weirdly endearing... or even funny? (Not all, mind you - there's some tired, passing ableism, and some crude lines that just don't land.) Of course, for a monster movie, even one in which visualization thereof is pointedly reserved for much later in the runtime, it doesn't necessarily speak well to the picture that the horror element rears its head only a few times and very briefly for the first two-thirds of the length. To that point, I assume it was concern for a low budget that so heavily restricted the realization of any abnormal goings-on. With this said, 'The boogens' does manage to be enjoyable, largely on account of charming characters and cast members - though by the same token, this isn't why we're watching it.

In fact given such piecemeal, unbothered development, and the way the horror element is so emphatically shoved into a small corner, to no small extent this comes across as a made-for-TV movie. It distinctly feels like the type of flick that might have aired on ABC with minimal spookiness lest the delicate sensibilities of the Average American Family be overwhelmed. But this is clearly not the case as we note "R"-rated content, so what happened here? All the elements are present for a low-grade genre flick of at least some entertainment, and so it is in its way, yet David O'Malley and Jim Kouf's screenplay minimizes the blood and violence seemingly as much as it can.

For what it's worth, while hardly the pinnacle of the genre, I think everything looks and sounds good. The filming locations are lovely, and the production design and art direction strike me as solid. Any effects on hand look good, including blood; if slightly kitschy, Paul Hipp's cinematography and the creature design are both just fine. Again, I quite like the cast; Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, and Anne-Marie Martin, among others, actually do a really great job. All the contributions of those behind the scenes are splendid. And while the horror aspect is broadly pushed back to the very last segment of the film, the last 10-20 minutes are, I'm pleased to say, fairly exciting and well done. Even if we can easily predict who is going to survive by the end of the movie, 'The boogens' is ultimately a good bit of fun.

It's not unfair to say, however, that this probably won't find especial favor with the average viewer. I think I tend to be rather generous and open-minded when it comes to the movies I watch, and I exacted unexpected enjoyment from the substantial portion that was just interactions between the chief characters, well before the climax. I don't think for one moment this will hold true for most folks. All told I think this manages to be slightly better than average in my book, though I'd hardly begrudge anyone who thought lesser of it. 'The boogens' is not an essential watch by any means, but as far as little-known monster flicks of yesteryear go, this isn't half bad.

Mark (Fred McCarren) and Roger (Jeff Harlan) are a couple of young guys working for a company reopening a closed mine. Roger is excited that his girlfriend Jessica (Anne-Marie Martin) is coming to spend the winter with him and she brings along Trish (Rebecca Balding). What they don't know is that their dynamiting in the old mine has allowed some creepy monsters to escape. I saw this when it first belatedly hit video in the mid-90s and wasn't too impressed. My feelings are pretty much the same 15 years later. The film has some great locations, good cast and cool monsters. Unfortunately, it unfolds in a manner than never takes advantage of any of them. One would think most of the scary events would take place in the mine, but they all center in the house the kids are staying at miles away (tunnels exist under the land). Balding, who has just escaped housebound horror the year before with SILENT SCREAM (1980), is good in the lead but has very little to do. Hell, the cliché library research bit doesn't even show her uncovering anything big. Even the "scary old townie" character doesn't get much to do. THE BOOGENS is still MIA on DVD, but Turner Classic Movies recently ran a great letterboxed print that opens with the old Paramount logo.

A group of four mine surveyors are hired to explore a long abandoned silver mine to see if whether or not it is worth reopening. Two of the men, along with a girlfriend and her best friend, rent a secluded cabin not too far from the mine, but soon find out the hard way that they've released strange, tentacled creatures which once again stalk people in the tunnels, as well as their cabin's basement.

Like other cult films such as "The Boogeyman" I had a real hard time writing this review, because for some reason I had a lot of trouble putting my finger on exactly why I liked this movie, despite the fact it gives plenty of reasons not to. There are plot holes galore, with one blatant example being why would the miners have dug tunnels from the mine to the town's houses? The script is the standard B-movie issue, "let's all line up for a slaughter in the climax" type of formula, although there is a good laugh here and there, and sort of a good rapport between Balding and McCarren. The cast does a fairly good job with the material they're given, with Balding stealing the show with her perky, big-eyed charismatic charm, and "Creepshow" icon Jon ("I want my cake!") Lormer standing out whenever given the screen.

Director Conway does give this movie a creepy edge, showing ominous point-of-view shots from the creatures quietly stalking their victims, and he wisely leaves what they look like up to the imagination of the audience up until the climax. Unfortunately in the end the monster special effects aren't up to the task, and when you do finally get a good look at them you just have to laugh. They're very imaginative but look too phony and turtle-like to be taken seriously, one wonders how this film might have gotten more overall notice if they worked a little harder on them? Given the same cast, director, better monster FX and a more thoughtful script this could have been a monster movie classic.

7 out of 10, you need to be a forgiving sort to enjoy this film despite of its many flaws, but for some it will still manage to strike the right chords.